Bread and Wine Online? Resources and Liturgies for Online Communion.
In the last couple of months, the Church has gone online with panache! So much creativity, so much hard work, so much good community being developed for those in lockdown across a large portion of the earth — first in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, more recently in Australasia, Europe, Africa, the Americas. Though church buildings have closed, the Church and her proclamation of God’s message of love and reconciliation remain alive and active across the whole earth through online digital media.
In the first section of this article, I want to bring together some recent work on online communion, often written in reaction to the recent pandemic and the closure of church buildings. I’ve also included a couple of early pieces of reflection on online worship one by Professor Paul Fiddes and one by Dr Debbie Herring (@geekesse). I’ve also included a 1997 liturgy written by Stephen Rose supplied from Dr Herring’s archive.
In the second part of the article, I want to bring together some resources for online communion, including a number of explicit liturgies.
Part 1 Some Theological Reflections:
A number of churches across a number of countries have advised their ministers to conduct communion services online during the Coronavirus Pandemic. This is especially appropriate for the Easter period as we both remember and celebrate the saving death of Jesus on the cross and his triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday.
In her paper discussed below, Professor Katherine Schmidt refers to a post on Online Communion by Aiden Luke Stoddart from Harvard’s Chaplaincy, who argues powerfully that:
The Eucharist, then, is a crowning culmination of both personal and corporate spiritual life in our Church. And this is no wonder, of course, when we remember what the Eucharist is all about; and what it brings about within us and for us.
In the Eucharist, also known as the Lord’s Supper, whether we regard it as memorial or sacrifice, historical or eternal, we are united both to Christ and each other. We remember the body of Christ, we celebrate God’s grace in sending Jesus, we celebrate the offering of Christ’s body and blood for our salvation. We join with the Church Triumphant (the church which is in heaven) and the Church Militant (the living church of the contemporary world) to celebrate the central mystery of the Christian faith. Aiden talks of Eucharist as being the lifeblood of Episcopalians. The Methodist Church’s core doctrinal statement on Holy Communion is entitled “His Presence Makes the Feast” — a declaration of Methodism’s adherence to the doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the celebration. Other churches and traditions focus on the celebration as a memorial, on the bread and wine representing the body and blood of Jesus, or of becoming the body and blood of Jesus. Dr John Dyer’s paper listed below spells the differences out succinctly.
While Communion is central to the worship of the Christian Church, Online Communion, (or communion mediated through digital technology to congregational members in different locations from the presiding minister) has not been universally accepted. The United Methodist Church in Northern Europe and the most of the bishops in the United Methodist Church in the USA have allowed their ministers to perform the rite, along with the URC in Great Britain, the Presbyterian Church in the USA, the Uniting Church in Australia, the Methodist Church in Ireland (although with no public announcement), and many other bodies for whom online communion is not an issue because of their inherent theology of the Eucharist (see John Dyer’s piece below). Many of the recent permissions cite the difficult conditions around Coronavirus-related lockdowns and subsequent Eucharistic deprivation. As such, the changes have been made for this particular situation, in extremis, rather than as a permanent change.
It is true that the Church of England, the Catholic Church and the Methodist Church of GB (and Singapore) have not, as yet, permitted their clergy/ministers to offer online communion. Instead, they are recommending either that their members consider the time as a time of fasting from the Lord’s Supper — a time of lament — or that we follow the Book of Common Prayer’s guidance on Spiritual Communion (see below).
For many, this may seem like an argument about angels dancing on a pinhead. But there is a good deal of theology, ecclesiology and sociology behind the different stances. So, I’ve set out below two different sections. Firstly, a list of explorations of Online Communion, many of which have been published this week. There is a lot of reading here, so I would recommend three key texts if you want to limit your reading to core examples and I have starred these.
They are:
- The overview from Dr John Dyer, a member of the senior staff at Dallas Theological Seminary which gives an overview of the range of views on online communion (although the reference to the Anglican position reflects American Anglican positions).
- The essay by Revd Professor Deanna Thompson, a Lutheran, who builds on her book Virtual Body of the Suffering Christ to argue both for the actual presence of Christ within online communion and therefore for online communion as an effective means of grace just like offline communion.
- The essay by Professor Katherine Schmidt, a Catholic <digital> theologian at Molloy College, who argues that we should abstain from the Eucharist, which in any case can only be mediated through the church’s priests at the altar, as a sign of our identification with a suffering world during the pandemic. Professor Schmidt’s book exploring Virtual Communion and the Sacramental Imagination is due out later this month.
There are a range of other papers from different positions in the list below. To this should added the Methodist Church in Great Britain’s own report from the Southport Conference, which recommended that its ministers were not permitted “to use electronic means of communication, such as the internet or videoconferencing, in order to invite those not physically present at the celebration of the sacrament to participate by using their own communion bread and wine.”
In 2015, Dr Peter Phillips, Research Fellow at the Centre for Digital Theology (formerly CODEC) had a discussion with Canon Professor David Wilkinson on the issues around online communion. A link to that video is included below.
Papers
Jonny Baker, “Share communion in your own home and resist the power of religious control”, April 2020
*John Dyer, “Digital Communion: History, Theology, and Practices”, March 2020
Paul Fiddes, “Sacraments in a Virtual World”, 2009
Ben Fulford, “Multiple Emergency Integrities and the Practice of the Eucharist in the Time of Coronavirus”, 20/4/2020
Debbie Herring, “Toward Sacrament in Cyberspace”, Epworth Review, 2008
David Hilborn, Facebook Post on 4 models of Communion for COVID19 Crisis, 25/3/20
Steve Holmes, Can we celebrate an online Eucharist? A Baptist response 1: A positive argument and Can we celebrate an online Eucharist? A Baptist response 2: Some possible objections
Brandon Hurlbert, “My Case for Virtual Communion”, 26/04/2020
Jonas Kurlberg, “Reflecting theologically on Online Streaming Services”, Medium, 27/3/20
Chris Ridgeway, “Online Communion Can Still Be Sacramental”, Christianity Today, 27/3/20
*Katherine Schmidt, “The Pain of the Uncommuned”, Daily Theology Blog, 29/3/20
Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero, “Whether One May Flee from Digital Worship: Reflections on Sacramental Ministry in a Public Health Crisis”, Dialog: A Journal of Theology, 3/4/20
Aiden Luke Stoddart, “A Eucharistic Proposal for a Time of Pandemic”, Harvard Episcopalians Blog, March 2020
*Deanna Thompson, “Christ is Really Present Virtually: A Proposal for Virtual Communion”, St Olaf College Lutheran Centre Blog, 26/3/20
Ryan Turnbull, “Some Preliminary Thoughts on Anglican Responses to COVID-19”, Doctoral Candidate/Canadian Priest, University of Birmingham, UK
Pak Wah Lei/Tan Seng-Kong, “Perspectives on Holy Communion”, Bible Graduate School of Singapore
Celine Yeung, “Online Communion amid Pandemic — a theological and political reflection”, Medium, 21/3/20
Part Two: Some examples of Liturgies for Online Communion
In the second section, I list a number of liturgies for Online Communion/Holy Week and may well add to these in the coming days as more come in. The examples are from different traditions and churches. They are not offered as proscriptive but might give you illustrations of how online communion might be done.
a. Stephen Rose, Online Communion Liturgy, 1997
This is probably one of the earliest liturgies written for online communion — and I’d be very happy to receive earlier ones. Debbie Herring (@geekesse) comments:
Way back when I was first doing this stuff, I shared in this online down a s-l-o-w 14.4kb modem in France. People now ‘inventing’ online eucharist are almost a quarter of a century behind the curve! The theological issues of online sacraments were a hot topic at the “European Church Internet Conference” that year.
This is a simple act of communion without many of the core elements of a full Eucharistic liturgy. As such I include this historic text in its entirety.
STANDARD SHORT MIDWEEK CYBER-EUCHARIST
[NOTE: It is suggested that you use this during the week as a supplement to the week’s cyber-Eucharist. The wording is the same but the weekly sermon and hymns have been cut. It is suggested that you read and sing aloud if possible.]
+++ OPENING AFFIRMATION AND INVOCATION +++
Wind and fire and breath give life to people in necessity or bounty. Wind and fire and breath bring death to the old ways. Wind and fire and breath open ears blocked by years of noise. Wind and fire and breath are You, our God. Breath on us. Fill us with new life. Renew our hearts.
+++ HYMN +++
OH LORD, HAVE MERCY ON US NOW
(A Song for Communion to the tune of “Amazing Grace”)
Oh Lord, have mercy on us now / For we have sinned and strayed /We are not worthy to attend / The table you have laid
Come to my table, Jesus said / Come eat and drink with me / Come hungry, thirsty, deaf and blind / Forgiven you shall be
Upon the night he was betrayed / When doom was in the air / He washed from the disciples feet / The dust of the thoroughfare
And then he said, If you would come / As servants you must go / To bear the burdens and the tears / So all the world will know
Then Jesus took a loaf of bread / This is my body, said he / As often as you eat of it / You shall remember me
Then Jesus poured the wine for all / And said, This is my blood / As often as you drink of it / Remember all I’ve done
+++ PRAYERS +++
The Lord’s Prayer
We remember before You all specific conditions and situations which need the solace and comfort and guidance only You can give.
[A time for silent or spoken intercessions]
We remember those whose stomachs swell from hunger, those who suffer from abuse, those who are burdened by poverty, those who die alone, the imprisoned and excluded. Give us compassion and spare us the greed that exploits others.
Give us eyes to see creation as a gift, and not a killing field. Give us respect for all who labor in all ways for our common good. Spare us the lust that uses bodies of women and men for ignoble ends.
Make us still and humble in your presence, that we may live gently in your world, honoring you and those with whom we share the earth.
Forgive us, O Lord, for losing sight of your purposes. Forgive us when we remain silent. Holy Spirit heal us. Blow away the hatred that divides us. Embrace us with your flame of life.
+++ THE PEACE +++
The peace of the Lord be with us all!
We embrace all, seen and unseen, known and unknown!
[Here, a physical act of open-armed embrace.]
+++ EUCHARISTIC PRAYER +++
BE WITH US NOW. WE GATHER TO REMEMBER.
God of all Creation, we bless you for your universal love. / Spirit of Truth, we thank you for continuing revelation. / Jesus Christ, we come before you in remembrance of you.
Your name is Jesus: “God saves.”
You suffered with us, loved with us, hungered with us, laughed with us. You healed the sick and embraced outcast sinners. You loved the tax collectors, prostitutes, and fisherfolk. You feasted with them and now you invite us to share the feast.
Your courage and love were so perfect that you rode into the city to shouts of praise you knew could easily turn to hate. Thorns, nails and spear your fate. Still you embraced our darkness and our death.
But Abba’s love is stronger than death. Abba’s forgiveness is stronger than the power of the tomb. Seeing what was coming, you gathered your friends for one last Feast before the shadows fell around you.
And with them you took bread and blessed it and then broke it, saying, “Take. Eat. This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
[Here bless the bread and make it your feast of memory.]
And when the feast was completed, before you went forth to face the powers and let them do their worst, you took the cup, the final cup of blessing, and, praying, gave your thanks to Abba, and said, “This, my friends, is God’s new promise in my blood. From now on, drink this in remembrance of me.”
[Here take the wine and drink it in memory.]
THANKSGIVING AND BLESSING
God of grace, we thank you for this meal.
Spirit of Truth we thank you for your presence.
Jesus we thank you for the joyous gifts of repentance and new life in you.
We thank you for the fellowship the whole body of Christ; for those who have gone before, our mothers and our fathers in the faith. We thank you for brothers and sisters who share new life in you.
+++ HYMN +++
[To “Amazing Grace”]
And now the body and the blood / Are broken as before / Forgiving us in Jesus’ love / And freeing us once more
+++ OFFERING +++
[Here think briefly of needs and hopes for now and the coming days. Offer up these needs and hopes and, if you wish, share them in a note to the community following the service.]
+++ DISMISSAL +++
[To “Amazing Grace”]
Amen, amen, amen, amen / Amen, amen, amen / Amen, amen, amen, amen /Amen, amen, amen
b. Spiritual Communion
Remember that there are those who will argue that the observation of the mass or of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper can itself be of spiritual benefit. John Wesley argued that communion was itself an act of grace, even a converting ordinance. In other words, God drew close to the believer in the very act of the celebration, the liturgy drew us closer to God, it became what we might call today a thin place where God and believer were drawn towards one another. As such, the Book of Common Prayer makes this assurance to those who cannot receive communion:
If a person desires to receive the Sacrament, but, by reason of extreme sickness or physical disability, is unable to eat and drink the Bread and Wine, the Celebrant is to assure that person that all the benefits of Communion are received, even though the Sacrament is not received with the mouth. (BCP, p, 457)
As such, one of the graduates of the MA in Digital Theology which we offer through Durham University, Father Simon Rundell, argues that the best online liturgy is found in the Missal. He said in a message to me:
“Why should we compromise the liturgy just because it is online? The difference is in how we do it…supporting images, music, presentation and creativity, not what we say or pray.”
Simon, an seasoned campaigner within the alt-worship/digital worship movement, provides regular streamed masses to support his own parishioners and the wider community: http://facebook.com/roboroughteam or alternatively from http://facebook.com/allsaintsnorthampton
or from Bryony Taylor (@vahva) one of the pioneers of online digital engagement during this virus
The Church of England has offered a Service of Spiritual Communion on its own website
Catholic explorations of Spiritual Communion here and here.
c. Communion using Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 11
From a wholly different perspective, one of the UK’s most prolific Christian bloggers/tweets, Revd Dr Ian Paul, @psephizo, argues that the Bible itself gives the liturgy which we need to follow. So, in 1 Corinthians 11, probably written within 25 years or so of Jesus’ death and before the written Gospels could have been in wide circulation, Paul outlines the tradition that he had received:
1 Corinthians 11: 23–34 via BibleGateway
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
Paul tends not be prescriptive here and gives a basic outline. Indeed, he is concerned more to critique the private meals which wealthy Corinthians were adding to the liturgy rather than giving the liturgy itself. Indeed, the very next verse says Paul will give them more instructions when he next sees them.
By the time the Gospels were in circulation, there seem to have been four sacramental actions — taking the bread and wine, blessing them, breaking the bread and giving the bread to those present — and these become the basic liturgical acts in most models that followed. There are, of course, proper theologico-ecclesio-liturgical terms for these and the many other sections of the whole Liturgy of the Eucharist, and I can hear the pained groans of liturgists at my child-like simplifications of these issues if they ever read this!
d. St Bride’s, Liverpool
Miranda Threllfall-Holmes of St Brides, Liverpool, author of books on prayer experiments and church history, and has developed a number of liturgical resources for Holy Week including a specific liturgy for online communion in which those engaged in the liturgy are invited to eat and drink something while the minister’s household share the communion elements consecrated in the house. This liturgy includes a truly gorgeous prayer of gathering to be said as candles are lit in both the celebrant’s home in the congregation’s homes:
We light this candle as a symbol of our faith and hope.
For our future as a parish; our future as a people; our future in this pandemic.
We trust in the alchemy of the Holy Spirit
To bring her dream to life here amongst us.
Gather your people, O God
That your dream for us may come true.
Amen.
e. SanctuaryFirst
An online communion will be held by the Very Reverend Albert Bogle, former Moderator of the Church of Scotland, on Maundy Thursday evening on the SanctuaryFirst website and a video meditation in preparation has already been posted. SanctuaryFirst are producing a whole series of online activities throughout Holy Week, including their Virtual Coffee Shop.
f. A Baptist Model from Bloomsbury Baptist Church in London
Simon Woodman has provided a good exploration of the Lord’s Supper from a Baptist perspective, which includes a fully articulated understanding of how he has put together his own liturgy. The Liturgy is provided here.
g. An exploration of Online Communion with a Danish Methodist Minister, Anne Klitgaard Thompson
Earlier in the week and shortly after her Bishop had given permission for her to share online communion with her congregation, I interviewed Revd Anne Klitgaard Thompson from the Methodist Church in Denmark. The full post can be found with my more material on the Premier Digital Facebook pages.
h. A model from Craig Mitchell, Uniting Church of Australia
In this model, Craig explores how the congregation might take the role of presiding at the table. He calls it a Participatory Communion, others have called it a Reverse Communion. It’s a fully engaged model and would do well as a Zoom conference call rather than as a performed rite on FacebookLive or YouTube.
i. United Methodist Church (UMC) model 1
As part of his episcopal letter to ministers in the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, Bishop Julius Trimble gave this advice:
Dear Indiana United Methodists,
We are walking by faith and praying through this current crisis that has impacted our normal rhythm of worship and life. We have all been asked to do our part in curbing the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). During this pandemic, the Church is still needed, though in-person worship has been suspended until further notice.
Unusual circumstances require us to adapt so that the Church can continue to be an instrument of God’s grace. A number of pastors have raised concerns about the sharing of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This communication is to provide helpful guidelines.
Holy Communion
Because of the limitations the pandemic is imposing, pastors to have asked for permission to allow people to participate in communion from home as you lead online worship. Pastors are now allowed to provide online Communion service as a way of extending sacrament as a means of grace. You are not required to, and some pastors have chosen to postpone communion until gathered worship is allowed. Within our Wesleyan heritage, we must remember the place of Elders, Deacons, and Local Pastors licensed for sacramental ministry. It is the position of Bishop Trimble that this privilege is for a season, and there will be a return to traditional practices in accordance with our liturgy as soon as possible.Specific Guidelines for the Practice for Online Communion:
Instructions for Leading Online Communion
“We believe the Sacraments, ordained by Christ, are symbols and pledges of the Christian’s profession and of God’s love toward us. They are means of grace by which God works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening and confirming our faith in him.”“We believe the Lord’s Supper is a representation of our redemption, a memorial of the sufferings and death of Christ, and a token of love and union which Christians have with Christ and with one another. Those who rightly, worthily and in faith eat the broken bread and drink the blessed cup partake of the body and blood of Christ in a spiritual manner until he comes.” The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, Paragraph 104: Article VI — The Sacraments, pages 73–74.
With this in mind, people of your congregation and online community may participate in Holy Communion from their homes as you lead online worship.
Scriptural Setting
Holy Communion is celebrated in the context of worship. When you worship online, you are part of the context. When a Scriptural context has not been presented, read one of the following Scriptures, (Matthew 26:26–30; Mark 14:22–26; Luke 22:19–20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–29), along with the following directives:1. Pastors are encouraged to lead the liturgy. You, as the pastor, should take the lead. Online Holy Communion is still a community act of worship best led by clergy.
2. Use the Communion Liturgy of Service of Word and Table found in The United Methodist Hymnal or the United Methodist Book of Worship.
3. The Confession and Pardon, as well as the consecration of the bread and the cup provides the opportunity for the whole community to participate in the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please be sure to consecrate the elements prior to using.
4. Grape juice is preferable. (Encourage online participants to have enough available for those worshipping in their location). If they do not have grape juice, use your best judgment in recommending a suitable “fruit of the vine” replacement. The main point is to participate in the body and blood of Christ.
5. Bread or crackers should be used. (Have enough available for those worshipping in your location).
6. As with each pastor and local church, there are numerous expressions of presenting and receiving the bread and the cup, Christ’s broken body and shed blood. Individual cups are encouraged but intinction may be practiced in individual home settings.
7. Be sure to close the Communion Service with prayer. If the Lord’s Prayer has not already been incorporated in the service, it can be used as a close to the communion time.
8. Share your experience(s) of encountering the presence of Christ during this sacrament. Sharing your experience helps all of us learn, grow and find new ways of being in relationship as the body of Christ.
9. Additional resources can be found at the General Board of Discipleship link below.
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/the-online-communion-dilemma
j. UMC Model 2 — Louisiana Conference
The Louisiana Conference have produced a full liturgy, which includes a helpful introductionParticularly enjoyed the introduction:
We are experiencing Holy Communion in a new way today. Though physically separated from one another,
we are still bound together as family through our baptism.
As members of the household of God we now join together virtually,yet still present to one another as we gather from across the miles.
This presence is marked by our shared praises and prayers, our shared hearing and affirming of God’s word, and now our shared eating.And now, as we share in the Great Thanksgiving,
each time I say, “The family responds,”
you will repeat back the response I have given to you.
k. A Zoom Eucharist
As previous mentioned, in a paper exploring Online Communion, Harvard’s Aiden Luke Stoddart proposes a Zoom Eucharist:
I propose a Eucharist via Zoom. Here is how my community would like to implement it: first, we will “gather” for worship via a meeting on the Zoom platform. Each congregant — wherever she may be — will be invited to make ready some bread and wine in her own location. Our chaplain will serve as the celebrant, as usual, and her Eucharistic consecration will extend not only to the elements in her proximity, but to the bread and wine of all those who have gathered digitally to participate in the Eucharistic liturgy. To further align ourselves in prayer and in worship across space, I also propose that we orient our computers/phones/tablets so that we can all face the East, reverencing together the Rising Son, the Lamb who was slain. Our chaplain will celebrate a standard Eucharist, the only difference being its physical context. We will eat and drink Christ as we would on a regular Sunday morning. We will be present to one another and to God, even though physically we will be apart.
l. Alternatives
The Methodist Church in Great Britain has recently published a new version of the historical Agape or LoveFeast which was widespread within Methodism during its early camp meeting revivals. The liturgy and explanation can be found here and an example of Lovefeast online shared by Revd Nel Shallow here:
(More on Nel’s experience as a digital pioneer.)
Finally, and so very suited to our current situation, Revd Dr Joanne Cox-Darling, a Methodist Minister, has produced a whole series of resources for her local church for Holy Week. The set of daily devotions are focussed around Reality, Grief and Hope, based on her recent book Finding God in a Culture of Fear. The resources do not include a reference to online communion but do include lots of engagement with digital sources and creativity.
Concluding Comments
It is for certain that many many many good resources have not been included. I would be happy if people would add these to the comments of the paper and therefore encourage readers, for once, to read the comments section to this article. I will add to the paper as I am able.
Wesley called the Eucharist a means of grace — a way to engage with all that God means, all that God gives, all the love that God showers upon us. It is the Church’s understanding that even in times of a pandemic, the best thing for all of us is to open our lives to his presence. Even when we can no longer meet ion our buildings, like Christ, we move elsewhere…we take bread and wine online.
In closing, I share an Easter Poem by Jonathan Budd, a Methodist Minister in the Saltash Circuit of the Methodist Church:
The doors are closed for no one is inside
The organ stands unplayed without a sound
The chairs unoccupied just sit around
While no one in the Sunday School has cried
Today there’s no arrangement for the flowers
The number’s up for hymns put on the board
The faces in the stained glass are ignored
The pulpit saved from thumping through these hours
But somewhere else a party’s going down
The saints now one by one are gathering
Around computer screens and set to sing
With windows opened up to raise the town
Where is the Easter church as one in prayer?
Like Jesus and that tomb
We are elsewhere.
