The Lord's Supper Is Already Blessing Your Children

The Lord’s Supper is a great blessing for the church. When communicant members partake, the Larger Catechism says that they “feed upon his body and blood, to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace; have their union and communion with him confirmed; testify and renew their thankfulness, and engagement to God, and their mutual love and fellowship each with other, as members of the same mystical body,” (WLC 168). This is not a mere remembrance of Christ’s death but a special and particular blessing for the Lord’s people. So it is natural for some to ask, why do my children not get the benefits of the Lord’s Supper? Why is the Lord withholding these blessings from my children?

The simple answer is that the Lord, in His mercy, protects those who cannot yet fulfill the requirements of the table, as partaking without discernment brings judgment rather than blessing. The Lord’s Supper requires, in the language of the Larger Catechism (177) that you must be of sufficient “years and ability to examine themselves.” This is even more stark in the scriptures, 1 Corinthians 11:27–29 “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” This is not only a warning against the types of sins the Corinthians were engaging in, eating selfishly and getting drunk, but a broader statement on the nature of the sacrament. Unlike baptism, that can rightly be administered to covenant children, the Lord’s Supper requires knowledge and discernment to safely partake. Baptism is a sign of ingrafting into the covenant community, communion is a sign of active covenant fellowship, requiring the communicant to examine himself and discern what he receives. Without the required knowledge and discernment the bread and wine become at best a worthless thing and at worst a judgment.

What the Lord requires of our children is to observe, ask questions, and long to participate. Those are the blessings that each and every child from the youngest infant to a child on the cusp of professing faith receives whenever they witness but do not eat and drink during the Lord’s Supper. So let’s unpack each of these blessings in turn.

First, our children observe. In our corporate worship even the smallest infant in his mother’s arms gets to see, hear, and participate according to their ability. The primary blessing in that service is the Word preached, which is available to all, and is applied in miraculous ways to their hearts by the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s supper is a visible sign and seal of the Word preached, a physical confirmation of the promises of God put forth in the sermon. So our children hear the Word and then see the physical elements of bread and wine, hear the Words of institution, and the explanation of what it all means. They see the men and women of the church approaching the table with earnestness, humility, and joy. Before they can walk or talk our children see this sacrament carried out over and over and it becomes part of their character and knowledge of the church. We don’t hide this from them but put it on full display. You cannot overestimate what an incredible blessing this is, to grow up in the covenant community and to see week by week the Lord’s people in worship.

When they are old enough to speak they begin to ask questions and receive answers about what is happening. “Daddy, what is the pastor doing?” “Mommy, why is there bread?” “Dad, can I have some?” Each question provides a glorious opportunity from the Lord to teach and shape your children, to increase their knowledge of the Lord and what it means to be a Christian, to be a part of His body, to commune with Him. This is the same pattern of blessing we saw in the Old Covenant at the Passover. Exodus 12:26–27 “And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” This is one of the inherent beauties of the covenant, that the blessings are not just for us but for us and our children and should be diligently passed on! Do not miss this opportunity to bless your children by joyfully answering those questions. Explain the meaning and joy of the Lord’s Supper, tell them what it means for the Body and what it means for you.

As your child grows, as they see the Lord’s Supper over and over, it is only natural that they would want to participate. That desire is a blessing from the Lord, but even that desire is not sufficient to justify their participation. They need to not only desire it, but understand what is happening and be able to articulate, according to their age and ability, their faith in Christ and understanding of the sacrament. Lots of children will reach for the elements and need to be stopped, but if that desire is from the Lord, if it comes from the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, the desire will persist and grow. It will serve as a motivation to learn more about God, the Word, and our salvation by grace through faith in Him. The Lord makes some ready at 8 and others at 18, but when they finally partake it is the culmination of years of waiting and longing and will serve to teach your child the incredible weight and importance of the Lord’s Supper in the life of the believer.

Every Lord’s Day our children are greatly blessed by the worship service. There is no part of the service that does not hold some blessing for non-communicant members, but those blessings will only increase as your child increases in knowledge and ability. They will move from seeing, to asking, to longing, to participating. At every stage it is the duty of parents, elders, and the congregation to teach, encourage, and pray for these covenant children. The Lord’s Supper is a blessing now and will be a greater one to them once they are of sufficient years and ability to examine themselves and fully and safely partake.