How many of us have shelled out extra for a better seat? Concerts, Economy Plus on the airplane, behind the catcher at the ballpark, VIP seating is all around us. It's little different in churches. How many families have "their" pew, enforced by decades (if not generations) of giving and service to the congregation? In fact, for those old churches which had "box" pews, pew rents were a "thing," with higher rents going for better pews with more comforts to withstand dreary 45 minute sermons.
Sisters and Brothers, to misquote St. James the Apostle just a wee bit, "These things should not be!"
Granted, his statement was made about the same mouth issuing blessings and curses, but in the exact same Epistle we read today about the sinfulness of being a "respecter of persons." It is smack in the middle of him talking about the sinfulness of cursing, of how even transgressing one bit of the Law makes one guilty of breaking ALL of the Law. We read,
"My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?" (Jas. 2.1-7)
How many of us in our places of worship fawn over the rich benefactor, the interesting celebrity, the local power-broker, the doctors, the lawyers, the financiers, but pass over the callcentre reps, the store clerks, the wait staff, and other wage labourers? How many of us take the teachers, the nurses, the small business owners for granted? How many of us tolerate the "that's my pew" philosophy that gets thrown at a newcomer, especially if they're a bit frayed at the collar or worn at the heel? Do we throw pledge cards at the rich and walk by the poor? Do we tolerate egregious behaviour in our congregations because, "I'm a big donor and you can't touch me," or similar attitudes?
Pastors will tell you it is not so simple, that offending a donor would put the church in financial jeopardy. Perhaps it will. But what disservice it does to both poor and rich alike! While demeaning the poor, we also foster attitudes in the rich that are harmful to them. Did not our Lord say it is more difficult for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God? It is because of the false sense of importance, security, and entitlement that rich people are vulnerable. Putting them on equal standing with the poor in our churches help us all to cultivate humility, knowing that next to God we are all as nothing, that the amount of stuff we have or can buy doesn't matter to the One who created it all and can transfer it from one of us to another with a simple act of will.
For the sake of rich and poor alike, we cannot show favouritism. While the rich can give generously out of their abundance, proportionately the poor give a greater percentage, even if it is only the time and their talent. The poor are no better, but as the disadvantaged God does pay more attention to their situation. But while God pays more attention to them, they are still answerable to God for what they do. Instead, we should look in all humility to a person's heart, as God would, to see the true measure of a human being, and in doing so perhaps see somewhat of the Image of God in which we were created.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God." Icon of the Sermon on the Mount.