Do This To Remember

by Pastor Bonnie Aldrich

On July 6, we will be observing the Lord's Supper in our family worship services.

As a parent, you may want to use this celebration as a time for your child to experience communion with you. Or, you may feel your child is not ready for communion and will have your child simply observe you taking communion.

Either way, whether your child observes or participates, it will be helpful to prepare your child for this time of remembrance. Here are some points to help guide a conversation with your child before you come to church:

THE MEANING: The word "communion" means to get together. It is the time we get together with the Lord.

REMEMBERING: Jesus tells us in Luke 22:20, "Do this to remember me." Communion is a time to remember that Christ died for our sins.

RESPECT: When we take communion, we do it with respect. This is a time we meet with God.

SYMBOLS: When Jesus met with His disciples at the Last Supper, He served them bread and wine. He knew that He was going to die and wanted His disciples to always remember His death. So He used bread and wine as symbols to talk about His death. The bread and wine are like pictures that help us remember Christ's death.

THE CROSS: The cross is a reminder of the place Christ died. During communion, we can think about how He died.

THE BREAD: The bread represents Christ's body. He was hurt when they nailed Him to the cross. He wants us to remember His pain and how fragile His human body was.

THE WINE/GRAPE JUICE: The wine or grape juice represents Christ's blood. He bled when they killed Him. Just as the blood on the door frame saved the people of Israel, Christ's blood saves us from our sins. He wants us to remember that His blood takes away sin.

PRAYER: Suggest a prayer to your child such as, "Dear Lord Jesus, I ask forgiveness for the sin in my life. I am sorry and ask You to help me make right choices when faced with sin. I thank You for dying for me. I know You faced pain, but I am thankful that You sacrificed Your life for me. Because You have forgiven me, I know I will live with You forever. I love You, Lord. Amen."

Having such a conversation with your child will help prepare him for the communion celebration we have as a church.

You may even want to have your own family communion service prior to the one was have at church to prepare. Communion will take place on the first Sunday of every month, starting July 6.

If you have questions about your child's communion experience, I would love to have a conversation with you. You may contact me at baldrich@pulpitrock.com.