Pondering about the Temple
I returned a few minutes ago from attending the temple. Cars packed the parking lot; people waiting for the next session (a good hour and a half wait) filled the chapel and overflow area. The organist played “Be Thou Humble” and “I’m Trying to be Like Jesus,” both of which were particularly appropriate for me right now.
Because of counsel received there, and echoed here, I want to be very careful about what I say. I will tell you that I believe, as I wrote here, that the temple is for real. I believed it then, and I believe it now.
I had a lot of time to ponder before the session began. And this is what I thought about:
I. God of Miracles:Mormon 9:7-11
7 And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;
8 Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them.
9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
11 But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.
I taught the Old Testament Gospel Doctrine lessons last year. The lesson that has stayed with me the most discusses the Abrahamic Covenant. Ever since I taught it, I have noticed repetition of the phrase “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” It appears in the context of referring to miracles (see, for example, 1 Nephi 17:40 and Alma 36:2, referring to the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt). This has changed the way I understand the temple: the blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which used to be available only to prophets, can also be mine.
II. Condemn Me Not: Mormon 9:31
31 Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.
This was actually the title of an early blog post I wrote for Segullah, Condemn Me Not. I think it is one of the most important verses in all of scripture. There will always be a dissonance between the ideal and the real, and I pray for the strength and grace to refuse to condemn–to see imperfections clearly, that I may learn to be more wise, but to do so without condemning good people for their mistakes.
III. God is No Respecter of Persons: Acts 10:1-4, 9-15, 34-35
1 There was a certain man in Cæsarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
…
9 ¶ On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
…
34 ¶ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
***
Such a dramatic change for the early Christians, to allow the uncircumcised Gentiles full access to the blessings of the gospel. I love the story here: Cornelius, righteous and devout, prayed to God for additional blessings, and God spoke to His prophet, who was humble enough to receive and implement revelation. Some of the early Christians chastised Peter for eating with Gentiles, which had been against the law, but he explained his vision to them, and they rejoiced: Acts 11: 18 “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
IV. Family History–One Hour a Week
I wrote last year in January about the challenge to do family history for one hour a week. This does not necessarily have to be finding names to take to the temple–it can be indexing, writing family stories, organizing and scanning photos, going through Family Search and adding sources in, or attending the temple with a family name. I have not maintained the Facebook Group too well during the last half of the year, but I will recommit to reporting this year and invite anyone who wants to to join. It is a low-stress goal–just an hour a week. If you want to, you can report once a week and tell us what you’ve been working on.
If you’ve been to the temple recently, tell me what scriptures were in your heart as you performed the ordinance work. Please follow the counsel given here in your comments.
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