Sacrament Meeting Program

Presiding: Bishop Serge St. Felix
Conducting: Bishop Serge St. Felix
Opening Hymn: #203 - Angels We Have Heard on High
Invocation: By Invitation

Ward Business

Sacrament Hymn: #173 - While of these Emblems We Partake
Administration of the Sacrament

Testimony Meeting

Closing Hymn: #201 - Joy to the World
Benediction: By Invitation

The Familiy Proclamation - Words from God

By Ronald A. Rasband
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Some of you may reflect on the proclamation and say, “This isn’t working for me.” “It seems insensitive.” “My family doesn’t look like that.” “I don’t fit.”

For those with concerns, know that you are a child of heavenly parents, part of your Heavenly Father’s family. No one knows you better or cares more deeply about you than He does. Turn to Him; pour out your heart to Him; trust Him and His promises. You have family in your Savior, Jesus Christ, who loves you. He came to earth to atone for our sins and bear the burden of our mistakes and our very bad days. He understands what you are facing and feeling. Turn to Him; trust He will send the Holy Ghost to be with you, lift you, and guide you. Feel Their love that “sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; … it is the most desirable above all things … and the most joyous to the soul.”

All of the Lord’s Apostles love you dearly. We pray for you and seek the Lord’s guidance for you. Stay with us. You live in challenging times when the adversary seeks to make you his. Do not be drawn off. And if you are, come back. Our arms reach out to you, as will those of others who love you.

The proclamation states, “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness.” The Book of Mormon provides a second witness to this truth. In the first verse of the first chapter, we read, “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents.” How many of us have started the Book of Mormon—and started again and again—and in the process committed those words to memory? Commit them to heart.

One of my favorite statements in the proclamation is this: “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of … Jesus Christ.”

Who does not want to be happy?

And what are the teachings of Jesus Christ? Again, in the proclamation: “Faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”

Whose life will not be better by applying these key principles? None of us are going to do perfectly; but we can follow President Hinckley’s wise words: “Do the very best you can.”

We read in the proclamation, “Fathers are to preside … in love and righteousness,” and “mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” Preside does not mean dominate, and nurture does not mean a secondary role. God has given men and women different but equal and essential roles that complement each other.

Let me share a personal story.

My wife and I learned to work better at being equal partners after one day when I decided to make an important decision without consulting her. My action surprised her, took her off guard, and put her in a very difficult situation. Afterward, she put her hands on my shoulders and firmly said, “Ron, please, never do that to me again.” We have pretty much been on the same page ever since.

We find in the family proclamation: “Fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”

Equal is a word that matters. Over the years, as Sister Rasband and I have worked together in what the proclamation describes as our “sacred responsibilities,” we have shaped an equally yoked marriage. As each of our children is now married, Sister Rasband and I have continued to counsel them and their spouses on how to be equal partners.

When we live with our eyes single to the glory of God, we respect one another and support one another. Those divine patterns of righteousness lead to stability in our individual lives, our families, and society.

Our Father in Heaven has provided the proclamation on the family to help guide us home to Him, to help us learn and be filled with love, strength, purpose, and eternal understanding. With all my soul, I plead with you to live close to Him and His Beloved Son. I promise as you do so, the Spirit will inspire and guide you and help you feel in your heart Their promised peace that “passeth all understanding.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Family Proclamation—Words from God

Elder Rasband shares principles from the proclamation on the family and teaches that this document has a divine origin and should be treated with the reverence given to words from God.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband