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

April 17, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: The Undertow – When Evil Tries to Pull Us Away

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”  Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.” Matthew 4:1-11

As soon as I start to think they might run out of names for the coffee drinks at my local coffee establishment, with the assistance of the secret menu, I discover that more and more types of coffee concoctions actually exist. For example, we have the “Undertow”. The Undertow is a different little coffee drink — a sweetened coffee with a splash of milk sitting at the bottom of the cup, to which you then add two shots of Espresso on top. The Undertow should be consumed like a shot and is definitely a new experience if you are adventurous enough to try it.

Immediately after his baptism, Jesus is driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted and tested by the devil. It had to feel like a dangerous undertow to Jesus. Here he was on the biggest high of his life, hearing the voice of G-d saying “This is my son, my beloved”. Now, he is being swept into a hunger-fueled battle with the devil. But instead of being pulled down, he gathers his strength and is buoyed by both scripture and the holy angels. Life will try to pull us down, or at least we will feel as if we are being pulled down by the undertow of threats, losses, disappointments, diseases, and other calamities. Like Jesus, we need to know the word of G-d so we will be able to fight off the devil, and sustain our lives through the words of Jesus – words of Love, Mercy and Grace.

Pastor Dave