Tradition

It’s been my church experience to have two communion trays, one for the bread and the other for the juice. The emblems were served in an orderly manner with the plate of bread passed down the pew from one person to the next, followed by the juice. When we established a new church, we went with a more efficient one-piece communion tray where the bread is placed in the small center section of the tray, surrounded by thimble sized cups of juice. After taking communion last Sunday I watched as the person next to me partook of the emblems and I was surprised when they drank the juice first and then they took the bread. I wanted to say, “Stop! That’s not the right order. You eat the bread first and then drink the juice.” The order in which we consume the emblems is of little importance, but it does give those of us who are rule followers mental whiplash. Paul said, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11:23-26).