Unlike some traditions, Providence Church practices paedocommunion—which means that every baptized child in this congregation is welcomed to the table of Jesus Christ. We do this because the Bible says that discerning the body is the prerequisite to coming to this table. And we do not mean that by such an imperative, the requirement is a dissertation on the various atonement theories or the capability of understanding everything that happened on Good Friday, but rather to “discern the body” is to act in such a way that unites the body. If you are a divider of the body, you are not discerning the body, and I beg you to stay away, but children—as in the days of Jesus—are welcomed to the table because their presence is unifying. They—many times unlike many grown-ups—have little to no problem wanting the good and unity of the assembly. Today, we welcomed all baptized, especially the little children for unto such belongs the kingdom of heaven.
Well said, Pastor Brito. Hopefully we’ll overcome the mistake of assuming ‘the body’ means ‘bread and wine’ rather than the Church which is His body (Eph 1: 22-23). How much harm have we caused by pushing children away from the Table because they don’t yet ‘know enough’ ? Besides, ‘discerning’ is better viewed as a continuum for both children and adults. We learn as we go along in our Christian life. Obedience (doing) always precedes knowledge, not the other way around.