This past
weekend I worked with an international children’s golf tournament as a
volunteer, specifically with a group of 144 ten-year-old boys representing
several foreign countries and numerous states. Others volunteers served as
starters, scorers, rule judges, and shuttle drivers. My job along with several
others involved making sure large coolers scattered around the course were full
of ice and water. The three days were simply a delight.
Close to 50
volunteers worked part or all of the three days from 6:00 AM to nearly 7:00 PM.
Though cool in the mornings, by 1:00 PM the overcast haze was gone and the sun
was hot with temperatures in the mid 90’s. Most of the adults accompanying
their young golfers behaved as ladies and gentlemen though a small handful showed
their less than genteel tempers at times.
The local
folks who gave of their time to make the tournament possible did not have to be
recruited. They came looking for a place of service. They didn’t try to do
their job plus someone else’s. They didn’t complain when the conditions were
inconvenient or uncomfortable. They didn’t seek out personal recognition. They gave
support to others doing similar work and to others who were doing different
tasks. They cheered on the young golfers offering them words of encouragement.
When the day and the tournament were over, they thanked the course supervisor
for the opportunity to serve.
After all
had gone home, the excitement of the awesome finish had dissipated, and the
evaluation of the event was underway, I thought to myself, when was the last
time I had seen a group of church volunteers working with the same attitude. I
had to admit that the times had been rare.
The list
jumped in front of me. The auditorium was too hot or too cold. The choir was
too loud or too soft. The songs were too new or too old. The preacher talked
too long. No one ever complains if the sermon is extra short! The little kid in
the back made too much noise. Young families have their priorities all wrong,
or they would be in church with their little kids. People wear expensive
clothes just to parade in front of people. Other people don’t respect the
church enough to wear decent clothes.
This person
gets asked to do the good jobs. That person is never asked to do anything. The
custodian didn’t do a good job of cleaning a classroom. The custodian removed
old literature that was being saved. The bathroom stinks. The bathroom smells
like perfume.
An old
saying full of truth says, “The one thing over which you have total control is
your attitude.” A group of volunteers at an international golf tournament took
it seriously they represented the sponsoring tournament, the host golf course,
and the county itself. They took their ambassadorships seriously. They wanted
to make a good impression though the chances were they would never see any of
the golfing families again.
Where do our
church members lose sight of their ambassadorships for the Kingdom of God? (II
Corinthians 5:20) Why do we forget we are contributing members of the Body of Christ?
(Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12) Civility on the golf course says you take
turns, you follow basic rules to keep everything in order, and you focus on
your job. We come to church and it would appear at times there are no rules
except survival of the fittest. You took my parking spot. You took my seat in
the sanctuary. I’ll sing extra loud because everyone should get to hear me.
Some of us would rather not!
Civility
should be a Christian trait. Servanthood, humility, self-sacrifice, and
cooperation within the Family of God are qualities exemplified by our crucified
Savior. As followers we should offer him our best and follow his example and
not just save it for the golf course.
