Ten Tips toward Reverence

Jennifer Kidd, “Ten Tips toward Reverence,” Ensign, Jan. 1998, 59–60

Reverence during sacrament meeting allows us to draw closer to our Father in Heaven through participating in the ordinance of the sacrament and through listening to the spiritual messages of the speakers. Our reverence in meetings also benefits those around us. As a courtesy to others at the meeting, we should try to be reverent so that neither we nor our children rob anyone else of their opportunity to worship.

The following guidelines are suggestions toward an ideal. Remain optimistic as you help your children move toward the goal of being reverent.

1. Encourage reverence as early as possible. If your baby’s fussing or playful babbling becomes annoying, give him or her a soft toy or a teething ring. Babies also love exploring fingers, so play silent little finger games for a short diversion. When he cries, take him out of the meeting. After checking to make sure he is not wet or hungry, and as soon as he is quiet, bring him back into the chapel.

As children get older, do not allow them to crawl around the chapel. And when you remove a child from a meeting, do not allow the child to run around and play outside the chapel. If crying in church is rewarded with a half hour of freedom, children quickly learn that they would rather play than sit still.

2. Avoid the use of force, as this may make your child resent sacrament meeting and resent you as well. If it becomes a battle of wills, neither of you will enjoy sacrament meeting. When older children become unruly, catch their attention and gently shake your head to indicate “no.”

3. Be patient. Training children to be reverent requires time. Don’t expect overnight success. If your children already have some bad habits, remember that it takes time to replace bad habits with good ones. You will need to do a lot of patient guiding, teaching, and encouraging to help your children change.

4. Praise your children when you have any success, no matter how small. Remember, praise is a better behavior modifier than punishment.

5. Be consistent in your expectations, not haphazard or part-time.

6. Practice at home. Establish a two- or three-minute quiet time with your child on your lap. Read a book or play with a toy. Gradually increase the time until you build up your child’s tolerance for sitting quietly.

7. Remember, children are different; some are naturally more active than others. But most children can learn to be reverent. Treat your children as individuals and you will have much more success. Don’t compare your children to others.

8. Each week will be different. Just because your children were reverent one week doesn’t mean they will be reverent the next week. We adults have our ups and downs; children are no different. The Lord allows us the privilege of self-correction, and we must allow our children the same privilege.

9. Plan ahead. Make sure children have had a drink of water and have been to the bathroom before the meeting begins. Don’t let your children leave sacrament meeting and go to the rest room alone unless you are sure they will come straight back. If they do go alone and do not come back in a reasonable time, find them and bring them back.

10. Bring suitable activities for children during sacrament meeting. Remember, these activities should help teach reverence.

Older children should participate in the meeting. Encourage them to locate scriptures mentioned by speakers during their sacrament meeting talks. Reading illustrated scripture books and the Friend magazine can also encourage reverence and lead children into sacrament meeting participation.

Younger children may need a church bag—a small bag belonging to the child and containing the things he or she will need during sacrament meeting. The contents of the bag can be selected primarily by the child as long as he or she can clearly make appropriate choices.

Avoid brittle plastic bags or noisy toys. For example, if your child makes “brooooom” sounds when he or she plays with cars, don’t bring cars.

A great way to make church bags is to spend a family home evening selecting and making things to go into the bag. You can make picture books with old magazine pictures or photocopies of the Friend puzzle pages; include some lacing cards and quiet books. Older children can make up puzzles using Church themes. A questionnaire on the topic of the talks can help older children focus on the meeting. They can then use this information as the basis of a future lesson for family home evening.

Our goal as parents is to bring up children to be responsible individuals who love and obey the Lord and live their lives to their fullest potential. Learning to be reverent during sacrament meeting will help us achieve this goal.—Jennifer Kidd, Fairfield, Victoria, Australia

Bishops share ideas that have been successful in their wards.

My dear young friends,

Our Heavenly Father is perfect and we can also become perfect. One of the most Christ-like qualities we ought to develop is reverence, an attitude that shows how we feel about Heavenly Father and the things He has asked us to do. The person who is reverent has a quiet dignity. It requires a pure heart to be reverent. Reverence is more than just being quiet. It is a spiritual communication between us and our Father in heaven. When we are reverent, we don’t do anything that reflects negatively upon the Lord or His Church. This does not mean just during meetings, but it includes our conduct wherever we may be or in whatever we do.

When there is quarreling and arguing in the home, reverence is not possible. Children who are obedient to their parents help to bring a reverent atmosphere into the home that is pleasing to the Lord. Children who swear or take the Lord’s name in vain or tell questionable or dirty stories are not reverent. When we must make a decision we ought to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus want me to do or say?”

Reverence during meetings is a very important part of the responsibility we have as members of His true church. We are all impressed with the reverence shown by children in Primary who enter the chapel quietly with arms folded. Their reverence is an example that all members of the Church should appreciate and remember when attending any meetings in the chapel.

However, reverence is not shown only in the chapel. Boys and girls who have learned how to be reverent do not run up and down the halls or yell and talk loudly inside the church. Reverent people also do not offend or hurt people’s feelings or make fun of others’ clothing or appearance. They try to be kind to everyone they meet.

At Sunday School and sacrament meeting we have an opportunity to show our Savior how much we love Him by being reverent. It is not reverent to walk in and out of a sacrament meeting while it is in progress. We should get a drink of water and go to the rest room before the meeting begins. It is very disturbing to a speaker when someone leaves. The attention of other members in the congregation is also distracted. Those who speak and provide music have prayed and often fasted for help with their assignment. The reverent person listens carefully and receives the message from the speaker.

Determine to be reverent in sacrament meeting by never speaking out loud. Speak in a whisper and then only when it is absolutely necessary. Sing the hymns with your parents. Children have beautiful voices and it adds much to the meeting when they sing. It is appropriate to take the sacrament with your right hand. And during the administration and passing of the sacrament, we should try to think of the Savior.

Boys and girls who have smaller brothers and sisters should not tease them. They should not keep asking their mothers or fathers to let them take these little ones out. Your brothers and sisters and often older people can learn how to be reverent by watching your behavior.

Now in conclusion, as we become reverent we prepare ourselves to go to the temple, a beautiful and holy place. The words “Holiness to the Lord” inscribed on the wall of the temple indicate the reverent feelings of those worthy to go inside that sacred building. Someday if we are truly reverent and if we live worthily, each one of us can have the privilege of going inside one of the Lord’s temples. Such a sacred and holy experience helps us to feel closer to our Savior.

I pray that each of you boys and girls will always try to be reverent and that you will, in time, be able to go to the temple, that holiest of all the Lord’s church buildings on the earth. With love and affection,

• Vaughn J. Featherstone,
• of the Quorum of the Seventy

Do you sometimes leave sacrament meeting feeling not quite satisfied? If so, the problem may not be the meeting. Before you can get the most out of sacrament meeting, you need to put something into it.

Start Off Right

Start preparing before you reach the chapel doors. Try to—

• Plan to keep the Sabbath day holy before Sunday arrives. Set a spiritual tone for the day.

• Get enough sleep Saturday night. If you end up dozing through meetings, you obviously won’t learn very much.

• Get up early enough so you don’t have to rush. Be at the meetinghouse in time to find a good seat and enjoy the service right from the start.

• Dress your best. Doing so will help get you into a reverent spirit. This is especially important if you are administering the sacrament.

• Enter the chapel reverently. If you see friends, greet them warmly, but remember where you are.

• Pray that you will be alert, understand the speakers, feel the Spirit, and be able to remember and apply what you learn.

During the Meeting

Now that your mind and heart are prepared, you’re ready to learn. Try these ideas:

• Put aside anything that may be a distraction. Don’t doodle or play with your personal belongings.

• Keep your mind on the subject. Resist the temptation to daydream.

• Try not to overreact to crying babies or other noises. Unless you’re in a position to help, ignore minor disturbances.

• Show reverence for the sacrament. We take the sacrament to renew our covenants and to help us remember the atonement of Jesus Christ. Listen to the prayers. As the bread and water are passed, think of what they stand for and what Jesus did for us.

• Listen carefully to the speakers. Assume they are talking directly to you. Ask yourself if the Lord is sending you a message through them.

• Avoid the classic “bored” position (your elbows on your knees and your head in your hands or on the bench in front of you). That can be distracting for the speaker—and is better for snoozing than for learning.

• As you listen, try to recognize the Holy Ghost testifying of truth. Listen with your ears and your heart. Pay attention to your feelings and to the impressions you have.

• Take notes of the things you think you’d like to review later. You might even carry a Church meeting notebook or journal. You’ll remember a lot more of what you learn as you write it down.

• If it’s fast and testimony meeting, or if the speaker is bearing his testimony, think about your own testimony and how you got it.

• Don’t watch the clock. Counting the minutes will only make a meeting seem longer. It could also intimidate the speaker.

• Take it with you. The messages delivered during sacrament meeting aren’t meant only for Sundays. Keep them fresh during the week by reading your notes and by making a real effort to incorporate the messages in your life.

Sacrament Scriptures

To prepare before the meeting, or to get back on the right track during the sacrament, you might look up the following scriptures:

Matthew 26:26–29 [Matt. 26:26–29]

John 6:48–58

1 Corinthians 11:23–29 [1 Cor. 11:23–29]

3 Nephi 18:1–7 [3 Ne. 18:1–7]

Moroni 4, 5 [Moro. 4–5]

Moroni 6:5–6 [Moro. 6:5–6]

Doctrine and Covenants 27:2 [D&C 27:2]