Communion with Kids

So, last Sunday we visited a new church in the area that was affiliated with Sovereign Grace Ministries. When we arrived, they instructed us that the children were to stay with us for the first part of the service and then would be released before the sermon. We sat down and the pastor began to prepare the congregation for communion. He started by talking about the plagues and the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt. We have been reading these stories to the kids, but I was surprised when Darcy showed her comprehension level and blurted out, “Hey! Dat man say PLAGUES!” We tried to simultaneously quiet her and encourage her to keep listening.

The pastor went on about the passover, the symbolism of the blood of the lamb, and the elements of communion. When the plates were passed and the juice and crackers were in hand, the girls were intensely interested. “Mommy, can I have some?” Haley kept inquiring. “I’m thirsty…I want some juice.”
The whole time, Colby and I were trying to be sensitive to their first encounter with communion and explain the symbolism, the purpose, and the significance. Colby, with Darcy on his lap, was trying to make the connections for her about the passover and Jesus. This was all too much for Darcy to bear. With her cute raspy voice, she finally blurted out, “Daddy, why you DINK dat Blood of zuh laaamb?” With growing concern, she again persisted…”Daddy, NO!! DON’T DINK IT!” Colby and I buried our heads in our laps as we tried to not make a scene. Symbolism is apparently too abstract of a concept for a 2 year old.