Authentic Christ-Centered Worship, Study, and Sometimes Just Plain Silliness!

The Use of the Chalice

If there is one place where we who confess the same truths should be as one it is at the altar. We are one body- the Communion of Saints, just as we share and confess one faith. Concerns raised regarding the common cup are normally two-fold. First, there may be practical questions of how to receive and hold it. Here the pastor and deacons are trained to help guide someone so that it quickly becomes familiar. Some also have concerns about potentially receiving germs. Rest assured that the scientific community has clearly and repeatedly demonstrated that such fears are completely unfounded.
The following piece entitled "the Common Cup and Disease" is quoted in an appendix to the Altar Guild Manual (CPH, 1996, authorized by the LCMS Commission on Worship): Can I get sick from using the common cup? No! The use of the common cup was traditional in all Christian churches until this century and was eliminated because of fears about sanitary matters concerning the transmission of disease.... A thorough study on the use of the common cup was done by professors Burroughs and Hemmers in 1965 and was reported in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Their conclusion was: Experiments on the transmission of organisms from one person to another by common use of the chalice showed that 0.001% of the organisms transferred even under the most favorable conditions and when conditions approximated those of actual use, no transmission could be detected. Recent concerns about the transmission of AIDS confirm this study. Dr. David Ho in the New England Journal of Medicine (December 1985) provided documentation that verified that there was no spread of the AIDS virus in saliva through common eating or drinking utensils.... Lutherans should remember that Martin Luther restored the cup when Roman Catholics had all but eliminated it from the peoples' Communion. He did it because his loyalty was to the command of Christ in the Bible. The use of the common cup was normative until the late nineteenth century and was eliminated in those churches in which Communion was not understood as being the Body and Blood of Christ. Some Lutherans allow other methods of distribution, believing that the method of distribution does not matter. However, the use of the common chalice retains that which Our Lord indicated was His desire. And its effect, where used, is to transmit not only salvation but also the oneness that comes from sharing the Blood of Christ from the Chalice in common with one's sisters and brothers.
In the end, we believe that the Chalice:
  1. is Scriptural. It is the exact method used by Christ and is what He was referring to when He said, "Drink of it all of you."
  2. emphasizes Biblical unity contrary to individualism;
  3. is in line with the practice of Christ, His disciples, the early church, the church catholic and our Lutheran forefathers,
  4. is a confession of faith that Christ would not give us anything that would contain that which would harm us;
  5. is preferable for the very reasons it has gone into disuse and is quite simple and practical to administer; and
  6. is more in line with the doctrine of the Real Presence and those churches that confess it.
Even though this is our practice, we do not want to burden anyone's conscience. If someone is still sincerely concerned about receiving the chalice, the pastor will make every opportunity to provide them with an individual cup. However, we do ask that those who have concerns arrange a time to meet with the pastor privately beforehand. Again, he is more than happy to speak with you.
A congregation of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod serving the students of the University of Wyoming & The Wyoming Technical Institute