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completely aware of her surroundings. She was a faithful churchgoer, and deep down in her heart I know she would like it.” Ready for the challenge, I took my Bible and com- munion kit to share Jesus’ body and blood with someone who didn’t necessar- ily want it. “Well,” I thought, “it wouldn’t be the first time.” When I men-


Applesauce communion


God’s hospitality stretches beyond our understanding


By Janelle Hooper I


t wasn’t an unusual request. Could a pastor visit a parishioner’s ailing mother in a nearby nursing home? The daughter warned that mom


might be a bit ornery. “Mom might mumble that she doesn’t want you there,” she said. “But she’s not


38 The Lutheran • www.thelutheran.org


tioned where I was going to our staff parish nurse, she pointed out that the mom might not be able to swallow the host. Would I be amenable to crush- ing up the bread and mixing it with


applesauce so she could swallow it without gagging?


I had never heard of mixing the body of Christ with applesauce. But I liked the idea of someone being able to share in the Lord’s sup- per—even if it stretched my idea of communion.


Martin Luther said none of us (even scholars and theologians) can fully understand how Christ becomes present in the bread and the wine. Lutherans offer communion instruction classes, like the one our congregation recently held for five youth and their parents. We talk about the “promise, presence and mystery” of Christ being somehow miraculously “in, with and under” the elements of communion. And if called upon to do so, we add a little


applesauce to the bread. As I led the liturgy, the woman who was ill kept asking to be put back in bed so she could sleep. Her daughter sat faithfully by her mother, sobbing. Afterward she asked to keep the applesauce with the host mixed in so her mom could finish it during snack time before her nap.


We aren’t taught in seminary what to do when someone can’t swallow the bread and the wine. Never before had I left the “host” with someone to snack on. But my gut tells me these things


are OK. After all, Jesus looked straight into the eyes of Judas and Peter who would betray him and gave new meaning to the bread and the wine placed before him. Jesus constantly rethought rules so things like honoring the sabbath wouldn’t be just rules, but would serve the people. Jesus healed untouchables and extended welcome beyond even my own understanding. And so we make communion as welcoming and accessible as pos- sible without losing the core of what we believe. In seminary I learned a fancy term for this: “the use of the means of grace.” The idea is that we should extend to people as many opportunities as possible to experi- ence God’s grace while holding fast to its essence.


As our worship continues to


evolve to meet the changing needs of God’s people, I hope we see it all (Scripture, announcements, prayers and communion bread) as a way we extend God’s hospitality as far as humanly possible—even if it means sometimes mixing Jesus’ body with applesauce. 


Hooper is pastor of St. Martin Lutheran Church, Sugar Land, Texas.


MICHAEL D. WATSON


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