Worship Matters
Chalice and Paten
Very soon, we will be dedicating a new chalice and paten for use in worship. The gift is given in honor of Robert and Sharon Zapko’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Chalices have been used since the early church. Because of Jesus' command to his disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19), and Paul's account of the Eucharistic rite in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, the celebration of the Eucharist became central to Christian liturgy. The vessels used in this important act of worship are sometimes highly decorated but always treated with great respect. A number of early examples of chalices have a large bowl and two handles. Over time, the size of the bowl diminished and the base became larger for better stability. While some religious traditions still require that the chalice, at least on the inside of the cup, to be gold-plated, our new chalice is gold-plated on the inside because, as we have learned with the old chalices, over time wine corrodes the inside, no matter what it is made of. That is why we have recently implemented some new practices at the table.
The paten is the matching little plate. In a church that communes using wafers only, the paten is used to hold the wafers. At Zion, we will use the paten to hold the gluten-free wafers. Congratulations Robert and Sharon! We give thanks to God for your faithfulness to each other and to your church.
Very soon, we will be dedicating a new chalice and paten for use in worship. The gift is given in honor of Robert and Sharon Zapko’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Chalices have been used since the early church. Because of Jesus' command to his disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19), and Paul's account of the Eucharistic rite in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, the celebration of the Eucharist became central to Christian liturgy. The vessels used in this important act of worship are sometimes highly decorated but always treated with great respect. A number of early examples of chalices have a large bowl and two handles. Over time, the size of the bowl diminished and the base became larger for better stability. While some religious traditions still require that the chalice, at least on the inside of the cup, to be gold-plated, our new chalice is gold-plated on the inside because, as we have learned with the old chalices, over time wine corrodes the inside, no matter what it is made of. That is why we have recently implemented some new practices at the table.
The paten is the matching little plate. In a church that communes using wafers only, the paten is used to hold the wafers. At Zion, we will use the paten to hold the gluten-free wafers. Congratulations Robert and Sharon! We give thanks to God for your faithfulness to each other and to your church.
