Skillfully executed and joyfully received, Tuesday’s Mission Mississippi prayer breakfast, sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., was a presentation that took a common cup of coffee as a talking point and used it to explain the principle of loyalty. Using 1 Corinthians 10:21 as her text, the Rev. Anjohnette Gibbs set a compelling choice of opposite force before the gathering.
“In this verse, Paul tells the Corinthians that you can’t drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of devils at the same time,” she said. “One belongs to God and the other belongs to Satan. You can’t serve two masters unless you love one and hate the other.”
Sunday was designated as World Communion Day. Drinking from the cup of salvation is a symbolic gesture that Christians of all races and nationalities partake regularly. Opposing this cup of unity, oneness and blessedness is the cup of division, darkness and strife. Gibbs likened these two differing cups to the many ways that coffee drinkers prefer their brew. Some like it black. Others like more sugar than cream. Furthermore, there are some who like their coffee with sugar and cream.
“No two cups of coffee are alike because no two people are alike,” Gibbs said. “There is ebony, ivory, red, yellow and many other hues and tints.”
Whatever cup one chooses to drink from has some outward signs whether it is of God or of Satan. Gibbs explained that people who drink from the cup of God may get up in the morning with all types of troubles and concerns but still choose to pray, praise God and move forward. Those who choose to drink from the cup of Satan may give false appearances of drinking from a righteous cup through their church attendance and false presentation of righteousness.
“There was a quote on Facebook that said, “a lot of people who are in church need to have more church in them,”’ Gibbs said. “Paul is trying to tell us to drink from the right cup.”
In closing, Gibbs reminded the gathering that Jesus took all the contaminants of our sin and ingested them for our salvation. “Jesus said that if it be thy will, You will let this bitter cup pass me,” Gibbs said. “Now we can drink from the righteous cup because he paid the price.”
The next Mission Mississippi prayer breakfast will be at 7 a.m. Tuesday at Balls Temple AME Church, 326 Kentucky St.
