Comments on: Communion Tray Etiquette.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 03:25:33 +0000

OH, I kinda miss this!! At the church I grew up in, we had the trays and the grape juice and the little tiny wafers! We used the silver trays most of the time, but brought out the gold ones for Easter/Christmas! I even got to help fill the cups when I was out of high school.

Now we go up front and take a piece of bread and dip it in a wine goblet. A bit more personal, not as much set up required.

By: prairiepat

prairiepat — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:17:39 +0000

It appears to be tradition to leave seven empty places on a communion tray. Can you tell me if this has any symbolism?

By: Bethesda Lily

Bethesda Lily — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:39:06 +0000

Because my screen-reader doesn’t work terribly well with word verifications, I have been kept from posting this comment until now. However, I must say that I can’t think of a more opportune moment for you to have posted this. I first discovered it on a Sunday when I had made a terrible Communion mistake. You see, each groove on the tray was filled with two stacked Communion cups. As it turns out, the bread was in the second cup, while the grape juice was in the top cup. My sister and I wereunaware of this, so we simply partook of the blood of Christ, wondering whether for some strange reason we would be served the wafer next. We knew we were partaking out of order, but what could we do? Apparently, the pastor had neglected to tell us of this new system. He forgets no more. After this congregational mishap, he now tells us exactly how to partake of the elements each time.

But do you know what struck me most? “No big deal.” I came home from that service in turmoil, feeling that I had sinned even though I had acted in ignorance. While your ending provided small comfort at the time, it was the best thing the Lord could have done for me. “My child, I love you…” Thank you, Jon.

By: Kara

Kara — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:49:27 +0000

Just wondering, Is this a Catholic blog or protestant/bible believing?

By: Kt

Kt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:39:46 +0000

Ok, so why are people wondering how to take communion, you shouldn’t be taking it unless you have been baptized anyway, there for you would have been to church to see this done…

By: Donna

Donna — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:09:06 +0000

When my daughter was 4, we switched from a Methodist church to a Lutheran one. Now, Methodists give everyone communion. Lutherans don't-you have to have been confirmed to take communion. So my poor little preschooler got in line with everyone else, went up, and had the tray yanked away from her-because in that church, kids are blessed by the officiant, not given the actual communion. Even a year later, I don't think she quite gets why she gets to have "Jesus Bread" when she's at grandma's church, but not at her church.

And I have to say that I'm just as glad she didn't get the cup, because not only is it wine, it's NOT watered in the slighest-and I'd hate to have had my child spit the blood of Christ across the sanctuary because she expected grape juice.

By: Crazy Kate

Crazy Kate — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:09:19 +0000

At my church, we've got more pews than people. This leave major gaps in the middle of many pews. I tend to sit in the middle of a pew (coming alone, being early, prepping for communion, and not sitting in an assigned seat). I don't know if anyone else at my church has done it, but I have become "The Arm" during the pass-the-plate time. I'll scoot to the edge of my pew bench as the tray is coming across the pew in front of me & pass it from one side of the pew to the other. I'm just saving people from getting up to walk to trays over, or doing the wicked awkward butt-scoot to get close enough to pass to the complete other side of the pew. This takes planning & observation. You can't still be sitting on the edge of your pew bench when the tray is actually in your own row or you'll end up breaking the Communion Tray Etiquette rules…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:55:10 +0000

I always wondered, how do pastors always chew and swallow the bread so fast? It appears they do three chews and then move on to praying for the cup. Meanwhile, I’m still chewing and picking my teeth with my tongue. I wonder if its a trick they learn in seminary. Three chews and swallow… or maybe three chews and then stuff the wad of bread up in your gums. There’s probably even a catchy name for this technique.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:44:40 +0000

Ah, memories. The church I grew up in did the communion tray pass-around routine as described and I had a lot of similar thoughts. At my church now communion is available for self-serve at the front every Sunday with a monthly corporate communion with loaves of bread. We walk down front to get the sacraments which opens up a whole other set of concerns (such as tripping, holding up the line, the worship team staring at you, wondering if you sat in gum and the whole church is laughing at you, etc).

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:16:00 +0000

My parents’ church does the Communion Parade, but in an attempt to avoid mass confusion, they post an animated map on the screen with colored arrows indicating the correct flow of traffic to the numerous Holiness Stations spread across the front of the sanctuary. And yet, there’s still the family that insists on walking across the front of the sanctuary (perhaps in an attempt to get to Jesus first and win the Holiness Prize for the day?) thereby creating a traffic jam and ensuing confusion to rival that found in the parking lot* when the service is over. It also places the rest of us law-abiding citizens in the uncomfortable position of trying to remain holy while inwardly cursing them for not following the animated, color-coded map that has been so graciously provided (and thus creating a vicious confess-your-sins-before-you-take-communion circle.)
* This is actually worse than the events in the parking lot because at least out there, you’re in the privacy of your car and only your family knows that you’re raining down fire and brimstone behind that smile and nod.

WV: Hypolorp: A chronic underperformance of the lorp. (See: LORP)