Hot Indignation

I was blessed this morning to get a break from being with my girls to go to the coffee shop and hang out for a couple of hours. As with most trips to the coffee shop, I have an agenda in mind, but it often get's readjusted by my "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" brain or circumstances in general. This morning was no different.

I was not scheduled to meet with anyone today. This was simply a study time. I ordered my usual at the coffee shop. When I know I am preaching on the coming Sunday, I will usually take a few hours to finish up (ahem...start) my sermon on Thursdays or Fridays. At one point when I was preaching regularly at Valley Church, I came in for months straight and ordered the same thing each week, a plain bagel toasted with a side of peanut butter (for only .25 cents extra) and a large coffee. During this stretch, I felt like Norm from Cheers. (Favorite Normisms) Every time I walked in, the baristas knew what I wanted and would even start the order before I reached the counter.

Today was an extra special day, because I got to use my Coffee Club Punch Card to purchase the coffee. After 10 punches on the card, your next cup is free....

BTW, I love the little dance I do with whatever barista is working on the particular day that redeem my card. It always goes something like this -

Barista - "You get a free cup of coffee today. What can I get you?"

Me - "I will take the largest cup of coffee that you are legally allowed to give me with the redemption of said card."

Barista (With simultaneous look of disgust and morbid amusement) - "One large cup of coffee." (Punches buttons on cash register.)

Me - "Do people actually participate in this program and order a small cup of coffee when they get a free cup?"

Barista (With only disgust now.) - "Some people don't want that much caffeine. So they prefer a smaller cup."

Me - "Oh. That seems to be a waste of effort. You pay the price to achieve such an accomplishment of having your card punched 10 times and then you settle for a small cup of coffee when you are allowed to have a large cup of coffee."

Barista (indignant) - "Do you want me to leave you room at the top for cream?"

Me - "Yes please."

Anyway, today was free large cup of coffee day, so the only item that was deducted from the gift card was the price of the bagel and the .25 cent peanut butter (some days you just have to live a little). You might think that I would splurge a bit more and maybe take on something else, say a scone or a fresh macaroon, but to you I say, "Get behind me Satan!"

I sat down ready to take on the text that I was asked to preach from, Psalm 119: 57-64. I had my preaching Bible and my Study Bible with me and I looked forward to spending the hour and a half refining the sermon. I was blessed to preach this sermon already last Sunday at the English Speaking Service of the Chinese Church of Amherst. That particular sermon went really well and really all I wanted to do was tweak some intro items to fit the MERCYhouse audience better and get a clearer understanding of the prior verses in Psalm 119.

As I read Psalm 119 1-56, I was taken back by many things, but verse 53 really sent my mind wondering. The writer writes - "Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law. ( ESV)

So here are my thoughts on this verse -

1. "Hot Indignation" would be an amazing name for a band.
2. I am not sure I have been seized by hot indignantion in a long time.
3. Would I need medication if I found myself hotly indignant?
4. Hot Indignation would also be a great name for a dance troupe - See here and here and finally here.
5. Notice why the writer is hotly indignant - because people forsake the law of God. This obviously needs to be understood with Gospel Glasses (thank you Robert Krumrey), but why be so offended (hotly indignant!) that someone would not follow God.
6. Do I need to be hotly indignant about this as well? Why am I not hotly indignant about this?
7. As my friend Matthew Thorne pointed out, "Hot Indignation" would also be a great name for a Taco Truck. (Touché my friend, touché in deed.)
8. Does all of this hot indignation spoken of here connect with church discipline?

So I have now given you a cookie, have fun with that mouse. Can't wait to see where this thought process takes you. 

With much love and fully caffeinated,

Ryan