We have been counseled by our leaders and the Savior to partake of the sacrament on the Sabbath. (D&C 59:9) More specifically, we have been counseled to partake of the sacrament weekly.
“By participating weekly and appropriately in the ordinance of the sacrament we qualify for the promise that we will “always have his Spirit to be with us.” Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Every week? But that’s just Elder Holland – right? Well, Elder L. Tom Perry, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, said essentially the same thing. I’m sure there are more, and multiple occasions to back up the idea. But nobody said it with more clarity than Elder Oaks in one of many talks he has given about the sacrament.
“Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are commanded to partake of the sacrament each week.” (link)
Commanded? That’s a serious word. Especially to people like me who did not attend sacrament meeting today.
I am sick with a nasty cold, and was urged not to “share my cooties” with unsuspecting ward members. My EC is recovering from a surgery this past Tuesday. So, this morning, my two sons got up, and went off to church by themselves, and I went back to bed. (Yes, I am proud of them.)
But before I went back to bed, I sent a simple text to my bishop. Here is the text and his reply:
That’s all there was to it. Why did I text the bishop? Because the bishop is the man who holds the keys to the Aaronic Priesthood where I live. He has the authority to authorize that an Aaronic Priesthood ordinance can take place in his ward boundaries*. I hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, and am non-standing bishop, but I have zero authority to sign off on the ordinance being performed in our ward. Neither does my son, who is a priest.
But, in this case, since the bishop authorized it, we were able to have a brief sacrament service in our home. When my boys got home, we prepared the bread and water.
My priest broke the bread and blessed it, and my deacon passed it to us. (I drank second so germaphobes can relax.) It took a few minutes, but it was important for our souls. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for our Aaronic Priesthood holders to magnify their callings in serving others with the ordinances of salvation. It was good.
Occasionally I will see a comment by someone who has been ill, or homebound, or a new mother say something like, “I haven’t been able to partake of the sacrament for 4 weeks! (months, years)”
If this is you, or someone in your home, you are doing it wrong.
Call your home teachers and ask them to help you make it happen. If you have lousy home teachers, call your bishop and tell him your desires and ask him what you should do. Most likely he will help. It is up to his discretion, and will respond how he thinks he ought to.
You may not have Aaronic Priesthood holders in your home, but you probably have them in your YM program, who need opportunities to serve.
If you haven’t been able to partake of the sacrament for a long time, and you don’t think it is important, please go back and read the talks I linked to above. Because if you don’t see the essential need for participating in this ordinance weekly, you don’t understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
It is well worth the tiny effort it requires, and is a blessing for all involved.
It is an act of obedience.
* The sacrament should only be performed when the bishop (or branch president) who has stewardship of that specific area has given his approval. (Like my text from my bishop.)
HOWEVER, if I had been sick and missed church on vacation in Aztec, New Mexico, I would need to get the authorization of the bishop in Aztec, New Mexico – not MY bishop. My bishop has no keys for ordinances outside of his ward boundaries – he does not have the authority to tell me it is OK to approve the sacrament when I’m on a hunting trip out of my ward boundaries.
When it comes to Family reunions, campouts and activities, it is a non-issue – because the Church Handbook of Instructions says this:
“Sacrament services should not be held in conjunction with family reunions or other outings.” (link)
I have seen and experienced some great things regarding sacrament meetings and vacations, but I will save it for another time. (I wasn’t even planning on posting today, but since I had something good to report…)
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What a great reminder. I missed the sacrament for 3 weeks (General Conference, home with sick kids, Stake Conference), and it was especially sweet this past week when I was back again.
Check the Handbooks about Sacrament for Military Members. i am pretty sure you will find that there are provisions to enable our service members to partake no matter where they are, so long as they are worthy, a qualified Priesthood bearer is available, and bread and water are available. I recall having heard of C-Ration crackers being used in lieu of leavened bread.
I attended a Women’s Conference talk that spoke on the importance of the Sacrament. The speaker stressed that it is the only altar outside of the temple and commented on how this is a pretty good indication of the importance of the Sacrament.
Anyway, thank you for this. It made me think of a good friend who was unable to attend church during her pregnancy and her baby spent 6 weeks in the NICU and is how home, but she won’t be able to attend church for some time. She has mentioned how hard it is to not go, but I have never asked if she is having the Sacrament has brought in. Now I have.
I appreciate you sharing this. I have been a member my whole life and did not know this could be done. It is probably my fault for not listening better…or the fact that I was less active a good portion of my adult life.
Thanks for the info and your testimony. Always.
Use mmm’s link in above post. I checked and the church is in Liberia. If it’s a good sized base check with one of the chaplains to see if there are LDS services on base. My etc spent 21 years in USAF including a tour in Korea and two in Viet Nam and always found the church.
How does that work in the military field? My son-in-law is being sent to Liberia for a few weeks, so there may not be an organized Branch.
I don’t know – Maybe some readers here have an idea?
There is a procedure for a serviceman who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood to be set apart as a Group Leader before he departs from his home stake on short term deployments authorizing him to conduct meetings including the sacrament with small groups of members in isolated circumstances.
See: https://www.lds.org/callings/military-relations/organization-leader-responsibilites?lang=eng#10
I bet there’s at least a branch there. While on deployment to Afghanistan last year my brother met with other members in the unit for church.
My kids have been faithfully praying for our military since my brother’s deployment. The service members being sent to Africa have been added in too. Hope your son in law is safe and protected while there…
I really enjoyed this comment. Its powerful. Thank you.
During the final months of his life my father was rarely able to attend sacrament meeting. The first time it became clear that Dad wouldn’t make it to church, I called his bishop and asked if my sons that held the Aaronic Priesthood could administer the ordinance for Dad. Dad’s bishop gladly gave permission for this to happen as often as the need arose. My boys went to their grandfather’s house many Sundays to administer that ordinance. Following his stroke, Dad’s clarity of thought ebbed and flowed. Sometimes he was quite coherent while other times he seemed confused about ordinary matters, but he would always reverently partake of the sacrament and thank the boys for coming.
Thank you for posting.
This is a great post. I had the opportunity to have the sacrament brought to me when I have been ill. The YM came and my own YM joined them. It was so awesome to see those young boys do that. It put a different spin on it for me than when I see it in Sacrament meeting. It was one of those WOW moments. They had the power of God, and it was so real. I could completely see how Joseph Smith could be and do all that he claimed.
MMM: “HOWEVER, if I had been sick and missed church on vacation in Aztec, New Mexico, I would need to get the authorization of the bishop in Aztec, New Mexico – not MY bishop. My bishop has no keys for ordinances outside of his ward boundaries – he does not have the authority to tell me it is OK to approve the sacrament when I’m on a hunting trip out of my ward boundaries.”
And you would need to quickly decide which of three wards in Aztec, New Mexico your motel was actually situated in. Or you could come over the hill to Bloomfield, and figure out which of those three wards your motel was in. There are many Saints, Branches, Wards, and Stakes in the Four Corners Area.
Or, go to this website and make a couple phone calls. http://www.mormon.org/meetinghouse
I hope you guys feel better soon. This makes me happy for y’all and others who get the Sacrament when they are unable to make it to church, but sad for me because the Bishop knows of my condition and how I am not able to make it church most Sundays. I’ve been twice now since moving back to FL almost 2 years ago. We don’t get home teachers because I just recently learned that if you have Priesthood holders in your household, you don’t get a home teacher. My testimony is still strong, but do I have to beg to have the Sacrament? This was the same situation in Ohio where we lived for 5 years. We did have home teachers and asked often about having the Sacrament, but never got any answers. If this sounds depressing, I apologize, my life is kind of depressing right now. Thanks for the post.
Myndie: I sense some misunderstanding regarding the home teachers – please talk to your bishop and as him that same question.
I was told this by my father in-law. We live with my in-laws and they don’t have home teachers either. My FIL is the HP group leader, so I don’t think he misunderstood this. However, he can’t hear very well, so perhaps there’s that.
One of my brothers first started getting to know his EC when he got the assignment to take the Sacrament to her every week one summer while she was recovering from multiple surgeries.
Loved the clarification of authority, which I hadn’t even thought of. I hope both you and your wife feel better soon. And what a blessing to have two worthy priesthood holders in your home. =) (Well…three including you, of course).
I have had immense testimony building experiences with the ordinance of the sacrament in the last year and I treasure the opportunity to be able to partake of the sacrament more than ever before. Glad you were able to partake.
AuntSue
My father has a bad heart and for the last year has rarely had the energy to attend Sacrament meeting. When the Young Men come to bring the Sacrament, it means so much to him. His eyes overflow with the Spirit. They are the sons of men he knows, admires and loves. They have brought him the tokens of the Atonement. This is a service of Love.
Hmm since I’m home sick with a cold, you’ve given me something to ponder