I Feel My Savior’s Love
Open talk in Gospel LibraryIdeas for Opening the Lesson
- Invite class members to silently think about the question Elder Larreal asked at the beginning of his talk: “Do you know how much the Savior loves you?” After a brief pause, ask them to listen during the lesson for truths that help answer that question. This can help set a reflective and personal tone.
- Begin by asking class members to share a word or short phrase that describes what the sacrament means to them. Write several responses on the board, then explain that Elder Larreal taught how the sacrament helps us feel the Savior’s love and receive the Holy Ghost.
- Read aloud 3 Nephi 18:7 and the phrase “ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.” Ask the class why that promise matters so much in our day. Then connect their responses to Elder Larreal’s emphasis on spiritual survival and the need for the Holy Ghost.
- Show the class the repeated word “you” from Luke 22:19–20 as Elder Larreal highlighted it. Invite class members to consider why it matters that the Savior’s body was given “for you” and His blood was shed “for you.” This can help make the lesson deeply personal from the start.
- Ask class members to think about what helps them prepare reverently for the sacrament and what sometimes distracts them. Without turning the discussion negative, invite a few brief responses and then introduce Elder Larreal’s invitation to elevate spiritual preparation and reverence.
Topics
Seek the Holy Ghost to survive spiritually
Elder Larreal taught that in the latter days, disciples needed the constant influence of the Holy Ghost in order to avoid deception and survive spiritually. He quoted President Dallin H. Oaks, who repeated President Russell M. Nelson’s warning that truth can be disguised by the adversary. He emphasized that the Holy Ghost was not optional but essential.
“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”
- Why did Elder Larreal say the constant influence of the Holy Ghost was vital in our day?
- How have you seen the adversary disguise truth in ways that make the Holy Ghost especially necessary?
- What does it mean to you to survive spiritually rather than just get by spiritually?
- When have you felt guided, directed, or comforted by the Holy Ghost in a meaningful way?
- What changes could we make in our daily lives to seek the Holy Ghost more consistently?
- How can we better recognize when the Holy Ghost is helping us discern truth from error?
Prepare for the sacrament each week
Elder Larreal taught that one way to renew the influence of the Holy Ghost was to personally prepare to partake of the sacrament each week. He invited members to elevate their spiritual preparation and reverence. He presented sacrament preparation as a vital weekly act of discipleship rather than a routine habit.
“We can renew that influence of the Holy Ghost each week by personally preparing to partake of the sacrament.”
- What did Elder Larreal teach about the connection between preparation and the sacrament?
- What does personal preparation for the sacrament look like in real life?
- How has preparing before sacrament meeting changed your worship experience?
- What are some obstacles that can keep us from preparing spiritually for the sacrament?
- What could you do this week to prepare more intentionally for the sacrament?
- How can families and individuals make sacrament preparation a more meaningful part of the Sabbath?
Remember Christ through the sacrament
Elder Larreal explained that the resurrected Lord emphasized the importance of the sacrament when He visited the people in the Americas. He taught that the Savior commanded His disciples to partake in remembrance of His blood and connected that remembrance with the promise of His Spirit. The sacrament was presented as a central way to remember Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.
“And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.”
- Why was remembering the Savior such an important part of Elder Larreal’s message?
- How does the sacrament help you remember Jesus Christ more deeply?
- What do you think it means to always remember Him beyond the sacrament meeting itself?
- How have you felt the Savior’s Spirit more strongly when you focused on Him during the sacrament?
- What practical things help you keep your mind centered on Christ during the ordinance?
- How can remembering the Savior during the sacrament affect the rest of the week?
Come with a broken heart
Elder Larreal taught that as members partook of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, the Lord promised them the companionship and guidance of the Holy Ghost. He connected the sacrament to repentance and humble coming unto Christ. He showed that spiritual blessings came not just from participating outwardly but from approaching the ordinance with humility.
“As we partake of this ordinance with a broken heart, the Lord promises us the blessing of having the companionship and constant guidance of the Holy Ghost.”
- What does it mean to come to the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit?
- How is humility connected to receiving the Holy Ghost?
- Why do you think repentance is such an important part of sacrament worship?
- When has the sacrament helped you feel renewed after sincere repentance?
- What can we do to bring a more humble and teachable heart to the sacrament each week?
- How can this teaching help someone who feels unworthy, discouraged, or spiritually distant?
Feel the Savior’s personal love
Elder Larreal taught that the sacrament represented the Atonement of Jesus Christ and gave disciples a sacred opportunity to feel His love. He emphasized the Savior’s personal sacrifice by pointing to the repeated use of the word “you” in Luke 22. He taught that Christ’s offering was personal and that each person could know the Savior loved them individually.
“The Lord uses the pronoun you again and again to emphasize and remind us that the sacrament is for us—for you and for me!”
- Why did Elder Larreal emphasize the word “you” in the Savior’s words about the sacrament?
- How does it change your worship when you remember that the Savior suffered and died for you personally?
- When have you felt the Savior’s love in a personal way during the sacrament?
- Why is it sometimes hard to believe that the Savior loves us individually?
- How can focusing on the Atonement during the sacrament help us feel more valued and less alone?
- What truths in this talk would you share with someone who wonders whether the Savior really knows and loves them?
Treat sacrament meeting as sacred
Elder Larreal taught that sacrament meeting was the most sacred and important meeting in the Church because of the ordinance of the sacrament. He urged members to remove worldly thoughts and to avoid distractions such as secular reading or checking phones. He taught that reverence during the sacrament created space to feel the Savior’s love and receive strength for trials.
“During the sacrament, we should strive to remove every worldly thought from our minds.”
- Why did Elder Larreal describe sacrament meeting as the most sacred and important meeting in the Church?
- What kinds of distractions can interfere with worship during the sacrament?
- How have you learned to be more reverent and focused during sacrament meeting?
- Why does reverence matter if we want to feel the Savior’s love and Spirit?
- What can we do personally to remove worldly thoughts during the sacrament?
- How can we help children, youth, or other family members appreciate the sacredness of the sacrament?
Receive guidance through the Holy Ghost
Elder Larreal taught that worthy participation in the sacrament qualified disciples for the promise of always having the Spirit. He described the gift of the Holy Ghost as a compass that led people to make correct choices and sanctified them from sin. He showed that the sacrament was closely tied to ongoing spiritual guidance and sanctification.
“The gift of the Holy Ghost is the compass that leads us to make correct choices and sanctifies us from all sin.”
- What did Elder Larreal mean when he called the Holy Ghost a compass?
- How has the Holy Ghost helped you make a correct choice at an important moment?
- Why is the promise to always have His Spirit so powerful?
- How does the Holy Ghost both guide and sanctify us?
- What is the relationship between sacrament worship and daily decision-making?
- How can we become more aware of the Holy Ghost’s influence after sacrament meeting ends?
Trust Christ’s outstretched arms
Elder Larreal bore testimony that Jesus Christ lived, knew each person, and always had His arms outstretched to help. He testified that the Savior loved His children beyond comprehension. He invited listeners to trust in Christ’s help and love, especially in days when the adversary did not rest.
“His arms are always outstretched and ready to help us. He loves us beyond what we can comprehend.”
- What did Elder Larreal testify about the Savior’s willingness to help us?
- How does knowing that Christ’s arms are always outstretched affect the way you face trials?
- When have you felt that the Savior knew you personally?
- How can the sacrament help us trust the Savior more fully?
- What would you say to someone who feels alone or forgotten by God?
- How can we show greater faith in the Savior’s love and help this week?
Additional Discussion Questions
- What part of Elder Larreal’s message felt most personal to you, and why?
- How did this talk deepen your understanding of the purpose of the sacrament?
- What does it mean to you that the sacrament was given for your benefit personally?
- How can we better prepare on Saturday or earlier on Sunday for a more sacred sacrament experience?
- What are some ways the sacrament helps us resist deception and stay anchored in truth?
- How can we turn sacrament meeting from a routine into a sacred weekly renewal?
- What role does repentance play in helping us feel the Savior’s love more fully?
- How can we invite the Holy Ghost more powerfully into our homes after renewing our covenants at church?
- What is one distraction you could reduce so you can worship more reverently during the sacrament?
- How can Elder Larreal’s testimony of the Savior help us minister to someone who is struggling spiritually?
