GodReflection: Power Words

The cup—let me reminisce as I begin.

There use to be something communal about a cup.

The tin cup hung from the handle of an ice water cooler at a job site served all. At a hot spring—there it was—a tin cup for all who wanted to enjoy a taste of healthy mineral water.

Once enlightened by the discovery of unseen germs communal tin cups started to disappear.

The cup is a powerful symbol of the church.  It is a powerful symbol of community. Through the centuries, we sanitized it into gold chalices and disposable plastic sip cups. Perhaps, we risk sanitizing out community.

Jesus used the cup as the symbol of care for our fellowmen. I am to walk with eyes open to feel the need of others who cross my path. As I encounter the thirsty—for water, for food, for assistance, for kindness—I am to extend my cup of cold water in the name of Jesus.

Jesus used the cup as the symbol for clear hearts. He saw through pretenders who cleaned the outside of the cup but left the inside dirty with greed and self-indulgence.

Jesus used the cup as the symbol for participation in his suffering. His question with stunned clarity rang out, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

He knew with deep agony the cup handed to him by the Father in form of the cross. How he wished for another way. In the end, he drank the cup extended to him by God.

Because of that cup—I live with my sins forgiven.

Jesus chose the power of the cup to be the image for all time to remind his followers of the cleansing act at the cross.

At the last meal with the twelve prior to his crucifixion he takes a cup.  Jesus fills it with wine. The communal cup was large—sufficient to serve all of the disciples.

 “Drink from it, all of you . . . this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you . . . whenever you drink it, do so in remembrance of me.”

As each man’s lips touched the cup and drank from its contents, they drank from a cup they would not understand until after the resurrection and until full immersion into the mission of Jesus.

The cup became a symbol they were to share in common with new believers as they entered the family of God.

It is so even today.

The cup is a touchstone that reminds me of what life is about.

The cup is a word of power that ties my life to the living Jesus.

Let’s continue to drink the cup together.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on Cup as a Power Word.

Gary@GodReflection.org