Light poured into the room. There were candles in the window seals and I wondered what the chapel looked like at night. A nudge at my arm pulled me away from my contemplation. "Should I go up there too?" my friend asked. The pastor was preparing the eucharist (bread and grape juice). Members of the congregation were lining up to share in communion.
Let me tell you how we ended up there to begin with. A few weeks earlier, I learned my friend was not a regular church-goer. "I consider myself Christian," he explained, "but my family doesn't really go to Church." I invited my friend to come to church with me, but he wasn't interested in being converting to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so I offered to go with him to any religious service he wanted to as long as it didn't interfere with my church time. We spent the next few weeks attending Baptist, Presbyterian, and non-denominational Christian services.
On that particular Sunday, my friend ended up taking the bread and grape juice while I stayed back in the pew. Though I didn't take communion that day, it caused me to reflect on my own religion's services.
After leaving the Presbyterian chapel, my friend asked why communion is a regular part of Christian services. I explained that Jesus Christ served bread and wine to His disciples in an event known as the Last Supper. Later, Christ commanded his disciples to continue the practice after He died to remember Him. I told my friend every denomination does it differently, some only perform the service once a month, some religions center their entire church service around the practice. Worship services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold the practice at the center, water is used instead of wine, and the bread is the kind you would find at the grocery store.
"For me, it's a battery re-charge," I explained. "It gives me an opportunity to recommit myself to Jesus Christ." At that moment something hit me hard. I realized the sacrament is a very sacred time for me. It is an opportunity for me to renew my allegiance to a belief system and way of life I hold dear.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the sacramental prayers are some of the only said verbatim. The prayers, revealed by God, issue a promise–a covenant. As we promise to remember our Savior and follow His commandments, He promises we will have His Spirit with us. Our baptismal covenant is renewed and we are cleansed.
Elder David A. Bednar recently said, "The ordinance of the sacrament is a holy and repeated invitation to repent sincerely and to be renewed spiritually. The act of partaking of the sacrament, in and of itself, does not remit sins. But as we prepare conscientiously and participate in this holy ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then the promise is that we may always have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us. And by the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can always retain a remission of our sins ("Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins" by Elder David A. Bednar).
This blog post is one in a three-part series on the sacrament. Part two and three will be coming next week.
How do you feel about the sacrament? Please comment below.
Let me tell you how we ended up there to begin with. A few weeks earlier, I learned my friend was not a regular church-goer. "I consider myself Christian," he explained, "but my family doesn't really go to Church." I invited my friend to come to church with me, but he wasn't interested in being converting to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so I offered to go with him to any religious service he wanted to as long as it didn't interfere with my church time. We spent the next few weeks attending Baptist, Presbyterian, and non-denominational Christian services.
On that particular Sunday, my friend ended up taking the bread and grape juice while I stayed back in the pew. Though I didn't take communion that day, it caused me to reflect on my own religion's services.
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| Picture from rccgtrueworshippersassembly.com |
"For me, it's a battery re-charge," I explained. "It gives me an opportunity to recommit myself to Jesus Christ." At that moment something hit me hard. I realized the sacrament is a very sacred time for me. It is an opportunity for me to renew my allegiance to a belief system and way of life I hold dear.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the sacramental prayers are some of the only said verbatim. The prayers, revealed by God, issue a promise–a covenant. As we promise to remember our Savior and follow His commandments, He promises we will have His Spirit with us. Our baptismal covenant is renewed and we are cleansed.
 |
| Picture from LDS.org |
Elder David A. Bednar recently said, "The ordinance of the sacrament is a holy and repeated invitation to repent sincerely and to be renewed spiritually. The act of partaking of the sacrament, in and of itself, does not remit sins. But as we prepare conscientiously and participate in this holy ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then the promise is that we may always have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us. And by the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can always retain a remission of our sins ("Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins" by Elder David A. Bednar).
| One of my favorite sacrament hymns. Check out the lyrics. |
This blog post is one in a three-part series on the sacrament. Part two and three will be coming next week.
How do you feel about the sacrament? Please comment below.
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