To dip or not to dip

The picture above is of the nearby Fillmore United Methodist Church, the one we have been getting involved with since we moved to our new house in August.  

I would never have imagined that we would enjoy a church with such a traditional worship service, but we do.  These people are so alive that their traditional way of doing things does not seem dead or routine.  And of course it matters a lot to us that they sing with so much enthusiasm and that they sing well and in tune, especially the men.  They are so warm and friendly, making us feel like part of the family already.

They make a much bigger deal out of the Advent season than we do at Grace Community Fellowship, our church home in Lancaster County. So there are Wednesday evening Advent services this month, which is nice for Dick, since he doesn't get to stay for the whole service on Sunday mornings.  Our choir sang such a beautiful song this evening, Celtic Advent Carol. 

Last Wednesday evening there was a Thanksgiving service, including communion.  As the pastor and the lay leader prepared to serve communion, they stood up front, one holding a loaf of bread, the other a chalice of grape juice.  I thought to myself,  "You are kidding!  They all drink out of the same cup???"  Dick whispered, "With all the people I heard coughing this evening, I don't think I'm going front."  As the rows of people went forward, I told him, "If you don't go up, you'll be the only one."  So when it was our row's turn, we went front.  The guy in front of me was really tall, so I could not see exactly  how he was doing it.  Then it was my turn.  The lay leader said some words of blessing as I broke a piece of bread from the loaf and ate it.  I was planning to take the chalice from the pastor's hand to take a sip when the lay leader said, "Would you like to take another piece of bread to dip into the juice?"  Then I realized how they were doing it.  They were not drinking from that chalice!   They were dipping their bread into it!  I said,  "I am so sorry.  I never did it the Methodist way before."  And we all laughed.  

After we got back to our seats I got the giggles.  I thought of my former MCDS co-worker Frank, and whispered to Dick, "I think Frank Rittenhouse would have enjoyed watching that!"   He's the one that never let me forget about the time I was at staff devotions for the first time, and when they were supposedly praying for the requests that had been given, I felt so sorry that no one was praying for them, so I did.  I discovered later that the person in charge of devotions  would mention each request, and then give time for silent prayer for each one.  Oh me, oh my.  I do like to keep things interesting!

I found out from Frank Rittenhouse this week that the dipping of the bread into the juice is the ancient rite of intinction.  Never heard of it before, but now I've done it!