Did you know that in the early days of the Church, Christians were often accused of cannibalism? \u00a0As ridiculous as that sounds, think about what you would think if you heard of a new religious group that met to drink Someone\u2019s blood and eat Someone\u2019s flesh.\u00a0 Some onlooker failed to understand that the church actually ate bread and drank wine, which were symbols of Christ\u2019s body and blood.\u00a0 If \u201cgrown-ups\u201d in the first century misunderstood the Lord\u2019s Supper, then we shouldn\u2019t be surprised if children today, many of whom do not yet grasp abstract concepts like \u201csymbols,\u201d struggle to understand what ordinances like the Lord\u2019s Supper and baptism are all about.<\/p>\n
There two big reasons why it\u2019s important for your kids to know what baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper are all about.\u00a0 First, if your kids haven\u2019t trusted Christ yet, baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper can be gospel sermons acted out in front of them\u2014if they understand what they’re seeing! \u00a0Second, if your kids have trusted Christ, then they have the same privilege of participating in these special events as any other believer\u2014again, provided they understand them.<\/p>\n
Because of the way children\u2019s minds develop, it is entirely possible that a child would be able to comprehend the concrete gospel story and understand his own need for a Savior before he is able to think abstractly and understand symbolism.\u00a0 But there may be some ways to help your child by making baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper a little more concrete.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll never forget an event that happened a few days before I was baptized.\u00a0 I was seven, and a wise children\u2019s pastor met with me beforehand to make sure that I understood what I was doing. \u00a0Mid-conversation, he reached behind him and showed me a nicely framed photograph of a pig wallowing in the mud (why he had such a photo in his office, I\u2019ll never know!).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
I was slightly demeaned. I was in second grade, for goodness\u2019 sake! I knew my farm animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cA pig,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
The pastor smiled mischievously and said, \u201cReally? So I have a pig in my office?\u201d<\/p>\n
It took me a second, and then the light dawned in my 7-year-old brain.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh! I get it. You have a picture of a pig in your office!\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a big difference between a pig and a picture of a pig, and there is a big difference between being saved and giving people a picture of salvation.<\/p>\n
As you can tell, that conversation made a big impression on my young brain. It helped me to understand in a very concrete way that what I was doing was not \u201cbeing saved.\u201d I was giving everyone a picture of what Jesus had already done to save me. You can adapt this analogy easily when talking to your kids about the Lord\u2019s Supper and baptism.<\/p>\n
I hope these ideas help. If you try them, I\u2019d love to hear from you on how the discussion went!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s important for your kids to know what baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper are all about. If your kids understanding what they’re seeing, these ordinances can serve as gospel sermons acted out in front of them. And if your kids have trusted Christ, baptism and the Lord’s Supper can help them develop a deeper appreciation for Christ and His love for them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[25,41,24,33],"tags":[5288,6605,6604],"yoast_head":"\n