A Rewording Exercise

In the Latter-day Saint faith, our Sunday worship services include a sacrament meeting, where a Sacramental prayer is pronounced on bread, and then on water.  The bread, and then water, are passed by men who hold the priesthood to the congregation.  Members of the congregation then 'partake' (eat or drink).  Partaking of the sacrament is an ordinance done in remembrance of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice, and is a renewal of the covenants* made with God when one was baptized.

If one hears the sacrament prayers on a weekly basis from the time they were 8 years old, by my age (undisclosed), they would hear each blessing repeated over 1,000 times!  That's quite a lot if you ask me!  I took some time to analyze the wording of the prayers in an effort to better understand them.  Consider some of the following verbiage used in both prayers, and a basic definition or interpretation of said words:

Always	at all times
Bless	to hallow or consecrate
Keep	to take notice by appropriate conduct
Remember	to bring to mind or think of again
Sanctify	to purify
Souls	the spirit and body
Willing	to accept by choice, without reluctance
Witness	to furnish proof

Now, if one were to take these definitions, and insert them into the Sacrament prayer text for their ascribed word, the blessing on the bread would come out looking something like this...

"Oh God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to hallow or consecrate and purify this bread to the spirits and bodies of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and furnish proof unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are accepting by choice, without reluctance to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always bring [him] to mind or think of [him], and take notice by appropriate conduct towards his commandments which he hath given them, they they may at all times have his spirit to be with them. Amen. (Adaptation of Moroni 4:3; D&C 20:77)"

My first inclination after this little exercise was to appreciate the verbs associated with the Sacramental prayer, in conjunction with the personal agency displayed in the wording "witness".  Partaking of the sacrament is an active process.  It requires our agency in action. Verbs, verbs, verbs.  Properly engaging in the partaking of sacrament should take effort, and the effort should be sustained beyond the period of the ordinace.  It should peruse throughout our week and direct our actions.

* The following from Doctrine and Covenant 20:37 and Mosiah 18: 8-10 explain a little of the preparation required of, and the covenants entered into when engaging in baptism. 

"All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve hi to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church. (D&C 20:37)"

"...Behold here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;

Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all tings, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life--

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his  Spirit more abundantly upon you? (Mosiah 18:8-10)"