On a beautiful Saturday morning not long ago, as I headed home from the Bountiful Utah Temple, I passed several bicyclists riding with great effort in the opposite direction. As I watched them struggle to climb what appeared to me to be an impossible incline, the first thought that came to my mind was, “They must be crazy.” I’m pretty sure the prophet Isaiah had the Bountiful temple in mind when he said, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains” (Isaiah 2:2), because it really is about as far up the mountain as it could possibly be. And here were some crazy bikers trying to get to the top of that mountain—the one my car struggled to climb—on bicycles. What were they thinking?
And then it hit me. Maybe they were thinking that their hard work was making them stronger. Maybe they were thinking that reaching the top was going to be an awesome experience because of the price they paid to get there. Maybe they were thinking that I would never appreciate that view like they would because I didn’t go to the same trouble to get there (which, incidentally, was true, because I hadn’t even bothered to look at the view until after they got me thinking). Maybe they were thinking that all their preparations to get to that point were so worth it. Maybe they weren’t so crazy after all.
Considering the experience I imagined for those bikers at the top of that mountain, I started thinking about the experience I hope my family and I will have during sacrament meeting each week. Do we prepare for and anticipate our weekly experience with the Lord with the same diligence and effort? We have had so much counsel lately about the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. From the inspired direction of President Russell M. Nelson during the April 2015 general conference to the special training we’ve hopefully all received in our wards and branches, we have had much to consider about our Sabbath-day observance and what we are doing to make it more meaningful each week.
Daily Preparation
I can’t be sure, but I would guess that those bikers didn’t just hop on their bikes that morning and decide to take on the mountain. Why? Because I know if I tried to do it, I would fail miserably about 50 yards into the incline. More likely, they put effort every day into their physical training so they could have a successful ride. Likewise, we can’t just show up to sacrament meeting once a week, unprepared, and hope to have a spiritual experience. We have to prepare for it every day.
The Zoramites in the Book of Mormon attended church every week. But somewhere along the way they lost sight of the very center of the gospel—Jesus Christ—and “had fallen into great errors.” So what should have been a highly meaningful experience each week became just another meeting to attend. And when they were done, “they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together” (Alma 31:9, 23).
To avoid those same mistakes, here are some questions to consider when evaluating our daily preparations for sacrament meeting each week:
- Have we done all those “Saturday—preparation day” activities that reduce stress on the Sabbath day? A friend recently posted on Facebook that for her family, the simple act of lining up all the church shoes along a wall and hanging all the clothes, hair bows, and ties on doorknobs on Saturday night makes for a more meaningful sacrament meeting experience.
- Have we tried to teach our children the importance of reverence during sacrament meeting? Reverence is more than just occupying young children so they are quiet. It is a feeling of love and respect for the sacred. Young children can learn reverence with a little encouragement from trusted adults.
- Have we taught the Aaronic Priesthood holders in our homes and quorums the importance of their priesthood duties during sacrament meeting? In Doctrine and Covenants 13, we learn that the Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the gospel of repentance. Do we understand the significance of that role? Through their sacred service each week, they are offering each of us the ability to repent and be forgiven through the administration of the sacrament.
- Have we gone to bed at a reasonable hour on Saturday night to be alert during sacrament meeting?
- Are we doing all we need to do during the week to invite the Spirit into our lives so when we reach Sunday, we are ready and anxious to have a meaningful experience with the Lord during sacrament meeting?
- Are we ready to evaluate our personal attitudes and behavior and truly commune with the Savior during the administration of the sacrament?
In the recent general women’s session of conference, Sister Linda S. Reeves boldly reminded sisters that “seductive romance novels, TV soap operas, married women and old boyfriends connecting on social media, and pornography” are some of the many tools Satan uses to keep us from preparing for the spiritual experiences we seek. Of such things she counseled: “When we are involved in watching, reading, or experiencing anything that is below our Heavenly Father’s standards, it weakens us. Regardless of our age, if what we look at, read, listen to, or choose to do does not meet the Lord’s standards in For the Strength of Youth, turn it off, rip it up, throw it out, and slam the door.”
Ready to Go
The bikers I observed were prepared in every way for a successful ride. With the right attire, the right safety gear, and the right equipment, they were ready to take on the mountain. When we arrive at the meetinghouse for sacrament meeting each week, are we equally prepared for a spiritual experience?
Here are some questions to consider when evaluating our efforts to contribute to a meaningful sacrament meeting:
- Do we come dressed in a manner consistent with our desire to show respect and love for the Lord?
- Have we come with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, anxious to repent and learn from the Holy Ghost?
- Do we arrive early and limit visiting in the chapel to maintain the reverent feeling that should exist there? Quietly listening to the prelude music is a great way to prepare for the meeting.
- Do we take care of drinks and restroom breaks before the meeting begins?
- Have we tried to minimize all distractions, including electronic devices, especially during the administration of the sacrament? Elder Dallin H. Oaks has taught: “When we partake of the sacrament, we make a sacred covenant that we will always remember the Savior. How sad to see persons obviously violating that covenant in the very meeting where they are making it.”
- Do we deal with the distractions of young children in effective ways? Because the Church is all about family, young children will always be a factor in sacrament services. But we can come prepared to deal with the distractions. If the children are our own, we can take them out to contribute to the overall reverence of the meeting. And if the children aren’t ours, we can tune out small distractions without judgment or impatience or even offer a helping hand if appropriate.
- Do we sing the selected hymns with reverence and respect? Hymns are an integral part of meaningful worship, and we can invite and learn from the Spirit more effectively when we participate.
- Do we anticipate a spiritual experience during sacrament meeting and remain alert and attentive during the administration of the sacrament and the talks?
- Do we look to the administration of the sacrament as the most precious few moments of our week? Through this sacred ordinance, the Savior offers forgiveness, strength, and an opportunity to remember the covenants we have made.
As with most things in life, we will each get out of our sacrament meeting experience exactly what we seek. If we go anticipating the mundane or boring, we will certainly get what we came for. But if we go each week sincerely seeking a spiritual experience, one where we can commune with our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ—and we are willing to put in the effort to achieve it—we will find that for approximately one hour every week, we are having a top-of-the-mountain experience that makes us say, “Yeah, that was worth everything I did to get here.”
If you would like to learn more about improving your sacrament meeting experience, read Elder Dallin H. Oaks’s talk “Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament” or President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Worshiping at Sacrament Meeting,” or watch the video “Purposes of Sacrament Meeting.” For some other really great suggestions, read the article “Getting the Most Out of Sacrament Meeting.”