This Do in Remembrance of Me

Hello friends,
Welcome to the start of a new year! I am actually excited for this year and for the possibilities that are waiting to be discovered. We left off last year with me. I thought I would post this wonderful talk from Elder Holland about the sacrament. I used this talk in December for a RS lesson on the sacrament. I have to admit that with two small kids and some feelings over being overwhelmed, I often forgot to focus on the beauty and meaning of the sacrament. Thanks to Liz and our new church bags I have come around and found a few minutes to find a spiritual nugget or two during sacrament meeting.

Here's the link:
http://lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/-this-do-in-remembrance-of-me-?lang=eng

I loved this talk because I felt like it gave me a renewed purpose during the sacrament. I, of course, love my Savior but I need help renewing that love and helping it grow and develop. I have often distorted my own levels of worthiness and allowed the Adversary to keep me locked up in guilt prison and because of that, I shy away from the Savior. The sacrament has been difficult at times. But I have been learning about the gift of repentance (see my post on repentance...) and feeling the mercy that the Savior has for me. I have become much more tender in a mature way of His great love for us. That, first and foremost, is why I take the sacrament. I take it in remembrance of Him.

Elder Holland says it best, "With a crust of bread, always broken, blessed, and offered first, we remember his bruised body and broken heart, his physical suffering on the cross where he cried, “I thirst,” and finally, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (John 19:28; Matt. 27:46.)

The Savior’s physical suffering guarantees that through his mercy and grace (see 2 Ne. 2:8) every member of the human family shall be freed from the bonds of death and be resurrected triumphantly from the grave. Of course the time of that resurrection and the degree of exaltation it leads to are based upon our faithfulness.

With a small cup of water we remember the shedding of Christ’s blood and the depth of his spiritual suffering, anguish which began in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matt. 26:38). He was in agony and “prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the “original guilt” of Adam’s transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Ne. 9:21–23). As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20). What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!"

I love the last part of his talk! I almost want to copy & paste it in case someone can't read the original talk. A few excerpts from it: "We could remember his magnificent but virtually unknown foster father, a humble carpenter by trade who taught us, among other things, that quiet, plain, unpretentious people have moved this majestic work forward from the very beginning, and still do so today. If you are serving almost anonymously, please know that so, too, did one of the best men who has ever lived on this earth.

We could remember Christ’s miracles and his teachings, his healings and his help. We could remember that he gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and motion to the lame and the maimed and the withered. Then, on those days when we feel our progress has halted or our joys and views have grown dim, we can press forward steadfastly in Christ, with unshaken faith in him and a perfect brightness of hope (see 2 Ne. 31:19–20)."

I loved the above paragraph. Not only can I think of the stories of all of Christ's teachings and miracles but I can also look into my own life and see His hand constantly in my own life. Physically, I have my vision, hearing and strength. But there have been so many times I was blind, deaf or just felt maimed and withered. Each time I know that Heavenly Father has heard my silent prayers and helped me. My Savior has healed me repeatedly because He truly is the Master Physician. 

I am so thankful for this talk. I needed the opportunity to reconnect with the sacrament. I know sometimes it's hard for one reason or another to focus during the sacrament. But I encourage each of us to find a few moments to connect with the Savior during this beautiful ordinance. 

Hugs!