The meal before us is a sign that God has already provided for His people. In this meal, no covenant member fasts. This is a meal for those who worship and serve Him only. This meal is a reminder that when we are tempted to feast from the world’s bread and wine, God has already provided bread and wine from heaven and nothing more shall we need.
“This is a meal for those who worship and serve Him only.”
Did you intend to exclude infants?
If faith is an expression of worship, then my point is the exact opposite: to include infants.
Besides the context: ” In this meal, no covenant member fasts,” necessarily means that covenant members are included, since infants are covenant members. My reference to “worship” and serve” is a quotation from Matthew 4.
If I limit your words to those who can hear and understand them, then they’re good and true. But most infants who also have “the meal before” them can’t understand, fast, be reminded when tempted by world’s feast that “God has already provided bread and wine from heaven and nothing more shall we need” or even necessarily have faith…yet. But we treat them like they can and will.
Frank, I am not sure what you are arguing for…if you are making a case that pastors every week need to make a caveat in their Lord’s Supper exhortation that children (infants; brethos) need to be included in the covenant meal, then I find this unlikely. Communion is communion; covenant is covenant. It is always inclusive.
Mostly, my exhortations are brief and connected with the theme of my sermon.
However, if you are making a case for why covenant, baptized children cannot have faith, then I think we have a theological disagreement. Yet, from what I remember interacting with you that is not your position. Blessings.
I wasn’t making a case but clarifying your intended audience for your stated understandings regarding the meal. I’m definitely not saying infants “cannot” have faith, but rather that they may not yet and all the more should, as you agree, be included in the covenant meal. Their requirement to partake isn’t any such mental/spiritual understanding but simply: can they eat bread?
Good point, Frank. Thanks for your comments.