I was asked to speak on how we can prepare for our next ordinance. I’ll admit that at first the topic was somewhat puzzling. The word “ordinance” is a bit esoteric in how it’s used in the Church. There’s an interesting history there with our faith’s relation other restorationist churches – but that’s another topic. When I’ve talked about religion with a close Catholic friend, the word “sacrament” is similar to how we use “ordinance.” And when I talk to people who aren’t Christian, the closest analog is the word “ritual.” Certainly, our “ordinances” are also sacraments and rituals.
The Church offers a pretty good definition of “ordinance.” It defines it as “a sacred, formal act or ceremony performed by the authority of the priesthood.” Okay. No surprise there. And I won’t blame you if, at this point, you’re wondering when I’ll move on past the trope of starting a talk with a definition. But I learned something reading further into the way the Church defines ordinances.
It breaks ordinances into two types. The first are ordinances that are part of exaltation: baptism, confirmation, ordination to Priesthood, the temple endowment, and the marriage sealing. And I’ll note that the word exaltation is used intentionally and is different than the word salvation – which only some of these ordinances are a part of (baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost). But what I learned was the second group of ordinances that the Church describes is for “comfort, guidance, and encouragement.” These include things like naming and blessing children, administering to the sick and afflicted, patriarchal blessings, dedicating homes or graves, etc. This second group expands “ordinance” to be more than about exaltation, more than about salvation, to encompass more areas of life from its beginning to end.
I spent some thinking about what has helped me prepare for and find meaning in ordinances in my life. I don’t think these are universal, and if they don’t particularly inspire you, that’s okay – there are many more ways to prepare for and find meaning in ordinances. But my hope is that by sharing what has worked for me, it can bring some inspiration to others. For the time I have, I thought of four things: preparation vs worthiness, seeing ordinances as symbols, understanding the nature of covenants, and seeking personal revelation.
I appreciated the topic was stated as “preparing for” and not “worthy of.” Language about preparation or worthiness in scripture can sometimes be all over the place – which makes sense since we get many different perspectives in scripture depending on the witness involved. My goal here in mentioning this isn’t to say that being worthy of an ordinance is invalid but just to say that I’m most inspired by the twelve-word sermon given to us on worthiness in Doctrine & Covenants 18:10:
Remember that worth of souls is great in the sight of God.
I look at all that God does in creating everything around us and worthiness or unworthiness doesn’t factor so much for me – it just seems out of tune. Maybe it’s me, very likely so. But I do think we can learn from how Jesus acted on matters of “worthiness”.
In each of these scenarios, Jesus was faced with unworthiness and uncleanliness and chose to bless, heal, save, and forgive.
We also see similar principles in Jesus’ parables when the concern of worthiness stopped the Priest and Levite from from helping the man left on the road (Luke 10) or when the father of the prodigal son ran to him unconcerned with any concern of worthiness that his other son seemed hung up on (Luke 15:11-32).
I was reminded of this by a talk Elder Daines gave this last General Conference when he spoke about spiritual face blindness. He said:
“…for too many years, I was, in effect, face-blind. I failed to see my mom as a real person. I saw her rules but didn’t see in them her love.
You may struggle to see God as a loving Father. You may look heavenward and see not the face of love and mercy but a thicket of rules through which you must wend your way. Perhaps you believe God rules in His heavens, speaks through His prophets, and loves your sister, but you secretly wonder whether He loves you…
I thought my life was about following rules and measuring up to abstract standards. I knew God loved you perfectly but didn’t feel it myself. I’m afraid I thought more about getting into heaven than being with my Heavenly Father.”
Essential to our preparation for ordinances, is to not let them become “thickets of rules” or an obedience checklist that blind us from God’s love. One of our hymns exclaims, “[W]ake up and do something more than dream of your mansion above.” (Hymn 223) Instead of dreaming of rewards for our worthiness, God’s grace and love can be that “something more” that we can look to in ordinances as we prepare for them.
Another approach that has helped me prepare for and participate in ordinances is seeing them as symbolic. A Buddhist teaching highlights the difference between a subject and the object that points to it when it says: “A person who only looks at [a finger pointing at the moon] and mistakes it for the moon will never see the real moon”.
This speaks to the role and our awareness of symbols in religion. There’s a great article from the February 2007 Ensign titled “Why Symbols?” that quotes Joseph Fielding McConkie and Donald W. Parry’s “Guide to Scriptural Symbols”, when they wrote:
“Symbols are the universal tongue. … Symbols bring color and strength to language, while deepening and enriching our understandings. Symbols enable us to give conceptual form to ideas and emotions that may otherwise defy the power of words. They take us beyond words and grant us eloquence in the expression of feelings… Symbols are the language in which all gospel covenants and all ordinances of salvation have been revealed. From the time we are immersed in the waters of baptism to the time we kneel at the altar of the temple with the companion of our choice in the ordinance of eternal marriage, every covenant we make will be written in the language of symbolism.”
The question I’ve asked myself is, “Are the ordinances of the gospel the subject of the gospel or the objects that point to that subject?”
In the 1996 General Conference, Russell M. Nelson gave a talk on the Atonement where he addressed topic:
“Essential ordinances of the gospel symbolize the Atonement [of Jesus Christ]. Baptism by immersion is symbolic of the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Redeemer. Partaking of the sacrament renews baptismal covenants and also renews our memory of the Savior’s broken flesh and of the blood He shed for us. Ordinances of the temple symbolize our reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever.”
I think we can mix these two up when we think that the symbols themselves are perfect stand-ins for what they point to. In the Book of Mormon when Alma gives his “O that I were an angel” sermon he said:
“the Lord doth grant unto nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have.” (Alma 29:8)
The first section of the Doctrine and Covenants contains similar wording:
“these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.” (D&C 1:24)
And Paul warns Corinthians that:
“For now we see through a glass, darkly…” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
These and other scriptures and teachings from prophets point out that we don’t have a perfect picture – and that includes the symbols of our ordinances. But that’s okay, because our symbols and ordinances are just pointers. As long as ordinances can help us navigate to the subject of our worship – Jesus and His atonement – we can be better prepared for participating in them.
The next area that has helped me prepare for and find more meaning in gospel ordinances is understanding the nature of covenants. That could be a whole other talk, but I’ll point out a few realizations about covenants that have helped me better participate in and value ordinances that come with covenants.
One aspect that I appreciate about saving ordinances in the restored gospel is that they are about covenants and not creeds. Creeds are about what to think. Covenants are about how to live. Creeds are brittle, covenants can carry the load of life. Joseph Smith felt very strongly about the dangers of creeds:
“The creeds set up stakes, & say hitherto shalt thou come, & no further, which I cannot subscribe to.” (Joseph Smith, sermon, October 15, 1843)
“I never thought it was right to call up [someone and try them] because [they] erred in doctrine… creeds [must be believed or one will] be kicked out of their church. I want the liberty of believing as I please, it feels so good not to be tramelled.” (The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 183-184)
Since covenants have so much to do with the relationships we have with others, I’ll share something I’ve learned about covenants from being sealed in the temple.
Irene and I knew each other for 5 years before getting married, 3 of which were apart. During that time, we came to know each other and we eventually married in the Portland Temple, making a covenant with each other and with God. It’s there’s something important about the nature of that covenant.
Imagine for a moment, if when I decided to marry, that I said, “Irene, here’s my rule book. Now, if you can keep all of my rules perfectly, meet all my needs and wants that I’m accustomed to for, say, 20 or 30 years, demonstrating that you can follow them, then I will consider accepting you. Of course I couldn’t accept you now. But if you perform well enough, then when the final assessment comes, I will accept you. Will you marry me?
That would be nothing more than an insult to her – the world’s worst proposal. We wouldn’t dream of insulting the people around us by basing our relationships entirely on self-righteous merit like that. Yet millions of people think that is the way God approaches us. That’s the kind of face-blindness Elder Daines was talking about.
The power of Jesus’ New Covenant atonement is that Jesus accepts us at the beginning unconditionally – our worth is not questioned – and that sets us free. We are free to reach our fullest potential with God in this atonement relationship and be who we really are because that is who God loves: us, the real us, right now. And as we move forward in this relationship, in faith repenting as we learn and grow, we step closer to God as God extends grace and forgiveness.
This kind of mutual acceptance, forgiveness, and repentance is woven into a marriage ordinance and covenant that centers Jesus atonement.
What does Jesus say?
“[They] that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)
“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise [them] up at the last day.” (John 6:54)
Notice the tense Jesus uses here: those who “hear my word”, “believe in him that sent me”, “eat of my flesh”, and “drink my blood”, those people have eternal life, present tense. It doesn’t say “may one day have eternal life if they are good enough and prove their worth.” So we make and keep covenants not in order to gain Christ’s acceptance, but because we already have it. It’s not based on our performance or merit. It’s based on the merit of Jesus Christ who died and rose for you and me and sees our worth. We step into covenant relationship with Jesus and he blesses us with eternal life as we continue in that relationship living that covenant and following His example.
This can completely transform how we prepare ourselves for the weekly ordinance of sacrament. The word “willing” brings this New Covenant of atonement into focus. What is the significance of us turning and passing the emblems of Jesus’ flesh and blood to one another? What does it mean as these emblems are passed through child and parent, siblings, couples struggling in their marriage, families struggling with illness, visitors, strangers, and the sinners in all of us? Do we allow these emblems to change us as they pass through us to others? Are we changed as others pass them to us?
Finally, I want to mention the role of personal revelation in determining how to live our covenants in life. While the truths of the gospel are simple, life certainly is not. We are faced with life’s complexities in ways that require personal revelation.
In the April 2018 General Conference, President Nelson gave a talk titled “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives.” In it, he pleaded with the membership of this Church to seek out personal revelation when he said:
“We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious… If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices… we must learn to receive revelation.
I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation… in [the] coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.”
Elder Ballard once said “It is important to remember, I am a General Authority, but that doesn’t make me an authority in general.” (BYU Devotional November 13, 2017). As God reveals general truth to those leading the Church, that type of revelation cannot provide the specific, life-tailored guidance we each need for our own circumstances.
In my life, I’ve had to rely on personal revelation as I reflect on the covenants and ordinances I participate in. What does my covenant relationship with my queer kids call me to do? There’s no manual for that. There’s no tradition for that. There’s no program for that. There’s no checklist for that. I must rely on personal revelation to live my covenants.
Another example: What does a covenant relationship call someone to do in the specifics of a mixed-faith family? Again, manuals, programs, and checklists won’t get us very far. We must rely on personal revelation. In short, when life doesn’t fit general molds, rather than reject or see gospel ordinances as failing, perhaps we can turn to God and seek personal revelation in how covenants and ordinances can lead us to Christlike action in our lives. I’ve found that as I do so, God answers prayers and can help prepare me for life’s many twists and turns as I seek to live my covenants.
I hope that some of what I’ve said can inspire you to prepare for the ordinances of the gospel. I have faith that as we understand our worth, see how ordinances point us to Jesus’ New Covenant, and seek personal revelation the covenants and ordinances of the gospel can come alive and be a guide for us throughout life.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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