Our lesson Sunday was given by Sister Kay M. She always does such a great job directing our discussions. You can read the entire article that the lesson was based on at http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/the-sabbath-and-the-sacrament?lang=eng&query=sacrament+sabbath it is a talk by Elder L Tom Perry.
Sister Kay started out with a new directive from our leadership, for those that have a hard time getting up and being to church on the Sabbath they will now have cots in the chapel so you can spend the night and roll out ready for church on time, for those that have tired eyes who stayed up too late the night before, there will be eye drops handed out at the door of the chapel, for those that feel they need to count the hypocrites there will be tally sheets available, we will have available on a portion of our church property a beautiful woodland garden for those who feel they find God in nature more than at church....these are just a few that I can remember but they cracked me up! Of course it was just a fun a way to open her lesson and certainly not true ;o)...but who of us at sometime has used a similar excuse for either being late, or not showing at all...or we have come up with our own special version with a little different twist!
Kay asked the question, How can we prepare ourselves to get the most out of our Sabbath experience? Some comments were: be to church early and enjoy the beautiful prelude music, read your scriptures that morning to prepare yourself to be spiritually ready, review your week prior to going to church so you can reflect on making things right with the Lord, it was suggested that maybe our Sabbath worship would begin even on Saturday to be prepared for the day, listening to good music or just having a quiet morning enjoying your own thoughts and reflections.
Also, reverence was discussed. How do we show our respect through reverence? When we are reverent we show our Brothers and Sisters we acknowledge their right to worship in a reverent environment. We find on Sundays chatter when we enter the chapel. People quickly trying to tie up loose ends for their Sunday responsibilities. Talking about what their weeks experiences were. Blocking the doors so people can't enter and causing congestion in the aisles. Reverence is more than being quiet, it is being reflective and in tune with the spirit. When we respect the rights of everyone to have the time to prepare themselves to partake of the Sacrament we are all blessed.
The main purpose of Sacrament meeting is to partake of the sacrament. To recommit ourselves and renew our covenants with the Savior. That we may receive a remission of our sins and the blessings of our commitments. Sis Kay suggested we read this article you can find it here: http://lds.org/ensign/1983/03/i-have-a-question/i-have-a-question?lang=eng&query=right+hand+sacrament : it is found in the July 1983 Liahona I have a question section, second question down entitled Is it Necessary to Take the Sacrament With One's Right Hand? Does it Really Make any Difference Which Hand is Used? It is a very well written article of course and well worth your reflection.
There was so much shared by Sis Kay and from the participation of our class of course it is impossible to include it all. Hopefully you have enjoyed reading about some of what was discussed, this was especially for those of you that have other callings that do not allow you to be in attendance. For those that were sick physically or spiritually that could not be there we missed you and hope you feel up to joining us next week, when we will have an opportunity to enjoy hearing a message from our Bishop.
