Eucharistic meditation

Matthew 18:5: Whoever receives one such child in my Name receives Me.

Here at Trinity, we baptize infants, a lot of them. Most churches throughout the centuries have done the same. We also believe that the Lord’s Supper is open to baptized children who are capable of sharing it. That is more unusual, especially among Reformed Protestants.

One of the reasons we baptize infants and invite children to this meal has to do with the character of names. Names are not merely words. Names are not just spoken to convey information or describe. Names are not labels. When someone speaks our name, we take notice. Names lay a claim. A name is a promise. A name projects us out into a future. A name places us in a community.

Names come at the beginning. The scientist can write up His scientific report only after the experiments are done. The historian can record what happened only after it has happened. Common nouns and indicative propositions come after the fact.

But we name things at the beginning. You don’t wait until your child is ten to name him. When you meet someone, you learn his name immediately. When you get a new pet, one of the first tasks is to name it. We assign names at the beginning, in hope and for the future.

Baptism is a naming ceremony. In baptism, the child’s name is pronounced, but more importantly the child is marked with the Name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, and the baptized carries that Name, for good or ill, ever after. When a child is baptized, He is given the family name of the Triune God.

So named, that child comes to the Lord’s table, where that name is renewed, the table that is the place of assembly and feasting for all who are called by the Name of the Lord. Our children bear the name of Jesus, and when we receive them in His Name, we receive Jesus Himself.