Friday, May 26, 2023

Justin Bray on the use of extemporaneous prayers for the elements of the sacrament among early 19th century Latter-day Saints

Commenting on the use of extemporaneous prayers over the bread and wine in early Latter-day Saint practice, Justin Bray noted that:

 

Because prayers rarely appear in early Latter-day Saint records, it is difficult to determine how often and to what degree officiators deviated from those prescribed for the bread and wine. In 1845, however, George D. Watt transcribed the sacramental prayers given by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball in Nauvoo, Illinois, proving a glimpse into their improvised nature at the time. Both apostles followed a basic outline of invoking the name of God and asking him in the name of Jesus Christ to “bless and sanctify” the bread and wine. But there was also room for variation. Young began his prayer with, “Our Father in Heaven, in the name of Jesus we pray that thou would bless and sanctify this bread to the use of and benefit of all that take of it.” He further asked that the bread become “the bread of life” to all who partake, “realizing that thou hast done for us.” He added, “Our Lord[,] help us to repent of all our sins[,] to return from all our evils[,] to do thy will and work righteousness that we may be accepted of thee.” Heber C. Kimball is said to have given a similar extemporaneous prayer over the water. (4) Even the slightest alteration to a word or two would be noticeable to a modern Latter-day Saint, let alone full sentences like those employed by Young and Kimball. Yet it appears that, at the time, this was common practice. (Justin Bray, "The Sabbath, the Sacrament, and the Latter-day Saints," in Sacred Time: The Sabbath as a Perpetual Covenant, ed. Gaye Strathearn [Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2022], 209-10)

 

The note for the following reads:

 

As cited in David W. Grua, “’Strictly Adhering to the Inspired Form’: Early Latter-day Saint Sacramental worship and the Canonical Prayers” (unpublished paper presented at “Joseph Smith Papers Conference: Joseph Smith and Sacred Text in Nineteenth-century America,” Salt Lake City, September 10, 2021). Extemporaneous sacrament prayers continued to be given as Latter-day Saints migrated to the Great Basin region. In 1852, Heber C. Kimball said, “We have dedicated this sacrament to the Father and to the Son, that the saving principles of life may be in and that, in partaking of it, we may become sanctified. We bless the water as well as the bread and ask God to sanctify it and fill it with life and the principles of salvation.” “Discourse,” Deseret News, February 3, 1852, 2. In 1863, Kimball explained, “We are now partaking of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper; when we partake of the bread, let us pray the Father that strength may be given to our bodies that they may not wither, but be strengthened to reach a good old age; when we partage of the wine—or water—which is emblematic of his blood, let us ask the Father that our blood may never be spilled unless it is necessary for the advancement of his kingdom and the glory of God.” “Remarks,” Deseret News, March 11, 1863, 1. (Ibid., 230 n. 4)

 

Further Reading:


David W. Grua and Jonathan A. Stapley on Early LDS Approaches to the Sacrament Prayers

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