Moroni 4–5

The Sacrament

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are invited to participate in sacred ordinances and make covenants with our Heavenly Father. When we strive to keep our covenants, Heavenly Father blesses us. The ordinance we participate in most frequently is the sacrament. This lesson can help you keep the covenant you make when you partake of the sacrament so you can have the Lord’s Spirit with you.

Understand students’ learning needs. Seek to understand the learning needs of students in your class. This could include learner preferences as well as any learning challenges. Look for ways to incorporate different learning methods, such as visual aids, group work, or individual study, so students can get the most out of their seminary experience.

Student preparation: Consider inviting students to come to class prepared to recite as much of the sacrament prayers from memory as they can.

Possible Learning Activities

Why do you go to church?

To prepare students to study the sacrament, consider sharing the following account or a personal experience about the importance of the sacrament.

Sister Cheryl A. Esplin, formerly a counselor in the Primary General Presidency, shared a question a son asked his 96-year-old father: “Dad, why do you go to church? You can’t see, you can’t hear, it’s hard for you to get around. Why do you go to church?” (“The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 14).

• How do you think the father might have answered this question?

“The father replied, ‘It’s the sacrament. I go to partake of the sacrament’” (Cheryl A. Esplin, “The Sacrament,” 14).

• What do you know about the sacrament that might have caused the father to answer this way?

  The following questions are intended for self-reflection. Consider inviting students to record their answers in their study journals. It may also be helpful to invite them to ask questions about the sacrament.

• How important is the sacrament to you? Why?

• What efforts do you make to have a meaningful sacrament experience?

As part of his record, Moroni included the prayers Jesus Christ had previously given the Nephites for the administration of the sacrament (see Moroni 4:1–2). As you study these prayers in Moroni 4–5, listen for promptings to know what you can do to keep the covenants you make when partaking of the sacrament.

The sacrament

When we partake of the sacrament, we make a covenant with Heavenly Father and renew the covenants we made at baptism (see Mosiah 18:8–10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37). “A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and a person or group of people. God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey those conditions” (Gospel Topics, “Covenant,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Consider copying the following chart on the board and inviting the class to fill out the left column using Moroni 4:3. Students could also copy it in their study journals.

The Covenant of the Sacrament

What I promise to do	Ways to keep my promises
What I promise to do	Ways to keep my promises
What I promise to do	Ways to keep my promises
What I promise to do	Ways to keep my promises

• How would you summarize what we promise when we partake of the bread?

One way to summarize our part of the sacrament covenant is as we partake of the sacrament, we promise to be willing to take upon ourselves the Savior’s name, always remember Him, and keep His commandments.

Students could be organized into groups of three. Assign each group one of the promises we make as part of the sacrament covenant. Invite the group to discuss their assigned promise and share ideas that could be used to fill out the second column in the chart.

After sufficient time, organize the class into new groups of three. Each new group should have students who studied different elements of the sacrament covenant. Invite students to discuss what they learned in their original groups and help each other fill out the second column in the chart.

If students would benefit from studying more about what it means to take the Savior’s name upon them, consider using the following statement and questions. Consider inviting students to reflect on how much they desire what the Savior wants versus what they want or what the world wants for them.

You could also use Mosiah 18:8–10 and John 14:15 to help students deepen their understanding of ways to keep the sacrament covenant.

• What do you think it means to be willing to take the Savior’s name upon us?

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency explained:

We promise to take His name upon us. That means we must see ourselves as His. We will put Him first in our lives. We will want what He wants rather than what we want or what the world teaches us to want. (Henry B. Eyring, “That We May Be One,” Ensign, May 1998, 67)

• How might you better take the Savior’s name upon you?

• In what ways can taking the Savior’s name upon us help us become like Him?

Always have His Spirit to be with us

Read Moroni 4:3 and 5:2, looking for similarities and differences between the prayer on the bread and the prayer on the wine (water).

• What similarities did you find?

• What will Heavenly Father do if we keep the covenant we make during the sacrament?

One principle we learn is as we keep the covenant we make during the sacrament, we can always have the Lord’s Spirit to be with us.

• Consider how your willingness to keep the following promises helps you qualify to always have the Lord’s Spirit with you:

  • Take the Savior’s name upon you.

  • Always remember Him.

  • Keep His commandments.

• How would you benefit from always having the Holy Ghost with you?

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught how we can approach the sacrament and be blessed by keeping its covenants. Read the following statement or watch the video “The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament” from time code 6:48 to 7:22 on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

We are commanded to repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament in compliance with its covenants. When we renew our baptismal covenants in this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. In this way we are made clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us. The importance of this is evident in the Lord’s commandment that we partake of the sacrament each week (see Doctrine and Covenants 59:8–9). (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 38)

Keeping the sacrament covenant

Consider sharing your testimony about the sacrament and inviting willing students to do the same.

Invite students to reflect on what they can do to keep their sacrament covenant. Consider displaying the following paragraphs and inviting students to respond in their journals. You could also suggest that keeping the sacrament covenant could be one of their youth development goals.

Think about your efforts to keep the promises you make when you partake of the sacrament. What is going well? What could be improved?

Select one or more promises that you would like to focus on. Write down something specific you can do. You may want to ponder this next time you partake of the sacrament.

Pay attention to how keeping your covenants helps you have the Holy Ghost with you and the difference you see in your life.

Commentary and Background Information

What is the relationship between baptism and the sacrament?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

We enter the covenant path by being baptized and making our first covenant with God. Each time we partake of the sacrament, we promise again to take the name of the Savior upon us, to remember Him, and to keep His commandments. In return, God assures us that we may always have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Power of Spiritual Momentum,” Liahona, May 2022, 98)

How can I always remember the Savior?

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught:

These words from the sacrament prayer should then describe our daily life: “Always remember him.” “Him” refers to Jesus Christ. The next words, “and keep his commandments,” suggest what it means for us to remember Him [Doctrine and Covenants 20:77]. As we remember Jesus Christ always, we might ask in silent prayer, “What would He have me do?” (Henry B. Eyring, “Prayers of Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 28)

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared six ways we can always remember the Savior:

Each week, in partaking of the sacrament, we covenant to always remember Him. Drawing on the nearly 400 scripture references to the word remember, here are six ways we can always remember Him.

First, we can always remember Him by having confidence in His covenants, promises, and assurances. …

Second, we can always remember Him by gratefully acknowledging His hand throughout our lives. …

Third, we can always remember Him by trusting when the Lord assures us, “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” [Doctrine and Covenants 58:42; see also Isaiah 43:25]. …

Fourth, He invites us to remember that He is always welcoming us home. …

Fifth, we can always remember Him on the Sabbath through the sacrament. …

Finally, sixth, our Savior invites us to always remember Him as He always remembers us. (Gerrit W. Gong, “Always Remember Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 108–10)

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

During sacrament meeting—and especially during the sacrament service—we should concentrate on worship and refrain from all other activities, especially from behavior that could interfere with the worship of others. Even a person who slips into quiet slumber does not interfere with others. Sacrament meeting is not a time for reading books or magazines. Young people, it is not a time for whispered conversations on cell phones or for texting persons at other locations. 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. (Dallin H. Oaks, “Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 18–19)

How can partaking of the sacrament anchor me to the Savior?

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Each week we partake of the sacrament and make a covenant with our Heavenly Father. We promise to link our identity with the Savior’s by pledging our willingness to take upon us His name, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments. Conscientiously preparing for and worthily making these covenants each week anchors us to the Savior, helps us internalize our commitment, and powerfully propels us along the covenant path. (Dale G. Renlund, “Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 24)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Moroni 4:1. “Priests administering the flesh and blood of Christ”

To help young men discuss their role in preparing and administering the sacrament, point out Moroni 4:1. Then invite young men who are priests in the Aaronic Priesthood to share experiences they have had administering the sacrament and how these experiences have helped them follow Jesus Christ. Young men who are teachers in the Aaronic Priesthood could also share experiences from preparing or passing the sacrament.

Write the sacrament prayers from memory

Consider inviting students to write the sacrament prayers from memory. They could do this individually, in small groups, or as a class on the board. They can compare their answers with Moroni 4:3 and Moroni 5:2 (see also Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79).

Follow up on 3 Nephi 18

It may be useful to follow up on the plans students made to remember the Savior when they studied 3 Nephi 18. Consider inviting students to share what they have done to remember the Savior and how it has impacted their sacrament experience.

Videos

Consider using one of the following videos to help students understand the importance of the sacrament:

“Purposes of Sacrament Meeting” from time code 0:10 to 1:05

“Special Witness—Elder Oaks”