April 26, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: Butterbeer Frappuccino

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritualist shall be put to death; they shall be stoned to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.” Leviticus 20:27

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

The bible does not have a lot of good to say about mediums, or sorcerers, or other conjurers. If someone dabbled in the paranormal they were shunned and probably worse, stoned to death. As such, someone like Harry Potter would have had a hard time fitting into the Old Testament community. But that was then. Here we have a drink offered by one of my favorite coffee establishments called the “Butterbeer Frappuccino”. Here is what I can deduce about Butterbeer in the Harry Potter universe: “Butterbeer was a popular wizarding beverage described as tasting “a little bit like less- sickly butterscotch”. It was served at numerous locations in the wizarding world and had a very slight alcoholic content. Students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would often buy it when visiting Hogsmeade.” (thank you internet)

The Butterbeer Frap is from the secret menu of my local coffee establishment and is for Harry Potter fans. It is comprised of remaking the Vanilla Crème Frappuccino with three pumps of caramel syrup and three pumps of toffee nut syrup. Ask for additional caramel drizzle on the inside of the cup or on top to make this secret drink even more decadent.

Okay, I am not a big Frappuccino fan. And this drink sounds just dreadful. But so does having a wizard or sorcerer whip up a spell that makes my hair fall out. I myself will stick to my espresso shots and read more from the book of Hebrews. All I need is more Jesus in my life. And Hebrews offers some great insight into running the race of faith. It is Jesus’ favorite book of the bible, after all (wink wink).

Pastor Dave

April 25, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: Barbie Frappuccino

“When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome, who followed him when he was in Galilee and ministered to him, and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.” Mark 15:33-41

The local coffee shop that offers the Barbie Frappuccino only offers it from their “secret” menu. They describe this drink as such: “What better way to celebrate Barbie than with a Starbucks secret menu drink in honor of everyone’s favorite blonde? This pink frappuccino starts with a Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino with three additional pumps of vanilla, strawberry or raspberry purée, a scoop of dragonfruit inclusion and a whipped cream topper. The result is a very sweet and slightly fruity bright pink beverage.”

Fruity beverage or not, the Barbie Frappuccino would never be whispered from my lips in any other way than this series of devotions. But I can only imagine that slapping the name “Barbie” on any drink, sandwich, doll, or action figure and you will get people to spend their money to buy it.

And then we have the person of Salome from the Gospels. She is not as well-known as Barbie, but she has a significant role to play in the life and death of Jesus. As the Gospel of Mark tells us, Salome was one of a few women “..who followed him (Jesus) when he was in Galilee and ministered to him, and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.” I imagine a day when the name Barbie will be as mundane and as obscure as the name Salome is to many people today. But the difference will come in their enduring legacy. While Barbie will have accomplished nothing more than turning the world more pink, Salome will be remembered for her devotion to and ministry to Jesus – especially when he was at his weakest and most vulnerable. If I can be remembered for nothing other than being devoted to Jesus, well, that is good enough for me.

Pastor Dave