So, originally, I was going to ask, why do Anglicans serve the bread first, then the wine. The answer, however, is that it really seems to be the order in Scripture, for as 1 Corinthians 11 says:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Thus, it is bread, then wine. Still, I keep thinking that way back in my Baptist days (its been 5 years now!) it was the other way - wine first, then bread.
The question then is two-fold:
- Are there any traditions that tend to go wine first (if so, which?) and, if that's the case
- Why?