Coffee and Christ

I am downing a cup of coffee this morning to get a jolt for the start of my work day. I like mild coffee. I know that is an embarrassing admission in the world of Starbucks and espresso drinks, but it's true. I'd be very happy with a cup of diner coffee and cream.

I still go to Starbucks though-they've tapped the market for people like me. I can get a misto, which is nothing more than a dressed up, milky cup of diner coffee. Yet I like the atmosphere there, the people are pleasant, and the snacks are great. They marketed a coffee product I will buy, which causes me to come back again and again. They got me in the door, and in the process, I have branched out into drinks that I normally would not have sampled. I'm not a "fancy coffee" girl, but Starbucks got me into the a "fancy coffee" store.

Perhaps that is a poor segue to Christ, but I hope that at Nativity, we continue to employ the same modus operandi. I hope we continue to attract people who aren't "church" people, but are interested in what we have to offer, or at least are curious what all the fuss is about on Sunday. The bottom line is that what we have to offer is the gospel of Jesus Christ, but hitting them over the head with the Bible or a Catholic missal is not the answer, as we well know from history. The solution is to create an environment where non-church people are comfortable entering, even if they don't fully understand what we are about.

Nativity is working on creative ways to continue to reach out to non-church (even anti-church) people. Stay tuned; there is something in the works for that neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member whom you haven't yet coaxed into visiting Nativity.

One more cup, and then I'm outta here.