Bible Reading 1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble
The story is told about a plainly dressed man who entered a church in the Netherlands and took a seat near the front. A few minutes later a woman walked down the aisle, saw the stranger in the place she always sat, and curtly asked him to move. He quietly got up and moved to a section reserved for the poor.
When the meeting was over, a friend of the woman asked her if she knew the man she had ordered out of her seat. “No,” she replied. Her friend then informed her, “The man you ordered out of your seat was King Oscar of Sweden! He is here visiting the Queen.”
The woman was greatly embarrassed and wished she had shown the king the courtesy of giving up her seat. But it was too late. He had left.
I find some of this story quite challenging. Why was there a section for the poor?
Everyone is equal in God’s eyes so should be welcome in all parts of the church. Why did the woman want to sit in the same place each week?
Times are changing and we need to change with them and this may involve changing our habits and learning to worship in different ways. We should treat everyone with respect and courtesy, regardless of their position.
Let’s pray that we may, with God’s help, show gentleness and courtesy to all people.