Instant Faith

Instant Starbucks. Are you kidding me?

That’s the plan. Later this year, Starbucks will market their world famous coffee right next to Folgers. CEO Howard Schultz said the gourmet coffee giant wants to change the way people think about instant coffee. “We have the technology to replicate the taste of Starbucks coffee in an instant form for a society on the go.” That’s the official spin. Reliable talk around the watercooler says that instant coffee is a $17 billion global market and Starbucks could use the, uh-h-h.…bucks right now.

Didn’t Starbucks start out as a place where you could meet your friends after a hard day? A place where you could relax for a few minutes and just catch up on life. In fact, truth be told, atmosphere had as much to do with their success as did what was in the cup.

Then there was drive-thru. Now, instant.

I wish them well, but I think they’re missing the point.

People are hungry for community. They are starving for a place, “Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” (I know, different product entirely, but work with me. . .)

“Belonging” comes from an old English word meaning: a close and secure relationship. Relationships of belonging are personal. They are about you, me, and the stuff that ties us together.

The Lord’s church has deep roots in belonging - trust, comfort, genuineness, safety, acceptance, and sharing resources. We are hungry to belong, because we are meant to live in community, and building that depth of community takes time. Not just time together in worship, but in fellowship, in sharing, in growing, in working side by side - trying and failing together and picking each other up.

When Jesus called his disciples, He didn’t say, “Listen to Me! Give me 30 minutes of your time and I’ll tell you everything you need to know about God.” His invitation was, “Follow Me.” Jay’s interpretation: Let’s spend time together. Walk with Me. Share with Me. Laugh with Me. Learn from Me. Trust Me. Watch how God and I move together. It took Him 3 1/2 years doing it His way.

The really good things in life take time.

Through the years, I’ve known some people of faith who turned out to be of the “instant” variety. Instant is impressive. Instant is easy. Instant makes headlines and heads turn. And then I’ve known people whose faith and experience are slow-brewed, rich and deep.

I’ll have a cup of what they’re having. I can wait.