Sister Ardeth Kapp, who was the Young Women General President at the time, met a little boy who came up to her and asked, "Have you ever met the prophet?" "Yes," she replied. The little boy shared with her his great longing to someday be able to meet him as well. Sister Kapp, wanting to encourage the boy in his love for the prophet, took the boy's hand and told him that he could now say he had shaken the hand of someone who had shaken the hand of the prophet. The boy looked at his hand with great reverence and said, "I am never going to wash this hand again!"
Sister Kapp, knowing that was probably not going to work, suggested that the boy could go ahead and wash his hands and just try to remember instead. The boy said, "Okay, but I'm saving the water," and off he ran to the bathroom. When he returned, he was carrying a bag containing the water he had washed his hands with. Apparently, the boy soon realized that a bag full of water could be somewhat difficult to handle and he made his way back to the bathroom. When he returned, the bag of water was gone, but the front of his shirt was damp. Sister Kapp asked him what had happened. The boy proudly stood up and announced, "I drank the water!"
This week we celebrate the most important and miraculous event in the whole of our existence. The atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. A perfect life given so that we might have a perfect life eternally. A chance to become "at one" with our Father, free from our enemies, sin and death.
For
behold, this is my work and
my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of
man.
Moses 1:39
One atonement; two gifts. Immortality AND eternal life.
Immortality - a free gift to us all. The resurrection of the body to its perfect form, never again subject to death or illness.
Eternal life - where and with whom will we spend eternity in our perfect resurrected bodies? We decide. That is our gift. Conditional so far as each persons individual faith, repentance, and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A chance to be free from sin forever. A chance to grow and progress and become like our Father. To become like our Savior.
Two gifts, purchased willingly. Two parts to the sacrifice, blood shed and a body given. Two places, Gethsemane and Golgotha.
How can we ever, ever thank Him for such a gift?! How is it possible to ever show enough gratitude to someone who willingly gives their life so that we might have ours?!!
Remember.
Always remember Him.
How?
First he taught us:
Whosoever drinketh of
the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing
up into everlasting
life . John 4:14
and
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any
man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh , which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51
Then he showed us:
Bread and water? Why?
Without constant nourishment and hydration, our physical bodies quickly become weak, malnourished, dehydrated and die. Without constant spiritual nourishment from Him we become spiritually weak. To cut ourselves off from Him, refusing to accept and use the gift of His atonement through faith, repentance, and obedience is spiritual death. Two symbols to help us remember both gifts that were given. His body and His blood.
“Then Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the
Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
“Whoso eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53–54).
The boy who drank his handwash water wanted to remember his handshake experience so much that he put the water inside himself. He wanted more than just the memory. John Bytheway mentioned in his talk that the Savior could have just had us listen and think about the sacrament prayers each Sunday as they are read. Instead, he gave us two symbols that we are to take inside of us. Symbols that could be prepared and ready to pass out before sacrament meeting even starts. Instead, as we sing a hymn about the Savior, we watch as the priests tear the bread in pieces, just as Christs body was bruised, broken and torn for us. We then watch as this sacred symbol is covered gently by a white cloth, just as Christs body was wrapped in a cloth before it was placed in the tomb. Then, each sacred symbol, both the bread and the water, are blessed individually with a prayer asking us to witness that we remember. And then we take those symbols inside of us. Christ hopes we will also take his gift of the atonement inside of us where it will strengthen, nourish, change, and sanctify us.
As strange as this sounds, it occurred to me this week that Easter always falls on Sunday. I knew that of course, but there is something significant about that I had not realized. Christmas falls on any day of the week. Easter, however is always on the Lord's day, the Sabbath. On the day we celebrate his gift to us, the atonement, we always have the opportunity to receive the sacrament. To witness that we remember.
Jesus' teaching about the Bread of Life occurred the day after he fed the five thousand from five loaves of bread and two fishes. Many of the people had continued to follow him hoping for more food. He taught them that his purpose was not to nourish them physically but to give them Living water and the Bread of Life. Many people then left when they realized they were not going to be fed again. Jesus turned to his disciples and asked them, "Will ye also go away?"
Simon Peter's reply touches my heart:
Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the a words of eternal life. And a we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, theb Son of the living God. John 6:67-68
I too believe and am sure.
I want Him to know that I remember.
Posted by Sister Montgomery
Family Home Evening Ideas:
Watch or listen to the talk, "The Best Three Hours of the Week: Getting the Most from your Sunday Meetings," by John Bytheway http://soa.li/Y86vQoU
Read "Blessings of the Sacrament," by Elder Don R. Clarke from the last General Conference
Pick an Easter hymn or a hymn about the sacrament. Learn the words and talk about the meaning. Sing it together
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