Christianity to go

I watched as young man walked through the door with a to go cup in hand. He was followed by another man and another. They placed their cups on the carpet in front of them next to their feet. One woman pulled a large plastic package of chocolates out of her purse. I turned to look, as the sound of crinkling plastic was unfamiliar in this setting. She popped a handful of chocolates in her mouth and washed it down with a swig of coffee. She continued until the package was empty. She stuffed the empty plastic noisily into her purse, pulled out her cell phone, and began scrolling.

People sitting in their seats with coffee, drinks, and food, this would not be unusual for a movie theater, but we were not at a movie theater, we were in church, the sanctuary, the house of God, a sacred and holy place. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a cup of Joe and give me a bag of chocolates any day! But something is wrong if we cannot put them down before we enter the holy sanctuary.