In Spirit and In Truth

When Jesus Christ introduced himself to the people in ancient America, all that were present fell to the earth in worship. He invited them to see and feel the prints of the nails in his hands and feet, "And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him" (3 Nephi 11:12-17).

When we think of what it means to worship, we might only think of extreme veneration with bodies bowed or prostrate before our divine King. Or we might think of 'worship' as something from ancient times that isn't common today.

In reality, worship includes any act of love, reverence, service, or devotion to God. Christ taught that we should worship the Father in spirit, or with genuine, heartfelt sincerity, and in truth, according to His revealed nature and teachings (John 4:22-23). We worship as we acknowledge the divinity of God and our own humble position relative to him. We worship as we fast or pray sincerely, study about Christ and strive to live more like him, serve those around us, and participate in the ordinances of the temple.

Each Sunday, members of the church gather to worship together in ways that we could not individually. We attend sacrament meeting, similar to what other denominations would call a worship service, where we worship in at least for distinct ways: as we listen carefully to prayers that are offered and join in them with a word of "amen," as we sing the hymns, as we partake of the sacrament, and as we listen intently to what the spirit teaches us as our fellow congregants preach the gospel. In each of these things, and many other acts of devotion that we might offer, Nephi taught that we should humbly "worship [Christ] with all [our] might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul" (2 Nephi 25:29).

True worship involves a deep, personal connection with God that is grounded in the reality of everything that is true about Christ. It involves submission to God, trust in him and his influence in our lives, and spiritual communion that edifies and uplifts us.

Amulek taught the Zoramites to "contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you" (Alma 34:38). Gratitude is a form of worship that expresses our love and devotion to God.

As we regularly worship God with hearts full of gratitude, the Lord has promised that we will be made glorious. We will meet our Savior and witness the prints of the nails in his hands and feet. At that day, we will do what we have often done in his presence: we will worship in spirit and in truth.

Why Sacrifice?

The gospel reference True to the Faith teaches that sacrifice is giving up something we value for the sake of something of greater worth. This is a vital practice, law, principle and covenant in the Church. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, "Without sacrifice there is no true worship of God. … ‘The Father gave his Son, and the Son gave his life,’ and we do not worship unless we give—give of our substance, … our time, … strength, … talent, … faith, … [and] testimonies” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 565).

It is worth noting here that sacrifice, by definition, must be giving up something we value. The ten percent of annual increase to be paid in tithing each year carries very different values for a rich man and a poor man. Though the dollar amount may be higher for a rich man's contribution, that rich man may value money less than a poor man because he has more of it. So, while the poor man may be missing meals to pay tithing, the rich man, who recovers much of his contribution in his tax return anyway, may hardly notice the transfer of money to the Church.

On the other hand, time for the wealthy man may be much more valuable than for the poor man. Certainly the rich man has more to lose for every hour of work missed than the poor man, for example.

The Church helps each of us to sacrifice things that we value in order to make our worship more true and our blessings more plentiful. She may ask a poor man to donate to fast offering, humanitarian aid and missionary programs in addition to his tithing to reach this objective. Similarly, she may ask the rich man to serve in a time-intensive calling such as a bishopric or as a scoutmaster. One thing the Lord has asked all members to sacrifice is a broken heart and a contrite spirit (D&C 59:8).

The Church has pushed its members to sacrifice worldly things for the greater blessings of full activity in the Church. For the earliest Saints, this meant conversion despite the persecution of mobs. In the next generation came leaving civilization for a trek across the prairie and starting new settlements in the West. Soon came the end of polygamy (not particularly worldly, but a difficulty at the time that even led to the excommunication of a member of the First Presidency), then the emphasis on tithing, then enforcement of the Word of Wisdom. Currently, the Church's emphasis on chastity issues provides a significant opportunity for the members of the Church to sacrifice the things of the world around them for the greater blessings of God. Additional sub-emphases, including missionary service for men, temple attendance, daily scripture study and a long list of others have been brought up from time to time as well. Sacrificing in these ways helps each of us to become more unified Saints and more worthy of a life with God.

The blessings of sacrifice to the individual and to the Church are tremendous. Secular studies on religion show that high demand of church members increases attendance, growth, donations, health and marital stability while reducing free-riding and juvenile delinquency (all sources cited in Iannaccone's Introduction to the Economics of Religion, 1998, pp. 8-9). If that short-but-action-packed list isn't enough, countless, less measurable blessings remain including humility, sociality and perspective.

In short, sacrifice is a gospel practice and covenant that assists in the perfecting of the Saints. The Church has always encouraged sacrifice from its members to motivate true worship, full conversion and individual health and happiness. Living the law of sacrifice brings tremendous blessings upon the Church and the individual.