Communion is NOT the Time for Awkwardness

(None of the churches pictured in this post are the church described in this post - I just hate posting without photos!)

A few weeks ago, my husband and I visited another church for the first time since I've been in full-time church ministry.

It was a church we'd been to years ago. A church we love.

I was thrilled to find a note in the bulletin that gf communion was available at the front-right corner of the sanctuary. This wasn't the case the last time we worshiped there. Yay! I could partake!

We were sitting in the back-left, but made our way to the front-right, where the gf sacrament was supposed to be kept. I waited in the line of parishioners and followed them up to the pastor in front.

I approached him with my hands out and whispered, "Gluten free, please." There was a long line of people behind me, awaiting their turn for the body of Christ.

He responded, "Um... oh... that's supposed to be..." He pointed behind me and halfway up the aisle to a handful of people. "I think if you go ask there, they will probably have it."

Probably? You think?

Ugh. Awkward.

Communion is not the time for awkwardness.

It is a time to reflect on Christ's gracious sacrifice for us. It is a time to remember God's unending love for us. It is a time to confess sin and brokenness. It is a time of worship.

When all of that is interrupted with an awkward encounter, it's tough.

I'm a minister, and I've been gluten free long enough to recover from this awkward few seconds without trouble. It was awkward, yes. It disrupted my worship experience, yes. But I'll go back to that church when I can, because I love it and I have a wonderful relationship with many people there.

But what if I was a new believer? New to the church, the area, or the gf diet? That encounter would have taken the wind out of my sails for sure.

If you are offering gf communion, know that your Celiac suffering and gluten intolerant parishioners are putting both their health and their worship experience in your hands. Be clear. Be certain. Be ready.

Because the pastor wasn't sure where the sacrament was kept, I wasn't sure it was safe for me to eat. Because he only thought that the people at the side of the sanctuary would "probably have it," I didn't feel confident asking them. I didn't know any of them (and they weren't pastors), and it could have been another awkward moment.

In short, a moment of holy worship turned into a moment of utter awkwardness. I ended up just returning to my seat.

Sigh.

Let's work together to educate our ministers, priests, and pastors, shall we? They don't mean things to end up this way - most of them just don't understand the ins and outs of the eating oddities we deal with on a daily basis. They don't understand that even ordering a salad is an exhausting ordeal, so it's extra-important that taking communion isn't.

If you're interested in the ins and outs of offering gf communion in your church, or encouraging your church leader to offer it, check out How to Offer GF Communion.

How many of you have an awkward gf communion story to share?