Family Sacrament Service, Section 27 Style
The day after the bishop authorized and requested that men and youth of the priesthood provide the sacrament of the holy meal to their own families there was another e-mail. The second was from the elders’ quorum president reminding his quorum where in the scriptures we will find the prayers. That was all the prompting I needed.
This morning a half hour before our family sacrament service, I took a bunch of table grapes from the refrigerator. 
I crushed each between thumb and forefinger and then squeezed them between nested bowls.
I read to the children D&C 20:74-79, not repeating the prayers which they knew and which my priest son would soon pronounce, so that they could concentrate on the surrounding verses setting up the prayers. Then I read the heading and some verses from Section 27. Church leaders, I explained, have given instructions consistent with scripture for how the sacrament is administered to wards. In our home this day we would also be consistent with scripture, and I explained what would happen.
So after a hymn (not during) the priest tore the small, flat loaf into four pieces. He knelt, and the rest of us knelt with him, and he called upon the Father in solemn prayer. Then he handed the plate with the bread to my deacon son who gave a piece to his younger sister, to his brother and to me, and took the last piece himself. When we were finished eating, he went around to collect any portions of our pieces that we had not eaten. We knelt again, and the priest asked the Eternal Father to bless and sanctify the wine. It seemed like a good remembrance.
For next week, I will seek out some grapes with a darker juice. “Good, better, best” doesn’t have to always turn into “cheap, cheaper, cheapest.”
Daniel T
March 15, 2020
Not sure why you insisted on waiting to finish the hymn. According to the General Handbook, “The congregation sings a sacrament hymn while the bread is being broken.”
Carter Craft
March 15, 2020
I wonder how many members have received permission to perform the sacrament in their homes from their bishop vs having elders come to their home to administer it.
I have received neither and did not take the sacrament this morning.
Mike Astill
March 15, 2020
Our Stake Presidency sent out an email authorizing all worthy priesthood holders to administer the sacrament in their own homes. There was also a charge to make sure all members who did not have the priesthood in their home had the opportunity to partake of the sacrament. My neighbor whose husband is inactive joined us. We sang “I Stand All Amazed” while my son-in-law broke the bread. After he blessed and passed it, I blessed and passed the water. It was the most spiritual sacrament ordinance I have ever participated in. My daughter then gave a talk, followed by my wife. We then watched the #hearhim video from the church, and I closed with my testimony. We concluded by singing “I Need Thee Every Hour” and my neighbor gave the prayer. Many tears were shed in gratitude. It felt as if everything the Brethren have been doing to prepare us for a Home Centered Church was put into practice today. As I type, we are preparing to have dinner, which will be followed by Sunday School. Sunday evening has always been the best part of our day where we gather to discuss Gospel topics, read the scriptures, and simply enjoy each other’s company. That will not change. It almost feels like we are returning to the pre-3 hour block days, and it is wonderful. The priesthood keys are real, and they are being exercised with great power and authority.
John Mansfield
March 15, 2020
In answer to your question, Daniel T., I would say “chose” rather than “insisted.” I chose that pattern because the loaf was torn into four pieces, which only took seconds to do. It made more sense for that to happen after the singing concluded rather than during the first half of the first verse, and this allowed the priest’s voice to be part of the very small body singing, as Jesus’ was at the Last Supper.
Rozy
March 15, 2020
It is heartening to hear that others had sacred experiences having Sacrament meeting at home. We had an opening prayer, then sang a Sacrament hymn, my husband blessed and passed the bread and water to us, then we watched a general conference talk (Stephen W. Owen, Oct 2019), and discussed it, sang a closing hymn (God Moves in a Mysterious Way) followed by a prayer. The administration of the Sacrament seemed especially personal today which made it so much more spiritually meaningful. We had invited a widowed brother to join us but he chose not to. I thoroughly enjoyed our church at home today.
dang
March 15, 2020
Our Bishop also sent out a message authorizing all worthy priesthood holders to administer the sacrament.
My family just, in the last few weeks, moved close to family after an extended period away. So we invited my wife’s sisters family over who also has young kids. After opening with prayer and song Her husband and I blessed and passed the sacrament to a squirmy bunch of kids. I passed it to my little 4 year old niece first….so we made the joke that she was presiding over the meeting. Afterwards we did a little lesson for the kids and then let them watch a nature documentary while the adults retired to another room for gospel discussions.
I felt very strongly today that we were like Lehi’s family, the world around us feels like it’s coming to an end…but for me and mine, it’s the beginning of a new era. I have been struggling with what I feel would be a proper implementation of home church in many ways. But today I felt that this signifies the true beginning of a home centered faith (supported by the church) and there is no going back. That when meetings resume they will be trying to approximate what happened in so many homes today, rather than what we do in our homes trying to approximate what happens at church.
JRL in AZ
March 16, 2020
Our stake and bishop have also authorized all worthy priesthood holders to administer the sacrament in their homes and to those they minister to.
We had a wonderful sacrament meeting in our living room. On Saturday, we cleaned it extra well because we were doing the sacrament there the next morning. The kids all understood that and didn’t even complain once we told them why. We invited several people we minister to, but only ended up having six extra people – a couple and their baby, and the sister who got baptized on Saturday and her granddaughters.
hymn, prayer, sacrament hymn, my son and I administered the sacrament (the smallest plastic cups I could find at walwart and one slice of bread on a nice plate). Then two of our teenagers gave short talks about their recent scripture study – what a great way to give talks – just expounding a chapter or two. Then my wife spoke and it was as wonderful as you would expect a talk by my wife to be.
Another hymn, a prayer, and then we split into teenager on up for a scripture discussion in the family room and younger kids in the living room for songs and a lesson (and crackers).
The ordinance itself was beautiful. It was especially meaningful because it was the first time our newly baptized friend could participate. I don’t know how long we will be doing this, but it was wonderful.
I also marvel at how we have been prepared for this with all the changes the Church has made in the last couple of years. It wasn’t a stretch to do this because of what we have been doing at home because the prophet asked us to.
It gets truer every day!
E.C.
March 16, 2020
Two bishops in the case of our family – my dad and the YSA ward bishop – authorized everyone who was willing and worthy to bless the sacrament in their own homes or the homes of those to whom they minister. My brother went out three separate times: twice to minister, and once to the elderly lady we usually visit on Sundays. My dad spent a lot of time fielding phone calls from people who needed more direction.
As for us, we gathered and sang a hymn, then Dad and my brother blessed and passed the sacrament. We had rolls, so we each got a fourth of one, plus water. Since Dad’s the bishop, he got sacrament cups from the building which he’s been distributing.
At the elderly lady’s house, about the same – a hymn, the sacrament blessed, and then we played piano for an hour as we usually do.