Distracted by Grace

This morning, I got to church on time (yay me!) and sat in the front row, strategically near and almost behind a pillar (for a full view + the illusion of non-conspicuousness).  Soon after I sat down, I heard a woman in the aisle suggest to someone to "put our bags in there," and a man squeezed by me, deposited two shopping bags, and left.  I was wondering for a while if I ought to be nervous about unattended bags, but just as the service was about to begin, the man and woman came back in and joined them.

The woman promptly began clacking away on her hand-held mobile device.  Indeed, throughout the service, the two were almost constantly in motion, frequently texting, whispering, fidgeting, touching each other, adjusting their garments, looking at a watch, trying to melt frayed edges of their apparel with a lighter, etc., etc.  

As for yours truly, well, I am easily distracted.  I was alternating between paying fascinated attention to their conduct, and trying to ignore them and focus on the service (all the while suppressing a smile).  

It was hard to know what to make of these two fellow worshipers, and it would be very tempting to pass judgment on them.  For all I know, they may be pillars of the church - regular attendees, members, significant financial supporters, or even elected lay leaders, deacons, etc.  I had to deliberately hold these possibilities in mind, because I recognize that certain aspects of their mere appearance (tattoos, piercings, casual attire) triggers unfounded assumptions and indeed a degree of prejudice in a traditional church setting.  

But even if they are not regular church attenders, it is worth emphasizing that they -- unlike so many others -- made the decision to be there this morning.  They stayed from beginning to end, even if they perhaps (like so many others) wished the proceedings were shorter or more engaging.  And they fully participated in all parts of the service that called for participation.  

And there was one more thing for which I must praise them, a weakness that turns out, on closer examination, to be a real strength.  Because they were so tuned in on the human level, they were thinking of others a lot more than many church-goers.  After she sat down, the woman asked me if I could see okay from my partial hiding place behind the pillar.  When someone sneezed, the man said "Bless you".  And they thanked me each time I stepped outside the pew to facilitate their entrance or exit.

The restraint that is culturally expected in church certainly makes it easier for others to extract whatever meaning they can from the worship service, and is - to that extent - more considerate of others, and yet this same restraint can easily bleed into self-righteousness and hypocrisy, and it can just easily mask a lack of concern or even deliberate indifference to others around us.  

And thus these two were themselves a beacon of grace for those with eyes and hearts to perceive it.