Symbolism of the Sacrament

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

I once taught this as a young woman's lesson and made a sacrament card for each of them, to put in their scriptures and pull out during the sacrament to remind them of how sacred and  important this ordinance really is. 

Sunday best- The sacrament is the most important part of our Sacrament Meeting.  It is why we meet, to remember our covenants we made at baptism and to make new ones.  What we wear matters.  Those who are administering and passing the Sacrament wear white shirts representing  purity as they administer the Holy Emblems of the Sacrament.  It is symbolic and similar to the white we wear when we are baptized and the white we wear in the temple.  As young women and women it is our privilege to wear our very best while partaking and participating in the Lord's Holy Sacrament.

The table-The bread and water trays are arranged on the table.  A cloth is carefully placed over the trays.  Christ's body was also covered with a cloth in the tomb.  As we look at the table, we are reminded of the actual burial of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Water is poured-Water which symbolizes the blood Christ spilled for us, is poured into cups.  The Savior's greatest suffering occurred while in Gethsemane where it is recorded that He bled from every pore.

Bread is torn-As the Sacrament begins, we sing a hymn about Christ and the bread is literally torn.  Read the words to Hymn #181 ..."bruised, broken, and torn for us on Calvary's Hill"  We are watching the symbolism of His body being torn for us.

Sacrament prayers-Jesus Christ instituted His holy sacrament while He was on earth.  It is of such importance, it must be offered exactly, word for word, as written, offered as many times as it takes to get it right.  Isn't that like us?  We each struggle with our own weaknesses. The Lord, who has immense patience with us, allows us to keep trying, repenting, and trying again-as many times as it takes to get it right.  That is what the Atonement is all about.

Our covenant hand-Our right hand is our covenant hand, and therefore the hand we reach to take the bread and water.  We are literally partaking of the Atonement.  We are letting it enter us both physically and spiritually.

Covenants made-"That they may witness unto thee-to always remember him"  As we partake of the Sacrament, we are reminded of what the Savior did for us personally.  We promise to live as he would live, to say what He would say, to be as He would be.  We are saying that we are willing to testify of Christ.  We are saying, "if you want to know what a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint believes, watch me!"  When I'm with my friends, watch me!  It is not enough to say His name.  It is not enough to learn about Him.  We must come to KNOW Him.  This is standing as witnesses of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places.

Better Lessons with the Right Questions

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Questions to ask while preparing a lesson

1. What principles do I want the class  to know and apply?

2. Which verses should I search to help the class discover the principle?

3. What should the class look for as they search these verses?

4. What questions can I ask to make sure the class understand the principle?

5. Is there anything I can do to have the class learn from each other?

6. What applications do I want the class to make? What can I do to help them?

Questions to ask after preparing a lesson

1. Is there variety in the lesson?

2. Have I asked the Lord to help me teach the lesson with power?

3. Is there opportunity for class participation?

4. Have I prayed about my class?

Preparation Questions:

 

1. What is the object of this lesson?

2. What are the principles or doctrines to be covered?

3. What are the converting life-changing principles?

4.What would be most beneficial to the class?

Search Questions:

Search questions should avoid YES/NO responses and obvious answers. Search questions requires your class to look in the scriptures for answers.

Analyze Questions:

Analyze questions require your class to think and ponder the significance of what they are studying.
-What did you find.....what evidence...
-What does it mean...
-Why is is that...How is it that...
-What is...the difference...are the differences...
-How do you think...How does
-What are some ways...


Application Questions

Application questions require the class to look at their lives and what they might do to make their lives better.
-What have you learned...
-What difference would it make if...
-When have you felt...
-What do you feel/think God wants
-Share a time ...or experience...
What does God..expect...desire...

* Credit:This list came from a CES Seminary Workshop I attended with my husband.  I don't know the source beyond that.  It is excellent and can take our teaching from mediocre to excellent by just knowing the right questions to ask. 

We Can Clearly See Between Right and Wrong

To end our year of The 13th Article of Faith we chose a black and white  theme to go perfectly with the theme:

We Can Clearly See Between Right and Wrong

We called one of our YW advisors to be a  program specialist, helping us out with planning New Beginnings and YW in Excellence.  She is an amazing decorator, as you can tell!

  

Food

• zebra cakes
• white chocolate dipped oreos
• chocolate cupcakes with white frosting
• white/ black gum balls {they were left-over from a wedding}

Dress-code

• Sunday best for everyone. Leaders in all black and white to emphasize the theme

This was our table{before anyone showed up} for the YW to display what they had accompished over the year in Personal Progress

Handouts

• Sunglasses

Our program outline

Skit: Shades of Grey- performed by the young women --this was originally a camp skit from the Jenny Phillips website  ( if you are interested in the skit, please email me and I can share the file with you) We thought it would be cute for an opening in our New Beginnings.


It is hard to clearly see between right and wrong sometimes.  In Isaiah 5:20 it says:

20 ¶Woe unto them that call ^aevil ^bgood, and good evil; that put ^cdarkness for ^dlight, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

I love this skit and how it demonstrates what is going on in our world today.  It talked about things that are white, those that are black, and those areas that are grey.

Sometimes that is called "the gray area"  [Define what is the grey area]  It is that area where nothing is completely wrong and nothing is completely right.  [Refer to Lehi's Dream and the mists of darkness]  Satan wants us to believe that many of our commandments and gospel standards are grey area---and we can each choose how we want to follow and how we want to obey those. 

How blessed we are to have the gospel, righteous parents, good friends, prayer, the Holy Ghost, scriptures, personal revelation, and living apostles and prophets to lead the way.

With the Lord there are no grey areas.  We are for Him, or we are not.  He asks us to serve him with all our hearts, might and minds.

"Anything that does not draw us closer to God takes us away from Him.  We have no middle ground, no foggy gray area where we can sin a little without suffering spiritual decline." [Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Spiritual Bonfires of Testimony"  Ensign 1992, 34]

The 13th Article of Faith makes it clear what we believe and is a reminder that the Lord's standards are clear and that there is no gray area to Him.

13 ^aWe believe in being ^bhonest, true, ^cchaste, ^dbenevolent, virtuous, and in doing ^egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we ^fhope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to ^gendure all things. If there is anything ^hvirtuous, ⁱlovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Seek means to search or discover and is an active word.  We do not sit and wait for some-thin good to happen.  We are actively choosing the right.

I love this quote:

"Place me behind prison walls-walls of stone ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground--there is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape, but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it.  Can I get out of that circle. No, never! I'd die first" [Karl G. Maeser]

What are our convictions like?

In our Personal Progress book under the value of Choice and Accountability we are reminded of the scripture, Joshua 24:15

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

Making choices is part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us.  Agency or the ability to make our own choices is one of God's greatest gifts to His children.  HOW we use our agency will determine the outcome of our lives.  With each choice is a consequence that cannot be separated from it.

Value Experience #1 teaches that a daughter of God can make wise decisions and solve problems.  It points the YW to establishing a pattern of regular scripture study and prayer to aid them in receiving the help they need to make personal decisions.

See {Gospel Outcomes}

The Holy Ghost will help each YW to make correct choices as she strives for and lives worthy of it constant companionship.

Close with the young women singing We Believe  by Jenny Phillips

Thanks to Jennyphillips.com for all of her inspiration and ideas. The Black and White theme idea came from her.