The maple tree beside the front steps at our place at Lake Junaluska had died. There were no green leaves or new growth. Rotten limbs occasionally fell to the street below. We decided to have it removed. The dead wood shattered into countless pieces as it hit the pavement below. Our neighbor, an artist in woodworking, is a skilled craftsman. He picked up a piece of a wormy, dead limb and took it to his home. A few weeks later, he presented us with a beautiful chalice he had fashioned out of that rotten wood.
That chalice is prominently displayed on a bookshelf in our home and has become a symbol for us of what Christ has done for us, and what he can do with us if we allow him to take control of our lives. It reminds us every day that out of brokenness, there can come healing and from our sinfulness we can find redemption. When Christ first offered the cup to his disciples, and each time it is offered to us, it represents the possibility of new life. Even when our lives are broken by human error, not one of us is beyond repair in the hands of the master.
Christ can take our worst selves and make them productive again. A commitment to him can change our appearance, our priorities, our attitudes and even our language. We have hope through our faith in Jesus Christ as children of God. “This cup,” he said, “is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20) From a tree that was a symbol of death, Christ has offered new life.
~Reverend John M. Younginer, Jr.~
