The Play. Act 3.

I'm going to jump around on the play because I can't figure out how to do the welcoming party, just a bit of a blind spot for the moment.  This will be something that is near and dear to my heart.  Tipping.

ACT 3.  SCENE 1.

SETTING:  THE CHURCH.  THE REVEREND IS IN THE BACKGROUND FACING THE AUDIENCE AND THE CONGREGATION IS IN THE FOREGROUND FACING HIM.

REVEREND:  I was looking for inspiration for the sermon today and I found this letter.  (HOLDS LETTER UP AND WAVES IT.)  It's about giving.  I'm all about giving; I love Christmas, I think of the gift giving as a puzzle.  Anyone can give a person a nice present but it's a real challenge to get them something really special.  When the next year you hear complaints because your gift last year was just so perfect, that's when you know you did it right.  I'm sorry, I lied to you.  This letter isn't about giving it's about not giving.  When you donate to a church you shouldn't give more than you can afford.  In fact if you give more than you can afford then you haven't been listening.  Mr. G upstairs wants you to take care of yourself and your family before you give to this or any church.  If all you can afford is a nickel then we're happy.  Talk to me about how to manage your money better but we're still okay with whatever you can afford to give.  On the other hand though...when you go to a restaurant then you should tip.  If the service was bad let the manager know and tip accordingly.  If the service was good, or hopefully, great then tip accordingly.  If you're not sure then a simple trick is a dollar for every 5 or 6 dollars on the tab.  What prompted this sermon and this letter?  (STARTING TO GET ANGRY)  The waiter who wrote this letter said that his table of six people from my church didn't tip him, instead they said they would pray for him and left him some literature from my church.  Now if you want to make yourself look cheap then go ahead and do it.  If you want to make me and my church look cheap, I'm an adult I can handle it.  But when you want to make my church and Mr G look cheap then you've got another thing coming.  (CALMING DOWN) These waiters are making nothing on their paycheck, they live off of tips.  They live off of the kindness of strangers, much like our Savior.  Maybe we should act like our Savior more and remember that he filled their bellies before he even thought about filling their souls.  Think about that the next time you go out to eat.

END OF SCENE 1

I've been wanting to get that out of my system for awhile now.  When I was a server and a bartender I did get those religious tracts more often than you think.  Some were pretty basic telling about Gods will and how this church can be there for you.  Then some were rather crappy.  One that I received looked like a ten dollar bill on one side and on the other side it said that I was tricked much like Satan tricks us all the time.  If you're going to stiff me on my pay do you really have to make a joke about it?  This sermon started because I wanted to write a letter to the churches that I had collected the tracts from and tell them what kind of reputation they have.