"Coffee
House Chatter"
By Peggy Byland
Seminarian in the Reformed Tradition,
Western Theological Seminary
Recently
I spent four mornings in a coffee shop in Fort Collins, Colorado while my granddaughter
attended “Farm School.” With my books stacked beside me, I worked on my “end
of semester” papers. While I typed on my keyboard, I was passively aware of the
conversations around me. As the days continued I was surprised how often I eavesdropped on
religious talk.
For
instance, two older men sat at a table near me on Monday. One man was bringing the other
man up-to-speed on things that had transpired in the months he was gone. When that information had been communicated, talk
turned to religion. Was he attending church? How was God present in his life?
Tuesday
an older woman was joined by an older man. She might have been his therapist, or just a
trusted friend. She patiently listened to his sorrowful tale and then talk turned to
religion. “I am estranged from my daughter because she resents my involvement in
church. I like to sit in the front row. My daughter thinks I’m a fool.”
Wednesday
I found my table next to two young women. I
was responding to email messages, when I realized these young women were employed by a
large church in the area and were working on the advertisement for a mission activity the
church would be sponsoring in the fall. At an adjacent table a woman was talking on her
cell phone. My ears caught the words “Kid’s Hope.”
Thursday
was a quiet day in the coffee shop. I worked furiously to complete the document before me.
As I was packing up my computer to leave, I did a double take when my eyes caught a
student Bible and a Bible textbook on the table by a young man’s computer. How I
wished I had time to engage the young man in conversation.
I
don’t wish to imply that I purposely bent my ear to catch the conversations of those
around me in the close quarters of the shop. Perhaps the voices were more easily
understood because these conversation partners had gravitated to the quieter section as I
had. Or maybe God intended me to be aware of the people in this city, this state, this
world who are engaged in God’s work. Perhaps my ears perked to these conversations
instead of the many benign words of others occupying my space because God meant for me to
be encouraged by the work of the Holy Spirit.
I
thanked God for the people God has placed in this world to do His work. Perhaps these
people aren’t even aware of the missional nature of their words and actions. The
Psalmist says, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation...” (Psalm 51) Perhaps
the joy of salvation motivates us to tell others the “good news.”
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