Share A Cup

Jesus said that his disciples were his "friends."  When he gathered to eat that last supper he shared bread and a cup of wine with them.  Friends share a cup.  Yes, his followers came to believe that he was God, but they tried not to forget that he was their friend.  God became human to be one of us, to tell us that we were better than the lowly people we sometimes think we are.  "He became human so that we could become divine."  People were impressed with the early Christian community because of the way they seemed to love and care for one another regardless of their secular status, wealth/poverty.

So how did the cup become a chalice?  Maybe people began to focus on God in the food and not God in the person next to them.  Plagues can do this, but they come and go.  Maybe if you cannot see God in yourself, why would you see God in some stranger, or someone not from your tribe, neighborhood, social status?