Trolls and Tables

If there is one thing I can't stand, it's regret. It's hideous. Picture a troll, with pink hair and a gargoyle face, camping under a bridge and eating innocent goats. That is regret. The best way to avoid the troll is to avoid the bridge that harbors the troll, but if you are oblivious to the danger under the bridge, you will unknowingly attempt to cross it and get eaten- because as we all know, and in keeping with my little analogy, regret eats you up.

I had 4 precious months of TIME. Time to read, work, go out for coffee, camp out under the stars, study the catechism, stay active, visit my grandparents, visit my friends, and stay on top of my academic game. My time is almost up, and I wish I had done a lot more of everything. I definitely didn't read enough.

I realize that's a pretty pathetic list for such an extreme analogy, rather mild regrets, but they are regrets nonetheless. The thing about these regrets is that you can't do a thing to change the fact that you were just too lazy to 'get 'er done'. Time doesn't go backwards. How I've used my time was my call, a conscious decision, and now I have to live with it. Now I have to share my space with an ugly mutant with pink hair until I can figure out a way to get past him.... oh man.

On a different note, the minister this afternoon stated that allowing your child to partake of Lord's Supper would be like feeding your infant poison. He was quoting John Calvin. I know the URC is pro guarding the Lord's table, but let's think about this. Both sacraments are intended to be used by God's covenant children in an effort to draw together the body of believers in the name of Christ. Baptism is a sign of the washing away of our sins, and God's faithfulness to his children. The Lord's Supper is meant to be a reminder and celebration of Christ's death and resurrection- enabling us to have eternal life. I would like to know how the church is able to discern who can and cannot partake. Considering that the Lord's Supper has replaced the Old Testament celebration of the Passover, I am inclined to believe that similarly, it should be the job of the parents to educate and prepare their child for the table as was the custom in those days. My concern with the URC in this respect is that there is a danger of testing the genuity of one's faith by some sort of knowledge gage. We learn at home and church, take catechism classes, profess our faith, and thereby gain access to the Table. If this is the case, what did Christ mean when He said, " Let the little children come to me" and when the disciples tried to prevent it, He reprimanded them saying, " and do not hinder them!". Children are not stupid. They understand. They too are a part of the covenant kingdom! Oy.... sometimes I think we lose focus. To carry such reasoning to its full extent would most likely exclude a lot of people from communion. It just doesn't make sense. Maybe I'm a heretic. Maybe I should just go and fight that stupid troll.