"Dedication"

Today was the dedication of the Gila Valley Temple here in Arizona. Regular Sunday meetings were cancelled throughout the state as members were encouraged to attend one of three dedicatory sessions broadcast to stake centers. Because those meetinghouses would become, for this event, an extension of the holy temple, special recommends for the dedicatory service were required.

Among the instructions on the back of the recommend was a request that those planning to attend be in their seats thirty minutes before the service. During that time many temple scenes were shown on the screen—interior and exterior. There was no narration—only soft music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir playing in the background. It was a very reverent setting—no whispering or conversation.

We had arrived forty minutes before the service began, and after watching those beautiful scenes for about twenty minutes I found myself wondering why the Brethren would want us to be there so early. I wasn’t being critical of them or second-guessing. I just knew they wouldn’t have made such a request unless there was a purpose behind it, and it was then that I received some interesting impressions.

First, I realized that before this special event was to begin, the Lord desired that we not only feel of His Spirit but that we truly sense the sacredness of being in His holy temple. But this sense-of-the-sacred mindset doesn’t happen automatically. One doesn’t suddenly become “spiritual” just because he’s stepped from the parking lot into the meetinghouse. Just as one’s eyes need time to adjust from the bright daylight after entering a darkened movie theater, today our hearts and minds needed time to adjust in the other direction—from the “darkness” of the outside world to the heavenly light of a most spiritual setting. Arriving thirty minutes early allowed our eyes and ears to take in those heavenly sights and sounds, helping us put worldly cares and thoughts aside.

It is no coincidence that the Brethren teach us the same principle about arriving early for sacrament meetings. In numerous conference talks they have requested that we arrive early and reverently listen to the prelude music. Members of the bishopric are instructed to be in their places at least ten minutes before the meeting starts. Why? To help us make the transition from the outside world and to prepare our hearts and minds for the sacred ordinance of the sacrament. (In some wards this would mean that instead of showing up two or three minutes before the hour, the organist would actually arrive ten or fifteen minutes early, helping set a reverent tone through the prelude music.) Perhaps, just perhaps, if we better understood this concept we wouldn’t be rushing into the meetinghouse with a few minutes to spare or carrying on conversations with our neighbors right up to the moment a member of the bishopric takes the pulpit. Our minds need time to adjust to the sacredness of the setting and to consider the holy ordinance about to be administered.

During the dedication and at other moments during the day, the Spirit gave me additional impressions based on these words from the Apostle Paul: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you . . .?” (1 Cor. 6:19). In my mind I seemed to envision a sort of spiritual checklist, intended to see if I treat the temple of my body the way the Lord would have us treat His holy house. Questions such as these went through my mind:

- The temple being dedicated today will be a holy place with holy purposes. Here the Lord and His Spirit will literally abide. What about the temple of your body and mind? Have you dedicated them to the Lord’s holy purposes? And are they in a condition such that the Lord and His Spirit would feel not only welcome but comfortable there?

- This temple will be a refuge where no unclean thing may enter. What about the temple of your body and mind? Can you detect the approach of unclean “visitors” while they’re still at a distance? And even if they make it all the way to your door, do you instinctively turn them away, or do you invite them in for a little while—just to see what it is they're "selling"?

- The furnishings within the Lord’s House are of the highest quality. However, their purpose is not to impress or call attention to themselves. What about the “furnishings” in your life? Do they shout “Look at me!”? Or does your life confirm our declaration that we quietly seek after “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy”? (See Articles of faith 1:13).

- The temple that is being dedicated today has been built upon a sure foundation, both spiritually and physically. It can physically withstand extreme forces of nature because the standards used in its construction far exceed the standards used by the world. What about your foundation? What standards have you used in building the foundation for your life? And will that foundation allow you to stand immovable when the storms of life come?

The dedication service was inspirational and memorable. And I appreciated the Spirit’s personal reminders about the many ways that the word “dedication” should be reflected in my life.