The King's Bread

Editor's note: Welcoming children to the Lord's table is commonly but not universally practiced among Christian churches. In some denominations, such participation is at the discretion of the elders and with the consent of the parents, and varies from congregation to congregation, as does the way the elements are served and the actual elements used.

Luke 22:19 – And [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (ESV)

As we visited multiple churches to worship with extended family and friends, my young son had become quite a connoisseur of the sacramental communion elements. He voiced his pleasure or displeasure in loud whispers from the pews. Preferring soft white bread to the crusty loaves, he exclaimed, "Mom, they have King's Hawaiian bread!" Disappointed and shocked in the paper texture of the communion wafers, he asked, "Are we really supposed to eat this?" Or alarmingly realizing that it's not grape juice and declaring, "This is wine!" We just never knew what he would say or do during communion time.

Once, as his favourite soft bread was being passed, he pulled off two big chunks of bread, one for each hand. Double-fisted. I suppose I could have been embarrassed by it and shrunk down in the seat with my hand on my forehead. I also could have thwarted his excitement and corrected him to immediately return the second piece. (But then again who wants communion bread that has been put back by a child's hand?) I decided that I'd explain it to him later and chose just to smile and enjoy the pure innocence and exuberance of my son in the moment.

Did he understand the complexities of holy communion? The forgiveness? The sacrifice? The reverence? The poignancy? The symbolism of body and blood? Of course not. He only knew that it had something to do with Jesus' love for him … and that it was tasty, soft bread. Is it enough that his only perspective was that God provides us all our needs through Jesus, and right now, He is supplying physical food of a couple of handfuls of delicious, sweet bread? In my opinion, it is more than enough at his age. He associates church and communion with a doting church family, loving parents, good food, and a divine man named Jesus Who loves him unconditionally.

As he grows and continues to partake of this holy sacrament, his knowledge and his faith will grow. One day, he will be excited that it is the King's Bread (not King's Hawaiian). But until his own understanding matures, his act of double-fisted exuberance ministered to me and hopefully to those around us. It whispered to me that we should all grab hold of the gospel message assuredly with two hands! In the innocence and whole-hearted delight of a child, may we be spiritually and physically fed by the bread of life and bask in the double-handed generosity of Christ the Saviour!

Prayer: Thank You, God, for letting us partake of Your holy meal. Whether we are holding on to You by a thread or grabbing hold with two hands, thank You for Your extravagantly generous, sacrificial, and merciful love. Amen.

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