Communion & Your Kids: A Tool to Unlock His Presence

Some people grow up feeling terrified of Communion.

Not so much because of the “eat my flesh and drink my blood” part (see John 6:56), but more often because of what it says in First Corinthians 11:27, “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord” (NASB). I was talking to a friend recently who said that when she was young, she would frantically search her memory for every sin she could have committed in the last month. She would confess anything and everything, thinking that if she missed something, she might die right there on the wooden pew. Every month held a renewed sense of terror as she reached for the bread and juice.

This is not how it’s supposed to be. It’s funny to talk about now that she’s an adult, but experiencing the sacrament of Communion is not something that should terrify our children. Communion is a powerful way to encounter the Lord, and we get to invite them into that with expectation. Seth Dahl, co-author of Win-Win Parenting, led Bethel’s Children’s Ministry for seven years. He does a brilliant job of empowering children to have their own God encounters. Children do not have a junior Holy Spirit. On the contrary, they often have an easier time connecting with the presence of the Lord because they don’t have years of “stuff ” to unlearn. When leaders come into our environment needing a prophetic word, we will often ask the kids to minister to them. Their purity, fearlessness and lack of religion seem to allow them to hear God’s voice in a way that often leaves their audiences profoundly moved.

But God wants to use them to change the world just as much as He wants to use an adult. They have access to Him in the same way, and Communion can be a powerful tool for them to connect with the presence of God. But, often, it feels a bit intimidating to try to teach kids about something like Communion. Seth broke down how he does it, explaining that the most important things to focus on when teaching children anything are to wipe out fear, make it fun, and take our time.

Seth uses Hebrews to help give the kids a visualization of the New Covenant as he introduces Communion.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-22 NASB).

The juice represents the blood of Jesus, he explains to the kids, and this blood gives us access into a place we were never able to go before. Before Jesus died, only a few very special people could go in to the presence of God. No one else could. So, when we drink the juice, we’re remembering that we can go boldly before the presence of God. It’s not just the high priest who can enter the presence of God—all of us can! Seth explains to the kids about the veil that was torn. The veil is like His flesh, so when we take Communion, we are saying, “Thank you, Jesus, that You have torn the veil and that you’ve washed us in your blood so that we can come into the presence of God.” He encourages the kids to remember what Jesus gave us on the cross, remember what He did—our old, sinful man has passed away, His blood washed us as white as snow, and we are raised again as a new creation. We are now saints! We also remember that by His stripes we are healed. So we’re not just remembering the moment Jesus died on the cross; we’re remembering all that the cross did for us.

During this year’s Tent Revival Camp, the nine- to twelve-year-olds ended their time at camp with Communion. The speaker taught the group of kids what Communion was and the power of it. He focused on offense and unforgiveness, and he explained to the group how devastating those things can be to our hearts. When he asked if anyone was carrying that in their hearts, several of the kids raised their hands. They were walked through the process of forgiveness as a group and then took Communion with God. As the meeting was coming to an end, the presence of God filled the camp. Relationships that had been noticeably strained during camp were mended, and kids began having encounters with the Lord. Amy Gagnon, the current Director of Bethel’s Children’s Ministry, explained, “That night, the Spirit of God broke out and several children walked into deep encounters with the Lord. They felt the physical weight of God in the room and upon them.”

In Bethel Christian School, Communion is often introduced to the children in the springtime, around Easter. The teaching team begins the lesson by walking the kids through a beautiful explanation of sin. Each child draws a bull’s-eye on a piece of paper while the teacher explains that sin isn’t this shameful burden we need to bear; sin is simply missing the mark, and repentance is returning to right focus. The kids then have an opportunity to privately write on their bull’s-eye the ways that they have “missed the mark.” Tawny Novosad, one of our amazing teachers, explained to me that the sins the kids write down on their paper are often things that have been weighing heavily on their hearts. She makes sure to tell them that once the paper is folded up, it’s between them and God. She won’t look unless they want to share it with her.

With that paper in their hands, the kids move into a soaking time where Tawny invites them to see Jesus on the cross and ask Him to show them what carrying their sin felt like. It’s a somber moment for the kids, as they encounter the effect that their sins had on Jesus. Even though there are often tears, for many of the kids it’s a moment of encountering Jesus in an entirely new way.

With this new awareness, the kids walk from their classroom across campus to our Prayer Chapel, where they take Communion. It’s a reverent time. She explains to them that we need the body and blood of Christ so that we don’t have to carry that sin anymore. Once they take the Communion, thanking Jesus for all that He did on the cross, it’s time for a dance party. Tawny puts on an old song called, “Stomp on the Devil’s Head,” the kids take their pieces of paper—the ways that they’ve been missing the mark—and they choose a prophetic act. They either shred the paper up or crumple it in their hands, and then they dance on top it. They celebrate the fact that Jesus paid for their sins so that they could be children of righteousness. They stomp on the sin that was weighing them down. Then they cheer and dance together, celebrating their new reality.