Dear friends,
Ever since the pandemic began when we have been able to be together for services one thing has been missing — the wine. We still consecrate a “smidgeon” of wine at the Eucharist, but I am the only one who drinks from the cup. Drinking from a common cup during a pandemic is understandably not a good idea. The Church teaches that communion “in one kind” — that is consuming only the bread or only the wine — is a valid communion. But I still feel like something is missing when we can’t all partake of the wine.
A couple of weeks ago I was at the Cathedral for a service for the clergy. When I received the wafer I noticed that it had a drop of wine on it. It was such a small amount you couldn’t really taste it, but it was a nice symbol of taking the body and blood of Christ together. Beginning tomorrow we are going to do the same thing. We are using a syringe and very small gauge needle to put a small drop of wine on the wafers. They will be consecrated that way. I look forward to the day when we can once again share the common cup, but until then this is a way that we can have a complete communion.
And remember tomorrow is our annual Blessing of the Animals. Bring your furry, feathered, or finned friends to church with you. We will be making a joyful noise unto the Lord. The service bulletin is attached.