Starbucks Opens
A new Starbucks has opened, of all places, at St. Rita’s Medical Center. We had never tasted Starbucks coffee, so last Wednesday we stopped in to see what it was like.
With all the flavors and sizes and prices up on the board, it wasn’t easy to decide what we would order for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We finally decided to share one tall cup of Carmel Macchiano. (For those who don’t know, tall is the same as small. Larger cups have fancier names.)
As we expected, the baristas were friendly. The service was fast. And, at $3.00 a cup, the coffee was expensive, but it was tasty.
Retraining at Starbucks
You may also have heard that on February 26, Starbucks closed the doors of 7,100 stores for 3.5 hours to re-train their baristas. I read that customers had been complaining about long lines, cluttered menus, and expensive coffees that did not live up to the Starbucks claim of quality. Their new president announced that they want to better focus their efforts on enhancing the coffee-customer experience. He wants baristas to share their passion for making espresso or, as he says, "to pull the perfect shot, steam milk to order and customize their favorite beverage." In other words, he wants them to do even better what they have been doing well.
I don’t know what the results of their retraining will show. Has their service improved? Does their coffee taste better? Are they attracting more customers? Was it worth the effort?
What about the church?
An article in Leadership Journal (Mar. 17, 2008), by Gordon McDonald, asks the question “What might happen if a church were to follow the Starbucks example and temporarily close its doors for similar reasons?” And it got me to thinking. What if we would try that? And why would we do it? Well, for starters:
• Last year, some 200 people attended services at least once, but, as you can see, they didn’t stay. I keep wondering why not?
• If you look at the age groups in our congregation, the group with the smallest number is young adults – people 20-30 years of age. What can we do about it?
• The number of people in Wednesday evening Bible study and in our Sunday school classes has not changed much in the past couple of years. Is there a reason?
So, what if we closed our doors to examine the way we follow Jesus in this congregation?
1. Could we improve the level of hospitality we offer to those inside and outside our group?
2. Are there ways we could show more empathy to those facing challenges?
3. Could we help people strengthen their commitment to marriage and to the building of Christian homes?
4. How can we develop dependence on God instead of on material things?
These are the kinds of issues our scripture from Hebrews raises. And we know that the way we live as a congregation provides the best evidence of our faith.
Church of the Hebrews
For the past month we have been focusing on the book of Hebrews. This letter was written to Jewish Christians to encourage them to renew their resolve to follow Jesus’ way.
These Christians had bumped up against hard times. In 12:12 we read that their hands were drooping and their knees were weak. Their attendance was in a slump (10:25), and they were losing confidence. Some were ready to go back to their old way of Judaism.
But the writer shows them that Christ is greater than angels, stronger than Moses, and more important than the Old Testament prophets and the law.
He urges them to recommit their lives to Jesus, the one who endured the cross and broke through the barriers of sin and death through the resurrection and is now at the right hand of God. As we learned from Colossians last Sunday, we are to live as resurrection people.
And as the preacher in Hebrews comes to the end of his message, in Ch. 13, he reminds them of important principles to live by. Let’s take a closer look at four of them.
Principle 1. Hospitality. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.”
In Bible times, hospitality was not just a nice thing to do, it was a sacred duty. In those days, there were no motels or even restaurants. Travelers depended on the hospitality to survive. One can still sense the importance of hospitality in the Middle East. I remember a wonderful meal a family in Bethlehem served us one evening when we visited them in 1989. Nothing was too good for their guests. I recall the generosity of a family in Turkey who invited us into their modest home and served us yogurt from the milk of their own sheep.
In Genesis 18 we read the story of Abraham and Sarah who invited strangers into their home. It turns out that these three men were angels sent from God. That is why v.2 says “Some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
The word hospitality in Greek is the combination of two words: love and stranger. That may mean someone you know whom you don’t interact with. Or it may man someone you have never met. In my article in the April Our Generations Magazine, Melba tells about the times her mother provided food for hobos back in 1936.
Somehow these men who rode the trains often ended up at their house. “Times were tough then,” she says, but “mother would give them anything she had,” and they would sit on the back step or the front porch to eat it. Sometimes she packed sandwiches to take with them. “Mother didn’t know a stranger and never turned anyone away,” she recalls.
Here is the question for us:
• Who are the strangers, the outsiders, in our midst? And how do we welcome them?
• When someone new walks in, do we extend a welcoming hand?
• When someone who is not like us sits in our row, do we make sure they have the right hymnal?
• When someone joins our potluck for the first time, do we welcome them to our table?
• How can we improve the level of hospitality at Elm Street?
• Could we adopt the promise that Starbucks makes? “The first time you place your order, a smile may break across your face and it might just follow you the rest of the day because when you come here YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!”
One writer says that his congregation has grown because some people have invited others to their table… In our culture of private dining and eating on the run, such deliberate eating together with other followers of Jesus is a radical, countercultural act. If we learn to eat together across racial and economic lines, we will come even closer to the vision of God’s kingdom, which covers the globe and includes people from every tribe.” (Gordon Houser in “The Mennonite” March 18, 2008).
Principle 2. Empathy. “Remember those in prison, as tho you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.”
These words remind us of what Jesus said in Matthew 25. “I was in prison and you visited me.” Many of the members in the Hebrew church were probably poor and sometimes got thrown into prison because of their debts or because of their faith. There are accounts of Christians back then who actually sneaked into the prisons to be with their suffering brothers and sisters.
Ten percent of Ohio’s population is in prison. In addition, all around us are people who are imprisoned, mistreated, and abused, not because of their faith, but for other reasons. Starting last Sunday already, a whole stream of such people caught our attention in the past seven days:
• A 10-year-old who came to get his bicycle tire fixed. He had no adult who would pay attention to him.
• A woman whose electric wheel chair is broken and can’t get help to fix it.
• A young man whose relationship with the mother of his children has fallen apart
• A young man who is trapped by his anger and his use of marijuana
• A woman who called from her hospital bed, concerned about her health.
• A distraught woman who came to ask how to respond to unjust treatment that will likely cause her to lose her house and property.
• A young woman who was experiencing domestic violence.
Here is the question for us: How willing are we to walk in the shoes of fellow travelers who are going through tough times? Do we pray for them? Do we reach out our hands to them? Are willing to listen to their pain or do we try to avoid the hurting? One woman thanked us for just listening to her overwhelming problem. She said, “I just had to find a place to vent. Thanks for listening.”
Principle 3. Marriage. “Let marriage be held in honor by all.”
At our Valentine breakfast last month, our speaker quoted Jesus from Matthew 19:5. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”
Marriage is a God-ordained covenant in which faithfulness is expected. Unfortunately, in our society, marriage is not valued in the way God established it. Sex has become casual and marriage is dispensable. Some young people don’t have any idea what marriage is about. The other day, a neighbor kid asked me “Is Sue your sister?” And I realized that in his family there are no models of good marriages. Every single one of his aunts is raising children alone. There are no husbands in the family. The church is a place where marriage is highly valued.
Jesus, in his teaching, held up high standards for marriage. Christians bring a whole new concept of purity and faithfulness to the world. Our verse says marriage should be held “in honor” by all. In other words, it is to be valued because it is precious and costly. It demands time, commitment, intimacy, forgiveness. We dare not cheapen it by adopting the attitudes of those in our society who say that marriage is not important. The Bible teaches that sex outside of marriage is sinful and destructive. Sex within marriage can be enriching and glorifying to God.
Some of you may be hurting because of failed marriages. Please know that God wants you to experience healing and forgiveness. Some of you are planning for marriage. God wants you to experience the best that faithfulness in marriage can offer. Our breakfast speaker reminded us that marriage is not magical. It involves work. “It’s good, fulfilling work,” he said. “But it is work” because “lots of forces try to pull us apart.” Some of you know all too well how Satan wants to work through others to destroy your marriage. That’s why being part of the church is so important. But with God’s help we can persevere.
Here is the question for us: How can our congregation support, encourage and affirm strong marriage relationships and homes that Jesus can bless? What testimonies can we share? What help can we give? “Let marriage be held in honor by all,” our verse says.
Principle 4. Contentment. “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.”
I read of some missionaries in Eastern Europe who had brought blankets and Christian literature to some of the suffering people there. They assured the people that Christians in America were praying for them. They said, “We appreciate that, but we feel that Christians in America need more prayer than we do. We are suffering here, but you in America are comfortable, and it is always harder to be a good Christian when you are comfortable.” (Warren Wiersbe Commentary)
I’m sure most of us can think of something we could buy if we just had the money, but we all know that contentment cannot come from material things. Only God can satisfy our hearts. Jesus said in Luke 12, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
Christians in the U.S. will be tested in a few weeks. They will need to decide whether or not to tithe the check they receive from the U.S. government. It could do a lot of good in our needy world.
The writer of Hebrews quotes a verse from Psalm 118. “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” The Lord is our real source of contentment. He will never leave us or forsake us.
Our renewal team is praying that this congregation will learn to depend more completely on God. Read Scripture every day. Follow the disciplines. Listen for God’s promptings. Learn holy contentment.
Here is the question for us: What investment are we willing to make in holy contentment? Can we learn to hang loose from the temptation to depend on material comfort?
Conclusion. What do you think we would learn if we closed our doors to examine how well we are doing on these principles? What additional work do we need to do as individuals and as a congregation? God’s word leaves no doubt that He will bless his people if they follow these principles.
