May 11, 2016

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs…” John 2:1-11

The Mocha is “a flavoring made of a strong coffee infusion or of a mixture of cocoa or chocolate with coffee”. It is the opinion of this pastor that coffee and chocolate are both wonderful, but neither should be mixed with the other. It just isn’t right. It would be the equivalent of having an iced coffee – coffee is meant to be consumed hot, not cold. Chocolate is meant to be enjoyed for its own rich properties and the enjoyment it can bring – especially for the antioxidants. Most importantly, I do not like flavored coffees. When I was in college, the “hazelnut” coffee was a big deal. I consumed my fair share of the flavored coffee, one could say a huge abundance of hazelnut coffee – so much so that I no longer can stand flavored coffees. If I want to drink a coffee, I want one that tastes like coffee.

Jesus attended the wedding in Cana, and soon into the celebration, the wedding party ran out of wine. This was a disaster – especially since the wedding celebration would have gone on for days and days, and it was a celebration for the whole community. The family would have been humiliated if they ran out of wine. Jesus doesn’t seem to notice, but his mother, Mary is quickly attentive to the situation. She, showing her trust in her son, tells the servants to listen to Jesus and do what he says. In doing so, Jesus provides the wedding celebration an abundance of wine, and not just the cheap stuff. What Jesus gives them is an abundance of the finest wine.

The implication is clear for us today – Jesus wants all people to have an abundance of good things in their lives, beginning with an abundance of forgiveness, love and Grace.

Pastor Dave

May 10, 2016

“So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me…” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” (1 Kings 18)

One of the coffee drinks that I have not tried is the Caramel Macchiato. A macchiato drink is “milk steamed until it’s stretched and smooth to bring out its natural sweetness and is topped by a dense, creamy foam. Then rich espresso is poured over and through the foam, where it mixes with the milk and creates a brown mark on top” – this comes from a particular website for a popular coffee shop. It appears that this is one of the more popular drinks – which comes from my most scientific observations while waiting for my own drinks to be made.

Anyway, it sounds complicated to make, but, like all drinks, it serves a purpose. The word “macchiato” literally translated means “stained” or “spotted”. So the literal translation of caffè macchiato is “stained coffee”, or coffee with a spot of milk.” The caramel is what is added on top for definition.

Elijah wanted to prove to the people of Israel that the Baals they were chasing after, the other gods that had taken their attention away from the One True G-d, were dead gods. They were not living gods who could be alive in the lives of the people. So Elijah made a bet with the prophets of Baal, whichever god would rain down fire from heaven to consume an altar with a bull sacrifice, then…“The god who answers by fire—he is God.” The rest is biblical history. And Elijah did not just add water onto the wood one time, he did it three times to show the power of the “One true living G-d”.

Our G-d is not just a G-d who, like the macchiato, has just a spot of substance – our G-d is a G-d who reigns down power, love, mercy and Grace in torrents. Drink in this G-d – this G-d who may not be as popular as a Macchiato, but whose power consumes all of the sin, death and trials in our lives with his Grace-filled love.

Pastor Dave