“Reflections on the Sacrament Prayers,” Tambuli, May 1987, 24
Reflections on the Sacrament Prayers
The scriptural verses most familiar to members of the Church must be Moroni 4:3, 5:2 [Moro. 4:3; Moro. 5:2], and D&C 20:77, 79—the verses containing the sacrament prayers. Whatever other scriptures we may read during the week, we are sure to hear these every Sunday. Before the consolidated meeting schedule, we heard them twice on Sunday—in Sunday School opening exercises and in the sacrament service. I estimate I have heard them over 3,300 times.
The sacrament prayers are among the very few prayers with specific words the Lord has revealed. He obviously wants his people to really think about these sacred words regularly. Yet we often hear them without really listening to the real meaning behind the words.
Commentary on the Sacrament Prayers
I have gained rich spiritual rewards by reviewing the prayers phrase by phrase, considering the significance of each line, and concentrating on important words. Perhaps my reflections may help your sacrament worship, as it has mine.
1. “O God, the Eternal Father”
Both prayers begin this way. Both prayers mention God twice, each time reminding us of his eternal fatherhood. As I have thought of the Savior’s magnificent personal sacrifice, I have often overlooked the fact that God, as the Father, shared intimately in the awful pain and sacrifice of the Atonement. Elder Melvin J. Ballard described the agony of a divine Parent watching the suffering he could have prevented his Son from experiencing:
“God heard the cry of His Son in that moment of great grief and agony, in the garden when the pores of His body opened and drops of blood stood upon Him, and He cried out: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.’ (Luke 22:42)
“I ask you, what father and mother could stand by and listen to the cry of their children in distress, in this world, and not render assistance? …
“I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles until even He could not endure it any longer; and, like the mother who bids farewell to her dying child and has to be taken out of the room so as not to look upon the last struggles, so He bowed His head and hid in some part of His universe, His great heart almost breaking for the love He had for His Son. Oh, in that moment when He might have saved His Son, I thank and praise Him that He did not fail us, for He had not only the love of His Son in mind, but He also had love for us.” (Melvin J. Ballard, Crusader for Righteousness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, pp. 136-37.)
It is fitting, then, that the sacrament prayers remind us that our God is also a father and that his sacrifice was essential to the Atonement.
2. “We ask thee”
We ask thee. The sacrament is a shared experience. We partake of it together with our brothers and sisters who have entered into the same baptismal covenants we have. We all have the same need to repent and recommit ourselves to living the commandments. To partake of the sacrament is to formally participate in fellowship with the Saints.
President David O. McKay described this bond of fellowship:
“In the early establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ the brethren met, we are told, often at daybreak, to partake of this sacrament as in the bond of brotherhood, of oneness. The element of brotherhood has been associated with [the sacrament] always.
“We meet in the brotherhood of Christ, all on the same level, each expressing confidence in the other and all in one another.” (Improvement Era, Jan. 1953, pp. 13–14.)
Many scriptures likewise teach us to become reconciled with our fellow Saints in order to more fully enjoy the sacrament. “If any have trespassed, let him not partake until he makes reconciliation.” (D&C 46:4; see also 1 Cor. 10:21; 3 Ne. 18:28–29; D&C 20:68–69.) We all equally need the Lord’s Spirit and pardon: “we ask thee.”
3. “In the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ”
Since Father Adam first offered sacrifice, we have been instructed to do all things in the name of the Son: “Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son,” the angel instructs Adam, “and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.” (Moses 5:8.)
Why do we pray in the name of the Son? Because he is our Advocate with the Father. The sacrament often calls to my mind Christ’s pleading with the Father for us:
“Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
“Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.” (D&C 45:4–5.)
These words give the sacrament prayers offered “in the name of thy Son” an even greater significance.
4. “To bless and sanctify this bread [water] to the souls of all those who partake [drink] of it”
The bread reminds us of His body. As I partake of the bread, I remember the physical suffering of our Lord. I recall the pain of the lash on his back, the bite of the thorns on his brow. I remember the weight of the cross which he dragged through the dusty streets, on his journey to Golgotha. I think about nails pounded through his wrists, tearing at his flesh as the cross was dropped into place, about the cruel crucifixion which allowed the victim no relief as he shifted his weight back and forth from feet to arms. And finally, I remember that all this pain was voluntary, for either our Redeemer or the Father could have put a stop to it at any time.
The water reminds us of His spilt blood. As I drink from the cup, I remember the spiritual anguish of the Lord as he somehow took upon himself our sins. I remember Gethsemane, where blood issued forth from every pore, so great was his agony and his compassion. (See Mosiah 3:7; Luke 22:44; D&C 19:16–19.)
The bread is blessed to the good of our souls; it is to feed our spirits. All of us make mistakes each week that take away our spiritual vitality. But when we approach the sacrament hungering and thirsting for righteousness, fervently desiring to recommit ourselves to God, we will be filled. Elder Melvin J. Ballard testified:
“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.” (Ballard, p. 133.)
Truly the bread and water may feed the souls of all those who partake worthily of them; they are blessed and sanctified to this purpose.
5. “That they may eat [do it] in remembrance of the body [blood]”
We partake of the sacrament in remembrance. This teaches us that the sacrament is a reminder, not a reenactment. The emblems of the Atonement are not magically changed into body and blood, as many believe. Thousands of people have been persecuted and even killed over this simple doctrine. How grateful I am that our revealed sacrament prayers set this doctrine forth clearly. These emblems represent the Lord’s body and blood, and so we come to remember.
6. “And witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing”
Yet we come not merely to remember what is past. We come also to resolve for the present and future—to witness. What does it mean to be a witness? In Robert Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons, Thomas More defines an oath as “words we say to God.” (New York: Vintage Books, 1962, p. 81.)
It is a serious thing to become a witness, to say solemn words to God. To do so casually or without real intent, we lose our power to make and keep any promises, even those we make to ourselves alone.
We further state in the prayer on the bread that we are willing. I pause over this powerful word: to do something willingly is to do it gladly, freely, obediently, whole-heartedly. This promise I make of my own free will, and do it cheerfully, willingly.
7. “To take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments”
In the prayer upon the bread we recommit to take upon ourselves the Lord’s name. This is an agreement we first make at baptism. (See D&C 20:37.) What a privilege to bear the name of Christ, and what a trust!
President George Albert Smith once dreamed that he met his grandfather, George A. Smith, in the spirit world. George A. Smith had been an Apostle and a mighty man in the Church. “I would like to know what you have done with my name,” he said to his grandson.
President Smith quickly reviewed his life. Then he smiled, looked at his grandfather, and said: “I have never done anything with your name of which you need be ashamed.”
Then George A. Smith stepped forward, took his namesake in his big arms, and embraced him. “As he did so, I became conscious again of my earthly surroundings. My pillow was … wet with tears of gratitude that I could answer unashamed.” (Improvement Era, March 1947, p. 139.)
We who have taken upon ourselves the name of Christ, first at baptism and then weekly at the sacrament, may also be worthy to be embraced by the Lord. But first we will have to make account of what we have done with His name, which is the only name under heaven through which salvation comes.
How do we always remember him? No matter how inspiring our Sabbath, when Monday morning comes the cares of the world quickly press upon us. I suppose the Lord allows us to partake of the sacrament weekly because he understands our human tendency to forget.
Of course, our conscious minds think of many things other than the Atonement. But we must remember him with our hearts. His law must be written not only in our minds but on the “fleshy tables of the heart.” (2 Cor. 3:3.)
8. “That they may always have his Spirit to be with them.”
If we covenant to always remember, the Lord promises, reciprocally, to always bless us with his Spirit. What a heavenly gift! Just how crucial it is to have the Spirit with us we may judge by the times when we have not felt the Spirit in our lives, or by the scriptural record of the Savior on the cross when he cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46.)
As an aid to our memory (see John 14:26), the Holy Spirit can help us fulfill the very condition upon which his presence depends: that we always remember. There is a marvelous spiritual synergism in the economy of heaven: the more we strive to do right, the more we are blessed to do it; the more we have, the more we are given; the more we try to remember, the more the Lord makes available to us that being whose calling it is to “bring all things to your remembrance.” (John 14:26.)
We honor the Lord’s name and keep Him in our hearts by keeping his commandments. But which commandments? At first, I think of the questions asked of me during a temple recommend interview. But there are even deeper questions I must be able to answer: Am I truly loving man and God with all my heart and strength? “If a man love me,” Jesus said, “he will keep my words.” (John 14:23.)
9. “Amen.”
This word is our solemn seal. We say it aloud together, and this brings us together as a community of believers. After we have listened carefully to these marvelous prayers, we use this word as our formal mark of approval.
To partake of the sacrament is to take part in close fellowship not just with the Saints, but with the Lord himself. In modern revelation, the Lord has foretold of a great gathering of the righteous where he will once again partake of the sacrament. Gathered there will be Moroni, Elias, John the Baptist, Elijah, Joseph who was sold into Egypt, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Adam, Peter, James, and John, as well as “all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world.” (D&C 27:5–14.) May we partake of the sacrament worthily now so that we may be among those blessed faithful. Then we will be received with gladness back into the arms of Him whose name we have honored.
Let’s Talk about It
After reading “Reflections on the Sacrament Prayers,” individually or as a family, you may want to consider the following questions and ideas.
1. How can we increase the bond of fellowship that ought to be part of sacrament worship?
2. How does the sacrament remind us of the Father’s love, as well as of the Son’s?
3. How can I more fully take upon myself the Lord’s name? How can I honor the Lord’s name?
4. What does a person need to do to take advantage of the blessings extended to those who partake of the sacrament?
5. Prepare to receive the sacrament this next Sunday by reviewing the commitments we make during the prayers and the promises our Heavenly Father extends to us as we keep those commitments. Then reflect on those commitments and promises during the administration of the sacrament.
Photography by Marty Mayo
“The Crucifixion,” by Harry Anderson
“Christ in Gethsemane,” by Harry Anderson