Every Sunday, millions of Mormons the world around meet in Sunday worship services. One question people ask a lot is, "Why three hours of church?" Let me tell you.
Sacrament Meeting
Sacrament meeting comes first. We have someone from the congregation who has been asked to offer an opening prayer. A hymn is sung - one week each month, I'm accompanying on the organ. Ward announcements are made over the pulpit, and, following another hymn, the bishop gives the nod for the Aaronic Priesthood to bless and pass the sacrament.
The moment when I partake of the sacrament is a pivotal one each week for me, as I imagine it is for most Mormons. It is in this moment I look back on the week. Did I put in a genuine effort to live my faith? Was there a particular area in my life where I chose having what I wanted in the moment over having the Lord in my life? I prayerfully commit to myself and to my Heavenly Father to shore up the areas that need work in the coming week before I partake of the sacrament. For Mormons, the sacrament is an opportunity to renew the covenant we made at baptism. It's an opportunity to review the things we need the Lord's help with, and to commit to seek that help. I can't explain it, but I have had handfuls of small and not-so-small life-changing experiences as I partook of the sacrament. When Paul baptized the eunuch, he "went on his way rejoicing". I have come away from the sacrament experience rejoicing at a newly acquired sense of spiritual freedom. Sin is like a rut we find ourselves in - a rut we may not notice until a reminder of who we are and what we believe makes it obvious. That experience can be painful, but the sacrifice of overcoming, coupled with the remission of sin we experience as we partake of the sacrament not only relieves the pain of guilt, it changes us into better people, restores our spiritual freedom to choose right in a way that creates joy - the immense joy of salvation through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth! It is these kinds of experiences that instruct a certain reverence for the sacrament.
After the sacrament, members of the ward whom the bishop or one of his counselors have selected for the task get up and speak to the congregation. The bishop assigns a topic, and the speakers draw on their own experience in living the gospel. We bear our own witness of the truthfulness of the principle or doctrine we've been asked to teach. We don't attend any kind of seminary; we simply study from the scriptures or glean bits and pieces from discourses given by prophets and apostles. Thus, the things we hear in sacrament meeting come straight out of the scriptures and personal experience, without being countenanced by official church training or any type of "brainwashing" as the world has supposed.
After Sacrament Meeting, the adults have two Sunday-school classes: the gospel-study class for husband and wife to attend together, and then the Priesthood class for the men and Relief Society class for the women. In both classes, we have a manual published by the Church that provides the lessons for the year. Lesson materials usually consist of a specified range of book and chapter from the scriptures to be read in class, along with a list of questions designed to elicit participation in a gospel-oriented discussion. Again, we learn straight from the scriptures and from each other. Priesthood and Relief Society follow the same pattern, except that in those classes, we also address matters specific to those organizations. If there are any activities or needs in those organizations, those are announced, and then the lesson begins.
While the adults are having our two Sunday-school classes, the kids are in a sort of Sunday-school designed specifically for them - it's called Primary. They are broken up into classes based on age. They have an hour of classroom instruction in simple gospel principles, with a lesson formatted not too differently from ours, though it's geared toward young minds. Then, they all gather in a common room to sing and pray and learn together. They sometimes play simple games designed to relieve wiggles, restore attention span, and teach gospel principles.
Three hours of church may seem like a lot to get used to for people who are new to the idea, but I grew up with it, so it just isn't a big deal. If anything, it gives purpose to my Sundays and adds something to my life I'll never give up.
I've included links here for anyone interested in finding a local LDS chapel. The men typically wear a suit or slacks, dress shirt and tie, and the women usually wear a modest dress or skirt, but you will not be turned away if you come dressed in what you have.
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