Our Children and the Lord's Supper
Last Sunday, as part of our series through 1 Corinthians, we came to 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, which explores the Lord's Supper in detail; what it is, why it matters and how we should participate. Towards the end of the sermon, I spoke directly to parents to address the question of our children and the Lord's Supper. Specifically, how do they fit in and can they participate?
We believe that the children of believers are part of the covenant community and therefore, they should be active participants in the life of the church and its means of grace. One of the church's means of grace is the celebration of the Lord's Supper. In recent years, our denomination (the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia) made the decision to remove any age limit for participation in the Lord's Supper.
The following guidelines are offered to parents to help them (under the oversight of the elders) discern whether their child is ready to begin sharing in the Lord's Supper. There is also a list of suggested questions and Scriptures that can be used to help explore your child's faith and understanding before celebrating the Lord's Supper. You don't need to look for word-perfect answers, but your child should be able to express an age-appropriate faith and understanding of who Jesus is and what he did for them on the cross. Please reach out to me or one of the elders if you have any further questions.
Guidelines
- Your child/ren must profess faith in Jesus and be baptized.
- There must be age-appropriate evidence of this faith being lived out.
- Your child/ren must understand that the bread represents Jesus' body and that the juice represents his blood.
- They need to understand that Jesus died for them – giving his body and blood – to save them from their sin.
- They must understand that they are part of a church family, whom they are to love and serve.
- They should be able to examine themselves reflecting on whether they have been living with Jesus as Lord. Parents can help them with this. If they have stopped living with Jesus as Lord, or if they have rejected the faith, they should stop taking the Lord's Supper.
Questions:
- Who is Jesus to you?
- What did Jesus come to do?
- What does Jesus' death on the cross mean to you?
- What does it mean for you to love Jesus?
- How does being a follower of Jesus change the way you live?
- How do you think you are different because you believe in Jesus?
- When we share the Lord's Supper, what does the bread and the juice represent?
- When we share this meal together, it also reminds us that we are part of the church family. Do you feel like you are part of the church? What is one way you can love or serve the church this week?
Relevant passages:
- Matthew 26:26–30; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20
- 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
- John 6:35
- Psalm 32:1-7
- Isaiah 1:18
- Romans 5:6-8
- 1 John 1:7-9
- Revelation 19:6-9
Grace and peace,
Adam
