This communion meditation was given at King’s Cross Church (Moscow, ID) on November 6, AD 2022.

In our church baptized children are welcome to the Lord’s Table. This practice, known as child communion or paedocommunion, is a minority view in the Reformed church. We recognize this, and yet we are humbly convinced by Scripture that this is a biblical, consistent, and appropriate practice. 

One of the various reasons behind this practice is what we see when looking at the place of children during covenant meals in the Old Testament. 

For example, during the first Passover meal, we read that “All the congregation of Israel” participated (Ex. 12:3, 6, 37) and each household was to acquire a lamb or join together with a neighboring household (Ex. 12:3–4). Households necessarily include children, and children indeed were present at the Passover meal, for God says in the text that they will ask, “What does this ceremony mean?” and the parents should answer, “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 (Ex. 12:26). 

Children were included in the covenant meals for they are in covenant with God. 

But do notice the instruction present. It is wise to teach your children, according to their maturity, to understand what is taking place here now. It is good to lean over to Johnny at this point in the service, ask if he’s baptized, and share a sentence or two of what this is all about. 

You can say something like this: This bread and wine means that Jesus loves us so much that He died for our sins. And when we eat it, He makes us strong. 

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.