and so, I found my opening sermon illustration at Starbucks . . .
Got to the office about 10 this morning, answered a couple of phone calls, and then moseyed over to the south office. Ordered my Caramel Machiato, and found a place to sit - someone was sitting in my usual chair (I claimed it yesterday, don't you know). Opened up the Lectionary Homiletics mag from 6 years ago (because it dealt with the Jeremiah passage) and waited for my drink to be delivered to me.
A group of experienced adults (how's that for tact) entered, began moving chairs around a table, and went to order their coffee. Then they sat down, their drinks were delivered, and they immediately started to gripe. "This is way too strong for me!!!!!!!!!," exclaimed one lady.
I began to reminisce about my trip to England in 1987. On the plane, the flight attendant asked me if I wanted my coffee American style or European. I asked what the difference was, and she proclaimed "Americans drink their drinks backwards from Europeans - Americans want their coffee weak, diluted with cream and sugar, and they want their tea straight."
Over the years, I have come to appreciate the wisdom of her observation. The longer I live, the stronger I tend to prefer my coffee. So, I couldn't help but smile (internally) at the recalcitrance of these "experienced" adults who prefer lightly colored water to coffee.
It occurs to me that our recalcitrance to change and other possibilities, especially as Americans (who exercise our freedom - to be right or wrong - with great bravado), makes the faith walk ever so much more difficult. God desires an inner change, and we respond with outward resistance.
posted by the sojourning pilgrim @ 10:01 AM
1 Comments:
One of these days I must meet you at the South Office for one of those Carmel Machiato, they're my favorite from Starbucks and the little place downtown makes a good one as well.
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