After Thanksgiving Sales

by Joey Davis

�Tis the season to be... jolly!?!?!?!?
The day after Thanksgiving, Melissa sent me on a quest that equals nearly every military recon mission I've ever read about! That's right, shopping for home electronics at the "After Thanksgiving Sales."
It's funny how soon after a holiday that celebrates thankfulness for what we have that people can become' so obstinately greedy about what they
don't have yet but definitely want! My fellow wayfarer through this Christmas shopper's right of passage was my stepfather, Fred.
We noticed a stark contrast in the two stores we shopped. The first store, we'll call them Best Buy (because that's their name), opened at 7 a.m. When we arrived at 7:25, there were only four registers open and each register had a line of people waiting to checkout as long as our auditorium. People were pushing, grabbing, and pulling with a level of rudeness that nearly came to fisticuffs on occasion. The sales clerks, mostly high schoolers, knew nothing about the products. They only knew how to get you a check with the right' number on it. Realizing that this was a waste of time, Fred and I left and went to Circuit City.
The scene at Circuit City was quite different. We arrived about fifteen minutes before they opened. There was a single file line waiting to enter the store: Everyone was pleasant and chatted in line while they waited. As the doors opened, the sales clerk opening up used humor to soften the anxiety of the crowd and everyone entered in single file fashion nobody broke line. When we got to the department in which we needed to be, we were greeted by a salesman who had obviously been through the holiday rush before. He was very prepared for the questions that would be asked and was willing to not only be helpful, but to serve everyone efficiently.
Needless to say, I made a purchase from Circuit City. . .
. . . Two things that help make us mirrors that reflect the Light of Christ into the darkest crevasses of this world are experience and preparation. Something Best Buy lacked.
When we truly desire to live for the Master rather than ourselves, we must use every one of life's experiences to make us more useful in ministry. We must search God's word in order to prepare ourselves for His service.
Every church wants to be the congregation to which mankind will flock. Only those churches that are truly maturing in the area of applying life's experiences (experience), and are being molded by God's word (preparation), will succeed in this quest.

December 6, 1998

Related Articles:

December 25, 1994 -Dec 18, 1994
Bah Humbug? -Dec 15, 1991
All Boo, but No Praise? -Nov 25, 1990
Bah-humbug? -Jan 01, 1989
Concerning Christmas -Dec 25, 1988

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After Thanksgiving Sales by Joey Davis �Tis the season to be... jolly!?!?!?!? The day after Thanksgiving, Melissa sent me on a quest that equals nearly every military recon mission I've ever read about! That's right, shopping for home electronics at the "After Thanksgiving Sales." It's funny how soon after a holiday that celebrates thankfulness for what we have that people can become' so obstinately greedy about what they don't have yet but definitely want! My fellow wayfarer through this Christmas shopper's right of passage was my stepfather, Fred. We noticed a stark contrast in the two stores we shopped. The first store, we'll call them Best Buy (because that's their name), opened at 7 a.m. When we arrived at 7:25, there were only four registers open and each register had a line of people waiting to checkout as long as our auditorium. People were pushing, grabbing, and pulling with a level of rudeness that nearly came to fisticuffs on occasion. The sales clerks, mostly high schoolers, knew nothing about the products. They only knew how to get you a check with the right' number on it. Realizing that this was a waste of time, Fred and I left and went to Circuit City. The scene at Circuit City was quite different. We arrived about fifteen minutes before they opened. There was a single file line waiting to enter the store: Everyone was pleasant and chatted in line while they waited. As the doors opened, the sales clerk opening up used humor to soften the anxiety of the crowd and everyone entered in single file fashion nobody broke line. When we got to the department in which we needed to be, we were greeted by a salesman who had obviously been through the holiday rush before. He was very prepared for the questions that would be asked and was willing to not only be helpful, but to serve everyone efficiently. Needless to say, I made a purchase from Circuit City. . . . . . Two things that help make us mirrors that reflect the Light of Christ into the darkest crevasses of this world are experience and preparation. Something Best Buy lacked. When we truly desire to live for the Master rather than ourselves, we must use every one of life's experiences to make us more useful in ministry. We must search God's word in order to prepare ourselves for His service. Every church wants to be the congregation to which mankind will flock. Only those churches that are truly maturing in the area of applying life's experiences (experience), and are being molded by God's word (preparation), will succeed in this quest. December 6, 1998 Related Articles: December 25, 1994 -Dec 18, 1994 Bah Humbug? -Dec 15, 1991 All Boo, but No Praise? -Nov 25, 1990 Bah-humbug? -Jan 01, 1989 Concerning Christmas -Dec 25, 1988 Print this Article Discuss this Article Back to the Sermon Page	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37122-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM