Many people are aware that Latter-day Saints attend church for a three-hour block every Sunday. Opinions outside of the faith vary on the length of time we spend in worship. For that matter, opinions inside the church can vary from Sunday to Sunday as well.
If you come expecting to be bored or wishing you were somewhere else, that’s pretty much all that will happen while you’re there. On the other hand, if you come for the reasons that the Lord has asked His saints to gather, the experience you come away with is very different.
The Sabbath, and all its meetings, is designed for the saints. All disciples of Christ have been asked to come together often. They need the support that those gatherings can offer. When our daily lives are so full of the worries of the world, three hours on the Lord’s day doesn’t seem long enough to revitalize and prepare for the battle.
I was thinking about this as I sat in my meetings yesterday. I began to think how nice it was to know that here, in these meetings were men and women who believed as I did, who were honestly trying their best to serve the Savior, to become more like Him. Here was a support and uplifting system that I needed more than I needed that few extra hours of sleep or time on the lake or slopes. I felt supported and loved by those around me and by my Heavenly Father for my efforts in obedience. Everyone, no matter what religion you affiliate with, needs this time of comfort and renewal.
Even if it’s a message you feel you’ve heard a million times before, coming with an open heart and mind invites the Spirit to be with you, to testify of this truth to you, to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ, and perhaps nudge you to be a better disciple than you were before. The scriptures are clear. The Lord has asked us to gather.
“And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.
And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.
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.”
Moroni 6:3-6
“And there was one day in every week that was set apart that they should gather themselves together to teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God, and also, as often as it was in their power, to assemble themselves together.”
Mosiah 18:25
“…but they did walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God, continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord.”
4 Nephi 1:12
In three hours the Latter-day saints accomplish all of these aspects of worship.
In our sacrament meetings we partake of the sacred symbols of the bread and water. We renew our commitment to carry Christ’s name in all that we do. We ask forgiveness for the times we have faltered in our convictions.
On Fast Sunday we are each given the opportunity to speak of our love for the Savior and the gospel. Hearing from each other strengthens our own convictions as well as confirms to the person speaking that their best efforts are accepted of the Lord.
In Sunday School we study the scriptures, seeking out the Lord’s messages and finding ways to incorporate them into our lives.
In our divided meetings specifically for the men and women we learn how to take the messages of the gospel back into our homes and communities and strengthen our relationships.
Our children begin planting the seeds of their own testimonies in Primary and youth meetings.
Depending on what we brought to the meetings- boredom or an open heart, we can leave inspired and uplifted. More importantly, we have learned from each other that even among the struggles of life, there are many others like us, all disciples of Jesus Christ doing our best every day to serve Him.
