July Week 2: Covenants

Review: Ordinances

Last week, we talked about why we need priesthood ordinances.  Ordinances are to helps us translate commandments into actions, so that we can be worthy to live and persist in God's presence.

Ordinances are symbolic - which remind us of certain things - which in turn help us to remember to do our duty to God and our neighbors.  Again, everything ties back to the two great commandments of loving God and loving others.

Now that we understand the why of ordinances, we shift to how do we commit to these commandments, and how do we help others commit to these commandments.

We call these commitments covenants.

Covenants are simply commitments to keep the commandments.

Why Do Covenants "Work"?

Before we get into examples of covenants, let's think about the process of making covenants for a minute.  We have these two great commandments and in a lot of ways, commandments are sacrifices of the ego.  There are a lot of things that we don't want to do.  We may want to party and have a good time and we want everything to go our way.  So how do we get people to commit to love God and others?

This is were persuasion and compliance come into play.

There are roughly six persuasion techniques that work on a lot of people.  In brief they are:
1. Reciprocity
2. Scarcity
3. Authority
4. Consistency
5. Liking
6. Consensus

All of these techniques factor into religion and marketing and politics.  For today's lesson about covenants, we are going to focus on the fourth in the list above: consistency.

Below is a video that briefly explains all of them, but now, we are only going to focus on consistency.


A lot of times in my life as a member of the church, teachers have often used the phrase "milk before meat."  This alludes to the fact that you cannot give a baby meat, because they don't have teeth and they could choke on the food and die.  Instead, you give the baby milk, then solid food and then eventually the child or young person can eat meat.

Covenants are very similar in the church.  Leaders don't ask, nor will they allow, new members to go to the temple right away after joining the church.  If they did, they would be weirded out or think it very strange.  Other religions are similar, such as Scientology, where they don't let members 'advance quickly' or do things right away.  Rather, they get members to commit to smaller things before committing to bigger things.

In the example from the video, the researchers wanted commitment from the neighborhood to post a large sign on the street.  By asking them "cold-turkey" most refused and would not commit.  But if the researchers were able to get them to commit to a smaller promise and then follow up with the bigger commitment, more people were willing to comply and commit.

This is why we make multiple covenants through our life; such as baptism, priesthood ordination, and temple ordinances.  This is also why, in primary, young women's and young men's programs, we ask people to commit to smaller things - such as offering a prayer, giving a talk, going to a service project, helping clean the church and other things.  In hundreds of little ways, we are always asking each other to commit to keeping the commandments.  Then when it is time to make a bigger commitment (covenant), people are more willing.

The other part of the video describes how people commit to do something.  When someone seemingly makes a voluntary and public commitment, they are much more likely to keep that commitment.  In the video, he talked about patients committing to an appointment at the doctor.  From a doctor's perspective, patients missing their appointments is not a good thing.  He wants them to keep their appointments.  So, in order to increase the level of commitment among patients, the doctor will have the patient write down the date and time of the appointments rather than the secretary.  When they publicly committed to writing the date and time, they were much more likely to keep the appointments.

Similarly in the church, all covenants are done publicly.  This is why we invite friends and family to baptisms, ordinations, missionary farewells, temple ordinances and weddings.  Even though the temple is not open for the entire public, many families will attend when someone goes to the temple for the first time.

What Covenants Do We Make?

Let's spend some time talking about the covenants we make.  What are they?

Baptismal Covenant
- read Mosiah 18:8-10, D&C 20:37

The Sacrament
- read Moroni 4 and Moroni 5,  D&C 20:77, 79

Priesthood Covenant
- read D&C 84:33-44

Temple Covenants
- read Endowed From On High Lesson 4

Marriage Covenant
- the church calls this "the new and everlasting covenant"
- sometimes called (and is related to) the Abrahamic covenant
- when it was first revealed, it really meant members we asked to enter into a polygamous and/or polyandrous marriage
- see D&C 132, particularly verse 32 "do the works of Abraham" and then later vs. 58-66
- the church no longer practices "live" polygamous marriages, but does approve "serial" polygamous marriages
- note: President Nelson and President Oaks are sealed (married for eternity) to two wives, even though they had the option to marry their 2nd wife for "time only"
- see "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo"
- see "Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah"
- see "The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage"

July Week 1: Ordinances

What is the purpose of ordinances?

Quickly review the events in the Garden of Eden.  God created Adam and Eve, who were perfect in body and innocent in mind.  They were place in the garden, commanded to have children and commanded not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Satan came, and tempted them to eat the fruit; they ate and were cast out of the garden and more importantly, they left God's presence.  Ever since then, humans have been trying to get back to God to live with him.

Read Moses 1:1-24
Pay particular attention to verses, 5, 10-11



D&C 84:19-22
19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

The whole point of ordinances is to help us prepare to meet God and live in his presence.  Ordinances are symbolic and teach and remind us of our duties to God and others.  Each ordinance is tied to a duty - always a duty to God or a duty to others.  As we fulfill these duties, we prepare ourselves to meet and live with God again.

What are the ordinances?

Saving Ordinances
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Melchizedek Priesthood ordination
- Temple endowment (washing/anointing, receiving tokens and signs)
- Marriage sealing

Other Ordinances
- Sacrament (memorial ordinance)
- Washing feet (for apostles; see this link)
- Naming and blessing of children
- Oil consecration
- Blessing sick

Symbols

What is a symbol?

Think of song The Star Spangled Banner and how our flag should remind us of the sacrifices our fore-fathers made and when we see the stars, stripes, red, while and blue, we ought to think about them and be grateful for what we enjoy.

My ring is a symbol of my love and commitment to Jill.

Just this week, an author I enjoy reading, produced a little coin called a memento mori which is supposed to remind the person who carries it around, that they will die soon and they ought to treat each day as a gift.

Symbols represent something or an idea.  And when we see the symbol, we ought to remember whatever it is we are supposed to remember or we ought to do whatever it is we ought to do.

How we learn from ordinances

Divide class in half.  One half will focus on baptism and the other half on sacrament.

They will search and then share:
1. What does the ordinance symbolize
2. What does the ordinance teach
     - what should we remember
     - how should we act and live / fulfill our duties

They should be prepared to share a quote from the scriptures or from a talk.  They can use the chalkboard or anything else to help demonstrate the symbol and what it is we are supposed to remember or do when we see that symbol.

living a christ-centered life

this guidance about living a christ-centered life is probably more specific about how to live a christ-centered life in this post-modern age.  below are seven ideas for striving to live a more christ-centered life in 2013 and beyond.

#1 - less is more.  our calendars are over-scheduled with practices, school events, church events, meetings, tv shows, movies, video games, smartphone apps, the internet, dates, engagements, camp outs, parties and the list goes on and one.  our calendars are particularly full in the months of october, november and december.  just this month, our local ward carried out five activities over 4 weeks.  there were no activities in september or august.  if we are gong to center our life on christ, we must push back against the tide of activities that sap time from our meditation, scripture study and communing with god. (read o be wise by elder ballard).

#2 - manage tech in your life.  we are always on our phones, tablets and computers.  just as we fast from food and water, we must fast from technology more often.  abolish tech from your kitchen dinner table when dinner is served.  read a book instead of playing the latest and addictive game.  limit your time using social media, playing games, watching tv and movies.  rather, go on a walk, exercise more, meditate and commune with god more.

#3 - develop integrity.  do you know what integrity means?  it means being honest, having strong moral principals and being morally upright.  it means being in a whole (complete) state and undivided.  think of a piece of wood or a slab of cement.  if it has cracks or rot, it does not have integrity - it will break at the weak point when it experiences stress.  but if the piece of wood or cement slab has integrity, it is strong throughout.  we need to develop our integrity and moral people.

#4 - repent.  as part of developing your moral integrity, we must all repent.  to do that, we need to understand what christ taught and then we must compare our life to his teachings and then determine where we are weak.  and where we are weak, but must turn that weakness into a strenth (ether 12:27).  if we are weak in honesty, then we must develop the attribute of honesty.  repentance and discipline must go hand in hand.

#5 - study the life of christ.  if we would have our life centered in christ, we must know who he is; what he taught.  make studying the scriptures a daily habit.  study the new testament; especially the gospels.  study the book of mormon and note those sections that speak and talk of christ.  listen to and read the general conference talks.  note all the words that speak of christ-like discipleship.  learn the attributes of christ and develop them in your life.  there are numerous resources on the teachings of christ ... if you seek, you shall find.

#6 - make and keep covenants with god.  christ was baptized to covenant with god that he would follow him.  we too should enter covenants with god.  you can do this by being baptized and regularly partaking of the sacrament.  you can even enter the temple to make additional, specific covenants with god.  once you make those covenants, do all that you can to keep them.  as part of those covenants, promise to serve others.  serve by paying tithes and offerings, giving service, helping others, counseling and teaching others and by simply loving.  if you fail to keep any covenant you've made, see point number 4 above.

#7 - come unto christ.  in summary, to make your life centered in christ, then come unto him (see john 14:6).  the prophet ameleki in the book of mormon has some very wise counsel, "i would that ye should come unto christ, who is the holy one of isreal, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption.  yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and prayer, and endure to the end; and as the lord liveth ye will be saved." (omni 1:26)

was this helpful?  what other ways can you strive to live a christ-centered life in this post-modern world?