Explaining Communion to Children

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Explaining Communion to Children Parents, it will be up to you to determine if your child is ready to take Communion, but a child should be able to understand and acknowledge these basic truths: • • •

Jesus died so that my sins could be forgiven. I have done wrong things and need to ask Jesus to forgive me. The purpose of Communion is to remember what Jesus did for us.

Before Communion, explain these concepts as appropriate for your child: Communion is a time of remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross. •

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26)

It is a time of fellowship with Jesus and other believers through this special meal. To prepare for Communion, we must ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts. If we realize we have done wrong things, we should ask Jesus for forgiveness. •

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. (1 Corinthians 11:28-29)

Communion is a practice that started with Jesus and His disciples when He had His Last Supper with them before He was crucified. (Luke 22:7-13) Jesus picked up the bread and said, “Take and eat, this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22) He took the bread and broke it, showing his disciples what would happen to His body. His body would be broken in death on the cross. When we eat the bread, we are to remember the great sacrifice that Jesus paid for us on the cross. We are to be thankful and appreciative of His love for us and His willingness to die for us. When Jesus picked up the cup of wine, he said, “This is my blood, poured out for you.” He used the juice to symbolize His blood that would be shed. When he said, “This is the cup of the new covenant,” He was proclaiming a new promise that would come through his blood. There would no longer be need for the blood of sacrificial animals. Instead, each person who believes that

Jesus’ blood paid the punishment for his or her sins and acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior will live forever in heaven. • When we drink the juice, we are to remember that because of Jesus’ blood, a new covenant was made offering us forgiveness of sins, healing and an eternal life. (Luke 22:20) • Once again, we should thank Jesus for shedding His blood so that we could have this relationship with God. • When we drink the cup, we should be “drinking in more of Jesus,” or asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37)