Sacrament. Wed, April 22.

Before Mark asked me to marry him, he took a trip with one of his old mission companions to a place near Yellowstone. When they went to church there, it just so happened that Jeffry R. Holland was there. Mark said that during the sacrament he watched Elder Holland and noticed that he was nearly in tears through the whole ordinance. Mark was impressed that Elder Holland seemed to make the sacrament, a weekly ordinance, such a personal and meaningful thing. When Mark told me this story, I realized that I had not been immersing myself in the doctrine and importance of the sacrament. While living in Minnesota, nearly every Sunday we had people investigating the church or new members, so the Bishopric would explain how and why we do some things, including the sacrament, every week. I really enjoyed this, because every week, they would get up to the pulpit and say something like: "It is now time for the most important part of our meetings. We will partake of the sacrament to remember our Saviour." It was a wonderful introduction and reminder every week.

Up until this point in our family life, we may or may not be able to focus on the sacrament due to dirty diapers, antsy kids, nursings, and just trying to keep them quiet for others to focus on the sacrament. But there was one thing that always brought me to the thought of the Savior and His sacrafice, even for just a moment. when the Priests who bless the sacrament uncover and cover the bread and water the imagery of the Savior in the tomb, His body being covered with a cloth, enters in to my mind and brings reverence to my soul. Now, when I use that imagery, my mind can move to deeper thoughts about the sacrament, my covenants and promises from Heavenly Father.

Not only are we to go to church on the Sabbath day, but we are take the sacrament and do so with focused reverence. It is sometimes hard to do. This happens weekly, so it is easy to take it for granted, it is easy to assume you can just do it next week, it is easy to put the emblems in your mouth without taking a thought as to what it means. The Lord wants us to take the whole Sabbath day are remember Him by doing various activities for our spiritual growth and the aid of others. But He also asks us to take ten minutes, to really focus on our relationship with Him. To do a quick personal inventory. Is it possible to do in ten minutes. Yup. Can you take the actions necessary to make changes in your life in ten minutes? Probably not, you are sitting on a bench in church, there's not a whole lot of action you can take. But you can prepare yourself to feel the Spirit and receive direction for when you can take action. You have ten glorious minutes of possible life and habit changing revelation. It is easy to commit to something that may occur to you to change in that ten minutes when you feel the spirit during communion with Heavenly Father in the name of the Savior. It is another thing entirely to actually remember that change and commitment after that ten minutes is over and while you listen to the speakers of the meeting. Luckily for us, one of the missions of the Holy Spirit is to bring all things to our remembrance. We can ask for help during that ten minutes to help us remember and have courage to act. Actually, quite a bit can be done within the spirit and mind in ten minutes, which is where the majority of the battle for change is fought anyway.

What a blessing to have ten minutes every week to do this. To remember the Savior. To refocus our priorities. To determine to make changes. To realized how blessed and taken care of we really are. Thanks be to Heaven!

Just a quick reference to some of the scriptures for the reading today: Going to church and partaking of the sacrament is really a proof to Heavenly Father that you are taking the time to remember Him and the Savior.

3 Nephi: And this shall ye do in aremembrance of my bbody,
which I have shown unto you. 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.

Mark 2: The asabbath was made for man, and not man for the bsabbath

This last one actually has been translated differently by Joseph Smith, but I think this statement has great meaning. The Sabbath day was created for man, meaning Heavenly Father created it first and with a purpose. The Sabbath is not something that man created for whatever reason, to follow rules, to rest, to just do something different, to play, or even get together with family. The point is, Heavenly Father makes the rules, not the humans. If we can remember that, then the Sabbath will bring us joy, and our joy will be full, just like the DC 59 says.