Espresso at a Gas Station?

I just came from Starbucks. Say what you want about the company and how they charge a ridiculous amount for their coffee, but I will say I rarely go for the coffee. It is a good public meeting place. I believe I am on record as saying this before. I love watching people, and there is hardly a place more interesting to watch people than at a local coffee shop. Every time I go, I see the same few people as if they are always there. I wonder if they see me and are writing a blog about this guy who is always there. Probably not. I see lots of people but a couple characters stand out.
The first is this woman I call Betty. I have no idea if her name is Betty but it should be. Betty is about 50 years old and dresses like she is 14. Lots of cosmetics. I am no doctor, but I would guess that there have been a few cosmetic surgical procedures along the way.  She is always happy. She usually seems like she has come from somewhere important, and is headed to another important place. This is her pit stop on the way. She knows everyone. Well, sort of. She says hello to everyone. She likes to be seen. I wonder if she would say hello to the same people if she met them in the grocery store. Out of her element.
The next character is an older man who drives a very nice Cadillac and parks in the handicap spot. He has a tag that allows for that, but he seems to walk okay. This is my observation, not a judgement. His name should be Mario. I noticed him because he always wears the same shoes. Expensive-looking dress shoes. Shorts or pants, same shoes, no matter what. Actually it wasn't the shoes that caught my attention. It was how high he had his pants pulled up. The belt was just below his chest.  He comes in alone every time, orders the same drink, sits in the same spot to wait for it, then leaves after putting milk and sugar in it and stirring it with a wooden stick. Most people would miss him in a crowd. Nothing really out of the ordinary. Except he comes all the time.
Then it occurred to me. This is like church. Making comparisons of Starbucks to church is nothing new. I have read many articles on the same by clever pastors and writers. Not that part. It is about our behavior. I like to watch people. That doesn't change when it comes to church. I notice many things about our parishioners. I can tell you what people drive, where they park, where they sit, the type of clothes they tend to wear, etc. All of these things could make me like an FBI profiler.  Except that I really just seem to be interested in people without motive. Observing to me is like wanting to know more about someone, but not in a creepy stalking way. It also explains why I am frustrated with superficial relationships. The church is just as guilty of this as is Starbucks.
We have many Bettys. They come to church dressed nicely and always seem happy. We expect happy in church. Most of us were trained as young kids to put on clothes you only wear to church, and come to say a bunch of stuff we only say in church. Read that book we only read in church. And don't forget to be friendly and smile at everyone. Why is this stuff we believe reserved for only one place? Betty doesn't order coffee at a gas station. She could, but that's not the place.
We have lots of Marios. They come in alone, or as a couple, or a family. They come not to be social; in fact they leave before most people would notice them. We have no idea why they come. They are the ones who come every week but nobody knows their name. Every church has these people.
I can see that being an observer of people is no better than being indifferent to the people around us. It's not good enough to say "I asked them one time to come [to something] and they didn't show up. I called but they didn't call me back. I tried to reach out to them."  My mantra for the week (and going forward) is "our mission is not to try...our mission is to do"! And you can quote me on that!