On our trip home from New Mexico today, I encountered a divine appointment. You see, we decided to keep pressing on past noon and wait until 2:00 to eat lunch...partially because of a late breakfast and partially because there were zero towns for about an hour and a half. Nonetheless, the small town of Brownfield, TX was the location where God's providence and our hunger met...and it was at Burger King of all places.
When we walked in, I noticed a group of about 25-30 chronologically advanced men and women sitting throughout the tables. It looked like a Jr. High dance, the men were huddled on one side at a couple of tables, and the women were huddled on the other side. Imagine my surprise when I saw a couple of long tables displaying some homemade desserts in the middle of the eating area. I knew then that something was up.
We ordered our food and sat down at a table away from the festivities, and as we were eating, one of the ladies came by and told us that once all the senior citizens had gotten a chance to get desserts, we could help ourselves to some as well. Amy asked her what they were doing, and she said, "Well, I'm a Christian and I just love people. I organize this monthly birthday party for senior citizens, and the owner of the Burger King lets us do it here." She said she paid for everything out of her own pocket, which I imagine was a stretch, seeing as she was probably on a fixed income.
As I sat and watched these senior citizens talk and laugh and pass out birthday cards to those who were having birthdays in July, a smile came across my face. Then, I noticed other people in the eating area who were not a part of the party going and getting some desserts as well, including a police officer and what appeared to be a homeless man. This lady's generosity spilled over to her generation as well as the community around her.
She might not think all of it was that big of a deal, but I saw a missional senior citizen shining the light of Christ into that Burger King. She used the context of a birthday party to open up doors of relationship in a fast food restaurant. The church was being taken into the marketplace. I would give anything to have individuals from the senior generation leading out in love in my church when we plant. In a day where most churches just plan trips to Branson for their 55+ Sunday School classes, this lady was mobilizing the aged for the Kingdom. As the psalmist says, "One generation will declare Your glory to the next."
Oh, by the way, the peach cobbler and banana pudding were incredible!
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