With the Grain

If you’ve never noticed, children ask questions. A lot of questions. This isn’t a defect to be sanded down, it’s the grain of the wood. God wants catechism to be an integral part of our parenting. We see this in various places in Scripture, but perhaps nowhere as poignantly as in the instructions which God gave Moses regarding observing the Passover. 

God tells Moses that once Israel is brought into the Promised Land they are to keep the Passover. Then God instructs, “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses (Ex. 12:26-27b).”

The questions were not the hurdle to partaking of the Passover meal. The meal was theirs to enjoy because they were covenant members of God’s people. The questions flowed out of faithful observance. We ought not to wait until the child is capable of asking the questions, we should see that covenant faithfulness will give rise to covenant instruction. The questions are an indication that covenant children, as they learn to pay attention, are also coming to understand the spiritual meaning of the physical meal.

Furthermore, we also see in this that fathers need to be teaching their children to ask questions, and teaching their children by answering those questions. Parents, teach your children by teaching them to ask the sort of questions God wants them asking. Then answer those questions by turning to God’s Word for answers.

Our church practices paedo-communion; meaning, baptized children are not kept from partaking of this meal. We do this because we believe that as our children partake of this meal, it raises questions about what this meal means, and thus we are afforded an opportunity to once more instruct our children in the faith. We are, in essence, cutting with the grain. 

So come in faith, and welcome to Jesus…