This might be, possibly, my favorite reason yet on why we should get rid of the common cup.
From the Annals of Hygiene, Volume 7, 1892. I’m starting to notice that the main agitators of the individual cup movement were based, initially, in Ohio, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn. However, it wasn’t until churches in Rochester got into the business (and the Gray Lady reported on it), that things got out of hand. Now if only I had a chance to take a look at Synod minutes from Ohio….
Yesterday, I convinced two of my classmates to attend my Lutheran field site on Sunday morning. I recently discovered that my advisor (and professor of two of my classes) was going to lead the adult education hour between services. Her plan was to cover the Book of Acts. That peaked my interest because I have a group project for her class covering that very book! I convinced my group to gather together at the adult education hour with the idea of freaking her out a little. She laughed when I told her why we were there (and also informed us that the cheat sheet she handed out to us cannot be in our assignment). All in all, it was a success and I enjoyed seeing her handle the conversation. I’m usually involved with Sunday School and my time with adult education is reduced to home bible study groups and the like. In my experience, the more exposure to inquisitive adults that I get, the better. Around twenty five people showed up for the class and the conversation rarely reached into the book of Acts. Many of the questions asked were about the very structure of the bible itself – who wrote what, how was it organized, what are all the other gospels out there, if Luke and Acts are one work, why is the Gospel of John between them, etc. All were good questions and seemed to signal a hunger that I noticed after my last sermon at my field site. The congregation, in many ways, is hungry for this kind of information which is why many people enjoyed the historical context I provided. They want to know, they want to understand, and they don’t seem to be getting enough of that. I’ll need to keep that in mind as I move forward with my time there.
Besides our little fun with our professor, what I really enjoyed was what happened during our the service. A travel snafu left the assisting minister role unfilled so, five minutes before the start of the show, I robed up and prepared. I ran through the service, did my duty, sung the psalm, read the prayers, and brought a certain style and pizzaz to the whole she-bang by wearing pink socks under my alb. But what I really enjoyed was when I distributed the wine during communion. I really got a kick out of telling my classmates, classmates that I had served through their tradition (The Blood of Christ, the Cup of Salvation) that this is “The Blood of Christ, shed for YOU.” They were on my turf and they had to suffer my tradition. Muhahahaha. Take that Episcopalians! When it comes to my rebellions against seminary, I take all the small victories that I can.
You know, as much as everything changes, everything pretty much stays the same. In the quote below, from the Lutheran Quarterly (April 1899) in an article defending the use of the individual communion cup.
On the subject of vaccination there is also a great difference of opinion. The fearful ravages of small-pox in the past, and the wonderful efficacy of vaccination in mitigating or preventing this dreadful disease, is a matter of history and is well attested, and yet there is to-day a wonderfully vigorous Anti-vaccination Society in England, which is doing all it can through literature and speech, to destroy public confidence in this benign measure. Their argument is, that the infectious character of small-pox has been unduly magnified and that modern medical methods for the treatment of this disease, need no such an ally as vaccination. These two instances are sufficient to prove that it is utter folly to declare the charge of infection from the common cup, as unproved, until there shall exist a unanimity of opinion, both among the laity and among physicians, as to the actual transference of disease germs, in the present custom. If agreement cannot be reached when positive proof is on record and abundantly attested, it will surely never occur, when in the very nature of the cause, indubitable evidence cannot be had.
The author was complaining about an anti-vaccination movement in 1899? Really? Wow, its been 113 years and it feels like nothing has changed. Except for that whole lack-of-small-pox thing.
The evolution of my time at my field site has been rather fascinating. Its been neat seeing how the longer I’m integrated into the community and the staff at the church, the more I’m assumed to have always been there. As I near the end of my second year as their intern (and prep for the start of my internship), the assumption that I’ve just always been there has increased. Recently, people who have moved on from the church and come back to visit, either assume that they automatically know me or that I automatically know them. Folks I’ve only seen on facebook, tagged in the pictures of church members, arrive and people just automatically feel that I’ve had a relationship with them for years. My need to say “oh hey, that’s before my time” has increased. And while that might seem annoying to some people, I actually enjoy it. It doesn’t really boast my ego in the sense that I am starting to feel indispensable; rather, it helps make me feel assimilated into the community. I’m enjoying that.
Of course, there does arise situations where I end up feeling the need to “fake it” when it comes to knowing someone. Luckily, I’m getting use to introducing myself, stick my hand out there, and saying hello to people. In reality, it is the same kind of work that I’m suppose to normally do with people I don’t know anyways. But there’s a skill in showing a hint of remembrance in your eye, taking a step back and letting the conversation develop around you, and also using the time honored phrase of “what’s new?” rather than any other kind of uncovering question. In fact, “what’s new?” is becoming my standard question. I’m still working on a followup when people obviously respond with “well, nothing really. same old, same old.” But I’ll get there. And, if worse comes to worse, I’ll just show them pictures of my dog and my cat. That seems to open up people all the time.