MYSOPHOBIA

The Fear of the Common Cup
(actually Mysophobia is the fear of germs, but read this anyway)

I think today, I will talk about the Lord’s Supper and in particular the cup of blessing in Christ’s blood.

I have noticed that better than two thirds of the congregation takes communion from the individual cups instead of the common cup or the chalice. I will not say that it is not the Lord’s Supper with the individual cups at all, but I will say that they were introduced by the Methodists and got traction in the Lutheran Church after a fear of germs arose and that fear partly came through the admission of grape juice in some churches instead of wine which has incredible purification properties.

Is it safe to drink from the common cup? Yes it is very safe. Wine kills germs and the inert metals of the cup are not a breeding ground for the little buggers.

First on wine: Military physicians of the last century noted that troops that drank wine were much less susceptible to diseases like cholera. Wine is a very good antiseptic even when the alcohol has been removed. That’s strange because we usually think that the alcohol is what kills the germs. Well, the alcohol does, but wine is double blessed as it has other germ killing agents called polyphenol which occurs naturally when the wine ferments. Grapes and grape juice do not have them as they are unfermented. During the fermentation process, these polyphenols split off of the complex sugars and become active. These properties were discovered in our modern era by Dr. Lister who pioneered antiseptic surgery.

Polyphenols are found in many disinfecting cleaners in hospitals and are very effective in killing germs. Polyphenols are also found in the wine in our communion cup.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has never reported an instance of anyone receiving a disease from the communion chalice in all of its years of reporting, could it be by God’s design?

All of the scientific data says that the chalice is safe, and I as the head theologian of this congregation am content to confess that I do not believe that the Lord would make anyone who is receiving the body and blood of Christ in faith ill.

I am so confident of this, that I now commune myself last to put my money where my mouth is.

On the night that our Lord was betrayed, He gathered with His 12 in the upper room. They all had their own cups, but He passed His cup of blessing and they all drank from the one cup. A common cup is the way that the Lord instituted communion and it is a wonderful sign that we are all one in Christ.

If you have wanted to drink from the chalice, but were afraid of germs, I hope that you will no longer be. If you want to keep using the individual cups, I am sure the Lord will bless you there as well.

Have comfort and know that in all things, the Lord has worked your salvation for you.