Pancakes & Prayer
Our church is headed to the International House of Pancakes tonight for dinner.
The reason is simple: we were going to host a traditional Shrove Tuesday pancake supper on the eve of Lent until we realized that we couldn't get our act together in time ... so we punted and made some reservations at IHOP.
That was two weeks ago.
A week later we learned that the restaurant plans to take advantage of the occasion, for one night only, by serving up short stacks for free. The sausage and eggs, the ham and grits, the bacon and hashbrowns, the sodas and juices -- now those are gonna cost ya. But the pancakes? The pancakes are free.
What a great idea they've got over there at IHOP. Exploit the religious event for profit. Harness the church tradition for gain. Well done, IHOP. In all seriousness, well done.
I can just imagine the conversation, in simple terms:
So how can we make more money?
Well what are we known for?
Pancakes.
Then let's give 'em away.
What?!
Yea, let's give away our best and watch 'em gladly buy the rest.
Alright. Let's try it. Let's give away our best. Free shortstacks, next Tuesday night, all the way around.
Well, I'm sure you've connected the dots by now. You can see where I'm going with this, can't you?
If Jesus is right (and I'm betting the farm he is), then the Father's house is meant to be a house of prayer for all the nations (Matt. 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46). According to Jesus, the Church is the family of God that gives away what it's known for, that gives away its best. It's the community of faith that leverages prayer not for its own profit but for the gain of those who are not yet experiencing the privileges of life in the Father's house.
It's the original IHOP, if you will. So let us pray.
kyle
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