"He took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.' " -- Luke 22:20 NRSVUE
In these few words, Jesus sealed forever God’s love, grace, and mercy for humankind. In preparation for his death, he offered his blood, the life force and sustainer of his life, to his followers to remind them of the covenant of hope God was making with them to sustain them as they soon would go out alone into the world to proclaim the Good News.
Two thousand years later, we symbolically are sealed by the same covenant when we take communion on Maundy Thursday and all through the year. Each time, we renew our hope and expectation that God is with us and leading us into the life Jesus lived.
Earlier in March I attended a three-day silent women’s retreat in preparation for Holy Week. On the first morning our leader, Becky,* asked us to think deeply about, meditate on, and write in our journals about the meaning of Jesus’ blood as the living covenant. Later that afternoon, she discussed it.
She suggested that the single cup Jesus offered his disciples could be understood as three cups in one.
The first is the cup of utility—service, usefulness to others. Like Jesus, our role is to love and offer grace and mercy to everyone. Whether their needs are physical, mental, or spiritual, we are there to care for them. Think of the many ways UWFaith serves to better the lives of women, teens, and children with hands-on help.
The second is the mug of accompaniment—to be with and comfort others in their times of need (physical, mental, or spiritual). This can be as small as asking a cashier how her day is going to sitting with a grieving family. Unlike the early disciples, we even can accompany others when they live across the world. I’m thinking of our relationship with the girls at the Jerri Savuto Center.
The third is the to-go cup of taking the reins of God’s mission—filling our goatskins with wine and hitting the road. Think of John Wesley filling his tin canteen with water before he mounted up. Maybe you stop by Starbucks for a coffee on your way to work each day. The symbolism here is that we fill our soul’s to-go cup with love, grace, and mercy each morning before we step out to meet God’s world.
I hope this Holy Week you will drink deeply from the three-in-one cup Jesus gave his followers before his crucifixion. Contemplate the meaning it has for us as you celebrate his resurrection on Sunday.
Grace and peace,
-- Karen Kaigler-Walker
Horizon Texas Conference Spiritual Growth & Soul Care Coordinator
*Author, speaker, retreat leader, and blogger, Becky Eldridge
