Schedule and Frequency:
Sacrament meetings will be held every 2nd and 4th Saturday at 2pm Pacific, 3pm Mountain, 4pm Central, and 5pm Eastern.
Purpose:
It is important to know that “the church” is not merely a building where we may attend religious services, nor is it merely a hierarchical, ecclesiastical structure with its quorums and auxiliaries. In the fullest sense, the church is the body of Christ; it is the body of believers. This body of believers, or “saints”, is not restricted to any particular organization nor denomination. In fact, “Whosoever repents and comes to me,” says Jesus, “the same is my church.” Furthermore, Jesus says of anyone who says otherwise, “the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.” (D&C 10:67-68).
In all ages of the world, the saints have been commanded to gather together frequently to worship, fellowship, learn, serve, and participate in ordinances (more properly known as “sacraments”).
Leviticus 23:3 “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation. (a designated assembly of people for sacred or religious purposes)”
Moroni 6:5-6 “And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls. And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.”
More scripture could be cited, but it is sufficient to say that meeting together with fellow saints is a vital component to the life of every believer. For those saints who feel a call to explore and embrace the fullness of their restored religion, the meetings of the Mormon Legacy Ministry will help to meet this spiritual need.
Format:
The format of our sacrament meetings will be both novel and familiar to those who have normally associated with the mainstream branch of the church (a.k.a. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah). The general meeting format will be as follows:
- Opening Song
- Opening Prayer
- Announcements/Business
- Scripture Reading and Testimony
- Sacramental Hymn
- Administration of The Sacrament
- Scripture Reading and Testimony
- Closing Song
- Closing Prayer
Deviations from this general format may occur from time to time as circumstance or inspiration may dictate:
D&C 46:2 “But notwithstanding those things which are written, it always has been given to the elders of my church from the beginning, and ever shall be, to conduct all meetings as they are directed and guided by the Holy Spirit.”
Moroni 6:9 “And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done.”
To accommodate the widest possible audience, these meetings will be broadcast via Zoom.
Content:
Public reading of scripture, followed by a related discourse/testimony, is an ancient mode of instruction, worship, and fellowship which was observed by Messiah himself:
Luke 4:16-21 “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read… [After reading,] he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down… And he began to say unto them…”
In orthodox latter day saint meetings, it is common practice to call upon members of the congregation to speak extemporaneously. That is, without specific prior preparation, i.e. talks are neither assigned nor written beforehand. Rather, everyone in attendance is expected to be continually preparing, storing up wisdom and knowledge, so that they may be called upon at any time to impart the same.
“With the Latter-day Saints, the idea of writing sermons or preparing addresses beforehand is entirely discarded; it never was practiced amongst them.” (George A. Smith, J.D. 13:292)
“Hence the folly of sermons written beforehand; and unless the written beforehand sermons are by revelation, or prophecy, all men the world over, may know when they hear a sermon read from the pulpit, that God has no hand in that matter; and the preacher is not sent of God; and is not God’s servant.” (editorial, Des. News, Sept. 4, 1852)
“It is well known to the Latter-day Saints–though perhaps not to strangers–that no Elder or member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who enters into this Tabernacle knows who is going to be called upon to speak to the people. Hence no man spends a week, a day, an hour, or a moment to prepare a discourse to deliver unto the people.” (Wilford Woodruff, J.D. 24:236)
Therefore, anyone who attends a Mormon Legacy Ministry sacrament meeting may be called upon to read scripture, elaborate, and bear testimony. However, no one will be compelled to speak, nor shamed for declining if they do not feel to speak when called upon.
The Sacrament:
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is something the Lord expects us to partake of frequently. As with all sacraments (commonly called “ordinances”), it is vital that it be preserved and performed with exactness, according to the original, revealed pattern. Due to our desire to be faithful to the ordinances as revealed, there are a few differences that you may notice when participating in our sacrament services.
First, you will notice that we prefer to use wine (of our own make) as the scriptures direct. When Jesus had the last supper with his disciples in Jerusalem it was with wine. This was immediately prior to the Passover - which is six months after the grape harvest. They did not have pasteurization nor refrigeration, but preserved the grape harvest in the normal way – fermentation. When the Lord appeared to the Nephites, he also gave them wine for the sacrament and commanded them that they should always repeat this when administering the emblems in the future (see 3 Nephi 18:11-12). In our current dispensation, the Lord has likewise specified grape wine as the preferred sacramental emblem (see D&C 27 and 89) and also testified that he himself will partake of the cup of wine, with his disciples, when he returns (D&C 27:5-14 and elsewhere).
Regardless, the administration of the sacramental emblems for our meetings will always be done locally. Afterall, we are commanded that the officiator is to kneel, “with the church” (D&C 20:76 and Moroni 4:2). When we come to the sacrament portion of the meeting, everyone will turn off their microphones and speakers and administer their own sacramental emblems. While wine of your own make is preferred, and in accordance with the scriptural pattern, we are aware of the weakness of the saints, and of the pressures of long-held traditions. Therefore, each family or group joining the meeting may choose to use wine, juice, or water, as they may. When finished, we will provide a way for you to notify us on Zoom. After everyone is completed, we will resume the general meeting.
Second, you will see that priests do not normally administer the sacrament, as the revelations explicitly forbid them from doing so if there are any elders present.
D&C 20:46, 50 “The priest’s duty is to preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize, and administer the sacrament…But when there is an elder present, he is only to preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize.”
Please let us know if you do not have access to a priesthood holder qualified to administer the sacrament to you, and we will see what arrangements might be made to remedy this.
Third, you will see that the officiant will raise their arm, or arms, to the square while reciting the prayer. This tradition, common among orthodox latter day saints, is reminiscent of the method of baptism that you are used to observing where the officiant raises his arm to the square while reciting the prayer, as a sign that this act is being performed by the authority of the priesthood.
Dress Code:
This is a sacrament meeting. However, you will find that orthodox latter day saints are often more relaxed about their Sunday appearance. Therefore, you will probably see a broader variation in dress than you would at a typical sacrament meeting of the mainstream church. Regardless, no dress code will be enforced unless there seems to be clothing that violates reasonable standards modesty or is otherwise offensive.
Who May Attend:
These meetings are intended for adult audiences; not because of any inappropriate content, but because adults are the focus of our ministry. Children should be taught by their parents. This is in keeping with the natural and scriptural pattern established by God. While children cannot join Mormon Legacy Ministry, they may attend sacrament meetings at the discretion of their parents.
We love you, our brothers and sisters in the faith of the Restored Gospel and look forward to worshiping and fellowshipping with you in the future.