Communion with Shut-ins: Getting Rid of the Shot Glasses

I have always disliked serving communion in those little “shot glasses.” I’m sure there is an official name for them, but I’ve never learned it. The symbolism of rejecting a common cup in favor of individual serving sizes bothers me intensely. I’m just as bothered by the individual wafers for communion. In ordinary Lord’s Day worship, my congregation uses a common cup and a single loaf of bread, and we commune by intinction.

My problem, until now, has been that I could not figure out a good way to use a common cup with shut-ins. All of the little communion “travel kits” made for pastors – at least the ones I’ve seen – use the little cups. In the case of the homebound, the use of individual serving sizes is especially bothersome to me. After all, aren’t they already isolated enough?

So, I made my own communion kit for visiting shut-ins. If you can find a store that sells teapots and tea cups, look for the kind used in Japanese and Chinese restaurants – the small, handleless kind. There are many varieties, but I’ve chosen one that looks like handmade pottery. You can also use the small dishes made for dipping bread in olive oil as a cup. Next, I found a very small cruet for the wine (juice in this case), a linen napkin in which to wrap a hearty dinner roll that looks like a small loaf of bread, and a small, hard-sided container in which to hold everything.

It’s not a solution that leads to world peace, but it does allow the homebound to worship using a common loaf and cup.

Comments

[Debra Ocepek]

Hi,
I happened upon your post which addressed your search for alternatives to the little cups for homebound and hospital visitation, and thought I would pass along the link to our newest communionware designs: http://communionware.com/tempcomm.htm .

We have two versions of a one-piece intinction server that you might find useful. Or perhaps our regular travel size sets may be of interest. See http://communionware.com/Communion.htm for the complete list. We are makers of pottery communion ware, located in Akron, Ohio. FYI, Debra Ocepek