10-02-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 2, 2020
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

Thought for the Day: I did not choose this passage because we are in the month of October and Halloween is on its way. Though in the Haunted Mansion at Disney, there is a ballroom with a big table and ghostly goons dancing around it. That’s probably not what Paul was talking about. And I would even suggest he was not referencing teenagers telling scary stories around a campfire, or even playing with a Ouija Board. When Paul spoke of demons, he placed them alongside the powers and principalities… the stuff of this world that just doesn’t align with God. These forces could best be described as the things that are the opposite of the Fruit of the Spirit. What is the opposite of: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control? A lot of folks are drinking the cup and partaking at the table where the opposite of these central values (fruit) are manifest and enjoyed. We’ve all sat, one time or another, at the table where people were drinking from the cup of hate, despair, violence, short-temperedness, callousness, greed, inauthenticity, brutality and rage. I hear Paul telling us: You can’t drink from both the cup of love and hate, generosity and greed, gentleness and brutality (and the others as well). It is about making a choice, and making that choice every single day.

Prayer: I may think I am always feasting with you, Gracious God, but how often am I brought to the table where the demonic powers are enjoying themselves? How often have I allowed a spirit of inauthenticity to drag me to the table, where hate pours me a drink and callousness cuts my meat? Today, I’d much rather feast with you where I can enjoy the Fruit of the Spirit. Amen.

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