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Reflection
on the Cup
Part of Communion Service
by the Rev. Amber Neuroth
August 5, 2007
From Monty Python's quest for the Holy Grail to Indiana
Jones and his last crusade our culture seems fascinated with the Holy
Grail, the cup of Christ, representing the Last Supper where Jesus
shared his body and blood with his disciples. At least we thought
that's what the grail was- Dan Brown's novel, The DaVinci code, of
course, offered the theory that the Holy Grail was Mary Magdalene and
her children- literally the bloodline of Christ. And what a controversy
this fictional novel set off. So people clearly care about the grail.
We are paying attention. We sense the power of this cup, even without
always knowing why. We sometimes feel it when we come forward to this
table and share this cup that represents Jesus' cup. So, what is the
real power of coming to the table and sharing Christ's cup? At the Last
Supper, Jesus said, “This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood.
As often as you drink of it, do this in remembrance of me.” Even in
these few words, we feel the significance, like we can still hear Jesus
saying them, beckoning us to drink from his cup, to sit at his table,
to be with him. And in his words, we get a beginning of what the wine
in communion represents.
First, it is a remembrance. Remembrance of how Jesus lived, what he
taught, how he died, and that he rose. But, historically, the cup has
been an opportunity to remind us most of Jesus' suffering and death. In
the days following this last meal, Jesus voluntarily gave his life and
made a sacrifice of love. He allowed his blood to be spilled so we
would understand that there is nowhere that God would not go for us. In
the UCC and even at Westmoreland, we can get a little squeamish when
thinking about how Christ suffered and about his blood. Some former
Catholics among us may remember that they were taught the wine
literally becomes Christ's blood when we drink it. That seems
uncomfortable and even cannibalistic, so we distance ourselves from it.
We make the table seem welcoming and happy. Sometimes, we even serve
communion without ever saying the word “blood.” We call it the “cup of
blessing.” And it most certainly is, but that blessing is not without
its costs. Christ gave everything he had, including his own blood. And
he asked us to remember it, to remember him. And so we do.
In the Bible, the word remember is often used as more than a mental
exercise. It is a way of participating in the past, feeling renewed by
the God of the past. When we remember, we are reconnected. We know our
true identity as God's people again. We remember because Jesus
suffered, we are not alone when we suffer. When we are overwhelmed by
the problems of our lives or of this world, Jesus knows and feels with
us. When we partake in the cup, we share in Christ's suffering just as
much as he shares in ours. And as we remember, we feel known by God,
and we can glimpse a future that is without suffering. We can see that
Jesus' sacrifice will be made final someday. Remembrance.
The second part of Jesus' words is “new covenant.” What does that mean?
Was there an old covenant? Actually, there was. Jesus was celebrating
the Passover meal with his disciples. Passover commemorates a night
when God honored a covenant with Israel to protect them and deliver
them from slavery in Egypt. They marked their homes in blood, so God
would Passover their houses. So God's promises go back along way, and
they are often sealed in blood. Jesus says this is the new covenant,
meaning now his sacrifice will renew God's promises and salvation to
us. God is not finished with us yet.
But a covenant has two sides, two people or parties making promises.
God offers to us salvation in sacrifice, and what is our side? We need
to come the table with trust, with openness. We need to offer God
ourselves for relationship and love. And that is no less than God
offered us in Jesus. Further, we offer God our work. We know Jesus'
sacrifice will ultimately bring about an end to suffering, but we must
work for that to happen. When we come to the table, we give testimony
that suffering is not what God wants. God would rather suffer that see
us do so. So when we come to the table we make a commitment to not
stand idly by and allow harm to come to others. And as we commit
ourselves, we can see that light at the end of our tunnel. We see that
holy reunion with God. We can feel that the covenant sealed in blood
will be fulfilled.
A favorite professor of mine said that we come to church for a sense of
“timeliness and timelessness” at the same time. We want our lives to
feel relevant and important even as we want to feel something
transcendent beyond ourselves. We want to feel both. Sometimes a tall
order for one hour on Sunday. In taking the cup of Christ, we bring the
timeliness and God provides the timelessness, a perfect covenant. We
bring ourselves, who we are today, with all of our joys and sorrows,
and we offer ourselves to God. And God in timelessness re-offers
himself to us again and again. So, now hear again the beckoning words
of Christ, and feel God's presence among us as you receive. Jesus said,
“This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink
of it, do this in remembrance of me.”
Last updated Wednesday, Februrary 29, 2008
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