"One by one" and the sacrament

Some of my  favorite verses in the Book of Mormon are 3 Nephi 11:14-15. Christ has just appeared to the people in the Americas and he tells them,

 "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come."

This scene is so powerful to me. Can you imagine a personal moment with the Savior? To feel of His hands, to feel of His love, to know for a certainty that He lives.  Christ spends a moment with each person in that crowd so that they may know for themselves that He is the Christ. I have always longed for that.

I shared that desire with a friend of mine and he gave me some beautiful insight. He told me that every Sunday we do have that opportunity. L Tom Perry said, "Partaking of the sacrament provides us with a sacred moment in a holy place." When we are baptized, we enter into a covenant where we promise to obey all of God's commandments, and all He asks. We take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, and strive to be like him. Every Sunday as we partake of the sacrament, (or communion) the bread and water, we renew our baptismal covenants. In the 26th chapter of Matthew we learn of this ordinance:

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:26–28).

Taking the sacrament worthily and with purpose is that one on one time with the Savior each week. In a talk given by Don R. Clarke  he shares 5 principles that can improve our sacrament experience. I encourage all of you to read this talk (click on Don R. Clarke's name). He suggests the following:
1:Have a Feeling of Gratitude for the Atonement of Jesus Christ
"The first principle is to have a feeling of gratitude to Heavenly Father during the sacrament for the Atonement of His Son."
2:Remember That We Are Renewing Baptismal Covenants

"The sacramental prayers are a reminder of these covenants. When we partake of the sacrament, we renew our commitment to live up to these covenants. I believe it would be appropriate to memorize the sacramental prayers in our minds and in our hearts. This will help us focus on renewing our baptismal covenants. Whether we were 8 or 80 years old when we were baptized, I hope we will never forget that day and the covenants we made."

3:During the Sacrament We Can Feel Forgiven of Our Sins
President Boyd K. Packer said: “The sacrament renews the process of forgiveness. Every Sunday when the sacrament is served, that is a ceremony to renew the process of forgiveness. … Every Sunday you cleanse yourself so that, in due time, when you die your spirit will be clean.”⁸ Partaking of the sacrament worthily can help us feel like the people of King Benjamin, who “were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience.”⁹
4:We Can Receive Inspiration for Solutions to Our Problems
As we humbly come to sacrament meeting, we can be blessed to feel impressions for solutions to our daily problems. We must come prepared, be willing to listen, and not be distracted. In the scriptures we read, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.”¹⁰ We can know what we should do to solve our problems.
5:Partaking of the Sacrament Worthily Will Help Us Be Filled with the Holy Ghost
They had been promised that if they hungered and thirsted after righteousness, they would be filled with the Holy Ghost. The sacramental prayer also promises that if we live up to our covenants, we will always have His Spirit to be with us.¹²

I know that the Savior wants us to feel His presence in our lives. I know that by taking the sacrament with purpose every week we will feel that. I am grateful to a loving Savior who loved us enough to give us a way to share personal, spiritual experiences with Him weekly, through the sacrament.  I add my testimony to Elder Melvin J. Ballard who said, “I am a witness that there is a spirit attending the administration of the sacrament that warms the soul from head to foot; you feel the wounds of the spirit being healed, and the load being lifted. Comfort and happiness come to the soul that is worthy and truly desirous of partaking of this spiritual food.”