Coffee in Church

And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread . . .” 1 Samuel 21:4

Recently, at dinner with our former, now-retired pastor, my wife recounted a story we’ve long attributed to him. I may not have all the details right, but apparently, when our pastor came to town 20 years ago, there was some disagreement over whether coffee would be allowed in the church’s sanctuary. When I was a kid, it would have been offensive to drink coffee during the service. Times change though, and some parishioners wanted coffee in church. Still, there were those who objected. What about the carpet? People will spill coffee. To this, our pastor replied – The carpet serves us. We do not serve the carpet. It’s a sentiment that my wife and I have always appreciated about our pastor – When it comes to observing certain rules, we can sometimes get things backwards, worshipping the rule to the detriment of the worshipper.

This principle is illustrated in today’s passage. In the story, David and his men were on the run from King Saul, who wanted him dead. Hiding in a temple, David turned to the priest for food. The priest had only holy bread though, preserved for other priests, which was unlawful for a commoner to eat. Rather than let the men starve however, the priest broke the rules, feeding David and his men. Nearly a thousand years later, Jesus referred to the story when the Pharisees accused his disciples of picking grain on the Sabbath, breaking one of the 10 commandments. Jesus replied, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Yes, God’s people were to observe the Sabbath for their own good, but when such observance would harm them, the rule was not to be upheld at their expense. I desire mercy, and not sacrifice (Matthew 12:7).

This had to be frustrating for the Pharisees. They’d been taught their whole lives to do no work the Sabbath. Then along came Jesus, who suggested that, at certain times, the rules could be broken. I get the Pharisee’s frustration. I want clarity. Is it right or wrong? In light of Jesus rule-breaking, I’m tempted to simply jettison all rules. I can do whatever I want! The point of the story though, isn’t that there are no more rules. God still has expectations of my behavior – Don’t do drugs. Love your wife. Follow me. The point of the story is that when dealing with uncertainty about certain rules, it’s appropriate to think about the reason God made the rule, seeking to follow his will instead of following the rule above all. In the case of coffee and the church carpet, I’d have to agree that kindness and love were more important than preserving the integrity of the carpet.