THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

It was over a year ago that the stake executive secretary, Steve C. called me and said the the stake president wanted to talk to me. No biggy -- since I'm the senior member on the High Council. I talk with President O. frequently, so I didn't think much about it. I reported as requested, and went into his office and sat down and waited to see what he wanted."

He looked my in the eyes and said, "Rod, I have had a revelation about you. The Lord wants you to serve as an ordinance worker at the temple."

Zing! I surely wasn't expecting that. But, it immediately felt right. My wife, Jan, had just finished a 2 1/2 year service mission at the MTC and she had been pushing to serve in the temple, anyway.

So, we went to our bishop -- he was expecting us -- and started the paper work. Next week, we talked with President O. And, then we waited for a couple of weeks for the calling papers.

President Merrill J. Bateman

We were interviewed by President Merrill Bateman on Thursday, September 17, 2009. He interviewed me first and then Jan. Then he talked with both of us together. Then he set me apart and then set Jan apart.

We purchased our temple clothes the next day, Friday the 18th and reported for our first shift at 3:30 PM on Saturday, the 19th. (That's the 3a shift, by the way.)

About six months later, we decided to pick up an additional shift. That was mainly at my insistence -- it seemed that the "rats were winning" some days. So, we tried a couple of different shifts and settled on the Friday 3a shift. So, now we work at the temple both Friday night and Saturday night. (We've had to move our date night to Thursday night.)

This calling, without a doubt, has been the most rewarding and fulfilling assignment I've ever had. It is so wonderful to be in "The House of the Lord" every week and to partake of the holiness, love and peace that permeates His House. It is also marvelous to associate with the members of the temple presidency and our fellow ordinance workers. Some of them have been temple workers for twenty years or longer.

One Sunday afternoon, our son, Jesse, came up to the temple with us and took a bunch of pictures of us in our "whites." (I think every missionary in the MTC was on the grounds, taking pictures, etc. It was actually quite fun.)

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A LITTLE DOCTRINAL DISCOURSE

Please remember that Jesus cleansed his "FATHER'S HOUSE" (the temple in Jerusalem) twice during his mortal ministry -- once at the beginning (John 2: 13-17) and again in the final week before his death (Matthew 21:12-17 & 23-27). He taught the people there frequently and the Apostles and disciples resorted there after the Savior's resurrection. As I explain below, the temple in Jerusalem wasn't like the temples of previous dispensations or current temples. However, Christ did recognize it as a holy place and called it HIS FATHER'S HOUSE. Regardless of the Apostle Paul's misunderstood teaching regarding pagan gods and temples (Acts 17:24), God, our Eternal Father did and does have a "house" on the earth. And, of course, He doesn't live there -- He is in celestial realms. The temple is a House of the Lord because it is supposed to be a TYPE, MODEL, or SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION of His celestial abode. It is also a holy place wherein He can reveal Himself to His children. It is also a place wherein He is able to ENDOW His children with knowledge and power.It is also a place where marital and family relationships can be made permanent.

The HOUSE OF THE LORD or TEMPLE, as He has designated it, and the ordinances performed in it are older than the earth itself. We are taught that Adam and Ever were taught the Gospel (Moses 5: 1-15) and the ordinances of the Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God were given to Adam and Eve and to subsequent generations of their offspring. The ordinances of the priesthood, along with the Gospel have been lost from the earth several times during its history, requiring their restoration by a Prophet of God.

Moses' attempts at preparing a celestial people at Mount Sinai failed because the people were not spiritually prepared. The Lord took Moses and the Melchizedek Priesthood (the current name of Christ's priesthood) away from the Children of Israel and instituted a lesser priesthood that was named after Aaron and held by Aaron's sons and the tribe of Levi (THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD).

The Lord gave the people the TABERNACLE in the desert while Moses was with them. The Tabernacle was the equivalent of the temple under the Melchizedek Order of the Priesthood. That included the Ordinances of the Temple. A few of the Children of Israel received these ordinances under the "higher" priesthood before it was taken away. Thereafter, the ordinances administered in the Tabernacle and later the temples in Jerusalem were after the order of the Aaronic Priesthood. So, when you read the Old Testament, don't expect to read about the Temple under the Melchizedek order. That Aaronic Order existed during a 1500 year period -- after Moses' rapture and until Christ's day. (read D&C 84)

At the time of the Savior's ministry on the earth, the Melchizedek priesthood was restored to the apostles. During the Savior's Forty Day Ministry, the ordinances of the temple were again administered to the Saints of that day. However, the Savior's Church fell into Apostasy shortly after the Apostles' deaths and their priesthood keys and authority were lost.

The Melchizedek Priesthood was restored again in 1829 to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. The Priesthood KEYS necessary to the functioning of the temple and its ORDINANCES and COVENANTS were restored on April 3, 1836 to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the newly dedicated Kirtland, Ohio Temple by heavenly messengers.