The Law of the Sacrament

Day one hundred twenty-one

I am always thankful for the opportunity to take the sacrament on Sunday.  As my understanding of the sacrament has grown, so has my appreciation for the chance to renew my covenants and get myself focused on Christ at the start of my week.  My prayer this morning was focused on the gratitude I feel for the blessings that the sacrament brings to my life and a request that the spirit I feel when I take the bread and water would stay with me this whole week.

Exodus 12

This chapter of Exodus discusses the Lord's direction concerning the Passover.  It was to happen every year to remind the Israelites: 

• To look backward, that they might remember what great things God had done for them and their fathers, that God may be praised, and their faith in Him encouraged.
• It was designed to look forward, as a symbol of the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God in the fullness of time.

We no longer observe the Passover in the way that the Israelites did, instead we have the law of the sacrament which was instituted by Christ before the Atonement and His death."We now observe the law of the sacrament instead of the Passover because the Passover was fulfilled by the death of Jesus Christ.  Passover was a custom looking forward to the coming of Christ and his crucifixion and the lamb symbolized his death..."  (Joseph Fielding Smith)

The law of the sacrifice shares some similarities with the purposes of the Passover:

• We have the chance to reflect on the past and remember the great blessings that the Lord has given us, to praise God for the blessings of the Atonement, and  to encourage or increase our faith in Him.
• It is also a time to think about the covenants we have made with God, and by partaking of the sacrament we renew those covenants as a preparatory step towards our desire to be with Him at the Second Coming.

The Lord is always preparing His people and blessing those that are obedient. We are very blessed to have this opportunity on a weekly basis instead of once a year. It is a great plan, if people choose to participate in it.   

I am grateful to the Lord for these thoughts today, they came as the perfect reminder for me as I took the sacrament.  They have helped me to continue thinking about the Lord and to have the Spirit with me throughout the day.  Now, it is up to me to keep it going for the rest of the week!