O Lord!
I like to get it all done early,
and I must confess,
the red cups
have cheered me on
for years now.

They come too early,
but I have to write
bulletins
and liturgies
and choose hymns
and plot out readings.

I confess to leaning
on the caffeine fuel
in the red cup
and the Sufjan channel
(Holiday)
on Pandora
to set my mood.

A pastor needs
to get there early,
to make things ready,
to set the scene
and make the plans,
and if the red cup helps
so be it.

And I’ll confess, too,
that I liked the cups
with snowmen and carolers
and doves and reindeer
and abstract generic
holiday images, filled
with seasonally elaborated
coffee.

But I don’t believe for a minute
that ombre shaded cups
constitute a declaration
of non-faith,
nor do I need
a coffee shop to bring
the Christ Child
into my world.

(He was never on the cups.)

I’ll trust you for that,
trust you to take care of
breaking through,
shining a light into our darkness,
while I type verse numbers,
and recruit candle lighters
and drink more coffee.

Come, Lord Jesus.

(I’m almost ready.)