The sacrament

[baseballbennett3]

I have to problems concerning the sacrament.
1. We hage members of the church who miss the sacrament ordinance but come late wither after the ordinance has finished or during the second hour. They then proceed to ask branch president and priesthood holders to give them the sacrament that had already been blessed. My question is when the sacrament ordonnance ends does that mean we need to rebless the sacrament before giving to members?

2. When taking the sacrament to members that were sick at hone or had other reasons for not coming to church, can we taje the sacrament that has already been blessed or should we break and bless the sacrament individually at each home?

[lajackson]

I have two problems concerning the sacrament.
1. They then proceed to ask branch president and priesthood holders to give them the sacrament that had already been blessed.

2. . . . can we take the sacrament that has already been blessed or should we break and bless the sacrament individually at each home?

The bishop or branch president is responsible for the administration of the sacrament within the boundaries of his ward or branch. Part of partaking of the sacrament involves renewing the covenants mentioned in the sacramental prayers. In my opinion, eating the bread or drinking the water has no benefit at all if it is not associated with hearing the prayers that bless those emblems. This factors into my two suggestions that follow.

Situation 1. If I were the branch president I would politely inform the members that the sacrament was blessed and passed during sacrament meeting and that they are welcome to return the following week to participate in that ordinance. Partaking of the bread and water without hearing the prayers has no benefit and I would not do it again just because the members were not on time to the meeting.

Situation 2. I have always been taught that when the bishop or branch president authorizes taking the sacrament into a home, someone with authority (priest or elder) should bless the bread and water before it is given to the member. The member needs to hear those prayers as a part of making their covenants related to the ordinance of the sacrament.

[russellhltn]

Taking nothing away from lajackson, if the bishop has questions not answered in the Handbook, he can consult with the stake president. (Handbook 0.4)

[Cmanrogers]

The Handbook is relatively quiet about this, meaning it is up to the man with the keys of this ordinance—the bishop or branch president. Whatever he feels is right goes.

In my opinion to answer #1, the bread and water's blessing doesn't expire at any time. I agree with Lajackson's opinion on this subject though, and they should hear the prayers. It isn't an impossible thing to get to Church before the sacrament, and if it is you could always go to a later ward's sacrament meeting.

[russellhltn]

In my opinion to answer #1, the bread and water's blessing doesn't expire at any time.

In contrast to other Christian churches, ours has no special instructions for disposing excess bread and water after the meeting.

The Handbook does have instruction for administering the sacrament to those unable to attend, but has no instructions for those who arrive late.

[BrianEdwards]

I'm grateful that the Bishop has authority to discern what's proper for his ward, as we all know even when a Bishop has an established procedure in place, he may be inspired to make accommodations at times. I think an important consideration is the word "ordinance" which you used in your O.P. (in GHB 18.9.4, it talks about the instructions for the sacrament ordinance). My perspective is that for those partaking in any sacred ordinance, it's important to be present for its entirety. And when administering the sacrament at home, although of course not everything directly correlates, the same principles from GHB 18.9.4 apply. Not only the prayers, but the breaking of the bread is also a stated part of the sacrament ordinance. Emphasizing the importance of each aspect of the sacrament ordinance, will help all members receive the full blessings as they participate.

Each Bishop will be inspired to know how to apply these policies. It's okay that some Bishops might not want late-arrivals to participate. And other Bishops may allow for members to partake of the water if they arrive during that portion without first partaking of the bread, while others will have the priesthood holders go and retrieve the bread trays during the administration of the water.

[swigginton]

The bread and water are emblems of the ordinance. They are not the ordinance itself. Participating in the ordinance includes breaking the bread and reciting the prayers. To me, simply partaking of the emblems outside of that would be like dunking in the font without the prayer being recited and calling it "baptism". Just my thought.

[RyanGard1977]

It's not up to us to decide. That is up to the Bishop. We need not worry ourselves with this matter. it's as simple as that.

[jabee7]

Latecomers for the Sacrament: When it comes to latecomers and the sacrament, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher. I mean, if I showed up late to church and missed the sacrament, I'd probably feel a bit left out. But generally, in most places, once they've blessed and passed it, that's it for that round. So if someone like me arrives late, it might mean waiting until the next service to partake.

Now, when it comes to taking the sacrament to folks who can't make it to church, I'd think it's a pretty thoughtful thing to do. If it were me, I'd want to make sure the bread and water are from the regular service, as long as they've been handled and stored properly.

But, hey, rules and practices can vary a bit from place to place

[BrianEdwards]

It's not up to us to decide. That is up to the Bishop. We need not worry ourselves with this matter. it's as simple as that.

True... but the Bishop rarely operates in a vacuum. He often receives inspiration as he counsels with and listens to others, whether they share official policy with him, or their own impressions. He may or may not take counsel into account when making a decision, but revelation is scattered amongst the saints.