For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9 Alright, alright. I get it. Not everyone likes coffee. I used to not care about it either. However, a few years back, when I was in corporate America, I found that I loved it. I’m not sure why I first tried it, maybe because it smelled great every time I walked by the kitchen, or maybe because EVERYONE was drinking it around me - but whatever it was, I had my first cup. And I was one of those folks that liked coffee with my sugar… You know who you who are. You pile in enough cream and sugar that you might as well be eating cupcake frosting… Yep. My people. Well, these days, I ditched the cream and sugar and for the most part, I like it straight, with nothing in it. On occasion I love some flavors in it, but I have not been lured in by the various pumpkin varieties… not my jam. But I HAVE found that I really like GOOD coffee. So much so, I can’t really stand cheap coffee anymore. I was in a donut shop the other week (not that I need to frequent such establishments, but hey, a guy’s gotta eat... donuts) and they served these amazing and dipped donuts. All kinds of flavors too - and ALL handmade on site just minutes prior to their sale. OH MAN and they looked tasty. In my ordering, I decided to grab a cup of coffee as well. I had had my early morning cup and one more would be great - especially alongside my tasty blueberry fried friend. So I ordered a cup. Straight up, no additions, just like normal, to go alongside my tasty donut. And. It. Was. Awful. So nasty. Imagine watered down, burnt, super bitter “coffee”. Just terrible. But it LOOKED like good coffee. It SMELLED like good coffee. But it was NOT. And all of a sudden, my donut was just a fruity piece of fried bread. GROSS. Fruit bread is gross. And frying it doesn’t make it better. These days we get served up all kinds of things in all kinds of different places. We take in advice, ideas, and news from all kinds of different sources. And truthfully, we’re inundated by OTHER voices. Not all coffee is GOOD coffee AND not all voices are GOOD voices. God calls us to be immersed in the Word of God. As a matter of fact, in our baptismal (and confirmation) liturgy we make a promise in response to: to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth These promises are how we RESPOND to God’s grace, love and mercy. Living these out help us to be drinking GOOD coffee. They help us to keep POSITIVE voices in our ears. The funny thing is, we spend lots of our energy NOT doing these things and then we ask the question, “Why is my life so wonky? Why can’t I hear God’s voice? Why can’t I feel God’s direction in my life?” Well, brothers and sisters, you keep pouring yourself bad coffee. Donuts don’t taste good when paired with bad coffee. Lots of great ministry can be done on Facebook and other media outlets, but that’s not our primary source of the Good News. Be active in the faith community Read Scripture and come to the table of mercy Share God’s work in your life with others Look for the broken around you and love them back to life And share the love for all those hurting beyond your walls and borders Be encouraged to pour yourself a cup of GOOD voices in your walk of faith as we respond to the work of God in our lives. And guess what, the donuts will taste SO much better. Lord, keep us active in your kingdom. Your will be done in our lives and Lord give us today our daily bread, you, Jesus. Fill us with your Word and your life, then send us forth to share your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.