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This is a great piece. You have me wondering what one might indeed add to the sacrament to make it more like the Temple.
In, “Moroni: A Brief Theological Introduction” Holland wrestles with the question of why the sacrament prayers were added at the end. If they were so important, why not add them sooner? On the other hand, if they will be freely available to the current prophet why include them at all? His answer is that Moroni included the prayers to feel communion and connection with the Church of Christ set up in 3 Nephi.
As he wandered alone for decades those ordinances kept him focused. They were also a (nearly) tangible proof of a connection he had with God and the saints who lived before him. Ultimately the ordinances made Moroni less alone.
You hit on that as you mention for Latter-day Saints the Sacrament doesn’t point only to the Last Supper but to Christ’s New World ministry as well.
I didn’t realize the Sacrament or Eucharist could mean such different things to different people.
Thank you for this article. I found it very informative.
No problem, Jeff, I’m very happy to have been able to contribute the article.
Robin, I really enjoyed this thoughtful article that offers some valuable insights into our worship practices. A very valuable contribution that may help our members be more aware of some of the subtleties of their faith and also better appreciating the relationships to other Christian faiths. Thank you for sharing this! It was also a pleasure to read. Thank you for the kindness of sharing this with us.