Unshackled: Also, always found it strange when the brothers who passed the bread and wine around, would then pass to eachother. Like they had yet to have it passed to them. Didn't they just do that, like 20 times or so?
YES! Thank you! That has seemed odd to me even when I was devout.
As a kid the prospect of someone partaking was the most exciting part, aside from being allowed to touch the sacred plate and goblet. Of course, the pressure was intense.
"Don't spill it... steady... steady..."
But you knew you were "made" when your parents let you pass it without their fingers stabilizing it. "Sweet, I must be old enough to get baptized now," says the 9 year old under his breath.
We had a DF'd partaker in our hall for many years. We always thought she was looney but it was fun to watch. She who would dress in extravagant African Princess garments and stroll in late, making a big production, and then find a seat as close to the front as possible. When she partook, she made sure everyone knew it and one year she actually complained out loud to the speaker - during the ceremony - that there was a bit of cork in the wine. Pretty funny. To prevent a scene, they actually changed out the glass.