Presenting the Communion (a history and a question)

I was a child of under 10 the first time I remember hearing my dad use and explain the odd-sounding word  Synecdoche. He used the illustration of going to a restaurant and ordering the “blue plate special.” He said, “If the waitress brought out a blue plate with nothing on it and then tried to charge you you’d be very confused. Everyone knows that even though it is the word used to describe the whole thing, the word ‘plate’ is the least important thing about the order. The word ‘plate’ represents what is on the plate.” In the same way, he simply explained when the text says Jesus took the “cup and blest it,” the cup is the least important thing about the order, it is a synecdoche, representing what is IN the cup, that which represents the blood of the Lord given for our sins. It is not the cup we bless or the cup we remember, it is the sacrifice of the Lord. 

All Christians everywhere partake of the bread and the wine each Sunday. This is emphasized by the Lord and by His apostles. The “every Sunday” truth is made clear in Acts 20, 1 Corinthians 11, and I think most strongly in 1 Corinthians 16. The “method” of that delivery is determined by each Gathering. I have drunk from a common cup (on the island of Barbados in the West Indies), a bottle (at a campsite in Tennessee), a shot glass (the first time the church in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine met), small glass communion ware (growing up in Alabama), plastic communion cups (in numerous places but the first place I remember was in Eva, Alabama), and disposable self-contained cups (the first time I remember using these was at CYC in Gatlinburg, TN). I have no issue with those who would debate the container, but those who would divide the Body over what ultimately would be a quibble stand on theological and spiritual quicksand. 

On March 2 I asked a group of preachers if the Coronavirus would be the event that would tip most churches to go to self-contained communion supplies. You know, the disposable plastic cups with a small cellophane tab over the top with the bread (is that really bread or is it Styrofoam) as a part of it. 

It seems each time the presentation of the Supper has changed it has been morphed by concern over disease or germs and as we have become increasingly germ conscious this may be the next change. Here’s a quick history of the changes I am familiar with:

  • In the mid-1800’s a physician and dentist from Britain but living in New Jersey developed pasteurized grape juice because he did not want to tempt Christians dealing with alcoholism through the communion. Churches in short order went from fermented fruit of the vine to Welch’s invention and to this day most churches of Christ still use Welch’s.

  • While for centuries larger gathering of Christians might have multiple “chalices” at different tables or stations. If you visit a church that has a cabinet with history stuff in it and you’ll often see that in those “one cup” days there were two cups even then. Often the practice was one cup for the men, one for the woman who would sit on opposite sides of the building. The first use of multiple cups at one service dates back nearly 1800 years ago. But it was in 1891 that individual cups were first introduced by a Physician who was also a minister and suggested it as safer for the members to use individual cups. In churches of Christ, the practice is thought to have first begun in Florence, AL in 1911. J.W. McGarvey opposed the use, so did David Lipscomb in the Gospel Advocate prior to being influenced by G.C. Brewer of Chattanooga. 

  • The individual cups led to people no longer going to the front to make their offering and the beginning of offering trays

  • Of course, the cups were larger and eventually a market developed for small glass cups. I remember those as a child and teen. I thought these thick small cups were beautiful. But they were a chore to keep clean.

  • Plastic cups: At some point for safety and convenience churches around 1980-85 went to disposable communion cups.

  • Homemade bread - As a child most every church made their own communion bread. The connection and involvement that this engendered was meaningful. But the consistency was not. I can remember sometimes undercooked bread all but had to be picked up and torn apart. I also remember going in the backroom as a child where the trays were prepared and eating the leftovers.  

  • Eventually, Matzo store-bought bread seemed to become the norm.

  • And about 10 years ago, probably as a result of sanitation concerns churches most everywhere went to what many call chicklets. So named because they do actually look like the Chicklet gum (only not in bright colors).

I’m wondering if COVID-19 along with even more increased germ concern will send churches to permanently the self-contained communion supplies. This could lead to several, maybe good things. One, we all eat and drink together. Two, the time to pass trays might lead us to have more time to sing or pray or otherwise focus on the communion (most churches spend 10-15 minutes just in passing the trays). Some, no doubt, as with all of the above, find room and reason to object, but these are not matters of faith but for most of opinion, even if it is strong and long-held opinion. 


Regardless, Christians will continue to commune and focus on Christ. 

DO YOU think this will be a tipping point and will move churches to the self-contained supplies?

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