Remember the old Burger King commercial jingle? Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce. Special orders don't upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way. In seminary we used to joke about "Burger King Communions" where communicants could chose between wine (red or white), grape juice, or wine with the alcohol removed (yuk!); common cup, pouring chalice, pre-filled little cups, or intinction; wafers, bread, or gluten-free something-or-other; etc., etc. (Actually it should be a "Wendy's Communion;" with eight possible extra items on the original Wendy's burger -- ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle, lettuce, onion, tomato, and cheese -- one could create 256 different burgers! But I digress.)
Recently on some of the Lutheran liturgical websites there have been reports of Communion anomalies. For instance, they include mixing the Communion elements with applesauce for elderly communicants who have trouble swallowing, and giving "goldfish" crackers to children at the altar rail who are too young to commune. All this is done under the guise of pastoral care.
A few things to consider:
- Doesn't one receive all the benefits of the sacrament even if due to extreme circumstances the communicant can only receive one element?
- Doesn't our faith receive all the benefits of the sacrament even if one cannot personally receive it due to some unusual circumstance?
- At what age should children receive Holy Communion?
- Isn't it better, as much as possible, to preserve the symbol of ONE cup and ONE loaf?
- About 30% of Americans report having food allergies. Actually, only about 5% do.
In my parish experience, I had one member who insisted on eating the host despite her medically documented gluten allergy. I also had a recovering alcoholic who would take the cup and bring it to her lips but not drink, as her way of showing reverence to the presence of our Lord and to give thanks for her healing/sobriety. I am not saying this is for everyone, but it is something to think about.
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