The Sacrament

One of the clear themes (at least to me) of general conference last week was the importance of worthily and meaningfully partaking of the Sacrament.  I went back and looked at how often this was discussed—many talks referenced the Sacrament.  Here are some of the teachings that we received about the Sacrament:

·         “Partaking of the sacrament each week breathes hope into the divinity within us, and we remember our Savior, Jesus Christ” (Rosemary M. Wixom, Discovering the Divinity Within).

·         “As part of our efforts to make the Sabbath a delight, we have asked local leaders and Church members to remember that sacrament meeting is the Lord’s and should be rooted and grounded in His teachings. The presentation of the ordinance of the sacrament is when we renew our covenants and reconfirm our love for the Savior and remember His sacrifice and His Atonement” (M. Russell Ballard, God is at the Helm).

·         “During the sacrament, which I call the heart of the Sabbath, I have found that after I pray for forgiveness of sins, it is instructive for me to ask Heavenly Father, ‘Father, is there more?’ (Neill F. Marriott, Yielding our Hearts to God)

·         “A perfect time to ask, ‘What lack I yet?’ is when we take the sacrament. The Apostle Paul taught that this is a time for each of us to examine ourselves” (Larry R. Lawrence, What Lack I Yet?).

·         “When we partake of the sacrament, we show the Lord that we are going to remember Him always and keep His commandments. That is an expression of our sincere intent” (Francisco J. Vinas, The Pleasing Word of God).

·         “Two essential weekly signposts that mark our journey back to our Father in Heaven are the perpetual covenant of the ordinance of the sacrament and our Sabbath day observance” (Randall K. Bennett, Your Next Step).

·         “The Lord’s purpose is not simply to have people partake of bread and water. It is to have them keep a covenant that will move them along the path to eternal life. And for that to happen, the Lord must give a spiritual experience to the person to whom the deacon offers the tray” (Henry B. Eyring, You Are Not Alone in the Work).

·         “The sacrament is also a time for Heavenly Father to teach us about the Atonement of His Beloved Son—our Savior, Jesus Christ—and for us to receive revelation about it. It is a time to ‘knock, and it shall be opened unto you,’ to request and to receive this knowledge” (Claudio R. M. Costa, That They Do Always Remember Him).

·         “For that reason alone, it is easy to see why the Lord’s servants have tried to increase our desire to worship God in our sacrament meetings. If we partake of the sacrament in faith, the Holy Ghost will then be able to protect us and those we love from the temptations that come with increasing intensity and frequency” (Henry B. Eyring, The Holy Ghost as Your Companion).

·         “The wards and branches of the Church offer a weekly gathering of respite and renewal, a time and place to leave the world behind—the Sabbath. It is a day to ‘delight thyself in the Lord,’ to experience the spiritual healing that comes with the sacrament, and to receive the renewed promise of His Spirit to be with us” (D. Todd Christofferson, Why the Church).

·         “During the sacrament, I watch as hands and arms extend to pass the bread and the water. As I extend my arm and partake, I covenant that I am willing to take His name upon me, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. And He promises ‘that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us]’” (Carole M. Stephens, If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments).

Certainly if we didn’t get the message that focusing on the Sacrament is of paramount importance in our lives, then we aren’t listening very well!  To me I think the warning to us is that we are going to need great spiritual strength in the days to come—even more so than in the past—and one of the most important ways that we receive that strength is through the worthy partaking of the Sacrament.  We are going to face greater and greater challenges, and the only way that we will make it through is by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost to guide us.  And that blessing is secured for us by covenant as we worthily partake of the Sacrament.