The more I understand about the covenant I make over and over again, when I partake of the Sacrament, the more I feel grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, His atoning sacrifice, and my commitment to Him and the will of my Heavenly Father.

We’ve all had multiple lessons on keeping the Sabbath Day holy. We’ve all been given a list of what we should do and what we can do. We’ve also, I’m sure, been reminded that back in Old Testament time the punishment for breaking the Sabbath Day was death. But honoring and keeping the Sabbath Day means so much more.

President Smith quoted Brigham Young when he warned the fledgling settlers, as they quickly tried to carve out a new city before winter set in, “to honor the Sabbath day and to keep it holy, and no matter how difficult their circumstances they were not to go out and do manual labor on the Sabbath day.” (p. 170) That reminds me how my husband and I decided, way back in our college days, to never do our homework on the Sabbath Day. Same principle: the Lord will be able to help us MORE as we sacrifice in our obedience.

I have been guilty of having a wandering mind while I “listen” to the prayers and wait for the Sacrament to be passed to the congregation. But as with all things experience is the best teacher and motivator.

My husband and I serve in a care facility. After our Sacrament Meeting, we go together to take the Sacrament to those who can’t leave their rooms. In each room, my husband will kneel and bless the bread and water, so those individuals can hear the prayer, remember their covenant, and be refreshed by that holy bread and water. We may visit from four to eight people, each receiving this one-on-one opportunity. In some cases, the person is too feeble to take the bread and water with their own hands. My husband will carefully select a piece of bread (no crust and maybe a smaller bite), and place it on the tongue of this person, and as well take the cup and gently pour a small amount into their accepting lips. They will invariably say “thank you”, because they are truly grateful to be remembered. We are truly privileged to show these sweet people that the Lord does not forget anyone, even them.

There are some LDS members who work at the facility and they have asked if we would mind looking for them and offering them the Sacrament. These are people who understand the covenant, which they have made, and desire to continue proving to the Lord this is their commitment.

I will never forget the impact this has been in my life.

Back to keeping the Sabbath Day holy. President George Albert Smith gives us a list of reasons why we should:

• “Unless the world repents of its carelessness and indifference, unless we the Latter-Day Saints, in many cases, repent of our attitude of indifference toward the holy day of our Heavenly Father, there will not come to us all the joy and happiness we desire…” (p. 170-71)
• “…members of the Church, knowing better, persist in desecrating the Sabbath day in the pursuit of worldly pleasures, they will lose their faith; and the Spirit…will withdraw from them.” (p. 171)
• “We may have a radio receiving set in our home, but we will not benefit by it spiritually…”  “It is not only the word that we hear that is profitable, but it is the influence that pervades our houses of worship that comes from our Heavenly Father that is essential.” (p. 172)
• “…Each Sabbath day we are expected to meet together and partake of the emblems of the body and blood of our risen Redeemer…” (p. 173)
• “…we partake of the emblems of the body and blood of our risen Lord to increase our spiritual strength.” (p. 175)
• “…our hearts should be pure; our hands should be clean; we should be divested of all enmity toward our associates; we should be at peace with our fellow men; and we should have in our hearts a desire to do the will of our Father and to keep all of His commandments. If we do this, partaking of the sacrament will be a blessing to us and will renew our spiritual strength…” (p. 176)

Sacrament Meeting is a covenant meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to partake of the Sacrament. Remember when Missionary Farewells used to be the purpose? Members needed to be reminded of the true purpose, so missionary farewells were simplified.

If we show that the Sacrament is important to our children, this covenant will maintain its spirituality. Pres. Smith opens this lesson with a story about his mother. Our words and actions are very important. How we show our children what is important is very important. Read the very first paragraph of this lesson for a good parenting lesson (p. 169).

If we want to have the Spirit with us, to be guided by the Spirit, and to live spiritual lives, we need to start by attending Sacrament Meeting. While we’re at it, we should make it a habit and attend all of our meetings. While we’re double at it, we should dedicate the entire day to the Lord.