Communion is Back

 Fifteenth Thursday after Pentecost

Thursday is Prayer and Worship day on the blog. I was delighted to see a video clip from Justin Coleman, pastor of UUMC, that there will be the Sacrament of Holy Communion this Sunday from U-Tube to your house. I have written before and received comments from several of you on this subject. At this risk of repeating myself, let me note a few things of importance on this:

• We are in a situation that most of us have never been in before. The Pandemic has rendered mass gatherings unsafe. Our churches are thus having services only remotely.
• God has a great deal of experience working remotely. 
• The clergy person does not have to physically touch all the elements when he or she consecrates them in a regular service, especially in a large church when several loaves are used.
• Consecration of the elements comes through the words of consecration in the communion liturgy:"This is my body..." "This is my blood..." Those words are as effective at a distance of 5 miles as they are of 5 feet. The medium through which the sound of the words is heard is irrelevant.

• Like many of you, this is the longest I have gone without communion since my infancy. We need it!

I would love to hear from some of you who are not members of UUMC as to what your church is doing in regard to communion.

 

I do have a couple of suggestions for your remote communion. These are only suggestions. Do the ones that are helpful and possible for you. 

• Set aside a sacred space in your house or apartment. It needs to be a room where your computer is or where you can put your laptop.
• Put some Christian symbol in your sacred space. If you don't have any Christian symbols, just make a cross out of paper and place it somewhere in your room where you can see it. 
• Include your spouse, children, and anyone else living in your home.
• Designate a particular cup to be your chalice and a particular plate to be your patten. Don't use them for anything else but communion.
• Get some wine or grape juice, if you don't already have any. Any bread will do, but an unsliced loaf seems more authentic, at least to me. 
• Do all you can to make this space and your time for it sacred. 

Faithfully,

Christian