Favouritism Fails - Day 309 Month 11-4 Week 43-1
Favouritism Fails
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
2 Chronicles 32, Job 28, Jonah 2, James 2
I think we all do it to some degree. We show favouritism.
Last Sunday, Syl and I visited another church. Our own church is the Baptist church in Middleton, N.S., but we believe there's value in getting to know people in other congregations. So last Sunday we visited a Wesleyan church in the morning and attended an event for the priest of an Anglican church in the evening
When we visited the Wesleyan church we found a very welcoming environment. A number of people recognized us as visitors and immediately socialized with us, directed us to where we’d find washrooms and where the all important coffee service was. It’s one of the few churches that are just fine with you finding your seat while holding your coffee. I may drink decaf, but this one time, I drank the real thing.
While we were waiting for the service to begin, a woman came over to chat with the “visitors.” She was very kind and interested in everything we had to say. While we were talking to her, we noticed the pastor, who we had met several days before, approaching us. We immediately turned towards him and started a conversation with him. As we started talking to him, I noticed the woman backing away, with a look that suggested she felt, “I'm not welcome here.” She went to talk to some other folks. We finished our conversation with the pastor and as the service was starting I realized I had shown favouritism to the pastor and felt a deep conviction about what we had done. At the end of the service, I tried to talk to the woman but she was surrounded by many other friends and acquaintances. I was unable to apologize.
Looking back, I don't think we deliberately set out to ignore the woman. We simply gave more attention to someone we already knew and maybe considered more important. But the result was that someone who had gone out of her way to welcome us was left feeling unwelcome herself.
In this case, I showed favouritism towards the pastor. We show favouritism in other areas of life too. It's easy to fall into the pattern of treating someone we like, or someone who is wealthy, differently from our neighbour who may be a little more difficult to like.
James 2:2&3 says “For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?”
James later says in verse 8 “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing well.”
James is reminding us that loving your neighbour has no space for favouritism.
It's interesting that I can read these words, recognize the truth in them, and still find myself doing exactly what James is warning against. I felt convicted about what happened last Sunday, but feeling convicted isn't enough. I need to do something about it.
I hope that the next time someone approaches me, whether they are a pastor, a visitor, someone wealthy or someone who is difficult to get along with, I will give them the same attention and welcome. After all, loving our neighbour means treating people as people, not according to how important we think they are.
Have a great day!
Steve
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