No Filter

Coffee and I have an indelible bond. When my usual coffee routine is upended, I can get a little cantankerous. My father and I share this affection for coffee, so when I am at his house, I usually don’t worry about too much blood diluting my caffeine system. That’s what makes the story that is about to unfold so uncanny. 

Last Wednesday, I was sitting in my parents’ home preparing to write Sunday’s message. Coffee does the most unusual thing to me by calming me down and helping me focus. I can’t explain the psychological or physiological phenomena, but if I really need a good night’s sleep, I’ll drink a few cups of coffee before bedtime. As I entered the pantry to percolate a delicious pot, the most unexpected, absurd event occurred. No, the Folger’s can was full, and there were backups in stock. To my forlorn dismay, it was the filters that suffered a depleted supply. There was not a single coffee filter to be found.

Terror instantly set in. I began to catastrophize. How will I ever write a sermon? Should I text the elders to cancel church? Will I ever get another cup of coffee again? I mentally tumbled into a deep, dark tavern. 

Then I had an epiphany. A vision perhaps from my over-oxygenated caffeine-deprived mind. I recalled in bygone days a similar dilemma and improvising with a paper towel. The paper towel! One of God’s greatest gifts to civilization. Good for almost anything except wiping your nose. I pushed down the center of this cellulose fiber into the filter basket, removing the excess from the brim. I scooped in a liberal amount of grounds while relishing my ingenuity. For a brief moment, I knew that if I found myself lost on a deserted island, I could survive. 

The coffee turned out palatable, but there was nothing to write home about. Especially since I was home! In the country, they would have called my coffee concoction: cowboy coffee. That’s coffee that intentionally incorporates some of the grounds for a gritty kick. I, for one, didn’t love it, but beggars can’t be choosy. I lapped it down, coffee, grounds, and all. How important filters can be! 

Later that evening, I was sitting by my parents’ pond, considering the value of a filter. That un-gourmet coffee left a little grit in my teeth, and I was still working it out as my bobber teased in the breeze. Filters are designed to allow good things to flow through and restrain things that shouldn’t be allowed in. Filters serve a purpose for brewing good coffee, and the same could be said in living a vibrant spiritual life. 

As we embark on a new year, I want to remind us that God’s Word has withstood the test of time and cultural perspectives. It makes for a great soul filter. Life can become chaotic and confusing. Each year presents new opportunities and new challenges. It’s easy for our lives to feel untethered. But we have a great gift in God’s life-giving Word. It stands above time and the ever-changing cultural shifts to serve as a filter for what is holy, good, and pleasing. 

Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22

How do we implement these instructions in our daily lives? We bend to the book! It’s our filter for testing all things and holding fast to what is good.