Oaks - The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament - October 1998

President Oaks speaks about the Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament and what it means to be trusted with such sacred responsibilities. He begins by talking about the restoration of the priesthood through John The Baptist and the significance of the words that were shared that day. Specifically, he talks about the concept of ministering angels and what that means. He begins by talking about baptism first.

• What does it mean that the Aaronic Priesthood holds “the key of the ministering of angels” and of the “gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins”? The meaning is found in the ordinance of baptism and in the sacrament. Baptism is for the remission of sins, and the sacrament is a renewal of the covenants and blessings of baptism. Both should be preceded by repentance. When we keep the covenants made in these ordinances, we are promised that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. The ministering of angels is one of the manifestations of that Spirit.
  

When we are baptized, we promise to take upon us the name of Christ.

• Baptism is the first of the saving ordinances. When we are baptized, we covenant that we will take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and serve Him and keep His commandments.

After baptism, we have the Gift of the Holy Ghost conferred upon us by worthy priesthood holders. This allows the Spirit to be our constant companion as long as we are worthy of that companionship.

• When He introduced the sacrament, the Savior also gave teachings and promises about the Holy Ghost. On that sacred occasion known as the Last Supper, Jesus explained the mission of the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost. The Comforter would testify of Him and reveal other truths. Jesus also explained that He had to leave His disciples in order for the Comforter to come to them.

Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost have a strong relationship to each other. The sacrament prayer points this out.

• The close relationship between partaking of the sacrament and the companionship of the Holy Ghost is explained in the revealed prayer on the sacrament. In partaking of the bread, we witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and always remember Him and keep His commandments. When we do so, we have the promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us.
  
• To have the continuous companionship of the Holy Ghost is the most precious possession we can have in mortality. The gift of the Holy Ghost was conferred upon us by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood after our baptism. But to realize the blessings of that gift, we must keep ourselves free from sin. When we commit sin, we become unclean and the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from us. The Spirit of the Lord does not dwell in “unholy temples,” and no unclean thing can dwell in His presence.

The sacrament is a vital part of the repentance process. We are blessed to have this ordinance performed each week.

• Not one of you young men and not one of your leaders has lived without sin since his baptism. Without some provision for further cleansing after our baptism, each of us is lost to things spiritual. We cannot have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and at the final judgment we would be bound to be “cast off forever.” How grateful we are that the Lord has provided a process for each baptized member of His Church to be periodically cleansed from the soil of sin. The sacrament is an essential part of that process.

The ministering of Angels is discussed as that is the promise to the Aaronic Priesthood that we can have angelic messengers minister to us. It is important to recognize that ministering from angels can be done by voice, personal visitation or in our minds and hearts. President Oaks points out that most angelic messages are felt rather than seen.

• Angelic messages can be delivered by a voice or merely by thoughts or feelings communicated to the mind. President John Taylor described “the action of the angels, or messengers of God, upon our minds, so that the heart can conceive … revelations from the eternal world.”
  
• Most angelic communications are felt or heard rather than seen.

President Oaks then offers personal advice to each priesthood holder and their role in administering the sacrament. He points out that it is the Aaronic Priesthood holders responsibility to not distract in any way from the personal worship that takes place during the administration of the sacrament.

• Those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels.
  

He gives advice on things that the Aaronic Priesthood can do to be reverent and less distracting during these times.

• Deacons, teachers, and priests should always be clean in appearance and reverent in the manner in which they perform their solemn and sacred responsibilities. Teachers’ special assignments in preparing the sacrament are the least visible but should still be done with dignity, quietly and reverently. Teachers should always remember that the emblems they are preparing represent the body and blood of our Lord.
  
• To avoid distracting from the sacred occasion, priests should speak the sacrament prayers clearly and distinctly. Prayers that are rattled off swiftly or mumbled inaudibly will not do. All present should be helped to understand an ordinance and covenants so important that the Lord prescribed the exact words to be uttered. All should be helped to focus on those sacred words as they renew their covenants by partaking.
  
  • Remember the significance of those sacred prayers. You are praying as a servant of the Lord in behalf of the entire congregation. Speak to be heard and understood, and say it like you mean it.
    
• Deacons should pass the sacrament in a reverent and orderly manner, with no needless motions or expressions that call attention to themselves. In all their actions they should avoid distracting any member of the congregation from worship and covenant making.
  
• All who officiate in the sacrament—in preparing, administering, or passing—should be well groomed and modestly dressed, with nothing about their personal appearance that calls special attention to themselves. In appearance as well as actions, they should avoid distracting anyone present from full attention to the worship and covenant making that is the purpose of this sacred ordinance.
  

He talks about the need for young men that officiate in the ordinance of the sacrament need to be worthy. If there is anything preventing you from being worthy, your bishop can help you get back on the right track.

• Young men, if any of you is unworthy, talk to your bishop without delay. Obtain his direction on what you should do to qualify yourself to participate in your priesthood duties worthily and appropriately.

Finally, he encourages all young men to participate in the singing of the hymns as part of their personal preparation to passing the sacrament. The sacrament hymns have a way of making us more aware of the blessings we have in our lives from the ordinance of the sacrament.

• With the single exception of those priests occupied breaking the bread, all who hold the Aaronic Priesthood should join in singing the sacrament hymn by which we worship and prepare to partake. No one needs that spiritual preparation more than the priesthood holders who will officiate in it. My young brethren, it is important that you sing the sacrament hymn. Please do so.

When I was a newly ordained Priest, I missed being able to sing the songs during the preparation of the sacrament because I didn't have a book. So I committed myself to learning the sacrament songs by heart so I could sing while I break the bread. That time of preparation in my life has blessed me as I have been able to reflect on some of the sacred hymns when I need additional strength to make it through difficult times. Today, I still can sing the sacrament hymns without a hymnbook, reflecting positively on my desire from years ago. We all need some extra spiritual strength at times, so I would encourage you to learn a hymn or two that you can sing in your mind when you need the spirit a little closer to you.