April 19, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: The Cha Cha Latte – Are You Kidding Me?

“The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.” 1 Corinthians 16:19-24

The Cha Cha Latte sounds interesting, and apparently is very interesting. This Latte combines “Matcha” green tea and chai to give you a drink that combines interesting flavors that complement each other. Matcha is a special type of powdered green tea that is grown and produced in Japan (in most cases). The green tea leaves are shaded from the sun for the last few weeks of their growth, increasing the chlorophyll content and creating a rich green color. Then, the leaves are carefully ground with stone grinding wheels to produce a fine powder. The powder can then be used to brew an antioxidant rich frothy green tea. This Matcha powder gives the original green tea latte an extra kick. Either hot or iced, this drink is an interesting option for the Chai lover.

The NRSV of 1 Cor 16:22 (here translated as Come, Lord!) translates the word Maranatha as: “Our Lord, come!” but notes that it could also be translated as: “Our Lord has come”; the NIV translates: “Come, O Lord”; the Message version puts it differently as: “Make room for the Master!” As understood here (“O Lord, come!”), it is a prayer for the early return of Christ. If the Aramaic words are divided differently (Maran atha, “Our Lord has come”), it becomes a credal declaration. The former interpretation is supported by what appears to be a Greek equivalent of this acclamation in Book of Revelation 22:20 “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Wikipedia explanation for “Maranatha”).

Now, why did I mention the word Marantha? Well, this tired pastor was looking for something to say about Jesus, and since Matcha is probably not well known, I thought I might be able to find another word in the bible that is not that well known and begins with the letter “M”. Maranatha, as is mentioned above, became an early prayer if not an early lament for 1st century Christians. Just like the “Prayer of Jabez” and other 20th and 21st century fad, we need to find easy prayers or statements of faith that we can repeat when our lives feel threatened, or we are at our wits end.

Maranatha, “O Lord, Come”. Just like Matcha powder, Jesus is full of faith antioxidants, or in other words, Jesus does a body good.

Pastor Dave

April 18, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: Room or No Room?

The Choice is Yours For Your Coffee and For Jesus

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.” Luke 13:10-17

After you stop at a coffee shop long enough you will notice that those who order just coffee are asked a very important question: “Do you want room or no room?” As I have learned, it can be a difficult concept for your friendly barista to understand. You see, I do not want the barista to fill up my cup to the very top, because I like to add a lot of cream. Some might even say that I like a little coffee with my cream. But, as you have learned about me, I like my coffee strong, and the cream helps to reduce some of the bitterness. So, I have to order my drinks with the caveat “I want extra room”. In other words, I want the barista to leave about an inch or more of room to add my cream. But the baristas tend to think extra means about just a quarter of an inch – which is just not enough room.

Of course that gets this pastor thinking: How much room do you allow in your life for Jesus? The other night my wife and I ran into a young man who went to day care with our son. We saw him at, you guessed it, a coffee shop. Anyway, he told us he was just having a conversation about how hard it is to have room enough for Jesus every day of your life. We decided that it is a daily struggle – but a struggle that is worth the fight. As Francis of Assisi is attributed to say: “Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary use words.” In other words, when we live our lives giving Jesus plenty of room, then others will know our cups are full of Jesus’ love and Grace.

Pastor Dave