James tell us that the waiters in this restaurant have the mistaken idea that the restaurant is all about them and that they know better than the Chef. They often look down on the guests and become involved in their own petty quarrels and rivalries. Because we are Aristocratic Guests, we do not become embroiled in the waiters’ quarrels, but are actually untroubled by and perhaps even fond of them. The Chef manages to smuggle his food to us, the distracted waiters notwithstanding.
This image allows us to have a shift in perspective. Most discussions of what is meant by Church emanate from a waiterly perspective, giving the waiters way too much importance. In fact, Church is really all about the Chef making something available for increasingly aristocratic guests, and what the guests then make of what they are given.
I liked your examples of how waiters can be “stumbling blocks” Rich and also your realisation that confronting this can be such a positive spiritual experience.