Congratulations, Dad. You can bless the sacrament

I remember one day when I was very young running up to my father after the Church meeting and congratulating him on being able to bless the sacrament!

The Ken and Philippa Powrie family, 1960

Clockwise from the left: Ken (father), Les, Jane, Tim, Judy, Ron and Philippa (mother) in the centre

Ken Powrie 1961

We were meeting in the Krugersdorp Town Hall at the time, so that would probably have been well before I was 9 years of age when we moved to the new Krugersdorp chapel in 1963. I would guess that I was quite a bit younger than 9 years, but have no idea how old I was. I have wondered if my father might have recorded the incident in his diary, but that would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

It was clear that I esteemed those who could bless the sacrament.

My father was called in 1959 as president of the Transvaal District and so usually presiding at meetings and very often visiting other units around the district. I wonder if I might have been younger than 5 years, so before he was called, but I imagine that I was older than 5 years of age.

Many years later my father told me that one would not preside 'from the floor', so I wonder if the mission president might have been visiting, enabling my father to bless the sacrament, or else he presided from the sacrament table on that day if he had already been called to serve as district president.

Of course, I now see that the district president would direct others who direct others who direct the administration of the sacrament, but in my young mind, the ordinance of the sacrament was so sacred that I saw it as a very great honour for my father to be able to administer the sacrament of the Lord's supper.

I am very privileged on occasions to administer or pass the sacred emblems of the sacrament. It was a special experience recently to bless the sacrament together with my son Richard while my oldest grandson Joshua and his father Andrew passed the sacrament immediately after Josh was ordained as a deacon, and then to pass the sacrament together with Josh. I wish that more of my friends could participate in this holy ordinance.

We also have an unusual situation at present with the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are not able to meet together with the saints in sacrament meetings. Sally and I are blessed to be able to have the sacrament in our own home, with me blessing and passing it each week with authorisation of the bishop. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have encouraged those without a worthy priesthood officer who can administer the sacrament: “In unusual circumstances when the sacrament is not available, members can be comforted by studying the sacrament prayers and recommitting to live the covenants members have made and praying for the day they will receive it in person, properly administered by the priesthood.”

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Just minutes after posting this blog someone on the family sent a Facebook link by Russell M Nelson 

It was really meaningful for me to read about his experience of the sacrament with his wife in his home, and reading what many said who commented on his post.