“This is my body which is broken for you.” Every Sunday we say these words together as we prepare to come to the table, because the meal is central to our life as disciples of Jesus Christ. During the long COVID pandemic, in order to lower the risk of exposure and infection, we made significant changes to our participation in the meal - from not meeting in person at all to staying in our seats and using prepackaged juice and cracker sets in small plastic chalices. Beginning on April 3, 2022, we will resume the familiar walk to the front of the sanctuary to share the meal, but in small yet significant ways our practice will be different from what we used to do pre-COVID:
Together, we say the words of institution as the person at the table takes a loaf of bread and breaks it, and then holds up the chalice. Now you come forward by stepping out of the pew and joining one of the columns slowly making their way down the center aisle. At the front, on the pulpit as well as the lectern side, you will be served a piece of bread from a tray. All pieces have been precut, so only your hands will touch the piece you are about to consume. We use only gluten free bread so as not to exclude those who are gluten sensitive and emphasize that the bread we share comes from one loaf.
Now you take another step to receive a small paper cup. We are using paper cups to reduce the amount of plastic waste. The cups are just the right size for congregants of all ages, and large enough to prevent accidental spills.
Now you encounter the third person who will pour a small amount of grape juice into your cup. We use only grape juice so as not to exclude persons who don’t drink alcoholic beverages. You’re invited to consume the bread and juice right away and drop the empty cup into a receptacle, or you may take the elements to your seat and consume them in the pew; in that case, please take the empty cup with you at the end of the service, and drop it in one of the trash receptacles at the exits, or simply leave it on the pew cushion. Our deacons will come through after the service to pick them up, and they are a lot easier to spot when they’re sitting on a pew cushion than when they’re jammed into a hymn rack.
If you do not wish, or are unable, to come to the front, those serving communion will come and serve you in the pew.
Why these changes? We want to find a practice that addresses concerns over multiple people touching a loaf of bread and dipping pieces of it in a shared chalice, concerns that are particularly strong during flu season or future pandemics. We believe that the practice described above will allow us to maintain the strong sense of a community on the way that comes with walking together while significantly lowering the risk of passing germs from person to person.
Come April 3, you will also notice that the deacons again present our tithes and offerings along with the gifts of bread and wine while we sing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” - no changes here, just all of us raising our hearts and voices in praise to God.