Black or Cream & Sugar

 Pentecost Sunday

It's time to look again at that incredible day when the church began.

This special moment, however, is hard for some to handle. It's even more delicate when you deal with all the mitigating factors of worship and spiritual gifts and how people have chosen to handle themselves concerning their own natural inclinations toward expressions and emotional outburst. 

 

Yes, Pentecost is a tricky time for the Church in general. 

 

I liken the whole experience to a cup of coffee.

 

Either you like coffee or you don't.  There's really no middle of the road there. Either you have to have that brown , murky liquid rolling down your throat in the morning or the very smell or thought of being near it just turns your stomach. My wife doesn't even care for the aroma of it. I didn't used to be a heavy coffee drinker, but in my latter years I have come to find it comforting and helpful. 

Now, if you do like a cup of joe, that opens things up to a much widen discussion.  How do you like your coffee? Do you drink it straight black? Do you have to add some cream or sugar or both? (Dear Lord, help us all) I am a decidedly black coffee drinker. It doesn't need anything else put in it. Some old farts would nod their heads in acceptance of this. Some of those same people would never put A-1 on a steak. Never put any condiment on their burger. (Those are separate discussions that we could have later on. I do like my A-1.) 

 

For some, looking at the day of Pentecost is no easier than looking at the day Christ died on the cross. Some folks just cannot handle the gore and the bloodshed of the day and would rather that we not even talk about the subject matter. However, just like the day of the Pentecost, the future doesn't happen without the miracle of love and life that God extends to us all in this expression. We have no salvation if Christ doesn't complete the work that is needed at the Cross. The Church, also, has no beginnings without this day of Pentecost. We need it. We need to talk about it. We need to deal with it. Even if it's uncomfortable. 

 

Some would take the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this scriptural day to mean that we can be demonstrative in our human expression. If you've veer been in a Pentecostal or Apostolic worship service, you know that the emotional side of ourselves comes out full force. (And, Pentecost is something shared and used all year round.) That cup of coffee has so much sugar in it I can't even imagine how anyone can drink it. But, that it how some would choose to explain and share their Pentecostal experience. I come from a church background where seeing the day of Pentecost was minimal and without enunciation. I do not recall much of any fanfare or theological importance put on the moment. Then came my time with the Holiness churches. Nazarenes would be your black coffee drinkers. There was no speaking in tongues because people have abused that spiritual gift. We might stand and share a testimony. We might clap our hands occasionally. At camp meeting on the yearly basis, we might see someone run the aisle when "I'm a Child of the King" was sung. But, the whole experience seemed controlled. We made sure our human expression was kept in check. 

 

Leads me back to an earlier phrase. How did the term "cup of joe" come to be a thing?

Well, the origin of this phrase is uncertain. However, there are a few theories. One of them is as follows: Josephus Daniels, who was Secretary of the Navy, banned U.S. Navy ships from serving alcoholic beverages in the year 1914. This ban led to sailors consuming more coffee (among other drinks) Since Josephus Daniels was responsible for the ban and thus perhaps being partly blamed for the growing intake of coffee, they (the sailors) nicknamed the drink after him, thus it became ‘a cup of joe,’ Joe being short for Josephus. If you come from a place in your own history where you have felt the controlling nature of the places and people around you, then maybe you see and can apply the illustration into what we think about Pentecost. 

A more plausible sounding theory is mentioned at Snopes, where it’s explained that the word ‘joe’ can simply mean ‘an ordinary man.’ For example, perhaps you’ve heard the term ‘an average joe.’ This term is used to describe someone who is thought of as being an everyday, ordinary kind of person. Thus, nicknaming coffee as ‘a cup of joe’ would indicate that it’s a drink for the common man, or the average person. Here is where I think we miss the mark all over in Christendom concerning the day of Pentecost. It's not about us. Are we looking outward to the common, ordinary world? If you feel the need to express yourself with tongues and speaking, then I encourage you to look to the world around you and see where the message of Christ could be shared. Are you being called into the mission field? Are you being drawn to go serve in an outlying community abroad that could use your gift to help spread the message of Christ? Maybe we need to open up a little more. Maybe we need to add some cream and sugar to our coffee. (I didn't even mention the subject of iced coffee today.) Did you know that there are some where would drink their coffee cold? With ice cubes in it? (What are we Lutheran or something? Presbyterian?) How in the world did that tradition get started? 

 

Maybe that's exactly what we should be doing with this wild and crazy day.

 

Looking into all these other ways of drinking our coffee and asking why. Learning what makes other people tick and what their traditions are all about. There is so much to see and experience in this day that Church began. It is a day for all of us. A day we all can enjoy. 

 

Pour me a cup.