6.30.19
Good morning brothers and sisters I'm grateful for the opportunity I have today to speak to you. I'm grateful towards the bishopric for trusting me enough to be up here at the pulpit. You really shouldn't have.. but it's too late now!
This sacrament meeting the topic that was given to us is the holy sacrament. I'd like to start with an experience I had A few months ago when I was asked to participate in blessing the sacrament. The priests at the sacrament table and the bishopric get the special privilege every week to face towards the congregation and I had the opportunity to do that this particular week. Before sacrament meeting began I was looking out on the crowd watching the usual chatter that happens before the meeting begins, i see a young child desperately trying to crawl into the aisle to escape the grasp of his father. I see my companion dozing off a little bit.... but then I noticed the bishops wife, her name is sister morris... she is sitting on her bench, with her arms folded.., her eyes closed..., and shes swaying to the prelude music, while mouthing the words. I notice sister morris is literally being brought to tears by the spirit that she is feeling. it was astounding. Then I noticed something even more astounding, I looked at a gentleman sitting one row behind her, unaware of this very spiritual experience sister morris is having. because why? Can you guess? He was on his phone. The spirit testified to me in that moment that sacrament meeting is what you make of it. Now don't get me wrong this man wasn't doing anything particularly awful but was he looking at this meeting as a time for him to renew his covenants or was he seeing church as a quota to be filled... Motions to be ran through.. sometimes we just come to church and we eat a tiny piece of bread that usually doesn't taste that good, and we drink like a tablespoon of tap water all while sitting on a bench that might be a little bit less comfortable than our taste. But personally I'd rather come to church to partake of Jesus Christ's holy sacrament. Id rather partake of the body of Jesus Christ and drink his blood that was shed for us. But the benches are still a little bit uncomfortable. The point still stands that It really does matter that we give thought to what we are doing each week.
As the sacrament was being passed I added up about how many times I've heard the sacrament prayers and i think its somewhere around a thousand times. It wasn't as big as I thought but I often think of what I'm thinking as I'm hearing those prayers. I will admit that sometimes it's just background noise to me but it shouldn't be! It's a sacred covenant! Have you ever realized that the sacrament is the only saving ordinance that we continually do for ourselves? That's kind of a big deal and it should probably be treated as such right?
I know what you're thinking. "Ok so what? It matters how we think about the sacrament I will try to think about it better next time or something I guess" Can I ask. have you heard the saying.. words speak louder than thoughts? Well you shouldn't have because I just made it up but there's another saying that you do know... its actions speak louder than words right so therefore words speak louder than.. thoughts and actions speak louder than words. Ok so then what can we DO! to make this hour more holy. Elder Holland has said that sacrament meeting should be the most important hour of our week.... Can we be honest?... Sometimes we really don't treat this hour like its the most important hour of our week... I know I sometimes don't... I think we can all do better in respecting this sacred hour that we are given.. You all heard the quote from Elder Holland about selling the ox or filling the mire right? Well maybe some of us could do that! It can be really hard to get here on time some weeks and that's ok, really it is but when it happens every single week, can we really say that we are treating this hour like we should be? This meeting demands respect.
My perspective changed a little bit when someone pointed out to me that the sacrament table over there when it's all set up kind of looks like a body under that cloth. Doesn't it?... When I noticed that, I got a little bit more reverent in the chapel... I thought maybe I should be on time or even a couple minutes earlier than usual. Elder Muers in the October 2016 conference said "Our sacrament experience can be enhanced when we arrive well before the meeting and ponder as the prelude music is played." I think we could all use a little bit of enhancing right? He goes on to quote President Nelson in saying "This is not a time for conversation or transmission of messages but a period of prayerful meditation as leaders and members prepare spiritually for the sacrament.”
Can we all commit to being here 5 minutes early and speak through our actions? Say to your heavenly father that this hour is the most important hour of your week by being here 5 minutes early. Can we do that this next week? We are in the chapel so I wont make you say anything but quickly turn to your neighbor and have a little conversation with your eyes and tell them that you will be 5 minutes early next week. You will be sitting quietly trying to prepare spiritually for the most important hour of your week. Let's try to create a culture of quiet reverence before the meeting begins in this ward. I testify that as you do this and take that extra time to be here you will see a difference in your Sunday worship. I know that it can happen because I've seen it happen in my own experience! I know that my savior died so that we could all have the opportunity to renew our covenants and be cleansed each week through him. He is the only way by which men are saved and how grateful I am for that great and last sacrifice and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen
