A Cup of Joe

Do you start your day off with some freshly brewed coffee? I do. More often than not it is a k-cup, not freshly ground, but delicious, nonetheless. Have you ever wondered when and why we started drinking coffee. Who came up with the idea? Actually, no one knows exactly how or when coffee was discovered, though there are many legends about its origin. The primary legend begins on the Ethiopian plateau. There, a goat herder named Kaldi noticed that after eating the berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night.

Much like the pit inside a cherry, the coffee bean is actually the seed found inside the red or purple fruit of the Coffea plant. Though coffee beans are not technically beans, they are referred to as such because of their resemblance to true beans.  

The story goes that when Kaldi reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery, the abbot made a drink with the berries and found that it kept him alert through the long hours of evening prayer. The abbot shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and knowledge of the energizing berries began to spread.

I don’t know who decided to roast just the seeds, grind them up, and run hot water through them, but someone did at some point. All I know is, it works for me.

It’s kind of like faith. I’m not always sure how it works all the time either. I mean, in the Old Testament, the death penalty was common. There are at least twenty-eight different offenses requiring death in the Old Testament including such things as murder, kidnapping, child sacrifice, rape, idolatry, and a disobedient son. In the Old Testament God was intent on being rid of sin by killing the sinner. We should understand, however, the New Testament’s approach is different. Jesus fulfilled the Law. Galatians 3:25 says, “…now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.” In the New Testament God no longer kills the sinner, He kills sin. Jesus becomes sin for all of us and puts sin to death on the cross. Why?    

There are so many things I do not fully understand. As David says in Psalm 8:4, “…what are people that you [God] should think about them, mere mortals that you should care for them?” It’s a good question. Why would God forgive me? Why would He send His one and only Son to die for my sins and yours? Paul wonders the same things. He says in Romans 7:18-19, “I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” And yet, God still loves us. Forgives us. Offers us mercy and grace. I don’t know why He decided to do that. All I know is, it works for me. Thank you, Lord, for loving me. I don’t have to know your reasons. I am just glad You have them.         

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