“I do communion at home,” said a friend. As I like the thought of Christian families celebrating the Lord’s Supper at home, I had no reaction until my friend added, “I do it during my quiet time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I do communion on my own.”

“There is no such thing as doing solo communion. The word itself denotes being with someone.”

“I do it especially when I am not feeling well.”

“What do you do exactly?”

“I take the elements, reflect, meditate, and pray.”

“Call it whatever you want but don’t call it communion.”

“That’s semantics.”

“No, that’s dangerous.”

“There’s nothing in the Bible that goes against it.”

“There’s nothing in the Bible that prescribes it.”

Later, I mentioned my exchange with another friend who turned out knew people who do solo communion as well. As my friend has a serious condition, she is being encouraged to do the same for healing purposes by laying hands on herself. I don’t know where or how this teaching got started but let me lay down my reservations: 

1. The dictionary defines communion as “the SHARING or EXCHANGING of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.” The words “sharing” and “exchanging” suggest the presence of at least two people. 
2. 1 Corinthians 10:17 reads, “Because there is one loaf, WE, who are many, are one body, for WE all share the one loaf.” (NIV) The use of the pronoun “we” makes a case for having more than one person partaking of the cup and bread.
3. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-33 where Paul lays down the rules of self-examination, he concludes with “So then, my brothers and sisters, when you GATHER to eat, you should all eat TOGETHER. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you MEET TOGETHER it may not result in judgment.” (NIV) The words “gather,” “together,” and “meet” negate going solo.
4. The purpose of doing communion, as Paul quotes the Lord Jesus, is two-fold: to look back in remembrance of Him and to look ahead to “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” We can look back alone but we cannot proclaim alone. Proclamation presupposes an audience.
5. Along with baptism, communion is one of the two ordinances that the evangelical community observes. And both cannot be done in the privacy of one’s company for they are acts of public worship. As much as we cannot baptize ourselves, we cannot have a union with ourselves. They are done in a gathering.

But what if we are unable to go to church for legitimate reason like illness, physical limitations, etc. (and not out of laziness)? Can we do solo communion? No. Again, as much as we cannot baptize ourselves, we cannot have a solo communion. The church can send a delegate to perform communion at our house. And should we need healing, the prayer must be done outside of the ordinance. The Lord’s Supper is never about us and our needs but about Jesus. In remembrance of Him, not in remembrance of our illness. Do I sound harsh? I’m sorry if I do. Believe me, if it was biblical to do solo communion for healing purposes, I would be the first to do it every day.