From Disposable to Divine

I once was asked this question: If you could wave a magic wand, what is the one thing you would change about the church today? I didn't hesitate to respond; I replied, 'The value that we place on the Lord's Supper.'

It's not that I don't think there is more than one important issue facing the modern church; rather, it is indicative of the privileged position I think the communion meal must hold if we're truly going to count ourselves as the faithful keepers of the deposit of faith. We need to ensure we are familiar with its contents and are keenly aware of what is at stake if we were to lose it.

In his beautiful work Being is Communion, John Zizioulas writes,

The eucharistic community makes the Church eschatological. It frees it from the

causality of natural and historical events, from limitations which are the result of the individualism implied in our natural biological existence.

In his Communion and Otherness, he writes,

In the Eucharist, we can find all the dimensions of communion: God communicates himself to us, we enter into communion with him, the participants of the sacrament enter into communion with one another, and creation as a whole enters through man into communion with God. All this takes place in Christ and the Spirit, who brings the last days into history and offers to the world a foretaste of the Kingdom.

Below are four short reflections concerning modern communion meals and the impact that prefilled communion has upon the body of believers.

On the Lack of Personal Preparation

Communion (Eucharist) is a sacred meal that requires proper preparation, including examining the conscience, repentance, and appropriate reverence.

The Didache, an early church work composed by an anonymous Christian community, likely written before some of the New Testament books, instructs, "Let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist), but they who have been baptised into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs."

Further to this, Paul's admonition to avoid partaking in the Lord's Supper or Eucharist in an unworthy manner could result in guilt and judgment. Now, depending on where you shop for your scholarship, this could refer to a lack of reverence or understanding of the meal or partaking in the meal in the context of disunity or division from your community. Additionally, there are some connections with Leviticus 7 that cause me to estimate Paul as pretty serious about both the temporal and eternal consequences of this choice to partake in the meal unworthily.

I do not believe that pre-filled communion cups provide the opportunity for individuals to personally prepare themselves for the sacrament, as the elements are pre-packaged and may not allow for the same level of contemplation and intentionality as in the traditional form of receiving the Eucharist. You're distracted by the terrible noise, the person speaking, and so often – trying to get the tab to contain the wafer to separate from the tab that encloses the juice.

On the Diminished Sense of Fraternal Unity

The Eucharist is also seen as a communal act of worship. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that communion, (as the name suggests) can only really take place in the presence of others. Now, there will always be exceptions, but that's precisely all they are —exceptions. A service is where the saints come together as a community to share in the body and blood of Christ. Prefilled communion cups, with their individual packaging, suggest to me an emphasis on individualism rather than a shared communal experience.

Much of the modern Protestant church has already moved so far from what communion originally was: a meal hosted by Jesus. From which he tore pieces of bread from a single loaf, emblematic of the one body that was to be broken on the cross, and the single cup of wine shared among them all. Even prior to COVID-19, deacons would prepare the host and the wine, placing them into a single plate which was drawn from by the faithful. However, it now seems like convenience, cost, and a desire to redeploy deacons in a way that is seen as more valuable has taken priority – this in and of itself may be indicative of yet another example of how the church has borrowed from the commercial sector in the pursuit of resource optimisation at the expense of meaningful and faithful practice.

On the Reduced Sacramental Symbolism

This one is a given in any non-sacramental Eucharistic-affirming context.

But in the traditional form of the Eucharist, the bread and wine used during the liturgy are rich with sacramental symbolism, representing the Body and Blood of Christ, respectively.

Prefilled communion cups do not provide the faithful with the same visual or sensory experience. They aren't distributed carefully and attentively by the deacons; they are seen and treated as dreary, disposable containers that facilitate a rather dull ritual as opposed to elements that are representative of the body and blood of Christ. In some denominations, it is considered improper to touch the eucharistic host with your hands, opting to place it on the tongues of the faithful. In other traditions, one must take the bread while kneeling -my point is, you wouldn't dream of seeing the host or wine tossed about through the pews in a hustle to ensure everyone was included in the moment!

On the Departure from Traditional Practice

It seems to me that the usage of prefilled communion cups represents another radical departure from the traditional practice of the Lord's Supper, which has been passed down through centuries in Christian worship. This departure might, at best, be seen as a dilution or deviation from the established liturgical and sacramental traditions, or at worst, a deliberate choice to reduce this holy ordinance to a meal of convenience and empty obligation by unwitting or unreflective congregants.

The Eucharist, as N.T. Wright helpfully notes, is not a transactional act but a transformative one, inviting us to examine our consciences, repent, and come to the table with a heart that is open and receptive to God's grace. Let us honour the traditional practice of the Lord's Supper, mindful of its significance, and avoid reducing it to mere convenience or empty obligation.

I want to close with some exhortations to two groups of people. The first is the individual seeking to faithfully participate in the meal as one part of the larger body, obediently preparing themselves to receive and be transformed during this meal.

The second group is those who lead and/or organise the meal, decide on its ritualistic components, and are able to affect the way in which the host and the bread are acquired and distributed who aren't sure what they can do to move toward this vision of historical retrieval and faithful participation. I am aware these groups may not be mutually exclusive.

To the person,

1. I encourage you to engage in personal preparation. Recognise the importance of personal preparation before partaking in the meal. Either the morning of or during worship or prayer, take some time to examine your conscience, repent, and cultivate an attitude of reverence towards this sacred meal. Reflect on the significance of the Eucharist in your faith journey and approach it with intentionality and contemplation.

2. Seek communal experience: Emphasise the communal aspect of the Eucharist and strive to participate in it with others whenever possible. Recognise that the Eucharist is meant to be a shared experience with fellow believers, and value the sense of fraternal unity that it brings. Avoid individualism in your approach to the Eucharist and seek opportunities to engage in communal worship with other members of your faith community; I find eye-contact and handing around the elements to be effective in this.

3. Take time to read about, understand, and appreciate the deep sacramental symbolism occurring with regard to the bread and wine in the Eucharist. Recognise that these elements represent the Body and Blood of Christ and carry deep spiritual significance. Avoid reducing the Eucharist to a mere ritual of convenience or empty obligation, and instead approach it with a heart that is open to the transformative grace of God.

To the pastor,

1. In the lead-up to the communion meal, emphasise the importance of personal preparation. Encourage people to consider the ways in which they prepare before partaking in the meal. This could include guiding people on what it means to examine their conscience, encourage repentance, and appropriate reverence during the meal. You could provide resources or guidance on how individuals can personally prepare themselves for the sacrament, even if prefilled disposable communion cups are being used. This could include providing written reflections or prompts for personal contemplation, leading a communal confession and repentance during the service, or offering opportunities for private prayer and meditation before communion. Usually, it means saying less and leaving more space.

2. Foster a sense of unity during the meal. Highlight the communal nature of the Eucharist and encourage a shared sense of communal experience among the congregation. Help individuals see the importance of gathering together as a community to share in the body and blood of Christ. Consider using communal elements, such as a single loaf of bread and a shared cup of wine, as a way to visually symbolise the unity of the body of Christ. Even a large meal together at the end of a service that includes words of affirmation or a blessing to fellow congregants creates an environment that promotes connection and fellowship.

3. Preserve the sacramental symbolism: Reinforce the rich sacramental symbolism of the Eucharist and help individuals appreciate the significance of the bread and wine used during the liturgy. Educate yourself and the congregation about the symbolism of the body and blood of Christ represented in the elements, and discourage treating prefilled communion cups simply as disposable containers – or move away from them altogether! You can encourage the reverence and care that should be given to the elements, whether by the pastor or other designated church leaders who distribute them and discourage any practices that diminish the sacramental symbolism of the Eucharist.

As we strive to live out our faith in a manner that aligns with the rich heritage of Christian worship, I pray we might approach the Eucharist with deep reverence, contemplation, and intentionality and recover the beauty and holiness of this sacred meal in our hearts and communities. May we embrace the richness of the Eucharistic tradition and be inspired to partake in this sacrament with a renewed sense of awe, gratitude, and devotion.