Thought For The Week

If there’s one thing that can distract us more than any other during Sunday worship is the question, "Where should we go for lunch?" As the preacher preaches on, we continue to ponder what our bellies are hungry for, Tex-Mex, home-style, or maybe burgers? As you walk into any given restaurant on Sunday after 12 PM, you’ll see "church folks" dressed in their Sunday best feasting on chicken fried steaks, enchiladas, and sipping their iced tea. Seated at the tables are large groups of worshipers who have checked the "worship box" and are now satisfying their own desires. Before we go any further, let it be known that there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a nice meal at a restaurant with family and friends. However, there may be some spiritual things we should consider.

First, if we allow ourselves to be distracted by our physical desires during worship, then we may need to take a step back and consider our spiritual maturity. As we worship the God of all creation, one must "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:2) We need to especially concentrate during the Lord’s Supper. "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body." (1 Corinthians 11:29)

Secondly, have we ever considered that by our Lord’s Day patronage to our local eating establishments, we are actually requiring people to work at preparing our meals instead of giving them the opportunity to go to worship? By fulfilling our own hungry desires, we could very well be hindering the furtherance of the gospel message!

Jay Launius – 2023 Maud church of Christ Maud, Texas