Each Sabbath day we have an opportunity to renew our covenants in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We remember those obligations we have taken upon ourselves and remember the counsel the Lord gives His followers to "do this in remembrance" of Him.

By partaking of the sacrament, we pledge our loyalty to Him, we renew our promises made at baptism to follow Him and do His work.

This work may continue in service to our fellow Church members and to others in need. While the Sabbath is a day of renewal and refreshment to the soul, it certainly is not a day of amusement or recreation, though many about us feel it is their day of the week for fun. Professional sporting events, weekend sales and, for some, even a routine day to do chores or other work, create an atmosphere that the Sabbath is just another day in a hectic week.

While the lure of recreation or relaxation for some may be strong, the Lord has declared what He expects: "Go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day. For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High." (Doctrine and Covenants 15:9-10.)

President Harold B. Lee counseled, "You who make the violation of the Sabbath a habit, by your failure to 'keep it holy,' are losing a soul full of joy in return for a thimble full of pleasure. You are giving too much attention to your physical desires at the expense of your spiritual health." (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church — Harold B. Lee, p. 178.)

The Sabbath is the Lord's Day, and in keeping with the atmosphere of worship, we should do all we can not to distract from the true purpose of that day. We need to more fully practice what our leaders have been counseling us to do about Sabbath worship and especially partaking of the sacrament. We need to do those things that draw us closer to the Lord — on other days, too, but especially on the Lord's Day. If we are distracted by worldly concerns or amusements, we may miss that still small voice whispering to us about those who may need our help.

"But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me; But the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am. . . ." (Doctrine and Covenants 38:7-8.)

How many times have we missed precious insight into our temporal needs by failing to recognize that the Lord is near us? We may even have doubts about our personal worthiness to receive such insight, but we can draw assurance from our leaders that the Lord is near and stands ready to respond.

The Prophet Joseph Smith told his fellow Latter-day Saints, "I do not want you to think that I am very righteous, for I am not. God judges men according to the use they make of the light which He gives them." He then had this to say about our obligations as members of Christ's Church: "We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto you do well to take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place. We were eyewitnesses of His majesty and heard the voice of His excellent glory." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 303.)

In our day, President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, "As we partake of the sacrament we all stand on a level plane before the Lord. Each is accountable for what he does as he renews his covenants with the Lord in that magnificent and beautiful and simple ordinance of the gospel which carries with it such tremendous meaning. . . .

"I feel in my heart that if every member of the Church would resolve within himself or herself that they would partake of the sacrament every week, if possible, we would have greater spirituality and we would have fewer defaults, as it were, among our membership." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 561.)

May we continue to help shine God's light among those in spiritual darkness.