Chris and I recently went to dinner at a very nice restaurant – part of our 40th Anniversary year-long celebration – and at the table next to us were two young women. They were well-dressed, very thin, and exceptionally enthusiastic as they waited for the bounty of food they had ordered to be delivered to their table. We watched in awe as dish after dish, along with a bottle of good champagne, were brought to them. They giggled and posed for selfies as enough food for 6-8 people showed up, and after they were done taking pics, the serving spoons were set, and the champagne was popped. Then, they gathered their belongings and left. Not a bit of food – not a sip of vino – were consumed – they just left. We – and the entire staff – sat there shocked. We all, almost simultaneously, realized that this was some kind of influencer escapade; the entire table was a set to accentuate their brand.
I asked the manager what they would do with all the wonderful food and drink, and he told me that, by law, it had to be thrown away. “Can’t you put it in the alley for someone who might be hungry?” “No.” “Can we have the champagne (said only half-jokingly)?” Again – “No.” We all shook our heads and clucked our tongues, disgusted and disturbed by what we had just witnessed. The arrogance and sinfulness of this kind of waste made us all angry! And yet, I know that this kind of thing, while not usually done in such a blatantly rude way, happens every day all over the world. Some communities allow leftovers to be distributed to hungry people, but that isn’t really my point today. My outrage is over people who think nothing of wasting resources while others go without.
Recently, Billie Eilish spoke to a group of uber-rich people and chastised their lifestyles. She asked the question many of us ask – how much is too much? When you are so rich that you take joyrides to Mars – so rich that you buy multiple multi-million-dollar properties to keep from paying taxes – so rich that you put gold toilets in your powder rooms – yet do so little to help anyone else – you have crossed over from being successful to being sinful. There is nothing wrong with doing well, but we also have to do good. Capitalism without a conscience is arrogant and sinful, and too many of us fall into that category. Hard work should have benefits, and those who take financial risks should reap rewards. When those rewards are not shared with those who help you get rich, however, you have crossed a line. I doubt those two young women in that restaurant will ever read this, but I hope that somewhere along the way, someone will care enough about their souls to speak the truth in love to them. Their behavior wasn’t just wasteful – it was sinful. And they aren’t alone. We would all benefit from sharing more of what we have.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for all that is around us. Teach us generosity. Amen.
Today’s art is a political cartoon from 19th century England depicting the gap between the rich and poor.