Communion

When I was growing up, there was unwritten but VERY well-known rule at our church that kids didn't take communion until they were baptized by immersion. We kids would look around the sanctuary as soon as the tray started going around and as kids grabbed a cup, we'd think "yep-she's been dunked" or "oh my goodness, they must be new to our church because they don't know the RULE"

It's summer, which means that our 9:30 service has no classes for kids older than kindergarten. Today we took the fam to this service and had Jake's 5 year old friend (from church) sitting with us too. As the tray got passed, Jake grabbed the bread (it's not really bread, it's a tiny cracker, in the shape of a tic tac) and a tiny cup of juice.

I immediately thought "oh my goodness! He hasn't been baptized!"

He was sitting on the other side of Brian so there was no stopping him. I ignored it and went on with my own reflection when I heard giggling. Loud giggling. The friend was holding his sides and laughing, and Jake had his cup up to his mouth.

Juice came running down Jake's hands while his tongue was still inside the cup.

Brian leaned over to tell Jake to stop horsing around when Jake hesitated and then with a loud audible "click!" his tongue popped out of the cup. In a voice that was way too loud for church, let alone communion-time, Jake protested:

"My tongue was stuck in the bottom of the cup!"

The kid ain't gettin baptized any time soon...