Cross thought: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life.
Coffee is sometimes called “Black gold” by the people who grow it in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia. Drinking coffee may often be a social experience, but the smell and taste can also be enjoyed alone. As long as fair prices are paid all along the chain of production, coffee plays an important part in “trade, not aid”. Many people earn a living from growing, shipping, roasting and selling coffee. Many more of us simply love to drink it – with or without sugar – and we don’t think of what 'the poor bean' has been through! Coffee arabica plants are pruned to 2-3 meters height for a high yield and for easier harvest. With right conditions and good care the same branch can have blossom, ripening berries and mature fruit all at the same time. A tree is fruitful for 25 years. The coffee bean is the seed of the berry (or coffee-cherry). Hand picking is followed by washing and rolling to remove the flesh and skin. Then the bean is fermented and dried before hulling, a process which scours the husk away. Finally the coffee is sorted, graded, stored and shipped. The coffee bean passes through a rough tough process before it becomes useful as a drink. Next time you drink a refreshing coffee with your friends, think about this: “He (Jesus Christ) was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed”, Isaiah 53:5. On the cross Jesus paid what he thought you were worth.
Enjoy your Saviour!
June 2007.
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