“That They May Do It in Remembrance”

One of the blessings of the sacrament is that it provides us with a regular opportunity to practice directing our thoughts. Near the beginning of every sacrament meeting in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is a 5-10 minute segment in which we sing a hymn, after which bread and water are blessed and distributed to the congregation, while participants sit quietly. The sacrament prayers teach us what we should think about during this quiet time:

…that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them…

Moroni 4:3

…that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him…

Moroni 5:2

As we participate in the ordinance, we think about the body and blood of Jesus, and we recommit to fulfilling the basic duties of discipleship.

It is a time of personal worship in a group setting. I love the following perspective from Ann Madsen:

I find there is not nearly enough time during the sacrament song and prayers and the passing of the bread and water to speak all I need to speak or to listen long enough to hear what I need to hear.

“Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee,” Brigham Young University Women’s Conference, 1997

Even though the ordinance is so short, I find it easy for my mind to wander, which is why I appreciate the opportunity every week to practice the discipline of focusing my mind on what matters most.

Elder Patrick Kearon recently provided some guidance about what to think about during the sacrament:

We may have been conditioned to suppose that the purpose of the sacrament is to sit in the pew thinking only about all the ways we messed up during the week before. But let’s turn that practice on its head. In the stillness, we can ponder the many ways we have seen the Lord relentlessly pursue us with His wonderful love that week! We can reflect on what it means to “discover the joy of daily repentance.” We can give thanks for the times the Saviour entered into our struggles and our triumphs and the occasions when we felt His grace, forgiveness, and power giving us strength to overcome our hardships and bear our burdens with patience and even good cheer.

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

This Sunday, as I participate in the sacrament, I will take full advantage of the time alloted for that purpose. I will use that sacred time to turn my thoughts to God, to recognize and be grateful for His hand in my life, and to particularly remember the blessings I have received because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.