“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken."
Isaiah 25:6–8
Every first Sunday of the month, we take time during our service to eat and drink together. This is the Lord’s Supper, an act of worship instituted by Jesus for us to observe until the end of the ages. The Supper is one of God’s regular means of grace to us, reminding us of Christ’s death, confirming to us the Father’s love, drawing us together in the fellowship of the Spirit, and directing our eyes heavenward, where Christ is, “from whence He shall come in glory.”
Like every element of worship at Delta Oaks, we want to enjoy this Supper the way that God intended. There has been no small amount of controversy over the last 2,000 years concerning this sacrament. How often should it be observed? Who should partake of it? What is the nature of Christ’s presence in it?
These are all important questions, but they are not the reason I am writing this letter. I am writing to explain a decision that our Session has made regarding the elements in the Lord’s Supper — the bread and the cup.
Over the last year, Tony, John, and I have been discussing and praying about the way we observe the Supper together. We have decided to make some changes to the elements that, we believe, better reflect the way the Bible explains this ordinance. We intend to implement these changes next Sunday, March 2nd, 2025.
Here are the changes we are making:
Change: We have decided to offer one kind of bread to all who partake — a gluten-free, unleavened bread.
Explanation: The Lord’s Supper is not just a communion with God; it is a communion with each other. Previously, those who had gluten intolerance would be identified before the service and given a small, styrofoam-esque wafer in place of the normal bread.
This is not ideal, since it introduces a division that contrasts with the reality (i.e. our communion together in the united body of Jesus Christ). Partaking of the same gluten free bread together will remove this division, so that all may enjoy the same bread without worry or distraction. At the same time, we believe this change will be helpful to visitors from other churches who may have unknown dietary restrictions.
Change: We have decided to offer wine only, instead of grape juice.
Explanation: This may be the more difficult change, and so please permit a longer explanation.
From the time Jesus instituted the Supper until the mid-19th century, wine (i.e. fermented, alcoholic fruit of the vine) was used exclusively by the church for communion. This changed after 1869, when Thomas Welch discovered a pasteurization process for grape juice in Vineland, NJ. Out of a desire to safeguard against drunkenness, some churches soon began to substitute grape juice for wine. I can’t say for certain, but my hunch is that most American evangelical churches today offer grape juice along with wine at communion, if not grape juice exclusively.
If you look back at Dr. Welch and the Temperance Movement with a chuckle or a sneer, just consider the great and terrible abuses of alcohol that influenced that movement. Those of us who have been deeply affected by substance abuse (whether directly or indirectly) have a special window into this, but we all should be able to appreciate the good intentions of those who swapped out the communion wine for Welch’s.
The Bible is not silent when it comes to wine. Both the Old and New Testaments warn against drunkenness. Noah disgraces himself after lying drunk and naked in his tent (Gen. 9). “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). This point is echoed again and again throughout Scripture (cf. Prov. 23:29-35; 31:4-5; Deut. 21:18-21; Luke 21:34; Rom.13:13; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Eph. 5:18). Habitual drunkenness should have no place among the people of God, and it particularly disqualifies a man from serving as a pastor, elder, or deacon in the church (1 Tim. 1:3, 8; Tit. 1:7).
What’s more, there are occasions in the Bible when wine even shows up as a symbol of God’s judgement, such as in Jeremiah 25:
Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them… Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among you.’” (vv. 15–16, 27; cf. Ps. 75:8; Isa. 19:14; 51:21–22; Rev. 16:19).
When we understand this symbolism, we can see why Jesus speaks of His own suffering as “the cup the Father has given me” (Jn. 18:11; cf. Matt. 26:39, 42). This is a cup that our Savior must drink for our salvation, experiencing the judgment that we deserved.
And yet, Jesus also says to James and John, “You will indeed drink from my cup” (Matt. 20:22-23). To be clear, we do not, in any way, suffer the infinite wrath of a holy God to atone for our sins — that is the work of Christ alone. And yet, the Bible does speak of our union with Christ in His sufferings (e.g. Rom. 1:15; Phil. 3:10; 1 Pt. 4:13) in a way that makes this “sharing of Christ’s cup” the right experience of every professing believer.
If the Supper is, at least in part, a memorial of Christ’s death, and a sign of our union in His sufferings, then it seems highly appropriate that we use the symbol that both the OT and NT employ for this suffering: wine. While our nation’s shift to grape juice may have been well-meaning, the reason for such a change was more cultural than theological. In the process, an important aspect of the symbol is lost.
There is another consideration: the Bible also uses wine as a symbol of blessing, fellowship, and joy. Though some may rightly abstain from alcohol for the sake of conscience, the Bible depicts wine as a gift from God for the good of man. Consider Psalm 104:15:
“You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.”
Repeatedly, we find in the OT the description of God’s blessing in terms of abundant crops and full stores of wine (Gen. 27:28; Prov. 3:9-10; Amos 9:13–14). But God meant more than simply enjoying literal wine in the land of Israel — wine served as a picture of enjoying communion with God Himself. We can see this in the “altar call” of Isaiah 55, God’s invitation to trust in and be satisfied by Him:
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
When God wants to describe our enjoyment of Him, He frequently does so with the language of food and feasting. As Pastor Jonathan Cruse writes, “Ever since the beginning of time, worship has followed a pattern that culminates in a feast.” Adam and Eve ruined the feast we might have enjoyed through the Tree of Life, yet God has made a way for another Feast, final and everlasting, displayed in types and shadows throughout the OT, signified and sealed to us today through bread and a cup. This is “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9), the feast that Jesus promised us in the Gospels, and earned for us through the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood.
Fittingly, Jesus’ first miracle occurred at a wedding feast, with the turning of water into wine. When the wine was brought out to the master of the feast, he was astonished. He didn’t know it had once been water, but quickly called in the bridegroom (whom he assumed deserved the credit) and congratulated him. “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine,” he said. “But you have kept the good wine until now.”
Indeed, there is good wine ahead for us. We long for that final feast, “a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Isa. 25:6). Until that day comes, our Bridegroom has left us a token and pledge—bread and wine—to help set our hearts upon Him, and on the joy we will have at His arrival.
Maranatha. Our Lord, come.
Pastor Ben
Why are we using unleavened bread?
Unlike the wine/grape juice question, we do not believe that Scripture requires our bread to be either leavened or unleavened. There is freedom in this matter. However, we believe that unleavened gluten-free bread will be easier to acquire and store, as it is less prone to grow stale or dry. It is also easier for the Communion Team to prepare.
Will the bread and wine taste good?
That is our intention. Though this is not a full meal, we don’t want poor-tasting elements that will distract you from worship.
What about “new wine” (Mk. 2:22)? Wasn’t that non-alcoholic?
“New wine” refers to freshly-pressed grape juice that has not yet completed the fermentation process. However, there was no way to preserve this juice in an “alcohol-free” state prior to the advent of pasteurization. Passages like Hosea 4:11 and Acts 2:13 indicate that drunkenness was very possible with new wine.
Why shouldn’t we use both wine and grape juice?
We seriously considered this. However, given the desire to maintain unity in our bread, it seemed counter-productive to introduce a division in our cup, even as a concession to those who may prefer it.
Have you tried dealcoholized wine?
Yes… but it wasn’t very good. Dealcoholized wine also seemed to raise the same theological questions as grape juice.
What if I can’t, in good conscience, drink even a small amount wine?
You should still take the bread, but please let the wine pass by you. This Supper is meant to increase your faith, not shake it, and it is better to have half a Supper than to go against your conscience. However, if this describes you, please contact me. I’d like to listen to any scruples you have, and to offer counsel as I may.
Is it okay for communicant members under 21 to take wine during the Supper?
Yes. Neither California’s Code nor the Pittsburg Municipal Code directly address religious exemptions for communion wine. However, such an exemption is safeguarded under constitutional and federal protections, like the First Amendment and The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993). Other California towns have recognized this exemption both on paper and in practice, setting a precent that allows all Californian communicants to drink this cup without reservation.
Have we ever done this before?
There was apparently a brief period of time early in Delta Oaks history when wine was served at communion. I don’t know why this practice was discontinued, though since we were meeting in schools and other similar venues, I assume it was at least in part owing to the constraints of our lease at that time.
Why are we doing this now?
Our Session has been intentionally thinking through the process of church revitalization. One aspect of that work involves looking at past and current worship practices. We have been considering a change in the Lord’s Supper for at least a year now, and do not take it lightly. Our previous practice was not sinful, but for the reasons outlined above, neither was it ideal. This year seemed to us a good time to introduce this change, which we believe brings us more closely to the practice as instituted by Christ. We hope it will also bring us closer together as a congregation, as we together partake in one bread, and together drink of a bitter yet blessed cup.
