THE TEMPLE - THE GREAT SYMBOL OF OUR MEMBERSHIP - Chapter 13 from the Life of Howard W. Hunter

"It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple."

Sister Janice Cunningham conducted our meeting today.

Sister Diana Martin read us two scriptures:

Moses 1:39, "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

and Doc. & Cov. 59:5, "Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him."

Sister Martin pointed out that the first scripture from Moses is Heavenly Father's job and the second scripture from the Doc. & Cov. is our job. We must do our job in order to help Heavenly Father to do His job.

It was announced that Bro. Jerry Ricksecker was to be moved from the San Rafael rehab center up to one in Boise, ID. However, it turns out that he needs more therapy time at the CA facility, so will be here for a while longer. Those wishing to visit him may still do so at the San Rafael facility.

Also, Bro. Jim West is home from the hospital after his motorcycle accident which was compounded by contracting a case of poison oak.

Sister Cunningham gave us a challenge to ask for missionary experiences in our prayers and to make note of those we recognize throughout our day in order to increase our testimonies and to aid others in their search for truth in the gospel.

Our lesson today was given by Sister Shery Curren. She began by speaking of President Hunter's love of the temple and his constant encouragement to members of the Church to obtain their temple recommend and attend the temple.

The temple and the sacred ordinances performed there were very dear to his heart. In the 1953, when he was a stake president, many members from his stake traveled to the Mesa, AZ Temple to perform temple work. It was also President Hunter's 40th birthday. As he was speaking in the chapel before the session began, he looked up to see his parents enter the chapel dressed in white. He had had no idea that his father was prepared for his temple blessings, even though his mother had been anxious about it for some time. President Hunter was so overcome with emotion that he was unable to continue speaking and the temple president, President Pierce, came up to his side to explain the situation to the congregation. It seems that when President Hunter's parents had come to the temple that morning, they asked the temple president not to mention anything to Howard because they wanted the experience to be a special birthday surprise.  After they had received their own endowments, they were sealed and then President Hunter was sealed to them, as well. He said he had never forgotten that birthday surprise.

Sister Curren reflected that the temple had been especially close to her heart this past week as she and Bro. Curren spent time camping at Camp Noyo. Being among the redwoods in that remote area, it was quiet, beautiful and peaceful while she was out in the open preparing her lesson for today.  She shared that her own parents had not been interested in the gospel, however, now that both have left this mortal life, both have had their temple work done and Shery has been sealed to them. It is a very special reminder for her that families are indeed forever.

One of the primary messages of Howard W. Hunter's service as Prophet and President of the Church was to encourage members to seek the blessings of the temple with greater devotion. He said, "Temple worthiness ensures that our lives are in harmony with the will of the Lord, and we are attuned to receive his guidance in our lives."

President Hunter dedicated both the Orlando Florida Temple and the Bountiful Utah Temple.

In January, 1995, President Hunter dedicated the Bountiful Utah Temple. In the dedicatory prayer, he asked for the blessings of the temple to enrich the lives of all who entered.

"We humbly pray that thou wilt accept this edifice and let thy blessings be upon it. Let thy spirit attend and guide all who officiate herein, that holiness will prevail in every room. May all who enter have clean hands and pure hearts. May they be built up in their faith and depart with a feeling of peace, praising thy holy name . . .

"May this House provide a spirit of peace to all who observe its majesty, and especially to those who enter for their own sacred ordinances and to perform the work for their loved ones beyond the veil. Let them feel of thy divine love and mercy. May they be privileged to say, as did the Psalmist of old, 'We took sweet counsel together, and walked into the house of God in company.'

"As we dedicate this sacred edifice, we rededicate our very lives to thee and to thy work."

We read in the Bible Dictionary the meaning of the word "temple".

"A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness."

The temple is for us to enjoy the blessings that have been promised us and to do work for those who have gone one and cannot participate. The temple is a sacred place and we are instructed to refrain from speaking about things of the temple outside of the temple itself. Sister Curren said she had occasion to be in a conversation recently where the topic changed to what happens in the temple. Not wishing to see the conversation continue in this direction, she asked the others, "Should this be a topic of conversation outside of the temple?"  We should always remember that the temple is a sacred place and should be respected and revered as such. The temple is a place where we find respite from the world and a peace not felt in any other place.

We discussed the disappointment of non-members and members who have not obtained their temple recommend when they are denied access to the temple for events such as marriages. They may feel 'left out' or discriminated against, but we can remind them that when and if they receive their own endowment and can enter based on their own worthiness, their eyes will be opened and they will feel the special Spirit that resides in the temple.

A person's first temple experience can often be overwhelming and/or exhausting, but it is well worth it to receive the ordinances and learn the blessings that can be ours if we but remain faithful. We can help encourage them by reminding them to comprehend what it means to be able to attend the temple whenever they want.

Many members throughout the world do not have the blessing that we enjoy of having a House of the Lord within easy driving distance.

Sister Curren's son, Dan, is currently serving his mission in a remote section of the Pacific Ocean on a tiny island with no temple available. Just to send their children to high school on a larger island, parents must save great amounts of money. For them, attending the temple may be a lifetime goal, and that would be to attend just once.

Everyone can become temple worthy and receive their temple recommend. If they continue to live their lives accordingly, they can be recipients of Heavenly Father's greatest blessings.

There are a number of questions that must be truthfully answered in a temple interview with the Bishop and the Stake President:

• You must believe in God the Eternal Father, in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.
• You must sustain the General Authorities and local authorities of the Church.
• You must be morally clean to enter into the holy temple.
• You must ensure that there is nothing in your relationship with family members that is out of harmony with the teachings of the Church.
• To enter the temple you must be honest in all of your dealings with others.
• To qualify for a temple recommend, you should strive to do your duty in the Church, attending your sacrament, priesthood and other meetings.
• To enter the temple you must be a full-tithe payer and live the Word of Wisdom. These two commandments are enormously important in our spiritual growth and essential in certifying our personal worthiness.  Observations have shown that those who faithfully pay their tithing and observe the Word of Wisdom are usually faithful in all other matters that relate to entering the temple.

We can use attendance at a temple open house as a missionary experience for less active members and for non -members, as well.

Sister Carmel Lemmer told of taking her daughter and grand daughter (both non-members) to the Sacramento Temple Open House. Her grand daughter was very excited about the video that was shown to those waiting for their tour group to begin and when she actually got inside the rooms of the temple she was very touched. In viewing the Celestial room, particularly, her grand daughter was amazed and insisted that her Nana come "Stand by me! Stand by me and look up!" into the beauty of the sparkling chandelier.

Evil cannot dwell in the temple and the veil is very thin. In the temple we can feel the special spirit that is meant specifically for us. We can seek help and answers to our problems while there with no distractions or interference from the world.

The temple is the House of the Lord and He can and does frequent His House.

President Hunter encouraged all members to be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. He said, "The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, it is a place of peace, It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord, It should be holy unto us."

May we follow the advice of our Prophet to be temple worthy and attend the temple often.

Your bloggess,

Karen