Sacrament Meeting Talk
Michelle Cox
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Today, like each regular
Sunday, we are gathered for a memorial service. But, the body of the deceased is not here. “He is not here, for he is risen”
(Matt. 28:6). The Savior of
the world, Jesus Christ, triumphed over death; his resurrection being joyfully
announced by angelic messengers of God.
His body had been wrapped in clean linen and lovingly, sorrowfully
placed in a sepulcher, but when his devoted disciples went to the tomb at the
end of the Sabbath to complete the burial preparations, they found the cloth
folded neatly and set to one side.
The Savior's body was not there because he had been resurrected. Without his body to cover at our memorial service, we have been
instructed to cover emblems, or symbols, of Jesus’ death; bread and water. 
During the Last Supper, Jesus
blessed bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples. The Joseph Smith translation of Matthew 26:26 records the
Lord saying, “Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I gave a
ransom for you.”
Only a few hours later, that
body would bow down in agony under the crushing pain of the atonement for the
sins, sorrows, and troubles of all mankind. As Jesus described, “Which suffering caused myself, even
God, the greatest of all, to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and
spirit – and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink –
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my
preparations unto the children of men” (D&C 19:18).
The escape route from sin
being accomplished (which is our own repentance and perfect, Christ-like
submission to the will of the Father), Jesus Christ then allowed himself to be
arrested, unjustly tried and convicted, his body beaten and whipped, then
nailed to a cross and crucified.
The prophet Isaiah wrote,
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows … he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
At our memorial service
today, young priests reverently broke bread, just as Jesus demonstrated 2000
years ago, and deacons passed it to us.
The broken bread reminds us of the torn body of the Savior; the stripes
from the whip, the piercings of his hands and feet by nails, and his side by a
sword.
The water, Jesus taught, we
drink in “remembrance of my blood of the new testament, which is shed for as
many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of sins” (JST-Matt
26:24-25).
When Christ prayed the great
Intercessory Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, he pleaded to Heavenly Father,
“Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my
will, but thine, be done. And
there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And
being in an agony he prayed more
earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling
down to
the ground” (Luke 22:42-44). It struck me that in the Savior's final
lessons to prepare to completely fill his role as Savior, he had to
experience what it is like to suffer alone, and then to suffer with the
strengthening power of God. He would then know exactly what we
experience when he comes to our aid; how much we need his help and how
it makes us better able to bear our burdens.
The young men in our ward who
have been ordained to the office of teacher, pour water into cups that will
then be blessed by priests, and sanctified “to the souls of all those who drink
of it” (D&C 20:79).
Thus, the sacrament, a holy
and solemn act of remembering the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our personal
benefit and progress, moves us to “witness unto … God, the Eternal Father, that
[we] do always remember him,” even outside of church, even on a Tuesday
morning or a Saturday night.
With the same solemnity and
honesty that Jesus made the atonement for us, we are to solemnly and honestly
partake of the sacrament and renew our baptismal covenant to keep God’s
commandments. With this being the
intent of our heart, we will find the act of taking the sacrament a renewing,
humbling and joy-producing experience.
Throughout the week, we will
find ourselves evaluating our thoughts and actions, asking ourselves if they
will help us or hinder us in being honestly prepared and worthy to partake of
the sacrament, and repenting when necessary during the week in preparation for
the sacrament.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
said, “One of the invitations inherent in the sacramental ordinance is that it
be a truly spiritual experience, a holy communion, a renewal for the soul.”
Elder Melvin J. Ballard
testified, “I am a witness that there is a spirit attending the administration
of the sacrament that warms the soul from head to foot; you feel the wounds of
the spirit being healed, and the load being lifted. Comfort and happiness come
to the soul that is worthy and truly desirous of partaking of this spiritual
food.”
As Cheryl A. Esplin taught
last General Conference, “Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only
because the bread and water remind us of the Savior’s sacrifice of His flesh
and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our
“bread of life” (John 6:48) and “living water” (John 4:10).
His is a kind of loyalty that
never faileth. “Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your
loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the
evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand” (D&C 27:15).
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