Do you usually get a cup of coffee before or after your Sunday church service? Is this something unique to Sunday, or do you do this everyday? I grew up in a Lutheran church and I recall the coffeepot sitting there every week ready to dispense bitter, steaming hot coffee to anyone who wanted. Honestly, I was a bit repulsed at the time and never really drank coffee much till after I was out of college, and if I did, it was mixed with plenty of cream and sugar. When I started working my current job, over 10 years ago, I had a desk that was next door to the office coffee pot, which I initially only drank when having a doughnut or other pastry. Without really realizing it, at some point I found myself having coffee most every day, and that’s where I find myself today. I don’t have to have a cup first thing in the morning, but I do generally sip on a large cup of it throughout the day. But why? I apparently was able to survive for nearly a quarter century without it, so why is it part of my life now? Do you have to have your coffee?
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16
So, why do people drink coffee? To some, it may be a social, or a learned tradition…e.g. ‘my parents always made coffee in the morning and its just something we did.’ After he retired, my dad always went up to the local restaurant and sat for 30 minutes or 2 hours with the local guys and went through several cups of coffee. To others, it may be a thing of comfort. Sitting and warming up with a warm cup of coffee on a cold morning may just feel good. After having a friend make me a yummy, homemade café breve, I can understand how it can relate to comfort food as well, as it just makes you feel warm and fuzzy. To others, it may be an indulgence, or something extravagant that is more acceptable. I went through a phase when I tried some of the best rated coffee I could get, just to see how different it was. To others, it is just a tool to get going and awake in the morning, because it gets the job done. So, it can be different things to different people, but its still just coffee.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
So, whatever they may be, are your attitudes toward God reflected in your attitudes toward coffee? Is God as significant to your life as a cup of coffee? To put it another way, would you notice if you didn’t have a cup of coffee one day, as much as if you didn’t once pray or read the Word in a day? To some, God may be a source of comfort, when they are in crisis or feel sad, they may turn to Him, but when things are going well, He is relegated to the back burner. To others, God is part of religious tradition, or part of the Sunday church service (like coffee), and after going through the motions, is forgotten about till next time at church. To others, He may be a source of energy and a means to get through each day, which doesn’t sound too bad. So, the next time you reach for your hot cup of caffeine, just consider how much you need that in comparison to God in your life. Or maybe just offer a little prayer of thanks for that cup, to help put it in perspective a little. In fact, starting the day with a cup of coffee and a bible doesn’t sound so bad right now.
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
Yours in Christ,
Clark
