I was asked a question in the comments about paedocommunion in my church, and I failed to answer it in the comments. I’ll go ahead and answer it now.

I was asked whay standard is required for a child to partake of the Lord’s Supper in my church. The child must be baptized, and must be able to sit through the service and not fuss excessively, and not sleep during the service, and be teachable when receiving the Supper. That is the standard. When a Head of Household feels that his child can do those things, he is to come to the elders and request that the child be admitted to the Table.

Geneva has stayed with us during the entire service for about the last six to eight months. She has only stayed awake for the entire service the past couple of Sundays, and she has needed to be taken out for discipline, or just to be held in the back several times during the service. I’m not convinced that she meets the standards that have been set up by my session, so I’m not going to ask them to allow her to come to the Table, just to be turned down again.

I guess she should be partaking by the time she’s 2. And don’t get me wrong. I am very, very happy that she will be admitted at that young an age. In most Reformed churches she would need to wait another decade. But I still feel a sharp pain in my heart every week when the bread and wine go by, and Geneva wants it and I have to tell her no. I try to hide the bread and wine from her, so she won’t even know she’s missing it… even though it never works. I’d rather her not even know we’re partaking than to have her see us getting some, and knowing she isn’t. I can’t blame her for fussing about it. I probably encourage it, actually, by telling her that the meal is for her, she just isn’t allowed to have it yet. I tell her she should have it, and that Jesus loves her.