I gave my first sacrament talk!!

I asked Bishop Patton if I could give a talk a few weeks ago, and he said yes! I spoke yesterday during sacrament meeting! Despite it being really short, I think it went really well!

I started off by sharing a verse from one of my favorite songs, "Buy This Town," by Lori McKenna. "If I could buy your pain, first I'd buy the great big sea; and I'd put that pain inside a box, and bury it so deep. If I could buy you back, the years you worked yourself to death, I would buy and waste your suffering 'til there wasn't any left." 

I then related this to Jesus Christ and the Atonement. I talked a bit about how it's common knowledge that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, and how it's mentioned in Mosiah 14:5, and in 1 John 2:2. Then I went onto to say how He didn't just suffer four our sins and transgressions, but how he also suffered for the inequalities, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, weaknesses etc., that we feel or experience. I shared a Timothy J. Dyches quote; "If you feel unclean, unloved, unhappy, unworthy, or unwhole; Remember, all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." I said that the Atonement isn't just for sinners; it is for all of us. It is there to comfort and reassure us, to help us bear our burdens, and it can mend what, for us, is beyond repair. The Atonement not only has the power to free us from our transgressions, or the power to comfort our pains; it also has the power to strengthen our weaknesses. The Atonement not only has a cleansing power or a comforting power; it also has an enabling power. I shared an example of this that I found in Mosiah, chapter 24, where Alma and his brethren were being persecuted by Amulon. In verses 14 and 15, it says that the Lord told Alma that He would ease their burdens, and then the burdens were! "The Lord did strengthen them that they could bear their burdens with ease..."

I then talked about how to fully take advantage of the powers of the atonement, or how to activate the powers. First, remember where you came from and where you are headed. By following the plan the Lord has made for you, following the commandments, keeping the covenants you made, and having an eternal perspective, we are able to meet our Heavenly Father again. The Atonement can help push upward and forward towards our eternal goal.  Second, we must feast upon the word of God. In 2 Nephi 34:3, it says, "Feast upon the word of Christ; For behold, the words of Christ will tell you all that ye should do." The use of the word "feast" is not accidental or by happenstance. The Lord doesn't want us to take "nibbles" of His word. He wants us to have all we can "eat." I didn't share this scripture, but I really like 2 Nephi 4:15-16. I know our Heavenly Father wants us to delight in the scriptures, and also really ponder on them. He wants us to take them to heart. Third, read/listen to talks given by church leaders. Fourth, go to the temple. Fifth, exercise faith in Jesus Christ. Sixth, sincerely repent. Seventh, be baptized. Eighth, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Ninth, follow the teachings of Christ for the rest of your life.

Then I bore my testimony of how I've felt or used the Atonement in my life.

I was super nervous, but I did enjoy it. I don't want to go back up to the pulpit any time soon. I don't know much about any other subject relating to the gospel. But then again, having to give a talk would give me another reason to want to learn more. :)




If you'd like to read the talks or articles I read in preparation for my talk, click on the links below.

1. 6 Ways to Activate the Atonement
2. The Atonement of Jesus Christ - His Life and Teachings
3. Of Regrets and Resolutions
4. The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality
5. Beauty for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ