Public Thought Log: Stand in Holy Places

Doctrine and Covenants 87 is a short section where there is a revelation of war and destruction, 7 verses are used to describe the horrible afflictions that would come to the Earth in the years to come, and then in the last verse there is a commandment:

“stand … in holy places, and be not moved.”^B

What does it mean to stand in holy places? Here is a list of holy places we should consider

1. The sacrament

“To worthily partake of the sacrament, we remember that we are renewing the covenant we made at baptism. For the sacrament to be a spiritually cleansing experience each week, we need to prepare ourselves before coming to sacrament meeting. We do this by deliberately leaving behind our daily work and recreation and letting go of worldly thoughts and concerns. As we do, we make room in our minds and hearts for the Holy Ghost.

Then we are prepared to ponder on the Atonement. More than just thinking about the facts of the Savior’s suffering and death, our pondering helps us to recognize that through the Savior’s sacrifice, we have the hope, opportunity, and strength to make real, heartfelt changes in our lives.

As we sing the sacrament hymn, participate in the sacrament prayers, and partake of the emblems of His flesh and blood, we prayerfully seek forgiveness for our sins and shortcomings. We think about the promises we made and kept during the previous week and make specific personal commitments to follow the Savior during the coming week.”¹

Our church meetings are a blessing to us.

Once I had the opportunity to spend a day with Carlos L. Astorga, who was then a mission president to the Guatemalan Quetzaltenango mission. As part of the daily duties we had a mission conference. The mission president brought boxes with books of Mormon copies which the missionaries distributed among themselves before heading back to each of their areas. As we were in the car to return to the mission home, the mission president wife noticed a missionary as he happily place the box in his back to start heading home. The missionaries in Guatemala usually are walking missionaries, they don’t use bikes or cars. Marlen, Carlos’ wife said a comment “that’s how you know the good missionaries”, and started to describe some of the sacrifices that the missionaries would make without complain. That reminded me of the sacrifice many indigenous people make to get to church in the Guatemalan highlands. A lot of the time they have to walk an hour or more to get to Church.

Let me tell you of a story when I was young man and was not able to attend church meetings while in Norway. The closest meeting house was 8 hours away from where we lived, and I did not have the money to make the 8 hours trip. So Sundays I would try to dress up a bit without having to attract too much attention, I would read my scriptures, at times I would go to the music room in the school and try to play a hymn or two (I was never very good in the piano). I also got permission to bless the sacrament, and partake of it – which I did in the only quiet place in the school where I could not be interrupted.

One time I had the chance to go to Oslo for Christmas, I made plans to go to church there. I did not want to miss the meeting, so I went a few days before Sunday to make sure I could find the building. I still remember my feelings when I saw the building, it was winter so the church ground were covered in snow. It was like a dream come true. The building was locked so I could not go in, yet I knew I was standing in a holy place. I prayed with gratitude for being there, even though at that time I could not go inside the building.

How do we show reverence at church? <Discussion, make sure to discuss reverence at sacrament and also during our class discussion>

2. The temple

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.” ⁸

“Worthiness to hold a temple recommend gives us the strength to keep our temple covenants. How do we personally gain that strength? We strive to obtain a testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the reality of the Atonement, and the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration. We sustain our leaders, treat our families with kindness, stand as a witness of the Lord’s true Church, attend our Church meetings, honor our covenants, fulfill parental obligations, and live a virtuous life. You may say that sounds like just being a faithful Latter-day Saint! You are right. The standard for temple recommend holders is not too high for us to achieve. It is simply to faithfully live the gospel and follow the prophets.
Then, as endowed temple recommend holders, we establish patterns of Christlike living. These include obedience, making sacrifices to keep the commandments, loving one another, being chaste in thought and action, and giving of ourselves to build the kingdom of God. Through the Savior’s Atonement and by following these basic patterns of faithfulness, we receive “power from on high”⁹ to face the challenges of life. We need this divine power today more than ever. It is power we receive only through temple ordinances. I testify that the sacrifices we make to receive temple ordinances are worth every effort we can make.” (1)

3. Our homes: Reverence in our daily lives

Reverence is more than just being serious, it is about being serious about searching for and listening to the will of our father.

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me.” ^A

The Lord has promised to us:
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”^C