The weather and the pandemic have forced us to return to online worship, but that doesn’t mean we need to do things exactly like we did during the height of the lockdown. One thing most of us missed dearly was the sacrament of Holy Communion. As we return to worshipping together from a distance, this time we will not stop sharing in the Lord’s Supper together. Allow me to explain how that will work.
The altar guild is preparing home communion kits for every household. Inside these kits are a small chalice and paten, as well as 20 communion wafers and your choice of wine or grape juice. Gluten-free kits will be available upon request. Starting on November 8th, when you tune in to Sunday worship, you can prepare your part of our table together by putting a few wafers on the paten and pouring wine or juice into the chalice. When the time comes, one of us pastors will direct you to join us as we share in communion together.
Starting on Monday, November 2nd, you can come to the church to pick up your kit during office hours, which are Monday - Friday, 9am-1pm. You can also come any time between 9am and 8pm on Wednesdays. If you are unable to pick one up, we have plenty of volunteers who are eager to bring one to you. Simply call the church to request a kit, and one will be delivered to your door. These kits will last you about a month. Refill kits will be available when you are running low on supplies.
This initiative is meant to extend the table we share together. I ask that you only partake in communion with these elements when you are participating in an online worship service officiated by an ordained pastor. If you cannot watch the service live, you can still join us in sharing the body and blood of our savior when you are able. It has always been true that when we come to the Lord’s table, we commune not just with those physically present, but with all the saints around the world and across the span of time. The elements you prepare will be considered consecrated when you hear the words of institution, which begin with, “In the night in which he was betrayed…”
We provide these kits so that you will not have to pull the elements of our common sacrament from your own kitchen cabinets. Christ is present in this sacrament, not because we have the necessary elements at the ready, but because of God’s hospitable love. The stoneware, too, can help elevate this holy food above an ordinary meal in your home. I pray that the kits the church is providing can fill you with God’s mercy and unite us as the Body of Christ.
When this pandemic is behind us and you are able to return to the sanctuary to worship, I ask that you return the chalice and paten to the church at your convenience. I imagine, though, that both online worship and home communion kits will be available to you long after we have returned to the sanctuary, as a service to any who are unable to worship in person for any number of reasons. I should mention, too, that this is not meant to replace a visit with a pastor, but only to supplement participation in an online service. You can still request a visit with a pastor whenever you need.
I would like to thank the Worship & Music Committee, the Altar Guild, the Council, and the Staff for their hard work in making this new form of communion a reality for us all.
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