Christmas Cup vs. Coffee Cup

It amazes me at times, the controversies that develop. One recent one centers around Starbucks and their red Christmas season cup.

As you can see, it is a plain red cup with nothing else on it except the Starbucks symbol. Why is this a problem, you ask? Thanks for asking. Christians have become upset that there is no mention of Christmas, no Holy Family, no "Merry Christmas" or any other symbol of Christmas on this cup. The problem with this is that this means that Starbucks is attacking Christians and trying to remove Christmas and by virtue of that action means that they are trying to remove Christ from Christmas. We can't have that!

I have read arguments put forward. I have watched a video where a man (and to be honest, I have no recollection as to who he is) advocated telling the staff when they ask for a name to put on the cup, to say your name is "Merry Christmas." The reason? So that Merry Christmas will be on the Starbucks cup.

Is this really an issue worth all the time and press? Is it really worth Dunkin' Donuts weighing in with their Christmas cup?
As you can see, Dunkin' Donuts holiday cup is blatantly Christmasy and therefore means they support Christ and Christmas and everyone should buy their coffee from Dunkin' Donuts this year.

Really? I mean, really? Is this really an issue? Is this an attack on Christianity and on Christmas? Or is it a secular company meeting the needs of the people who buy their overpriced coffee at this time of the year? I don't think Dunkin' Donuts cup is any more Christmasy than Starbucks. It has a donut as a "wreath" and it has green and red "JOY." Is that Christmas? A donut as a wreath is Christmas? Or is it the word "joy" that makes it Christmasy? If you ask me, there is no difference between Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. Both are secular companies selling coffee to people during the Christmas season.

Can we, as Christians, dictate to Starbucks what their cups should look like at Christmas? If we can demand that, can't the Muslim demand that they make cups to reflect their feelings at Christmas, which is that they want nothing to do with Christmas at all. So remove the cups! But wait, what about Hanukkah? And Kwanzaa? What about the atheist? What could they demand to be put on the cup? Merrry Un-Christmas?

Folks, get a grip! Starbucks is not a Christian Church, selling coffee to Christians in order to make a confession of faith which states that they believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God incarnate. Starbucks is a company out to sell you coffee at some ridiculous price in order to make money. What color their cup is, what is on their cup, is no reflection on anything. If they were to make their cups with snowflakes on it, would that make you happy? Or would that not be Christian enough?

How about this? Instead of getting upset with Starbucks, why not avoid buying that coffee and taking the money that you save and put it to use helping out the local food pantry in buying food for families that have none? Or maybe, instead of hanging out at Starbucks on Sunday morning, why not go to your house of worship, spend time worshiping the Christ of Christmas and studying His Word? We have coffee at our Bible study. It doesn't cost you anything and is served in, gasp, a plain white cup. Oh no! Now the Lutheran Church is attacking Christ by not having anything Christian on the cups. Really? That is the same silly argument that is made against Starbucks, and the Lutheran Church IS Christian. Why don't we have "Merry Christmas" on our cups? Why is not the Holy Family on what we serve our coffee in?


Let me ask you this: Can you expect a non-Christian company to profess Christ? Of course not. Can you expect a Christian to profess Christ? Yes indeed. So are you confessing your faith in Christ? When you complain about the cup, are you telling the person you are complaining to, "Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He loves me so much that He came into the world as a child, born at the time we celebrate as Christmas. I love Him so much that I spend every day in His Word and talking to Him in prayer. I worship Him every week as I attend worship at (here place the name of your church, that is, if you can remember where you worship). I would like to invite you to come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior." When was the last time you did that? If not, then perhaps the problem isn't the fact that Starbucks is using a plain red cup, but the problem is that you, as a Christian, are waning a secular company to tell people about Jesus so that you don't have to. It isn't their job. They are in it for the money. It is your "job" as a Christian to be telling others about Christ. Are you?

Let's quit arguing about the cups used by companies that are out to get our money and let's start living, talking and acting like the Christians we are called to be.

Merry Christmas! I know, it is early, but you are already getting your red cup from Starbucks and your white "JOY" cup from Dunkin' Donuts so I figure you want to hear that greeting already. (By the way, I got so busy writing this blog that I forgot to drink my tea, the tea I made, which I am drinking in a non-Christian cup that has a picture of a train on it. Gasp! Don't worry, I still believe in Jesus.)