We commonly go to lunch with some of our choir friends after church on Sundays; recently we were at our local Outback Steakhouse. The meal was notable for four reasons:
- We were seated immediately, as there were very few other patrons eating there, a sad phenomenon reflective of many problems the once-packed restaurant has had in a new building and under new management.
- It took a full hour from being seated to the appearance of my Outback Burger. I was beginning to wonder if they'd had to slaughter the steer first.
- Once the meal came, it was one of the very best hamburgers I've ever eaten. (One of the messiest, too. I don't understand why restaurant burgers are usually too big to eat graciously.)
- It was the first of October, and the restaurant was extravagantly decorated for Hallowe'en.
It is the last that inspired this post. If I needed any proof of the power of the Name of Jesus, and the respect our society pays—albeit in a backhanded way—to Christianity, this season would supply it.
Businesses that would never at Christmastime dare to feature a crêche, or even call the holiday by its name, show no such reticence to decorate with witches at Hallowe'en. Which religion, then, is taken the more seriously? Which god the more feared?
Sounds like you had that fourth gift of the Spirit. Patience is much needed when dealing with any restaurant. For instance, we made an appointment two weeks ahead at Seasons 52. The menu was on line and looked good. When we did arrive for our meal, the menu was totally different and we were stuck with their higher prices.
About Halloween? We live in a Post Christian time and everything around us is pagan! The over abundance of tattoos out there is a reminder of writings about pagan Germany where pagans painted themselves blue.
These restaurants and business places out there will never have true representations of Christmas because we do not live in a Christian society.
