The Sacrament

Luke 22:19, 3 Nephi 18:6-11, and 1 Corinthians 10:16-21 all talk about the sacrament prayers. Although each is written by a different author, they are essentially identical - with the exception of one word. Luke and Nephi record that the Lord explained that his body had been "given" for us and Paul does not. To me that simple word is vital to reminding us that the atonement was a sacrifice that the Savior freely gave to save each of us.

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 and 3 Nephi 18:28-29 give counsel on partaking the sacrament worthily. Paul is speaking to the Corinthians individually and and counsels them to examine their personal worthiness prior to taking the sacrament. In 3 Nephi, the Savior is counseling the leaders of the Church. He counsels them not to knowingly allow someone who is unworthy to take the sacrament.

Paul explains that we must not take the sacrament unworthily because when we take the sacrament, we are making a promise to God to serve Him. If we make ourselves unworthy to take the sacrament through sin, we are not serving God, rather we are serving the devil and making a mockery of the Atonement.

I want to make sure that taking the sacrament is more meaningful in my own life. I know that the sacrament is vital, but sometimes it is easy to let my mind wander instead of focusing on what I'm doing and the promises I'm making. I am going to better prepare myself by focusing on the things I can do better to follow the Savior's teachings during the time that the sacrament is being blessed and passed.