# We drink the cup together



## Eoghan (Dec 25, 2007)

Many fellowships having abandoned the use of wine, use individual cups for hygiene (is there a link?). Anyway perhaps as a consequence something of the communal aspect is lost - to make up for this has come the instruction "We retain the cup and drink together". Would I be wrong to drink it seperately once in a while?

I must confess to "breaking my bread" a quarter inch cube, and that after squashing it (was it not originally unleavened, in Judaism I mean not RC?)

The last occassion I shared a cup was in my the presbetyrian church I grew up in. Latterly I refused to take communion there when it dawned on me the definition of a christian excluded most of the congregation and minister (In our last vestry hour he confessed to me he did not know if there was an afterlife). The sense of fellowship embodied in that one cup has always stuck with me - hence my reason for letting the cup pass by on that occasion.


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## Reformed Covenanter (Dec 30, 2007)

Eoghan said:


> Many fellowships having abandoned the use of wine, use individual cups for hygiene (is there a link?). Anyway perhaps as a consequence something of the communal aspect is lost - to make up for this has come the instruction "We retain the cup and drink together". Would I be wrong to drink it seperately once in a while?
> 
> I must confess to "breaking my bread" a quarter inch cube, and that after squashing it (was it not originally unleavened, in Judaism I mean not RC?)
> 
> The last occassion I shared a cup was in my the presbetyrian church I grew up in. Latterly I refused to take communion there when it dawned on me the definition of a christian excluded most of the congregation and minister (In our last vestry hour he confessed to me he did not know if there was an afterlife). The sense of fellowship embodied in that one cup has always stuck with me - hence my reason for letting the cup pass by on that occasion.




In the institution of the Lord's Supper only one cup was used; there is not need to change this for hygiene reasons as a strong alcoholic wine kills the bacteria. However, the use of grape juice necessitated the use of mini-glasses as you would be likely to pick up an infection if you only drank out of one cup.


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## Davidius (Dec 30, 2007)

Daniel Ritchie said:


> Eoghan said:
> 
> 
> > Many fellowships having abandoned the use of wine, use individual cups for hygiene (is there a link?). Anyway perhaps as a consequence something of the communal aspect is lost - to make up for this has come the instruction "We retain the cup and drink together". Would I be wrong to drink it seperately once in a while?
> ...



That's interesting.  Do you know of any information online regarding the sterility of alcoholic drinks? How strong must it be to kill bacteria? Will it kill _all_ bacteria?


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## brymaes (Dec 30, 2007)

If you use a silver cup, it is more difficult for bacteria to live on its surface...


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