This week’s Come Follow Me lesson suggests that we ponder “why Jesus gave us the ordinance of the sacrament—and whether the sacrament is accomplishing His purposes in your life.” What purposes could the sacrament accomplish in my life, and what can I do to take full advantage of it?
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the sacrament refers to the formal blessing and consuming of broken bread and small cups of water during worship services each Sunday. The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus Christ instituted this ordinance when He visited the Americas following His death and resurrection. After breaking bread, blessing it, and distributing it to the gathered multitude, He said:
This shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done. … 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.
3 Nephi 18:6-7
After blessing and sharing a cup of wine, He added:
This shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name…that ye may witness 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.
3 Nephi 18:11
As I’ve pondered some of the purposes of the sacrament today, I’ve thought about three pairs of blessings it can provide:
1. Contemplation and Community
During the sacrament, we sit quietly and ponder. For many of us it’s one of the few quiet moments of the week, and it is an opportunity to practice focusing our minds on things that matter most and avoiding distractions for a brief period of time.
However, we usually do not participate in the sacrament alone. The fact that we are with other people also adds meaning to this activity. As Elder Jeffery R. Holland has encouraged us to be “mindful of the other broken hearts and sorrowing spirits that surround us.” He suggested that we “offer our little crust of comfort and our tiny cup of compassion…to them” (“Behold the Lamb of God,” General Conference, April 2019).
2. Correction and Affirmation
The sacrament gives us an excellent opportunity to review our actions during the prior week and identify shortcomings and mistakes to repent of and leave behind with the Lord’s help.
But President Henry B. Eyring has pointed out that the sacrament is also a good time to consider what we’re doing right and need to keep doing:
As you examine your life during the ordinance of the sacrament, I hope your thoughts center not only on things you have done wrong but also on things you have done right—moments when you have felt that Heavenly Father and the Savior were pleased with you. You may even take a moment during the sacrament to ask God to help you see these things. If you do, I promise you will feel something. You will feel hope.
“Always Remember Him,” Liahona, February 2018
3. Sorrow and Joy
As we take the sacrament, we remember the terrible price Jesus paid to redeem us. Contemplating His pain naturally induces feelings of empathy and sorrow.
But as Elder Patrick Kearon pointed out this week, those same events can fill our hearts with joy and gratitude:
Yes, we ponder the sufferings and injustices inflicted upon our Redeemer for our sin, and that does cause sober reflection. But we sometimes get stuck there—in the garden, at the cross, inside the tomb. We fail to move upward to the joy of the tomb bursting open, the defeat of death, and Christ’s victory over all that might prevent us from gaining peace and returning to our heavenly home. Whether we shed tears of sorrow or tears of gratitude during the sacrament, let it be in awesome wonder at the good news of the Father’s gift of His Son!
“Welcome to the Church of Joy,” General Conference, October 2024
Today I will prepare my mind and my heart for the many blessings the sacrament can bring this Sunday. I’ll look forward to introspection and empathy, to repentance and encouragement, and to the agony of Christ’s suffering coupled with the good news of His victory.
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