Elder Clifford's Farewell Talk

Good morning brothers and sisters, I have been given the honor and privilege to speak to you today. I’ve been called to serve in the New Hampshire, Manchester mission, and I leave next Wednesday July 26^th for the Provo MTC. Although I am nervous I am thankful for the opportunity and feel blessed to be able to serve the Lord.

Today I've been asked to speak on Sabbath day worship, and the sacrament. In D&C 59: 10 it says: For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High.  You might ask yourself, why is the Sabbath day so important? Why is it a commandment, and really how big of a deal is it to keep this day holy. These were some of the questions I began to ask myself when I was first assigned the topic. So I got to work and began searching the scriptures, and I found this one. In Genesis 2: 3 it says. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.  So Sabbath day worship isn't exactly new and there's got to be a reason we've been doing it for so long. I mean even God takes a break on Sundays. Besides being a commandment there are many benefits you can receive from making the Sabbath day holy. To receive all of these blessings you must treat the Sabbath day different than any other day of the week. You need to take time out of the week ahead to prepare for this day, so you can participate in all of the activities reserved for this day.  Gordon B. Hinckley says “If you have any doubt about the wisdom, the divinity of observing the Sabbath Day, stay home and gather your family about you, teach them the gospel, enjoy yourselves together on the Sabbath Day, come to your meetings, participate. You will know that the principle of the Sabbath is a true principle which brings with it great blessings.” So I broke this down a little and took this out of it. Here are some things you can do on a Sunday.

Read the scriptures. Taking some time to sit down and study your scriptures on a Sunday afternoon can be one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. That and the holy Sunday afternoon nap. I like waking up to the smell of a nice roast as much as the next guy, but really using that time you have to read the scriptures is so valuable. Prayerfully study, and ask God to help you find what you are looking for while you read and study the scriptures. You never know what you can learn or find while reading in the scriptures.

 Spend time with your family. This may seem like it’s a given, but Sunday really is a great day to bond and spend time with your family. My family likes to take family walks on Sunday afternoons.  I remember one time when we were living in Arizona we came home from a Sunday Family walk only to find a gigantic rattlesnake in our driveway.  A lot of prayers were said that afternoon while we tried to get back in our house, and I’m pretty sure every week after that my mom tried to get our Sunday family walk changed to Sunday Family watch a Disney video together, because she REALLY hates snakes.

Serve others. Sundays are great days to find service opportunities. Whether you show up early to help put chairs up, or you participate in in home Sacrament. Use Jesus as an example, Jesus went about serving everywhere he went. Be proactive and diligent when looking to serve. It is far too easy to give up and say you tried your hardest. So keep your eyes peeled and maybe someone will do the same for you someday.

 Attend church. This might be one of the simpler ones, but it is definitely important. Sometimes you get so caught up in the flow of life you just feel drained. I know the feeling. You wake up on a Sunday. You’re cozy, you don’t want to move because how comfy you are. You think about the week ahead, and you realize how stressful it is going to be. Then the inevitable thought creeps into your head. Maybe I should stay home from church today. When this thought comes into your head you need to sit up and realize that church is for your good. It is here to make your life easier. If not for that reason, maybe someone needs to hear an insightful thought from you. Don’t be afraid to speak up when you feel prompted. It may seem hard, but you need to attend all of your church meetings. A very important meeting to attend is the one we're in right now. Sacrament meeting. Sacrament meeting is the most important meeting we can go to. The sacred ordinance we perform is vital for our day to day life. We should take the time to prepare ourselves for such an ordinance. Bring a broken heart and contrite spirit to the meeting. This means have a desire to be cleansed from sin. Those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit are willing to do anything and everything that God asks of them. When we have received forgiveness for our sins, a broken heart serves as a shield from further sin and temptation.

Partake in sacrament, be reverent and willing to learn, and refrain from activities that would distract you from this meeting.  We learned from an early age about being reverent on Sundays. My father was the Bishop of our ward when all of us kids were little, and my poor mom was stuck in a pew with 5 kids under the age of 8, so maybe we were being taught about being reverent because my parents were trying to teach us gospel lessons or maybe they were just trying to preserve my mom’s sanity. All I know is it seemed like we had the "I can be reverent" family home evening pretty much every week. I remember one Sunday we were being pretty bad and mom had already bribed us with coloring books and our holy grail of snacks, rice Krispy treats. Cameron wouldn't stop talking and my dad was giving him The Dad Look from the stand, trying to get him to be quiet. Cam felt pretty confident about continuing to smart off because mom was too busy wrangling the rest of us to do anything about it and what could dad possibly do while he was conducting Sacrament meeting??  Well, Cam was only 4 but he should have known The Thom Clifford better than that, because all of a sudden he came down from the stand, grabbed Cam and took him out to the hall. As he was taking him out Cam started yelling "I repent!! I repent!!" 

Although the bishop might not drag you out of sacrament meeting for being irreverent, be courteous to others. This meeting has deep significance, and should be treated with respect.

When we were baptized, we entered into a covenant with God. We promised to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, keep His commandments, and serve Him to the end. Sounds a little familiar huh? Each week during sacrament meeting we renew this covenant with God. By doing so it lets the Holy Spirit be with you. We need the holy ghost in our lives to help us make the right decisions, and to keep us closer to Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ. When we sin each week we push out the Holy Ghost, and we make it hard for him to be around us. How grateful we should be to have the sacrament each week to renew our covenants we made with him. This is why we must come with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Jesus atoned for each and every one of our sins. The bread and water are emblems of Christs sacrifice. We eat the bread in remembrance of him and his body. In John 6: 35 it says :he that cometh to me shall never hunger”, and then in John 6: 58 it says “he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” 

We drink the water in remembrance of the blood he shed for us, and to cleanse us from all sin.

We need to look at the sacrament as a beautiful thing that is here for our benefit. It should be something we look forward to each week, and we should be preparing for it more than just in the 25 minutes before you get here. Do what you can to attend sacrament and you will blessed for it.

I’d like to give a few thank yous to some people who got me here today

My family is the one of the main reasons I’m here. My parents are two people I have looked up to my whole life. You take all the things they do for granted while growing up, and now that I can really see everything they do for my brothers and sister and I, I am eternally grateful. Being raised with the gospel in the home made it such a great environment, and you could always feel the love and the care. I want others to feel the same happiness I’ve felt my whole life, and if I can give them just a fraction of what they gave me, I know they will begin to see why this church is the true one.

I am thankful and grateful for all my friends that have taken the time to come here today, and want them to know how much I love them, and would like to thank them for the example they have set for me. I’d like to extend a special thank you to my squad though. From all the life lessons I’ve learned with them by my side, to all the times we spent just hanging out.  I would consider myself extremely lucky, because I know friends like them do not come around often. The way each and every one of them has taught me is something I can never thank them enough for.

I’d like to thank all my teachers, and priesthood leaders I’ve had growing up. I know it’s been hard to teach me, but you guys never gave up, and I am thankful for all the time and effort you guys put into your lessons.

I’d like to close with my testimony that I know this gospel is true, and that Joseph Smith restored the gospel in these latter days. I know our modern day prophet, and apostles are special witnesses of Christ, and if you listen to the words they speak they can guide you in the right direction. I’m thankful for families, and that I will be able to live with mine for eternity. I know that this church is true, and I can’t wait to spread the fullness of its glory. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.