Dodger: Afternoon! How has life been treating you? I hope you've enjoyed the day so far. It's starting to warm up quite a bit around here.
Lilly: I'll say. Yesterday I couldn't cool down no matter where I was.
Dodger: Why not just find a room with air-conditioning?
Lilly: If ours wasn't broken, I'd take that advice, but, it is, so, I can't.
Dodger: Ooo...that's too bad. Maybe we can lend you guys a few fans.
Lilly: That would be great.
Dodger: Okay. I'll look into doing that after we finish here. So, I got out of school.
Lilly: You mean WE got out of school.
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: Pretty exciting.
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: Summer is just full of opportunities.
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: Are you going to just keep saying that?
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: OK. Just wondering. Seriously, though, this is going to be great!
Dodger: Ye-
Lilly: DODGER.
Dodger: ...I agree.
Lilly: Thank you. So...any messages?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Emails?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Letters?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Tweets?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Well, then, do you have anything you wanted to talk about?
Dodger: Nop-
Lilly: DODGER!
Dodger: Sorry. It was hard to resist.
Lilly: How so? You didn't resist at all.
Dodger: Okay, okay. Good point. Anyways, I've been thinking about playing favorites.
Lilly: You've been thinking about doing it?
Dodger: No, about what it means.
Lilly: Oh. Why?
Dodger: Well, it's something I think we all do a lot more than we realize. I mean, we all have favorite things. I prefer Nintendo consoles, Hershey's candy, and Papa Murphy's pizza to other options in the game, candy, and pizza categories.
Lilly: True. There's nothing wrong with having a preference, though, is there?
Dodger: No. There's not. What about when you have a preference on the way you treat people, though?
Lilly: Such as?
Dodger: Well, if you treat someone a certain way based on first impressions and someone else another way, just because they seem different.
Lilly: I'm not sure I get it. Everyone is a little different, so we should all be treated a little differently, right?
Dodger: Um...I'm not really saying it right. Oh! Maybe this will help. Can you look up James' letter, chapter 2, for me?
Lilly: Sure. Here it is. Begin at the first verse?
Dodger: Please.
Lilly: M'kay. "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-5, ESV)"
Dodger: Hold it for a second there. Do you see what James is getting at?
Lilly: Well, I think so. It sounds like he's saying that we shouldn't play favorites just because someone is rich.
Dodger: I think you're right, but I'll bet it goes even further. You see, as far as God is concerned, we're all special, all unique, regardless of hair color, wealth, background, or whatever. None of us is better than anyone else, but sometimes we act like it by giving some people better treatment, and I think that that's what James is saying exactly not to do. Jesus died for each and every one of us, so when we act like some people are better than others, we're telling God that some of His children are less valuable, and that's certainly not right. Even though society acts like this, we shouldn't.
Lilly: So how do we avoid playing favorites?
Dodger: Well, we take James' advice. "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. (James 2:8, ESV)" In other words, we determine that we treat everyone with respect and as equals. This doesn't mean that everyone is the same, rather, it means that everyone is valuable to God and should be treated that way. That's how we, as Jesus followers, should treat others, no matter where they come from. It's not always as easy as it sounds, but it's the right thing to do, and who knows? Perhaps by treating a new person as an equal you may inspire them to do the same for others.
Lilly: In that case, remind me not to play favorites.
Dodger: We can all work on that. Well, Lilly, we better get going. Thank you for joining us! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's never going to change!
Lilly: Ciao!
Lilly: I'll say. Yesterday I couldn't cool down no matter where I was.
Dodger: Why not just find a room with air-conditioning?
Lilly: If ours wasn't broken, I'd take that advice, but, it is, so, I can't.
Dodger: Ooo...that's too bad. Maybe we can lend you guys a few fans.
Lilly: That would be great.
Dodger: Okay. I'll look into doing that after we finish here. So, I got out of school.
Lilly: You mean WE got out of school.
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: Pretty exciting.
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: Summer is just full of opportunities.
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: Are you going to just keep saying that?
Dodger: Yeah.
Lilly: OK. Just wondering. Seriously, though, this is going to be great!
Dodger: Ye-
Lilly: DODGER.
Dodger: ...I agree.
Lilly: Thank you. So...any messages?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Emails?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Letters?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Tweets?
Dodger: Nope.
Lilly: Well, then, do you have anything you wanted to talk about?
Dodger: Nop-
Lilly: DODGER!
Dodger: Sorry. It was hard to resist.
Lilly: How so? You didn't resist at all.
Dodger: Okay, okay. Good point. Anyways, I've been thinking about playing favorites.
Lilly: You've been thinking about doing it?
Dodger: No, about what it means.
Lilly: Oh. Why?
Dodger: Well, it's something I think we all do a lot more than we realize. I mean, we all have favorite things. I prefer Nintendo consoles, Hershey's candy, and Papa Murphy's pizza to other options in the game, candy, and pizza categories.
Lilly: True. There's nothing wrong with having a preference, though, is there?
Dodger: No. There's not. What about when you have a preference on the way you treat people, though?
Lilly: Such as?
Dodger: Well, if you treat someone a certain way based on first impressions and someone else another way, just because they seem different.
Lilly: I'm not sure I get it. Everyone is a little different, so we should all be treated a little differently, right?
Dodger: Um...I'm not really saying it right. Oh! Maybe this will help. Can you look up James' letter, chapter 2, for me?
Lilly: Sure. Here it is. Begin at the first verse?
Dodger: Please.
Lilly: M'kay. "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-5, ESV)"
Dodger: Hold it for a second there. Do you see what James is getting at?
Lilly: Well, I think so. It sounds like he's saying that we shouldn't play favorites just because someone is rich.
Dodger: I think you're right, but I'll bet it goes even further. You see, as far as God is concerned, we're all special, all unique, regardless of hair color, wealth, background, or whatever. None of us is better than anyone else, but sometimes we act like it by giving some people better treatment, and I think that that's what James is saying exactly not to do. Jesus died for each and every one of us, so when we act like some people are better than others, we're telling God that some of His children are less valuable, and that's certainly not right. Even though society acts like this, we shouldn't.
Lilly: So how do we avoid playing favorites?
Dodger: Well, we take James' advice. "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. (James 2:8, ESV)" In other words, we determine that we treat everyone with respect and as equals. This doesn't mean that everyone is the same, rather, it means that everyone is valuable to God and should be treated that way. That's how we, as Jesus followers, should treat others, no matter where they come from. It's not always as easy as it sounds, but it's the right thing to do, and who knows? Perhaps by treating a new person as an equal you may inspire them to do the same for others.
Lilly: In that case, remind me not to play favorites.
Dodger: We can all work on that. Well, Lilly, we better get going. Thank you for joining us! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's never going to change!
Lilly: Ciao!
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