THE POWER IN THE CUP.
GOSPEL READING : LUKE 22: 14-23

We are told about a certain king who had never lost a battle. Let us call him King Invincible. All the other kings around were worried about him and wished to know what was the secret of his success. So, they decided to dispatch three spies to his country on different days before they attacked him so that they could compare the reports that would be brought back. The first spy came back and said:
– My king, live forever! I have seen how King Invincible gets his soldiers ready for any battle. They spend days together at night, singing and dancing and eating as if they already had won the war. That’s the secret of their strength”. A second spy came in with the following report:
– My king, live forever! I have tried to infiltrate King Invincible’s army and have served as their arrows and food carrier. The secret these people have is unity and full obedience to the orders of their king. When he says “Go and spend the night at the other side of the river without eating any food”, they all obey and go united and singing. If the king says “Kill the hypocrites who have been recognized among you”, they all obey and carry out the order without an exception. That’s their secret to victory!”. The third spy didn’t return home until the end of the battle after his people had lost the battle as always. He reported the following:
– My king, live forever! I have waited until the last night before you launched the attack against King Invincible in order to hear what he tells his army before going to the battlefield. Here is what I discovered: King Invincible has got a big jug of water he has set at his court compound. So, before his army leaves to go for any battle, all of them are required to go and drink from the jug. That takes them a whole night. Now, the next time you and your associates will attack him, please appoint and send me and two other courageous men from our armies and we will go and hide ourselves behind a bush I saw there at King Invincible’s court. So, before his army will start drinking from the jug, we will stone it and break it into pieces.” The king took serious this advice. A couple of months later he had a meeting with three other kings in order to plan for an attack against King Invincible. The spies were sent out and carried out their plan by stoning the big jug and then cried loudly saying: “An attack! An attack! An attack!” All the soldiers ran to the jug in order to drink before going but unfortunately it was broken. They came back to King Invincible and said: “O King, live forever! The jug is broken! Broken!”.

The king ran out to the jug himself to make sure the news was true. As he came out of his palace, the four spies shot and killed him and the attacking armies came in and killed all his soldiers. THE POWER IN THE CUP! Do we really believe it? As Christians we are not superstitious. But the words our King Jesus Christ pronounced saying “This CUP is the NEW COVENANT in my blood, which is poured out for you” are still powerful. Yes, that’s THE NEW COVENANT OF VICTORY UPON SIN AND DEATH FOR THE CHURCH OF CHRIST in all ages. King Invincible had a key for his many victories but he forgot one thing: to have set permanent guards to watch over his jug day and night.

Jesus Christ as for Him (our Invincible King) has set all the believers to be the guards for this COVENANT OF ETERNAL VICTORY when He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me”. But how many attacks has the Devil launched against the Holy Church trying to push believers to reject the Holy Supper? The answer is clear “Remember me as often as you can”. The Apostles had their Holy Communion every First Day of the Week. That was their spiritual power for the whole week as they had to go and preach to various destinations. Our POWER to overcome all the attacks from Satan and his demons is IN CELEBRATING THE CUP AND THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD. Our glory and honor come when we carry Christ the King, when we bear His Holy nature within us, when we are transformed by His Love towards all. Richard Wurmbrand, the Romanian Minister who spent 14 years in Communist jails wrote the following anecdote saying : “When the colt which carried Jesus the day He entered Jerusalem returned back home in its shed at night, it told the other colts there the following: Did you know what happened to me today when I was carrying a certain Jesus? All the people in Jerusalem came out when I was going along and spread their cloaks on the road for me saying “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!, Hosanna in the highest!”

In Christ’s Love,

Bishop, Dr. Justin Baransananikiye
President,
CHRISTIANS STRENGTHENING CHRISTIANS,
http://iprayforyou.worthyofpraise.org
http://christiansstrengtheningchristian.doodlekit.com/blog