April 11, 2024 — The Coffee Shop Devotions: “Chai Me a River”

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; and he would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. And he taught, and said to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and sought a way to destroy him; for they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Master, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered.” Mark 11

My wife will occasionally order a drink called a Chai Tea Latte – and usually she will order it on ice.  I have tried it a few times, and I think it tastes awful.  But, we all do not have to like the same things.  The Chai Tea Latte is “Spiced black tea blended with steamed milk.”  Chai (pronounced as a single syllable and rhymes with ‘pie’) is the word for tea in many parts of the world. It is an “old” beverage which has played an important role in many cultures.  Chai from India is a spiced milk tea – which sounds so similar to the beverage you might get in America. 

People always have a hard time trying to harmonize an angry response from Jesus – even to consider whether Jesus did get angry.  I wouldn’t necessarily say that Jesus got angry as much as I might say Jesus could get “spicy” at times.  I believe the two experiences we see of Jesus in our reading today, the fig tree and the money changers in the Temple as the perfect examples.  But Jesus was not trying to get people to cry, as much as he was trying to get people to think – and think out of the box – which often is the most difficult thinking we all have to do. 

If we say nothing else about Jesus, we can say that he had a passion about his relationship with his Father – and as such, he had a passion about calling people into that same relationship.  Where there was misuse of religious time and space, Jesus was quick to call out their sin.  Where there was barrenness in people, he was interested in bringing out their fruit and their passions – fruits of the Spirit and passions for G-d.

So, if you are feeling barren with your faith, don’t “Chai” us a river, get connected to G-d – look for the Holy Spirit in your life to spice up your faith.  

Pastor Dave

April 10, 2024 – The Coffee Shop Devotions: The Flat White – or do I have to call it the “Dimensionally Challenged Caucasian?”

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.” John 1:29-39

One of the more obscure drinks I have found at my local coffee shop is called “Flat White”. I am not so sure I can call it that in my devotions and risk being called a racist, but we are boldly going where many are afraid to go. The “Flat White” is, as the website told me, made of “Bold ristretto shots of espresso mixed with the perfect amount of steamed whole milk to create a not too strong, not too creamy, just right flavor.” Wow…sounds like a commercial, right? Anyway, the “Ristretto” espresso it is talking about is a short shot of espresso coffee made with the normal amount of ground coffee but extracted with about half the amount of water. It is somewhat similar to the traditional cappuccino or the latte although smaller in volume, therefore having a higher proportion of coffee to milk, and milk that is more velvety in consistency – allowing the espresso to dominate the flavor. As such, the ristretto espresso shot has a much bolder flavor – one that I believe takes some time to develop a taste.

Once you make the coffee shop a regular stop in your journey through life, you soon find out there are drinks that are eerily similar to one another, and yet they are different. The café latte and the flat white are two such drinks. I have had both, and they do taste very similar. But to me, one does surpass the other because of the blend of the milk and the coffee.

John the Baptist came into the world, and many thought that he might be the Messiah. John clearly said that he had come in the name of G-d, but he was simply paving the way for the One they were hoping for. We could say they were similar (they were even cousins according to our birth narratives) but they have different roles to play in the kingdom of G-d. In the text included above, we see where even the disciples of John leave to become disciples of Jesus. And that would have been ok with John, for he knew he was similar – but distinctly different.

We all have a role to play in the kingdom of G-d – but our roles will not all be the same. Each one of us has our own gifts, and we should find our own unique way to share and use those gifts. Oh we may look eerily similar, but deep inside, we have a uniqueness of gifts that makes us wholly one – and wholly loved by G-d.

Pastor Dave