Morning Coffee: Cup of Wonder, Cup of Grace

Some cups hold coffee; others hold meaning.

Coffee cups come in all sizes, some are silly, some plain. There are cups received for service, in remembrance of events, in celebration of happenings.

My children have given me cups. I keep them on bookshelves, on my desk, and store in boxes with other treasures.

We use our metal cups from Kenya when we drink our hot African Chai. Someone gave us a dozen ceramic promotional mugs which help us serve large groups of guests. My most used cup is a plain white one with a crack in it. I like the crack. It is my favorite.

Cups hold coffee, tea, or even cold drinks, but for some of us they hold meaning.

My wife once bought a cup-decorating kit. The kids used it to make a personal cup for Grandpa. It became his instant favorite because is reminded him of them. A few years later, they gave him a different one with the phrase “We love you!” written along the inside lip so he’d see it every time he took a sip. A new favorite had arrived.

What’s incredibly important to one person may hold little value to another. I once had a cup that my children gave me. I loved it. It felt good in my hands and to my heart. A visitor to our home dropped it and it shattered. They apologized, but they didn’t share my sense of loss. That cup has special meaning for me; it didn’t for them. Some cups are that way—they have special significance.

This past Easter Sunday we celebrated a cup with special significance and meaning.

Jesus said, “Take this cup and drink it.” It was wine. It was a token – a symbol.

Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant.” It sounded….it still sounds…bazaar! What did He mean?

Later, that same evening, he talked about that cup again. His second conversation added to the understanding of the first. He prayed “May this cup pass from me.”. He was praying about his death that would occur that night….that hour!

Pain. Shame. Ridicule. Rejection. Suffering. They were in His cup. Bitter stuff to swallow.

“Let it pass—if possible, but, if not, then let it be.”

“This is my blood of the covenant” meant, “This is the extent of my commitment to the covenant. This is the level to which I’ll go for God’s will. Shame. Ridicule. Loss. Death…even a bloody one. If that’s what it takes, it’s what I’ll give.”

“And when ever you drink this cup” —your personal cup of suffering, loss, scary dose of walking on faith – “remember me.” Recall what I’ve done. Everything is not too much…when necessary.

Truly, some cups hold meaning.