On certain Sabbaths, you have probably noticed your parents getting a snack during church. They take a piece of bread and a small glass of juice when it is passed down the aisle, but they don’t offer you any.

This isn’t really a snack at all. It is called communion, or the Lord’s supper. The First Catechism (GCP, 2003, questions 137-140) describes what the Lord’s supper is.

Q. 137: What sign is used in the Lord’s Supper?

A.: Eating bread and drinking wine to remember the suffering and death of Jesus.

Q. 138: What does the bread represent?

A.: Christ’s body sacrificed for our sins.

Q. 139: What does the wine represent?

A.: Christ’s blood shed for our sins.

Q. 140: Who may rightly partake of the Lord’s Supper?

A.: Those who repent of their sins, trust in Christ, live a godly life, and profess their faith before the Church.

When our parents don’t offer us this special meal, it is because they love us. We cannot take the Lord’s supper before we are ready.

Read 1 Corinthians 10:16 and 11:25, Psalm 116:13, and Matthew 26:28. What do these passages teach you about communion? Why do you have to wait until you profess Jesus Christ as your Lord to take communion?