I was
listening to a Christian radio program not too long ago when the speaker said
something that was totally unexpected.
“Christians,” the pastor said, “we’ve got to get our act together about
tipping. When you eat out at a restaurant,
don’t leave a Christian tract as a tip.
Most servers work hard and aren’t paid very much. It’s the tips they earn that pay their
bills. Do the Christian thing – give
those servers a good tip. Leave the
tracts at home. You’ll give a much
better Christian witness if you leave a good sized tip!”
If my two
daughters had been listening with me, I’m sure they would have been singing
out, “Amen!” and “Hallelujah!” Both of
them worked in restaurants while they were in school and encountered all kinds
of folks. One night I’d hear about a
couple who had a simple meal and then left a very generous tip. Next time, one of the girls would call to say
that they served a party of 12 who demanded an extraordinary amount of time and
energy and then ended up leaving a $10 dollar tip. They also received as tips, business cards,
coupons and, yes, Christian tracts. As
one of my daughters told me, “Dad, you can’t spend a tract!”
So let me
say, yes, Christians should tip generously for good service. Leaving a tract instead of a tip probably
doesn’t create a very good impression for a hard-working server. But I also believe that if we Christians want
to offer a positive witness for the sake of Jesus Christ, there is something
else we can do besides leaving a good tip.
When our food is served, we need to pray.
Specifically,
we need to offer a table prayer before we eat the food served to us. We ask God to bless our meals at home, don’t
we? Why not in a nice restaurant or our
favorite burger joint? If we’re eating
out, it’s because God has blessed us with the means to enjoy a meal away from
home. All the more reason to give thanks
to God for His many blessings. Besides,
when you just take a moment to bow your head and offer a word of thanks to God
for your food, you identify yourself as a follower of Christ Jesus.
When our
kids were growing up, we taught them this simple prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.
And let these gifts to us be blessed.
Amen. In Martin Luther’s
Small Catechism, he offers a wonderful table prayer: Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we
receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 118, verse one provides a good but simple prayer: O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever. And
some people have memorized Psalm 145:15-16 as a table prayer: The eyes of all look to You (O Lord), and
You give them their food at the proper time.
You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
If you’ve
never prayed in public at a restaurant before, it might seem a little awkward
at first. But don’t let that keep you
from giving a positive witness of your Christian faith to your server and those
around you. And, if you have children,
you’ll be teaching them how to let that little light of their faith in Jesus
shine out to others.
If you
don’t have a table prayer, consider one of the prayers I offered a moment
ago. If you or your family have a
favorite prayer of blessing, then use it.
You’ll enjoy giving testimony of your faith in Christ Jesus. Remember: pray first…then tip.
