I spoke in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. Here's my talk: To understand more fully the
sacrament, let's go way back in history to the beginning of the Passover.
In the days of Moses when the children of Israel were enslaved to the
Egyptians. Moses was trying to free his
people but was not having a lot of success.
The Lord told him to bring the sacrificial lamb and prepare a feast for
the people. He told him to take the
blood of the lamb and place in on the 2 side posts and the post above the door
of every family so that when the destroying angel came through the streets
killing the first born child in every home, the homes with the blood on the
doors would be passed over and their children would be saved. Moses and the Israelites did as they were
commanded and while all the Egyptians lost their oldest child the Israelites
were spared and were allowed to go free.
They left in such hast that their dough was not leavened. In Exodus 12: 14 And
this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it
a feast to the Lord throughout
your generations;
Thus became the feast of the
Passover with unleavened bread.
Now we go several hundred years forward to the time of
Jesus. It is the time of the Passover for
the Jews. Many of the men were gathering
in Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
Many are wondering if Jesus will come and some doubted that He would because
everyone knew that the chief priests wanted to put him to death. But Jesus knowing
that his time was at hand did come. He
met with his disciples in the upper room of home where they would partake of
the feast of unleavened bread. Here he
instituted the sacrament. In Luke 22 we
read: 19 ¶And he
took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto
them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do
in remembrance of me.
After
which Jesus took the wine and said.. 20 Likewise also
the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is
shed for you.
Elder James J. Hamula said at this last conference: In this simple yet profound manner, Jesus instituted a new
ordinance for God’s covenant people……Participation in this new ordinance would
signify to all a solemn acceptance of Jesus as the promised Christ and
wholehearted willingness to follow Him and keep His commandments. To those who
would so signify and conduct their life, spiritual death would “pass over”
them, and eternal life would be assured.
We read in Acts how the
disciples continued this new ordinance: "And
upon the first day of the
week, … the disciples came together to break bread,"
When the Savior visited the
Nephites after his resurrection he instituted the sacrament with them. We read in 3 Nephi 18: 3 "And when the disciples
had come with bread and wine, he took of the bread and brake and blessed
it; and he gave unto the disciples and commanded that they should eat.
5 And when the
multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the disciples: Behold
there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will
I give power that he shall
break bread and bless it and give it unto the people of my church,… 6 And this
shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken
bread and blessed it and given it unto you."
And when the church was
restored, the Lord instituted the sacrament giving similar instructions. We read in D&C 20:75 "It is expedient that the
church meet together often to partake of bread and
wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus;"
Thus
we see that the Sacrament is a very important ordinance for all to participate
in.
After
Christ instituted the sacrament, we know he then went to the garden of Gethsemane, where he suffered the pains and sorrows and
anguish, temptations and afflictions and sins of every kind for every human
that every will or did live upon the earth.
He suffered in such a way that we can't comprehend it. He suffered to the point that he bled from
every pore. And then Christ was hung on
the cross where his flesh was torn and his heart was broken even unto death. But triumphantly he arose from the tomb never
again to know disease, pain, decay or death.
ElderHamula said, “The ordinance of the
sacrament has been called “one of the most holy and sacred ordinances in the
Church.”18 It needs to
become more holy and sacred to each of us.
Jesus Christ Himself
instituted the ordinance to remind us what He did to redeem us and to teach
us how we may avail ourselves of His Redemption and thereby live with God
again. And in taking the
bread to ourselves, we acknowledge that, like Christ’s mortal body, our bodies
will be released from the bonds of death, rise triumphantly from the grave, and
be restored to our eternal spirits.23….In taking the water to ourselves, we acknowledge that His blood
and suffering atoned for our sins and that He will remit our sins as we embrace
and accept the principles and ordinances of His gospel.”
Every
Sunday, we have that great opportunity to not only remember what Jesus Christ
did for us, but we can be reminded that because of Him, we can be forgiven of
our sins. None of us are perfect and we all sin in some way. We are reminded that regardless of how we
live our lives, we will live again after this life. Jesus Christ was resurrected so that all men
can be resurrected as well. We are also
reminded that if we live our lives in such a way as the Savior lived his life,
if we will keep his commandments and follow Him, that we will be able to live
in the presence of God.
Elder Jeffrey R.
Holland said this about the sacrament. He said, ‘One of the invitations
inherent in the sacramental ordinance is that it be a truly spiritual
experience, a holy communion, a renewal for the soul.’1”
So how do we make
it a spiritual experience, so that it is holy and sacred?
1st by coming prepared to
have a spiritual experience and by singing the sacrament hymns and thinking and
pondering on their words.
2nd by listening carefully
to the sacrament prayers each Sunday.
One thing that I loved while we were serving at BYU was when the young
men in our ward would bless the sacrament.
They always prayed with sincerity, they read the prayer slowly and with
real intent. You could feel the spirit
so strongly. It was obviously a very
sacred experience for them.
3rd by recommitting ourselves
to our covenants and being willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.
We are taught what those
covenants are in Mosiah18: 8 And it came to pass
that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were
they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of
God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s
burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those
that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things,
and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be
redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have
eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you,
if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of
the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him
and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly
upon you?
So we covenant to bear one
another’s burdens, mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that need
comforting, stand as a witness of God-always, serve God and keep his
commandments.
We also promise to take upon
us the name of Jesus Christ. What does that mean? That’s a whole talk in itself, but when we
take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, Simply stated, we put the Lord first in
our lives, we strive to think and act as He would. Elder Hamula said, “That is a solemn
commitment to submit ourselves to His authority and to do His work, which
includes receiving for ourselves every saving ordinance and covenant.”
We also covenant to “always
remember Him.”
Sister Esplin of the Primary
General Presidency said, “we witness
to God that we will remember His Son always, not just during the brief
sacrament ordinance. This means that we will constantly look to the Savior’s
example and teachings to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our acts.”
Sometimes this is difficult
as we go about the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. As we strive to get kids off to school and
other activities they’re involved in, as we strive to earn the income we need
to keep our families fed and clothed, as we strive to keep up with our own
interests and responsibilities we have been given. As we strive to keep up with
everyone else around us—whether we should be or not. As we strive to find peace and happiness in a
crazy world. But I know it can be done.
Little by little, step by step.
Moment by moment. Here a little
and there a little. Sometimes we have to
stop and refocus and remember what is really important in life and what we are
ultimately striving for.
In our class presidency
meeting this past week, Sister Olivia Christiansen taught the presidency about
extending a personal touch to all the girls around them. She encouraged them to watch and be aware of
the girls in our class and reach out in any little way to show them that they
love them and that they are aware of them.
As I have thought about that suggestion, I realize that in doing that,
they are following the example the Savior set for us. They will be remembering Him in their every
day lives as they strive to add their personal touch to the lives of others.
We also covenant to keep his
commandments. As we partake of the
sacrament, this is a great time to reflect on your past week. It is a time to not only reflect on our mistakes
and recommit to do better, but also a time to reflect on the good things that
we’ve accomplished as well and give thanks to God for His blessings and
direction in our lives. The atonement
gives us that enabling power to do what is right. To help us go beyond our abilities and
accomplish more than we thought we could.
Sister Esplin said: If our thoughts, words, or actions have
been less than what they should have been in days past, we recommit ourselves
to more closely align our lives with His in days to come.
As we strive to have a more
spiritual experience as we partake of the sacrament each week we should never
forget the beautiful blessings that come with this ordinance: In 3 Nephi 18:7 …. And it shall be a testimony
unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me
ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.
We hear that same blessing in
the sacrament prayers. We will always
have HIS SPIRIT to be with us! What
greater blessing can we ask for.
EVERY SUNDAY We have the
opportunity to participate in an ordinance that the Savior himself instituted
before he was crucified. As Elder Hamula
said, we need to wholeheartedly accept Jesus Christ and be willing
to Follow Him and Keep His commandments.
We need to always remember
HIM, Who loved us and taught us and
showed us the way.
Who set the perfect example
of how to live.
Who served others
unselfishly.
Who gave his life for us that
we might live again with our Heavenly Father.
Who atoned for our sins.
Who took upon Him all of our
sorrows and pains so that our burdens would be bearable.
Who gives us Mercy and Grace!
I am so grateful for the
sacrament and my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ.
I pray that we will all
strive to have a more spiritual experience as we partake of the sacrament in
remembrance of our Savior and his atoning sacrifice for us.
