Why do we use an ornate, beautiful chalice for communion? God never commanded it, right? He never told us to use gold or silver. So why do we?
And it's true: God never commanded which vessel we should use. He instituted the Lord's Supper—Bread and Wine to be His Body and Blood—but He left the materials up to us. The sacrament would still be real if we used a gold chalice or a plastic cup, a formal vessel or a coffee mug.
So, if that's true, then why do we use an ornate, beautiful, gold and silver chalice? It's because if you really believe that you're receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, then you would do everything you can and give your best for it. If you know you're not just remembering Christ's Body and Blood, but actually receiving it, then you'll put more care and effort into it.
Think about it this way. You bring your friend an expensive bottle of wine as a gift. He thanks you, opens it, and then... walks to the kitchen and pours it into styrofoam cups. The wine is still wine, sure. But what would that say to you? It would raise questions about what he thinks of the gift—and what he thinks of you.
When we use an ornate chalice for communion, we're saying something similar: This matters. This is precious. I'm giving you my best because what I'm receiving is beyond price. The vessel doesn't make the sacrament. But it witnesses to what we believe the sacrament actually is.
