Commune with Me

In the LDS Church, the weekly sacramental ordinance is our Eucharist: a rite common to many Christian sects, only much more frequently performed than most. In other denominations, the sacrament is also referred to as Communion because that is what it means: we commune with God; we reach for him and he reaches back--and touches us if we let him. What a splendid thought! In reality, it is actually him always reaching out to us, and that particular sacramental rite is one of infinite ways in which he does this.

How often do we reach back? Consciously reach back? Let me explain what I mean by "reach back." I mean, how often do we 1) recognize and then 2) attempt to capitalize on the opportunities he has given us to touch him and 3) succeed in doing so? For example, when we break bread weekly we act in that rite--let's hope that we can be as sincere as we can at that time. So we thoughtfully partake and in doing so, we "reach back."

Prayer is another example. He is always there to hear us, and when we think or say or yearn or hope, we are reaching, which he then takes into himself and we are touched by him--a sacrament and communion.

In that same vein, how about priesthood blessings? To preface this topic a little, I would mention the following: God's power is his honor. The elements obey him because they honor him. They recognize him as perfect and just, so when they were commanded to be organized into an earth, he spake and they obeyed. That is his power, and the reward of his obedience when he was just a man. (BTW, when I refer to "God" and use the pronoun "him," please know that I mean "Elohim" which is plural: Heavenly Father and Mother, as appropriate) So the elements obey him, and when a priesthood holder gives a blessing, say, to heal a sick person by means of a miracle, what I have mentioned above is what is actually happening: although the voice of the blessing is just a person like you or me, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that person is made worthy of the same honor from those elements. They move to obey God's will as if he were the one giving the blessing; ideally the voice is in tune and is saying the words given him from God anyway. So this is another perfect example of a sacrament, when God's plane and man's plane touch at a point, with Christ making possible the compatibility between the two.

While prayer and other blessings are not the conventional Eucharist, I proclaim that they are sacraments because the two dimensions touch and we, along with others, are blessed for it. This is because we do these things in the name of Jesus Christ. I submit that any time we act in his name that this is the case. So if you have read my previous blog "In a Name" we will see that anything we do that is something he would do is us fulfilling our covenant to take upon us that name. If his name is attributes and actions yielded by having those attributes, then something as simple as kind words to another (which is something he does) is very literally acting in his name.

And what does this mean? This means that any time we do something to enrich a life, ours or another's, we are acting in his name. This, then, is a sacrament. This, then, is a time when God and man come together. Why did you do that nice thing for the other person? Initially because you knew that it was right, the spirit guided you, and then you acted. And as you acted upon that guidance, you were acting as God, you were acting as Jesus Christ. They lift others up, they comfort the sad, they make others happy, they teach, they give service, they smile, they share in grief, and just on and on. They move through us so that we can benefit from the feeling we get when offering service in whatever capacity.

We all know that God (again, the combination of both father and mother and their combined traits, knowledge and perfections) can do all of these things independent of us. They don't need Mike Brady to be nice to Kristen Brady so that Kristen knows that God loves her; God can do that on his own. But if we are to love one another as he has loved us, what an awesome experience for Mike to love his sister and show it, then both feel great, and then both are blessed. Mike grows, Kristen grows, and both people get to participate in that kind of a sacrament. Both commune with the Holy Spirit and the warm feelings brought about by his presence.

I want so badly to love like he loves and to be like he is. I want to be able to do anything for anybody to the extent of my physical limitations, because not only is that person helped but so am I, and on so many levels. It is so encouraging to know that we don't need the Eucharist to be able to have that sacrament, that constant presence of God. What can we do to incorporate him into our lives? Reach. That's all. And how do we reach? I think we just went over that--in addition to the countless other ways not mentioned here. All of you do this unconsciously anyway, so keep on pumping me up, keep being the great ones that you are and hopefully I can learn to be more like him through watching you. Your examples are wonderful and I hope to be half of what all of you are when it comes to that pure love of Christ, that charity. The point is to take his name, act in his name, act like him and he will be there to bless all involved with his presence.

love,
Mike