I have started this WordPress blog site for the simple reason to record and remind myself, my extensive family and any others who may find it useful, of the infinite depth of even the simplest scriptures such as the prayers for blessing the Sacrament as in LDS meetings or The Lord’s Supper as it is commonly known. I like to ponder not only scriptures, scripture stories, but even single words. But one doesn’t have to stop there. One can even ponder syllables and sounds like Dr. Arthur Henry King who opened our eyes to how sounds open or close our souls. I have gone even further and transliterated the text into Ancient Pictographic Hebrew and pondered on the meanings of each letter, which in the ancient script, is a story in itself, revealing the Atonement of Jesus Christ through the alphabet.
I use the title “Bless and Sanctify” for a very special reason. The words come from Doctrine & Covenants 20:77, 79 copyright 1981, 2013 Intellectual Reserve. As I was pondering the Lord’s Supper prayer words, it occurred to me that God wishes to bless us first. Then when we have invited Him into our lives, He begins the more arduous process of sanctifying us. When a stone rolls out of the mountain, it knocks off sharp corners. When it ends in a stream, and then a river, it collides with numerous other rocks and becomes smooth. Over eons of time, it becomes the beautiful white sand of the infinite ocean beach. So is our sanctifying process, which although painful at times, is smoothing out our imperfections.
But God does not begin with making us hurt. Crime and Punishment are the way of the world. The school of hard knocks is common to all of us. God begins with blessings first in most cases. So Malachi, the prophet complains that, “the wicked are set up” in other words, held in high esteem. Since God is no respecter of persons, He is always blessing His children everywhere, no matter who they are or what they are doing. He is patiently waiting for them to come unto Him, where He can begin the purifying and sanctifying process at their own pace and desire.
The bread and water represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ, splayed and spilled on the cross. He said, I am the vine, ye are the branches. Also, He prayed, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us…” John 17:21 So when we think of blessing and sanctifying the bread and water, and Christ’s body and blood, we also think of ourselves being blessed and sanctified, because He is in each of us through the Spirit of Christ which dwells in all men.