The Common Cup - April 1
Today’s Lessons: AM Psalm 102; PM Psalm 142, 143; Jer. 20:7-11; 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32; John 17:1-11(12-26)
Welcome to the third installment of lessons from “Love is the Way” by Bishop Michael Curry. I thought after Monday’s reflection, I would stop quoting our presiding bishop, but his book is just so good, that I keep returning his words. Especially after reading today’s lesson from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. If you have yet to read Bishop Curry’s book yet, I encourage you to pick up a copy today.
It might not surprise you that Curry is a child of a pastor. His father was an Episcopal priest in Buffalo, New York, and his father came from a long line of Baptist preachers. When Curry’s mother and father were dating, Curry’s mother took his father to an Episcopal church in Chicago. When they visited, there were only a few Black parishioners in the pews. Curry writes that when it came time to come forward for communion, his father was both amazed and dubious. There was only one chalice on the altar, and this was the 1940s.
So, Curry’s father hung back as his mother went forward wondering if the priest would really offer her the same cup that everyone else was using. “He held his breath as my mother sipped. And as the cup was passed, the next person did drink. And the next. And the next. And the next.” Curry continues in quoting his father, “Any church in which Blacks and Whites drink out of the same cup knows something about the Gospel that I want to be a part of.” And it was that invitation that led Curry to join the Episcopal Church blazing the path for his son to later be an Episcopal priest, bishop, and now the figurehead and spokesperson of our faith tradition.
The chalice is a powerful thing. Prior to Covid, I often would hear how one of the defining reasons people have found such a home at Saint Stephen’s is through the invitation to communion. At Saint Stephen’s, we recite a prayer from the Christian community in Iona, Scotland as an invitation to communion. It is not something that comes from our Episcopal tradition. It is as follows:
“This is the table, not of the Church, but of the Lord. It is made ready for those who love him and for those who want to love him more. So come, you who have much faith and you who have little, you who have been here often and you who have not been here long, you who have tried to follow and you who have failed. Come, because it is the Lord who invites you. It is his will that those who want him should meet him here.”
I have missed so much the power of the chalice to bind us together. I feel a real thirst for the Eucharist, and yet we have returned to having Holy Eucharist at Saint Stephen’s with bread only. Part of my reasoning for not distributing wine is because it can’t be done from a common cup. And yet the invitation to participate in communion is the most welcoming act we can offer at Saint Stephen’s. All are welcome and we say and mean it with conviction. We unabashedly practice open communion.
In our reading today, Paul warns us about idols. I wonder if there is an element of even suggesting that we can idolize communion in itself. We want that which nourishes us, but what we are really called to is sharing in the Body of Christ. It is not communion in itself that nourishes us but being united as the Body of Christ. This is an important distinction. We are nourished because we are united. Because you and I, and the fellow over there, and the person in need, and the crazy uncle, and the preacher down the street, can be nourished by seeing our dependence on each other, and even more by recognizing the gifts of each other.
Yes, I want the wine. But today, may we be reminded that we need each other even more. And if that means holding off for a little while longer, then I’m game.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: How does Communion or the Holy Eucharist nourish your life and faith? Have you fasted from communion during Covid-19? Have you signed up to receive it in the home? Has your abstaining caused you to reflect on the role that Sacraments play in your life?
Daily Challenge: Order a copy of “Love is the Way” to read. Here is a link to purchase it from Amazon. If cost is a concern, I will purchase a copy for you.