Tin Cup Chalice
Matthew 26:17-30
On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.” While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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Growing up, my family would take trips to the Jersey shore. I have fond memories of building sandcastles, beachcombing, and my dad and sister catching waves on their boogie boards. The beach holds a lot of nostalgic memories that bring me back to a different moment in life. It's not that things were more straightforward, but it's that I lived in the moment. There wasn't much care for what would happen; for example, if I decided not to apply sunscreen, even after my parents told me countless times to use that sticky, slimy sun protector, I only cared about building the perfect sandcastle that could stand up against the rising tide. In any case, there's a call today for us to pause and consider what sustains us, what love clings to us like salt air, and who prepares that table for us at the end of a long day of work or play.
There's a video with Jimmy Buffett being interviewed by his daughter Delaney, and she asks him to tell the story behind this song "Tin Cup Chalice." Chronicling his journey from Nashville, Tennessee to Key West, Buffett recalls this cultural event where people would stop what they were doing and watch the sunset. Artists would be out busking in the streets, and people would come out and simply have a good time with one another. It was then that Buffett told his daughter that Key West was the place where he was meant to be. Again, these personal touchstones draw us to remember what gives us life, what inspires us to live, wake up day after day, and draw a new breath that offers praise to our creator and the new day that awaits us. Perhaps we find it in a sunset or on an ocean breeze, or maybe we find it in the bread we break and the cups we share.
What keeps us from experiencing the serenity and inner spiritual peace that we find in our reading for today and from Jimmy Buffett's song?
False Scarcity - We believe that there isn’t enough to go around. So we hustle and bustle and try to accumulate as much as we can for ourselves without thinking about our neighbor or God. It’s what Judas was doing when he betrayed Jesus, the one was the living embodiment of unending love. And it’s what Buffett was escaping from as he made his way down to Key West.
Civil Society - “Why should I help them, it’s my money?”
Church/Religion - “Only certain people get into heaven.” / “Only certain people get to attend this church.”
Trust/Belief - We need to believe that what we are receiving is providing us with the means to rest or find peace or comfort. Going through the motions of breaking bread, praying, meditating, etc. aren’t enough. We need to trust that God is with us at the place God has prepared.
And when we can trust or believe that is where things get really interesting. Because it means that our world changes from that very moment we decide to respond to God’s love. It helps us understand that Jesus broke bread with Judas not because it was an obligatory gesture, but because Jesus really did prepare a seat at the table for him. And Jesus prepares a seat for all us to have our fill and get so pumped up about it that we can’t help but invite others to join us. There’s enough for everyone, whether they earned it or not, there's a seat at the table or down at the beach with a tin cup chalice filled with good red wine, or your drink of choice, that heals our weary bodies and achy souls. All we have to do is believe that God’s love and peace is that powerful and life altering.
I find it beautiful that the nourishment that our soul needs and the vessel that it comes in don't need to be over the top. It's a reminder that our salvation and our grace do not have to come from a finely crafted gold chalice, and in fact, a simple tin chalice will do just fine. If we can begin to understand that, then our lives become more enriched. And if we can be happy with the love and mercy that flows forth from the tin cup chalice of God, then the saltwater that clings to our skin will be like us wearing the love of God (as our church Jim, not Jimmy Buffett says). It may take a bit of searching or self-realization to understand what it is God is offering us; however, once we get a taste, it will evolve into that ecstatic state of love that we hear Buffett expressing for the ocean, "I want to go back down and lie beside the sea there." Amen.