At an annual meeting the congregation decided it could save money by asking those members in the congregation who made wine, to consider donating a couple of bottles to the church for communion. This experiment saved the congregation the price of a few cases of wine (so a few hundred dollars over the course of a year). The experiment was a royal flop --- not all homemade wine is palatable and one never knew what to expect.
After months of this, Easter Sunday arrived. Eucharistic elements for that day were a gift from the pastor. The pastor had heard Bishop Johnson reflect that church people know how to celebrate occasions in the world, but, those same celebratory items do come into church life. Easter, the high Holy Day of the Christian year was celebrated with champagne and cinnamon buns (no icing). The cork of the champagne bottle was popped right after the words, “Again after supper Jesus took the cup.”
People reflected afterward that the elements enhanced their understanding of Easter. It also led to a comment that the “bad” wine, reflected the suffering and pain of the cross --- it did not taste good; it was unpleasant. Champagne at Easter reflected the joy experienced on that Sunday. The practice of champagne and cinnamon buns has become a yearly tradition.