A few more thoughts. . .

There was significant push back a few months ago on my comparison of the way we approach germophobia, individual cups, and sin.   "It is the logical fallacy of false equivalence to compare "germs or sins" with "cup or cups", because it is not a sin to use an individual communion ciup [sic] during the Lord's Supper."   But of course I was not making an equivalence.  I was pointing out that we tend to treat things very differently and in this case comparing how we treat those whose fear of germs would lead them away from the chalice and how we treat those whose sins are culturally acceptable even if Scripturally immoral.  But since the push back sort of illustrates my point, let me try again.

In both the parishes I served, the chalice was not used prior to my coming.  In fact, one parish did not even own a chalice.  In both parishes it was a fight simply to offer the chalice as a choice.  For many weeks in both parishes, myself, my family, and few others communed with the chalice while nearly everyone else the common cup.  In both parishes at least one person rose up to insist that the purificator be displayed after the distribution so that people could see with their own eyes how unclean the chalice was and why it should not be allowed.  Germophobia was acceptable -- even more so in the wake of Covid -- and was a semi-official position in more than a few places.  I suspect the example is fairly common across Lutheranism.  My point was and remains this:  we find it tolerable to accept those who would reject the chalice out of fear of germs or personal distaste but we find it intolerable to point out sin.   

Yes, it is easy to point out the sins of others but cohabitation has become normal and it is seldom approached directly because everyone in the congregation has a son, daughter, grandchild, parent, or grandparent or some other family member who is currently cohabiting.  But they are still good people and we should not upset them because they are still going to church.  This is but one example.  Try removing from membership other family members who were once confirmed and remain on membership rolls but have not darkened the door to the church for decades.  Or try to raise up any one of a thousand other culturally acceptable sins and call the sinners to repentance and you will find how hard it is for us to acknowledge wrongs and hold people accountable for them.  The sad reality of multiple divorces for less than Biblical reasons or the norm of birth control for no other reason than the couple does not want to be bothered by a child are additional examples of sacred cows we dare not address.  But no one should ever question germophobia or personal distaste for the chalice.  The point here is not to make a moral equivalence (I did not nor did I mean to imply such) but to say how we are more comfortable dealing with germs than sins -- real sins and not imagined ones.

You may argue with me if you wish but the reality is that many congregations would find no problem in removing the chalice but would fire a pastor or leave if the individual cups were removed.  In many congregations the same pastor would be fired or the family leave if someone has the gall to condemn any one of the comfortable sins which have become culturally acceptable today.  This is the disparity that I was pointing out and if you got your feathers ruffled, so be it.  I stand by my words.  We find it easier to accommodate the fears of people than to deal with their sins.  No, I am not presuming I am without sin or any other pastor is perfect.  No clergy deal with sins from the vantage point of their personal righteousness but from the point of the Word of God.  For that matter, since individual cups did not even come about until a hundred years ago, I feel safe to say that our Lord has not sanctioned them nor our fears even though we have made them both normal.  The point remains.  How we deal with fears and sins sends a message we may not want to admit but it is hard to deny.