Taking, Lifting & Drinking the Cup

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

March 13, 2026

Taking, Lifting & Drinking the Cup

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.

Matthew 26:27-28 

In many churches the members of the congregation do not have an opportunity to personally handle the cup, or communion chalice. Over the last five years in my Anglican experience, I have been blessed to place my hands on the Chalice as I drink from it. Recently, as I assisted in my grandson’s wedding in a Catholic Church, I was able to take the chalice in my hands and lift it as I fulfilled Jesus’ command to take and drink from the cup of his New Covenant.

In my participation in the Common Cup of Holy Communion, I am learning to think of it as a metaphor for my life. The Chalice containing the wine is symbolic of the sacrifice of Jesus which gave birth to my new life in Christ, and it is also symbolic of my life. All my regrets and sorrows as well as all my celebrations and joy of life are within the Chalice. As I take the cup, I am taking ownership of all my life.

As I let go of the Chalice, I always say, “Thanks Be to God” for my new life in Christ, as well as for my mortal life. I am what I am by the grace of God who is forever more at work within me. (1 Corinthians 15:10, Philippians 2:13) At the Altar of Holy Communion, I affirm my Abba Father does not have buyer’s remorse for adopting me.

My Takeaway: Our participation in Holy Communion is our way of fully appropriating and internalizing both our new life in Christ as well as our mortal life with all its joys and sorrows. As we take time to allow God to speak to us through each step in this process of taking, and drinking, and eating, we position ourselves before the transformative hand of our Abba Father. Through His loving touch, we become the fully authentic human being He created in His very own image.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.