The next scene is only to be expected—people turn their heads to see whose child it is.

Some of us might look just out of curiosity, while some might intentionally do so to signal the mothers to quickly calm their kids down. But whatever our reason for looking, LDS mothers have one plea: DON’T LOOK.

Don’t look as if they are not already trying their best to control the situation. Don’t look thinking that they have not disciplined or taught their kids enough. Don’t look as if they are the culprit of irreverence at church. Don’t look as if they are doing something wrong. Don’t look because they are probably already discouraged and wondering if all these things are true.

In reality, they probably have prepared for Sunday long before many others do. They probably have reflected on things that they could improve on in advance, knowing that their kids will not permit a quiet moment of reflection at church. They probably have kneeled and prayed for patience for another rough day at church, and for understanding from the ward members when their kids get out of hand. They probably have pled throughout the week for Heavenly Father to grant them even just a few quiet moments of sacred reverence at church.

Mothers with young ones, just like any of us, also want to have a reverent and fortifying spiritual experience at church. During sacrament meeting, they also want to participate in this sacred ordinance and ponder its significant just as much as we do. Their desire to learn from the speakers might be just as deep as ours. They, too, want to sit reverently and feel the Spirit of the Lord.

So the next time we are tempted to look, let’s do our best to restrain ourselves. Our rule should be to look only when we are willing to leave our seats and help them out. If we are willing, we can even look around before sacrament meeting starts and evaluate which mothers might possibly need some help. A mother whose husband is helping to bless or pass the sacrament could be a good candidate. A single mother who is taking care of her kids alone, a bishop’s wife who has toddlers, or even a grandmother who brought her grandkids to church might need an extra hand.

There are many ways that we can make our Sunday attendance at church more meaningful. One of which is simply not to look when a child starts to scream, or to look and extend a hand to those mothers who might need some help.

Lastly, it is important to note that reverence does not necessarily equal silence. “A reverent attitude toward God includes honoring Him, expressing gratitude to Him, and obeying His commandments.” Although silence adds to the desired reverence we want to feel at church, we must never feel that our Sunday experience is ruined because of a screaming child. The Savior Himself has nothing but love and gratitude for these little ones at church who are still learning.

Ultimately, our Sunday experience largely depends on our spiritual preparedness to feel the Spirit, receive revelation, and remember the Savior.

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Get enough rest on Saturday night. Most of us use Saturday as a day to get everything done before Sunday comes—clean the house, do the laundry, shop, minister, prepare our Sunday lesson or talk, catch-up with friends, do recreational activities with family, etc. Saturday seems to be the best day to do all these things, but sometimes we try to fit so many of these activities into our Saturday that they don’t end until 11:59pm. The next thing we know, we are so exhausted from Saturday’s activities because we didn’t get enough rest.

One of the best ways to prepare for Sunday is to get a good night sleep on Saturday night, so that we are invigorated the next day for our Sunday worship. Adequate sleep helps us to have clear focus and attention, increases our capacity to receive revelation and spiritual inspiration, and prepares our minds to receive additional knowledge during our Sunday worship.

There is so much that we need to accomplish on Saturdays, but as we allocate time to rest adequately, we will be able to feel that the Sabbath is truly a delight. The primary song teaches, “Saturday is a special day, it’s the day we get ready for Sunday,” and is counsel that we must all take to heart.

Read the lessons that will be discussed on Sunday. In order for us to get the most out of our Sunday lessons, we have the responsibility to read the lessons in advance. This gives us the opportunity to ponder how the lesson relates to our own experiences, answers some of our life’s questions or concerns, and adds to our understanding of gospel principles. As we do this, we will be able to better participate in class by sharing the spiritual impressions we have received while studying the lesson. Doing this will not only improve class participation but will also help members who might need to hear our thoughts and experiences.

Choose to do activities throughout the week that will invite the Spirit. We may do activities throughout the week to relieve stress or relax such as watching movies, listening to music, attending concerts, going to parties, reading books, and other activities that are exciting and fun. As we do this, may we always ask ourselves, “Will this invite the Spirit?” “Will this activity uplift me?”

What we do throughout the week greatly affects our Sunday experience. Any activity that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic offends the Spirit and does not help us prepare to partake of the sacrament or participate in our Sunday activities at church. When we choose to do activities that invite the spirit, we will be more attuned to receive spiritual promptings and personal revelation. We will also receive the blessing of having the Spirit always with us.

Being worthy to have the companionship of the Spirit doesn’t happen overnight. We cannot just plan on inviting the Spirit on a Saturday to prepare ourselves for Sunday. It is a continuous process of keeping ourselves clean and worthy of its companionship.

As we do our best to prepare for our Sunday worship in our homes and at church, may we take a step back and consider these three things that can help us get the most out of our Sunday experience. We all have diverse situations and struggles regarding our Sunday preparation, but as we strive to do these things, we can be inspired how to make the Sabbath truly a delight, not only for ourselves but also for our families.

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Prepare ourselves to worthily partake of the sacrament. Partaking of the sacrament worthily is the most sacred part of our Sunday service because it is the act of renewing our covenants with the Lord. It is a way of spiritually recharging our souls. This is our opportunity to feel the peace and sweet companionship of the Holy Ghost, reflect on the Savior’s atonement, and offer our broken hearts and contrite spirits to the Lord.
Preparing for Sunday takes conscious effort, both temporally and most importantly, spiritually. It requires a recollection of our sins, repentance, and the desire to forsake them. It also requires going to church, both to be cleansed from sin and to renew your commitment to follow the Savior. We should go to church early enough to not be rushed, and be reverent throughout the service.

Prepare ourselves to receive inspiration from the speakers. Listening to the speakers during the service can enlighten our minds and strengthen our souls. To fully attune ourselves with the Holy Ghost, we must listen with our spiritual ears and understand the principles that the speakers are trying to teach. Avoid criticizing the speakers. The inspiration we receive is not based on how eloquent the speakers are, but on how well we listen to the voice of the Spirit through the speaker’s message. Our daily prayers and daily scripture study can also be a big help as we prepare for the Sabbath.

Prepare to participate in Sunday School, Relief Society and Priesthood Classes. Sunday school is a time for us to share our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This is a time for us to comfort and to be comforted, uplift and to be uplifted. It is a time to strengthen those with feeble knees, enlighten those who are confused, and counsel together to bring back to the fold those who are lost. It is a time to learn the principles of the gospel through the lives of prophets and apostles recorded in the scriptures and to learn of the Savior.

To fully prepare for these classes, it is important that we study and ponder the lesson in advance so we are prepared to share our insights about the lesson. It is also important that we are willing to share our experiences if they could potentially help or inspire others. In addition to our spiritual preparation, we must also make sure that we are well rested so that we can be alert and focus on the things Heavenly Father would have us learn in our classes.

Our Sunday worship will have a greater positive effect on our lives as we continually seek to improve our physical and spiritual attendance on Sundays. The Lord will be happy and pleased, and abundantly bless us beyond our expectations if we put our best efforts toward preparing for our Sunday worship.

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Sacrament meeting

Sacrament meeting is the most sacred part of the 3-hour Sunday service as this is the time that members partake of the sacrament—bread that symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ and water that symbolizes His blood (Matthew 26:26~28) They do this in remembrance of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice when He died for the sins of the world. Partaking of the sacrament also represents the renewal of covenants made during baptism. The sacrament is administered by men who are authorized by someone who holds the keys of the Priesthood, usually the bishop/branch president of the congregation.

Aside from partaking of the sacrament, members also join in singing songs of worship at the beginning of the meeting, before the administration of the sacrament and before the close of the meeting. Different members are assigned to speak each week in front of their local congregation about a specific subject or topic. The subjects mostly correlate with each other. Prayers are also offered at the beginning of the meeting, during the administration of the sacrament and at the close of the meeting.

Sunday School

Aside from the sacrament service, there are several classes that are available according to age group. Children who are 3 to 11 years old attend Primary—a program designed to teach children the gospel in a way that suits their knowledge and understanding. There are also classes designed for youth ages 12-18, and adults over 18 years old. Lessons during these meetings are based on the scriptures. Yearly, a specific scripture is discussed in all of the classes.

Auxiliary meeting

Another hour-long meeting is available for everyone to attend. Boys ages 12-18 attend Young Men’s class, designed to help young men learn and understand their roles as holders of the priesthood. Young Women class helps each young woman ages 12-18 prepare to make and keep sacred covenants and receive ordinances in the temple. Women over the age of 18 attend Relief Society, a program focused on “look[ing] after the spiritual welfare and salvation … of all the female members of the Church” (Joseph F. Smith, in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 185). Men who hold the Melchizedek priesthood attend Elders Quorum—an organization whose aim is to serve others and instruct people regarding church doctrines and principles.

If you want to know more, you can visit any Mormon chapel near you. Everyone is welcome to attend.

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