Why Abide Coffee?

Abide: in Greek, μένω, ménō; “a primary verb meaning to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for)” (Strong’s Concordance).

John 15: 4-9 (ESV)

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples to abide in Him. This is not a new instruction; it has been the way of God since the beginning. When God creates man and woman and places them in the garden, it is to be in relationship with Him, and we see God talking to man and walking in the garden with him (Genesis 2:15-21, Genesis 3:8). When man damages the relationship with God through sin, God does not give up on us but radically pursues reconciliation in the relationship. He reaches out to Abram to again form a relationship with people (Genesis 12:1-3); He establishes the parameters of a healthy relationship with Him in the form of the law provided on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:2-9). Although the people agree to the terms of the relationship, they are again unable to uphold their end of the agreement. They are unfaithful in the relationship; yet God continues to pursue them, repeatedly calling them back to Himself through the prophets.

Finally, God sends His own son into the physical world: Jesus, Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:20-23)

Jesus is a man of relationships. He abides with His people. He has 12 close friends that we know as the Apostles, but He formed many other relationships (Luke 10:1, John 11:11). He loves people; He had compassion on people, and He ultimately laid down His life for His friends (John 15:13). It is on the eve of this great act that He will give His friends the instruction to abide (or remain or live) in Him. His actions following this instruction – His death and resurrection – demonstrate His commitment to His words and are what make it possible for us to continue to remain in relationship with Him today.

Later James will write to tell us to “draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

To understand the Christian faith (aka the way of Christ), one must understand this central point: Christianity is all about a relationship with Jesus, not religious ritual.

What does any of this have to do with coffee? Well, I’m glad you asked!

Jesus uses the metaphor of a grape vine – “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5) – I suppose I could have started the Abide Winery, but instead I will stretch His metaphor to coffee. The coffee bean is actually the seed of the Coffea plant, a small tree that produces fruit that surrounds the seed. The fruit contributes to the flavors found in the coffee bean; in fact, different methods of processing the bean expose it to the fruit for varying durations and in different ways, enhancing or diminishing certain flavors. (I won’t go into detail on these processes here, but perhaps on a future post.) As is true with the grape and the vine, if the branch is not connected to the core (the trunk, in our case), the tree will not bear fruit (and that means no coffee beans!) In the same way, if we are cut off from Jesus, we wither and eventually die, but if we abide in Jesus – if we learn to pursue a daily relationship with Him – we bear much fruit.

In addition to the metaphor, there is the practical experience of coffee. Now, I love the smell and taste of coffee, but even more than that, I love the experience of coffee, and I love to share that experience with others. It is a beverage that speaks to connection. When someone says, “hey, want to grab a coffee?” it is an invitation to hang out, to catch up, to connect. Coffee shops are community gathering spaces; they are places where people meet daily, discuss life, make plans, and dream dreams.

My prayer for Abide Coffee is that it would create spaces and opportunities where people can abide with one another and with Jesus.