April 4, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: When Free Coffee Isn’t Really Free

“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Galatians 5:13-14

“Christ has freed us to love: Love with all our hearts, Love with all our might. Love our friends and families; Love even our enemies. Christ has freed us to express love. For the stranger we do not know, Love from our hearts must always flow. For the oppressed and the poor, Love from our hearts must always flow. Christ has freed us to love; And love we must, because we are free. Christ’s love has freed us, freed us from our chains.” James Blay

As we journey through the coffee shop devotions, I am reminded of the allure of the “free cup of coffee”. At most coffee shops, there is some kind of a coffee card that you can have – and each time you buy a coffee drink, they will punch your card. Once you get so many punches in your card, you “earn” a “free” drink. My particular coffee place has something they call “rewards”. The more you spend, the more rewards you “earn” until you reach a magic number where you receive a “reward”.

Here is something I want to remind you of: free is not free – and earned means that it costs you something. Nothing in life is free – except maybe the freedom that Christ wins for you and for me. You see, in life, we are often shackled by metaphorical “freedoms” or “rewards” that hold us back, tie us down, or promise us false benefits. Those rewards promise us that they will make our lives better. But, in reality, all they win for us are problems that include addictions, exhaustion, family conflicts, emotional poverty, poor health. Some people will struggle their entire lives trying to find rewards that offer freedoms from our earthly problems, but they are false promises.

As Christians we have a freedom and a reward that comes to us through G-d’s abundant love and grace through the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. It is not something we earn, it does not come with a “punch card” – it is truly free. But many people find it hard to accept the freedom Christ has won for everyone. Christ frees us from the bondage of sin, death and the devil. But the freedom that we win through Christ comes with responsibility – responsibility for the last, lost, least and littlest of our communities. Our freedom comes at a great price – but liberates us to spend our time liberating others through the Gospel of Jesus.

So put your punch cards away – and don’t worry about “earning” rewards. You have been liberated, you have received the greatest reward that you could possibly want or earn — the gift of salvation G-d has for you through Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dave

April 3, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: Mocha Is Better Than Lessa

“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