I was asked to speak in Church on the Topic of the Priesthood. What follows here is what I said there. There have been many who have spoken more eloquently on the topic, but I feel strongly about it. Feel free to google my sources. They are authorities on the matter.
The Priesthood June 15, 2014
Many years ago there was a game called Celestial Pursuit, based on the popular board game Trivial Pursuit. Like Trivial Pursuit, this game was all about answering questions related to a variety of gospel topics, and moving your marker to the spot on the board designated as the winning circle. Unlike Trivial Pursuit or any other board game Celestial Pursuit was not about competing against the other players, but making sure that all players (family members) made it to the winning circle together. Great concept, but never wildly popular.
When asked to speak today on the Priesthood, that game popped into my head. Our pursuit of Celestial Glory is not a competition; it is a pursuit that requires us to develop strong family relationships, seek out our ancestors, engage in covenants that require Priesthood authority, and work out our own salvation. - all the time remaining cognizant of family ties and relationship. Because family and family connections will endure into the eternities.
This topic, the Priesthood, should not be confined to the occasional sacrament meeting talk. We need to explore and discuss this in our classes, family home evenings, in those marvelous discussions that pop up at dinner, in our family and personal study time, when we meditate and ponder on our own. Our progression as a church and as individuals depends on it. It is a deep and wide principle of the gospel - a cursory study will never be enough.
I will tell you up front that I love that we have access to the Priesthood of God. I am grateful for faithful men who work hard to honor and use that Priesthood to care for their families, carry out service to others outside their families, and fulfill church responsibilities that often weigh heavily on them.
In preparing for this morning, I turned to the voices/writings of men and women of God who have spoken about the Priesthood in recent conferences and devotionals, forums where they could teach correct gospel principles to all who are willing to listen.
Let me just say that in each of the works I will reference the speaker/writer clearly states that it is the responsibility of each of us to study and learn for ourselves the principles of this magnificent blessing. WHY? The process of learning to receive revelation, being taught through the Spirit are as essential to our well being and eternal progression as what we learn when we study.
I would encourage you to do just that. I hope I will say something today that will be of use to you. I hope that you will have the desire to explore in order to expand on what you hear... Do that by going to the library of scripture, conference reports, devotionals and articles shared by the Lord's appointed men and women. Then go to The Lord yourself, using prayer, pondering and meditation to be taught of Him, through the Gift of the Holy Ghost. And what a gift it is to have the Holy Ghost to guide our study, our progression. I would admonish you to use it well.... Let the Spirit guide you in your pursuit of gospel knowledge. There are many who would mislead you, tell you that you are wrong, that the Apostles and Prophet are wrong.... or mistaken, too old, too out of touch with the realities of this world.... Satan is behind all that. The end result of all that will be our own stunted growth.
If instead you listen to the Spirit as you study, your life will change. As promised in D&C 121,
"thy confidence shall wax strong, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
I used four talks to prepare my remarks today. I want you to know that each speaker admonished the reader to search out, study prayerfully and learn the breadth, depth and scope of the Priesthood.
Those talks are:
Priesthood Power in the Home by Boyd K. Packer (President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles
The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood by Dallin Oaks, an Apostle of God
Priesthood: A Sacred Trust by Linda K Burton, Gen. RS President
Blessings of the Priesthood for All by Sharon and Cecil Samuelson, 12th President of BYU and his wife.
I will tell you I did not dig very deep to find these talks, and they are just four of MANY that I found. We live in a blessed time. A time where research is at our fingertips. Not at all like the research I did years ago in college, when I sat for hours in dusty university basements thumbing through piles of periodicals and books. And church research was limited to whatever I had on my own bookshelves or under the bed, or on the bedside table. I feel like I'm living the dream... Anything I want to read, learn about, discover... is at my fingertips. It is at all our fingertips. Use it.
To start: President Packer states, "To imagine putting together a church where the authority of the Priesthood was to be given to every worthy adult male would seem like a very reckless, dangerous thing, but that is the way it is.... We are never afraid of the progress of the Church, because we know that there will come by conversion and baptism a little group of brethren upon whom the fullness of the priesthood can be conferred.... The priesthood is not delegated out and parceled a little here and a little there. It is given all at once." COMMENT: God is not stingy. He trusts us. He wants us to grow, be more than we are now.
The Priesthood is the consummate power on this earth. It is a portion of the power of God. Here. For Us. This is not a trifling matter. It is of utmost importance to all of us. It is not ours to bargain over, wish it were different, feel slighted by, or worry why it is not doled out differently, or used more to our liking. It is the power of God.
God is a Practical Being. His church is a practical organization. There is a division of labor that is divinely decreed. It has purpose and meaning. Men and women are called to responsibilities that are important... necessary to the work of God. However, those callings are temporary. All of us will be released from our various callings. On the other hand Priesthood responsibilities are not temporary. Family responsibilities are not temporary. They are eternal.
A little side note from Elder Oaks: There is no up or down in church service. there is only forward or backward, and that difference depends on how we accept and act upon our callings and our releases. The Priesthood is part of that - There are those who carry heavy responsibilities in their callings. But all holders of the Priesthood can access the same power to bless those around them.
President Packer tells us, "The Church is made up of families. We talk about the organization and how many wards and stakes we have, and they are incidental and temporary. when we talk about how many families we have, then we will see real growth in the church." I think he is not speaking of numbers here. He is speaking of real growth.... in spiritual stature, family ties and strength. They are the real indicators of our progress.
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At this time there is much discussion on the internet about the Priesthood of God and the role of women. Elder Oaks addressed this issue quite well in our most recent general conference. I recommend this to you for your own study.
Let me share with you some of his comments.
"Priesthood power blesses all of us. Priesthood keys direct women as well as men, and priesthood ordinances and priesthood authority pertain to women as well as men... "
"The Priesthood is the power by which we will be resurrected and proceed to eternal life."
He quotes Elder Ballard... "Those who have priesthood keys... literally make it possible for all who serve faithfully under their direction to exercise priesthood authority and have access to priesthood power."
"Even though presiding authorities hold and exercise all of the keys delegated to men in this dispensation, they are not free to alter the divinely decreed pattern that only men will hold offices in the priesthood."
It has been decreed that a man cannot fully exercise the power of the Priesthood without a woman, just as a woman cannot conceive a child without a man. Both of these powers are shared. Both are essential.
Now, women and the Priesthood?
Elder Oaks explains that "with the exception of the sacred work that sister do in the temple under the keys held by the temple president, only one who holds a priesthood office can officiate in a priesthood ordinance."
Then he goes on, quoting President Joseph Fielding Smith, "While the sisters have not been given the Priesthood, it has not been conferred upon them, that does not mean that The Lord has not given unto them authority... A person may have authority given to him, or a sister to her, to do certain things in the Church that are binding and absolutely necessary for our salvation, such as the work that our sister s do in the House of The Lord. They have authority given unto them to do some great and wonderful things, sacred unto The Lord, and binding just as thoroughly as are the blessings that are given by the men who hold the Priesthood."
But, thankfully, President Smith does not leave it there, and Elder Oaks provides the rest of President Smith's instruction to the sisters of the Relief Society. "you can speak with authority, because The Lord has placed authority upon you...." He went on, "Relief Society has been given power and authority to do a great many things...... The work which they do is done by divine authority."
Of course all Church work done by men and women is done under the direction of those who hold priesthood keys. And President Smith explains, "The Lord has given them this great organization where they have authority to serve under the direction of the bishops of the wards, looking after the interest of our people both spiritually and temporally."
And I will add that those who serve in such callings deserve and need our support and our willingness to serve.
Let me say here that sometimes I hear women say "Women need to be more involved in the decision making processes of the Church. I have even laughed and nodded when someone says, 'You can tell a woman was not involved in that decision.' I have seen the shake of the head and the comment, 'what were they thinking?' I have said that. I think the last time I actually heard that it was in reference to the outdated decor of the Logan temple.
But, the implication is that men cannot make important decisions without the input of women. or that, in order to be equal and fair, women must be involved in every decision . NO. Not because female input is not important and even necessary. It is. But, The Lord will see to it that his work is accomplished. It is most important that we learn to receive revelation, act on impressions, care for those in need, cultivate feelings of kindness for even the unloveable... Contribute to the Lord's work in a positive way. (I'm speaking to men and women here.) That means not belittling what our leaders do, but contributing to the discussion as solutions are sought to a variety of problems.
I remember a former stake president telling my husband that as a high councilman he had a responsibility to open his mouth, to contribute to the discussion, to provide counsel when asked for it. That he should not sit idly by in meetings and watch. That is good counsel for all of us. But the other side of it is that when our Priesthood leaders make decisions, ask for our help, issue calls to serve and make assignments that we answer, "Yes".... not half heartedly but whole heartedly and then SERVE.
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I love working with men who hold the Priesthood and who are actively engaged in carrying out their responsibilities to God and their families. When I do, I feel safe. I know that the work is in good hands. I know that the work of God is moving forward. I'm speaking of bishops and branch presidents, men of the stake who work with the auxiliaries, my husband and my son and sons in law. Our faithful home teacher. Often the Spirit confirms to me that this is the organization of God. Not just the church, but the organization of our families as well.
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In the talks I read the comment was oft made that the world at large knows nothing about the Priesthood of God, and that members of the church have just scratched the surface of this great power and responsibility. so true.
These general authorities are happy that so many questions are being asked. It provides opportunities to teach. (Actually that might have been Pres. Packer... He is the consummate teacher.)
Sister Burton explained, "We rejoice that we are privileged to live in this season of the history of the Church when questions are being asked about the Priesthood. There is great interest and desire to know and understand more about the authority, power and blessings associated with the Priesthood of God. It is our hope that the "doctrine of the priesthood... (may) distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven." We hope to instill within each of us a greater desire to better understand the Priesthood. It is imperative for us to understand how The Lord accomplishes His work so that we may receive the power that comes from being aligned with His plan and purposes."
She goes on to explain that we need to invite the power of the priesthood into our homes to bless and strengthen our families and our individual lives.
She sees all of the current conversations about the Priesthood as a wakeup call and an invitation to all of us to study, ponder and come to better understand the priesthood. We cannot teach those things we do not understand and know for ourselves.
What should we be studying?
What is the Priesthood? It is the power of God on the earth, but it is much more. It is that power by which the world was made, by which we will be resurrected, by which families are sealed.
Why does man have it? (Like Elder Packer said... seems like that could be a little dangerous.)
What is the difference between the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood?
How did they come to us in this dispensation?
When, how and why were they first given to men?
What are the keys of the priesthood? Who has them?
What is the power of the priesthood? Who has access?
The more we know, the more we grow. (Isn't that a phrase from Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers... I date myself there) but it is true.
Again, let me give you a few highlight from Sister Burton and encourage you to exercise your agency and learn for yourselves.
"Priesthood authority has been restored so that families can be sealed eternally." She was actually quoting Elder Nelson there. Doesn't that quote put a new spin on family history, FHE, temples?
"Nothing about the Priesthood is self-centered. The Priesthood is always used to serve, to bless and to strengthen other people." The Savior here is our role model.
"Men are not the priesthood. they are holders of the Priesthood." I will say... That lone thought should trigger some ideas about how men should act and women should treat men, and how children should be taught about the Priesthood.
"Priesthood keys unlock the door to the power of God."
"Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the Priesthood pertaining to his Church. He has conferred upon his apostles all the keys that pertain to the kingdom of God on earth. The Prophet delegates priesthood keys to other priesthood leaders so they can preside in their areas of responsibility." To all our benefit.
Before I close, I will say. Women are often counseled about the influence they have on the young men and not so young men who hold these priesthood responsibilities. Do not dismiss or belittle that influence. Sister Burton identifies that influence as a complementary gift to the priesthood power. She quotes Pres. Howard W. Hunter... "minister with your powerful influence for good in strengthening our families, our church and our communities.
She goes on to tell a story about a man who had cancer. His wife had called the stake president and asked him to come and provide a blessing. As he arrived the Dr. told the wife she needed to prepare herself for her husband's death. The stake president described this sister as pounding the doctor's chest with her fists, emphatically saying no. Telling the Dr. that her husband would be healed. My stake president is here to give him a blessing and he will be healed. She knew that the power of the priesthood, used by a faithful holder of that priesthood could and would heal her husband.
Sister Burton poses the question, Was it the blessing? the priesthood holder? or the faith and influence of this righteous woman? She believes and I agree... It is all three. This is how the Priesthood of God functions: authority, power and influence.
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Can this Priesthood authority be misused? Of course. But The Lord has promised he will not allow us to be led astray, or his work to be thwarted. When we get caught in the mire of thinking God should be doing things differently, that his Prophet and Apostles should be more in the mainstream, or that our local Priesthood leaders should be more progressive we are not hastening the work. We are damning our own growth and interfering with the Lord's work. Are these men perfect? No. Perfect and righteous are not the same.
Sisters, we can choose to feel slighted instead of engaging in this great work. But if we do we are not acting on all the information we have available to us. We can choose to think men are more honored in this church than women; if we do we are not seeing the whole picture. We are limiting our view of what is available to us. We can choose to say we don't understand why "the Priesthood" does this or that. When we do we are choosing our own lack of understanding. Don't do that. We will be left behind.
