Oct
21
2009
Swine Flu and the Common Cup
As I type this there’s a bottle of hand sanitizer next to my computer. And there’s one on the table behind me. And there’s one on the credenza in my outer office. And there’s one in my coat pocket. And two in my car.
I don’t want the swine flu. And I’m not alone.
This past Sunday’s New York Times tells us that swine flu is wrecking two American traditions: the Saturday night beer pong and the Sunday morning Eucharist. At the same time, writer Lauren Winner says in the Wall Street Journal that swine flu fears are far-reaching enough to doom the common cup of the Lord’s Supper for the time being.
I’m all for losing the beer pong, but the common cup is too important to throw away.
The Christian concept of the church as household necessarily entails a recovery of the Lord’s Table in our churches, especially in “low church” evangelical congregations who have, for too long, defined our vision of the Lord’s Supper too heavily on what we don’t mean.
Table fellowship is a sign of familial solidarity and of the messianic reign. This is why Jesus was so revolutionary when he announced, “Many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 8:11 ESV), and that’s why Simon Peter was so reluctant to sit down with the uncircumcised.
So why do our evangelical Lord’s Supper services so often look like the clinical communal rinse-and-spit of fluoride at an elementary school rather than like a loving family gathered around a feast table?
Often I’ll preach in churches about the Lord’s Supper and will call on congregations to go back to using a common loaf and a common cup. I’ll challenge the churches to recover the sign of bread being torn, not daintily picked up in pre-fabricated bits. I’ll call the congregations to drink the wine, together, passing along a common cup.
I’m not offended by people disagreeing with me on this. I’m just stunned by the reason they most often give for dismissing this ancient Christian practice: germs.
The common cup is, well, gross to many Christians because they don’t like the idea of drinking after strangers. That’s just the point. You’re not drinking after strangers. You’re drinking after your own flesh-and blood, your family. And the offense is precisely the issue. You’re recognizing Christ Jesus, discerning his Body, in the “flesh” of his Body the church around you. If drinking after your brothers is “disgusting,” then how much more eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. That was disgusting to an assembly a while back as well.
Now, I’m not calling on churches to pick up the common cup and the common loaf in the middle of a swine flu pandemic. That wouldn’t be prudent. But maybe now’s the time to start thinking about how our hyper-hygienic American culture might be leading us toward cleanliness and away from Christ.
8 Comments
The first swine flu vaccinations have today started in the UK. Seriously ill hospital patients are among the first to receive the jab. 11 million vaccinations will be rolled out from Monday the 26th of October. Swine Flu in the UK
I couldn’t agree more. Our practice of the Lord’s Supper (even in more “high church” congregations like my own) tends to be a reflection of our individualistic, health-obsessed society instead of a reflection of the body of Christ we read about in the New Testament.
Come on… does it really matter how many cups are used? The Scriptures place no emphasis at all on this issue. You might, but God doesn’t.
Yes, Jesus took the cup (one) and told his disciples to divide it amongst themselves. However, historically people had their own cup at the Passover meal. So it isn’t crazy to think they each put some in their own cup after He passed “the” cup around.
The emphasis in Scripture is on the meaning of the cup and in making sure everyone gets some, ie. not running out of wine (1 Cor. 11). The emphasis is not on how many cups are used. At my church, we all get a glass of wine to remember our Lord by. Biblically, we feel fine with that. If you want to use one cup, that is fine… lets just focus on what matters, shall we?
I agree with Mike’s post on this.
The awesome and wonderful truth is that Jesus’ body was broken for us, and his blood was ‘poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’. Let’s focus on what that means, and what our response must be.
In Luke 22:17, we read: ‘After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you…’ (NIV)
Scripture does not legislate on the practicalities of the precise way we are to divide it amongst us. So we should not either.
Scripture does rebuke the Corinthian church for their practice, but that had nothing to do with how many cups were or were not used. Their error was that their heart attitude to their brothers and sisters in Christ was wrong.
It is necessary for us to divide over the Gospel itself, but let’s not divide, or encourage division, over issues Scripture doesn’t rule on.
We can’t help but have our own traditions – but let’s not elevate our own traditions, whatever they may be, into the Word of God.
The hand-sanitizer seems like a placebo to me, as germs are not viruses. That stuff might kill bacteria, but if it was really effective against colds and the flu we would all be drinking it. In fact, we could all just have a gin and go on our merry.
Viruses can’t really be stopped (except by quarantine and death) and that is why we need to just rest in the Sovereignty of our God.
Your comment about viruses being unstoppalbe isn’t right – hand sanitizer gels will kill both bacteria on the surface of the skin, and viruses on the surface of the skin – but only if the gel has the right active ingredients. At least 60% ethanol or similar. And do not drink it!
Interesting that we can think because we are Christians or observing the communion cup we think (pray) we are not susceptable to a host of commom diseases. Do not think for a second that drinking from a common cup does not infect yourself and others. In fact it is clearly documented that there is a host of very virulant diseases passed on from drinking from the same cup of others. Absolutely, a common drinking cup will pass on diseases such as Cold Sores, Hep.B Hepc HepA.(not to mention Influenza, H!N!) Even in the SPCA they will not let animals drink from the same bowl. Surely we would not infect the communion cup, even if we were just trying to protect others from the diseases we have!
Just because the church gives it out doesn’t mean NO DISEASE (recall the blankets, and influenza and TB given out to natives during the 1800’s).
Full of Faith, Full of common sense
W.
[...] naïve, unwarranted, ridiculous. Our qualms about a common cup for those who aren’t sick seems petty in [...]