The Sacrament
By President Chipman
I want to share two experiences. One from a week ago. One from yesterday (Sunday, September 10th).
A week ago, we were in Tacna at a zone conference. I was talking about the Sacrament. As I was talking to the missionaries, new thoughts and ideas came to my mind in that very instant. I was speaking words that came to me at that moment and learning along with the missionaries. It was a cool experience.
What did I learn? Maybe you have already figured this out. But for me, gathering together these thoughts in one was new and revelatory.
The prophets have been inviting us to take the sacrament more seriously, to prepare ourselves so that we can have an experience each week with Jesus Christ.
I understand this in my head. But, on the surface, the Sacrament appears so very ordinary and boring, right? There are ordinary young men handing out bread and water to ordinary, imperfect people. To our natural man, and to our natural senses, this is disappointing. The natural man wants to see something more spectacular. We want to be entertained. For me, the natural man wants the feeling I get when I walk into a packed football or baseball stadium with tangible energy in the air. My natural man wants God to do something with the sacrament more than the ordinary, weekly thing I see. My natural man wants Him to inspire me without much effort on my part.
This is what the Spirit taught me a week ago----Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ use small and simple things to bring about great things (Alma 37:6.) They use “ordinary” things. This should not surprise us. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." (Isaiah 55:8). The ordinary appearance of the Sacrament is Totally Consistent with the way Jesus Christ does things. Isaiah said of Him, "he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. . . . and we esteem[]him not." (Isaiah 53:2-3.) This does not mean Jesus was ugly. It means that Jesus appeared, to the naked eye, ordinary and not noteworthy.
His birth was ordinary. His town was ordinary. His clothing was ordinary. His apostles were ordinary people. His teachings used ordinary things to explain deep doctrine. His parables were about ordinary things. The acts of baptism and confirmation are ordinary. That is why we try to spice them up with baptism parties. We have to spice it up to avoid its “ordinariness.” Our chapels are ordinary. Our meetings appear ordinary. The only thing about His Gospel that does not appear ordinary are His temples. They are spectacular to see (for a good reason, but a different discussion). But the ordinances IN the temple are reverent and symbolic and, to the naked eye, very ordinary.
The Spirit taught me that there is a purpose in all of this---I know, I know, I should have learned this long ago but better late than never. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not a cultural thing. It is not passive thing. It is not something that happens to us because we grow up in a certain family—regardless of the “ordinary” ordinances we have received. To experience the power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we must ENGAGE with Him.We must be INTENTIONAL. We must SEARCH for Him. We must INVOKE His name. We must DO something. We must COME to Him. It does not happen by just sitting there. It does not happen by just coming to Church.
Think about it. His parables and His scriptures and His ordinances are layered. They are like ogres (think Shrek and onions and parfaits and cakes). Jesus would teach a parable and say, "he who has ears to hear, let Him hear." (Mat 11:15.) He invited those willing to ENGAGE with Him to learn more, layer by layer, directly from the Spirit. Many of have attended the temple for many years (decades) and understand this process well. Me too. But I need to apply this same intentionality to the Sacrament and to all other “ordinary” looking ordinances.
This is a process. But it is the only way ordinary, imperfect, people like us have extraordinary experiences with the Spirit of God. Some Sundays, I do not prepare for the Sacrament. And what happens to me? Nothing. It is a passive and unfulfilling experience. But when I am intentional and do my part to prepare, I experience His Atonement. For example, yesterday morning, I woke up and studied my scriptures and focused on my preparation. We did not have a stake conference, so we chose a ward and got there early. I looked at the bread and water being prepared. I prayed and prepared.
What happened? I had a very different experience with the Sacrament. Nothing changed on the outside—same ordinary looking young men doing the same thing I have experienced my whole life. But I felt the power of the ordinance in me. Scriptures came to my head. “[T]he natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14.)
Think of John Chapter 6. Why would Jesus explain the future sacrament in such symbolic and harsh terms (eating his flesh and drinking his blood) when He knew that such teachings would confuse almost everyone there, including his apostles, and cause many to go back and “no more walk with him.” (John 6:66). Because He wants US to make the decision to engage with Him, not just sit there to be entertained. President Oaks:"In this ordinance, what we take into our mouths is not as important as what we do in our minds. . . . We should be doing much more than putting bread and water in our mouths."
During the Sacrament yesterday, I glanced at Isaiah 55 and the Spirit taught me something. Verse 6 says, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” I realized, “Oh wow, that is NOW. This time—before and during the Sacrament—is where He can be found, where He is near. I just have to do what it takes to find Him.” Yesterday, I did.
The Spirit taught me something else during the Sacrament yesterday. President Oaks teaches that there is great symbolism in breaking the Sacrament bread with human hands in our presence. He teaches that this process of breaking bread results in unique pieces of bread. Think about it, in all the world, on any Sunday, millions of pieces of bread are broken during the Sacrament. There were no two pieces of broken bread that are exactly alike. Perhaps to the eye, some look similar, but given the practice of humans breaking the bread with their hands, on a micro level, no two pieces can be exactly the same. President Oaks taught that we are like each piece of bread. Each of us is unique. Each of us has our own sins. Each of us has our own needs and desires. No two people are alike. So, yesterday, when I took my piece of bread, I looked at it and realized that it represented MY personal and unique relationship to Jesus Christ. To my mind, this unique piece of bread represented a unique relationship that does not exist, and has never existed, anywhere else in the world—a relationship between Dave Chipman and Jesus Christ. He knows me. He knows my efforts and my mistakes. He knows my repentance. He knows me. I need to know Him better.
It is hard for me to be intentional about the sacrament when I have so many things in my head. The natural man is in me. I must put him off every day. But, yesterday, I experienced the Atonement during the “ordinary” sacrament.
Think about it. Each Sunday, different people in the chapel are experiencing different things. Some are bored or judgmental about a deacon’s haircut or frumpy appearance. Others want to get home to watch football. And, yet, a few intentional people are experiencing the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Same place, same time, different experience.
We can literally change our lives with this one, simple ordinary ordinance each week. But we cannot do it passively. It is an amazing opportunity for each of us to know Him better and experience His power weekly.
