One of my favorite church activities of the Christmas season is “Bless the Server”. One of our church members saw this idea on Facebook and brought it to our small congregation, and we enthusiastically embraced it.
Karen, one of the church leaders, contacted the manager of a local Cracker Barrel, a country-themed restaurant, and ask the manager to pick someone having a particularly difficult time.
This year it was Melissa, a young woman who cheerfully served our party of about 20 as we came in for breakfast one morning. (If you have ever been a server in a restaurant, you know how hard the work is, and how little money most make.) Folks brought extra cash to “bless the server” on top of ordering our breakfasts and tips.
Karen called Melissa over and Hattie, our newest baptized member at 9 years old, presented her with a card on behalf of our Lord Jesus and our church. Karen told Melissa what we were doing, and told her there was over $1200 in the card.
Melissa brought her hand to her mouth and her knees buckled. Tears sprang in her eyes and she couldn’t speak for a moment. She told us we didn’t know what a blessing it was; her husband had been sick and they had tremendous medical bills.
After many of us had left, a woman came up to Karen and told her what a blessing our group had been for her that day. She heard the prayer before the meal and saw what we did for Melissa.
Last year the recipient of our “Bless the Server” had had her two children with her at the restaurant the day we were there. When Karen presented her with the card, to “help out with Christmas”, she burst into tears as well. “This won’t ‘help’ with Christmas,” she said. “This makes Christmas!” She went on to tell us she had just told her children they wouldn’t have any Christmas gifts this year because she only had enough money for a car payment. Her children were with her while she had her shift at the restaurant because she had no money for child care and no one to watch them.
I watched God at work in our church and in our lives as something relatively simple for me now – go to the ATM and withdraw some cash – can be part of making such a huge difference in someone’s life. And seeing that joy and relief in the face of the servers breaks my heart, fills me with gratitude and a yearning to do more for others.
Where have you seen God?
Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6: 6-12
Frank is an Inspire Missioner in Texas
