Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 27 which is the section where the Lord reveals to Joseph Smith that it doesn't matter what is used for the sacrament so long as it is prepared properly and the prayers are said properly. This section has always illustrated to me that the prayers are the most important part of the sacrament, which most Latter-day Saints would most likely agree with who has ever heard a priest stumbling through the prayers 4 maybe even 5 times before getting it right.
I've heard every argument in the book about why wine should be allowed to be used in the sacrament from it more closely resembles blood to it's what the Savior used. But the fact of the matter is, the Savior himself stated that it does not matter what we use, and truly we have members that will use crackers, or juice or any number of things that are available for them. I am personally glad that we don't use wine because I have even heard it used as an argument of why people should be allowed to drink alcohol, because it is what is used in the sacrament therefore it must be ok, etc, etc.
The middle part of this section is really neat to me. The Lord here talks to Joseph about the people He has already sent and those that He will send to Joseph to restore keys. He even mentions which keys are going to be restored by which people. I think it would have been really neat to be Joseph Smith and receive this revelation and know in advance some of the people you were going to get to meet and the keys you were going to receive at their hands.
The last part of the section should be familiar to most from seminary. It is commonly referred to as the armor of God. This phrase and idea is very popular with speakers and people giving talks. For truly like the days of old we need protection from the world and from Satan and his followers. The armor of God is various and each has a purpose and when we take all those pieces together, we become a very worthy disciple of Christ. The pieces the armor represent are: truth, righteousness, preparation of the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Lord's Spirit. The blessings each one of these gives us is not listed however we are promised that if we have them all, then we are worthy to stand in His presence and we caught up to where He is.
I must be honest that nothing really stood out to me in this section during my reading or my pondering afterwards hence why this post is more of a review of the section. I invite you all to read the section yourselves, it's only 18 verses, and see what the Lord would have you learn from this section. For me I feel a greater sense to put on the armor of God and stand tall and proud as one of His disciples for the world to see and know that the truth is restored on the earth. For that is what we have all promised Him when we were baptized and what we renew each week when we partake of the sacrament. It's kind of neat how this section flows this way, talking about the sacrament, then ending with a discussion of what we will need to stand as witnesses for Him.
As I said, I invite each of you to read this section with a prayer in your heart and see what the Lord would like for you to learn in this section. I am confident that He will teach you all that you should know and do from these verses. Until tomorrow.
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