SEPTEMBER 29- OCTOBER 5: “It is Thy House, a Place of Thy Holiness”
Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants 109-110
March 27, 1836 an obscure edifice, unknown to the world, was dedicated. Kirtland, Ohio was the setting, a frontier town. Many of its settlers were members of a new church that would eventually become The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A community struggling with poverty, they cut stone and lumber and erected a temple as was instructed by God. It was the largest and most magnificent building for hundreds of miles. It's exterior stucco had a gleam from embedded pieces of broken china. They filled the inside with handmade carpets and curtains, a white veil that could be lowered to create holy spaces, a holy of holies like in temples of old. Wooden benches were polished, finishings painted in white, embellishments of gold.
On the day of dedication the house was filled past capacity, the grounds likewise. Many bore witness of marvels seen and heard, of heavens opening and glorious beings of light seen both inside and out.
A new song was written by William W. Phelps just for the occasion - a song now heralded around the world as each new temple is dedicated.
The Spirit of God - Tabernacle Choir
This temple still stands today, with little changed, as a monument of faith and fortitude, a fulfilment of promises to God, and by God. This building of temples give rise to our joy!
The Spirit of God - Nashville Tribute Band
So what are these temples that we are building around the world? They are not simply places of worship like a church house, synagogue or cathedral, but are places for the holiest ordinances or sacraments, covenants made with Heavenly parents that extend beyond this earthly life. In many respects, I like to think of temples as a bridge connecting earth and eternity.
Temple Made of Time - Fountainview Academy
I was recently given a tender gift: to know that my parents, now beyond the veil, are still active and busy, that they are actively caring for us here. I feel them. They are ordinary people, ordinary parents, who will always love their family. Even as they love their heavenly parents and family, and continue to serve them.
Picture someone you love who has passed on as you listen to Eric Whitacre's 'The Sacred Veil'. I hope you can feel your connection.
Whenever there is birth or death,
The sacred veil between the worlds grows thin and opens slightly up,
Just long enough for Love to slip,
Silent, either in or out of this, our fragile, fleeting world,
Whence or whither a new home waits.
And our beloved ones draw near,
In rapt anticipation, or in weary gratitude, they stand
Our loved ones stand so close, right here,
Just on the other side
Of Eternity.
The Sacred Veil: I. The Veil Opens - by Eric Whitacre, Los Angles Master Chorale
Temples are the pinnacle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming." D&C 2:1-3 (Compare Malachi 4:5–6)
And that is what happened in the Kirkland Temple on April 3, 1836- Elijah, along with others, came and passed on their Priesthood keys, to seal children and their parents into the Kingdom of God as one family - the purpose of this earth. (see D&C 110) Yet that is music we may need to hear for ourselves.
The Music of the Gospel - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
I pray that you can hear the music. That you can participate in the dance.