STARBUCKS

When this morning's service started I was sitting in Starbucks in Selden, drinking an overpriced grande latte made with skimmed milk. It was interesting to see the world beginning to make its way to this relatively new American institution so early on a Sunday and fascinating to see one of the alternatives people have chosen rather than go to church.

Now, if you're wondering why I was there, it was because I was staying out of the way to set things up for the video introduction to today's message in our Caffeinated Christianity series. Those who were there will know that I am not speaking in riddles, but for those who wonder what I'm talking about, remeber what the Bible says - If thou snoozest, thou losest!

The Starbucks story is truly amazing - over 10,000 stores all over the world - making the simple cup of coffee into something special. I shared a bit (probably a bit too much) about the company's phenomenal growth today, comparing it to the fact that while they have turned people on to coffee, the church has succeeded in turning people off to Christianity.

I commented that in the eyes of most people Starbucks rocks and Christianity stinks. I was going to say "sucks", but I'm not sure if you're allowed to use that word in church.

Whatever words we use, we have a long way to go in portraying a better picture of Christianity. Maybe a good starting point would be if we could just forget about calling ourselves Christians for a while and get on with living like Jesus instead.