April 2, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: Mount Carmel Macchiato

“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

April 1, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: G-d Loves You a Latte

“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20-26

I often see this saying: “G-d loves you A Latte” – it is a pun, or a play on words including the drink that is so popular in coffee shops all across the world. It may seem like a trite and meaningless way to share the love of G-d, but whenever or however we share the love of Christ is not trivial.

“What’s not to love about a delicious espresso drink…?” This comes right off the website for a popular coffee shop – one where you may find the Cranky Reverend sitting once in a while. Some of you may not know what a Café Latte drink is….which of course makes this reverend scratch his head – but of course not everyone likes coffee drinks. A Latte is an espresso drink with steamed milk, topped with foam. Espresso, of course, is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. So, what we have learned is that a Café Latte is a drink that combines strong coffee with steamed milk to create a rich coffee beverage. It is one of the Cranky Reverend’s favorite drinks.

Of course, is it right to combine coffee with Christ – with the love of G-d made manifest with the world through G-d incarnate? Of course it is, because nothing about the love of G-d is trivial, and however we can share that love with the world is something we need to use. A church I used to attend formed a ministry called “Coffee for Six” – a pastor friend of mine used the love of coffee to encourage people to gather one evening a week to sit and talk over coffee. And though that was years ago, I walked into that coffee shop, and sure enough they were still meeting – talking about Jesus and drinking coffee.

Coffee and Jesus – they both do a body good.

Pastor Dave