Giving Thanks: The Sacrament
As Thanksgiving approaches, I encourage everyone to think of a different kind of feast they should look forward to: the Sacrament.
I am that bread of life
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and that bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
(John 6: 48, 51)
The Savior taught us about the Sacrament the same way He taught all His other lessons, by example and powerful imagery.
53. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54. “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55. “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
56. “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57. “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” (John Chapter 6)
This holiday season, things are bound to get stressful, busy, and possibly overwhelming.
There’s family gatherings, traveling, college final exams, Christmas shopping, and working extra hours at the office so you can afford to do all of the above. With all the craziness, it’s extremely easy to hit that snooze button and sleep through that first hour of 9 am church Sunday morning.
I’m a serious night owl. I could be a walking zombie all day but as soon as the sun goes down it’s like I’ve been given new life and I don’t want to waste all the “time” I suddenly have to party, watch movies, do laundry, and bake a few cookies.
I’ll definitely be the first to admit that it’s a SERIOUS struggle for me to get up early in the mornings, especially in the winter when all you want to do is grab another blanket, turn up the heater, and snuggle in through the morning.
It was after listening to Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk this past conference that I started to realize the priority taking the sacrament should have in my life.
“To eat His flesh and drink His blood is a striking way of expressing how completely we must bring the Savior into our life—into our very being—that we may be one. How does this happen?
First, we understand that in sacrificing His flesh and blood, Jesus atoned for our sins and overcame death, both physical and spiritual. Clearly, then, we partake of His flesh and drink His blood when we receive from Him the power and blessings of His Atonement.”
The way he interpreted the scriptures to meaning how eating the sacrament is literally us trying to insert the Savior into our very being was powerful for me. The Savior gave us so many tools to become more like Him and better our chances of coming back home to Him and our Heavenly Father.
While I am still struggling with being disciplined in my church and Sacrament meeting attendance, I’d like to add that I personally am grateful for the Sacrament and the immense blessings it gives us. We should all strive to make it a priority in our lives just like we strive to be like Jesus in our everyday actions.
Here’s Hallie’s story on why she’s grateful for the Sacrament. I’d like to strongly encourage you to comment below and share with us your feelings about why the Sacrament is something to be grateful for. You never know, you may inspire someone else to gain a testimony of the Sacrament for themselves!
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