Here's my farewell talk. Just imagine me standing nervously at the podium, making jokes that no one really thinks are funny, and speaking in a semi-monotone voice. It'll be like you were there!
Covenants: God's Promises
The Merciful Contract
There are three kinds
of very serious promises in the world. First and lowest is a legal contract,
where two or more parties agree to a trade of goods or services in exchange for
something the other party deems equally valuable. These are recorded on paper
and signed by all contributors, and if broken, the offender faces serious
monetary and possibly legal consequences. There is plenty of room for
negotiation and both parties can supply their own terms to the contract.
Second comes the
pinky promise. It is a serious and binding process between two individuals,
often children and teenagers, where one party sets the terms and the other can
negotiate, but usually ultimately accepts. It is sealed when the parties lock
pinkies, and unless one of the parties crosses their fingers behind their back
(which can easily be voided by the other stating “crosses don’t count”) the
contract is effective immediately and unbreakable. If you break a pinky
promise, you make a lot of people sad and people are less likely to promise you
anything.
Highest of all (yes,
even higher than a pinky promise) is a covenant. A covenant is also an
agreement between two or sometimes more parties, except one party sets the
terms and the other either accepts it and all the promised rewards that come
with it, or rejects it and forfeits those rewards. There is no negotiation, no
barter. In the church, the offering party is always God and the accepting party is always man. The contracts
usually go as follows: We promise to keep certain statutes and rules that have
been laid out before us and explained so we understand, and in return, we are
promised rewards that far exceed our obedience. In the covenant of baptism, for
example, we promise to try live the commandments laid out in the scriptures,
and in exchange, we are promised forgiveness of our failings and, so long as we
are faithful, the constant companionship of a member of the Godhead. The
covenants are binding, and if we void our portion of the contract we forfeit
the blessings and rewards promised us, just as any other contract However, the
covenants we make, just like our Heavenly Father, are both merciful and just.
The promises our Father makes us provide a way for forgiveness, and we are
permitted to accept the terms of the contract over and over, despite our
frequent failings. However, if we choose to reject such a generous offer, we
are left without the promised rewards. The balance is already set—through the
atonement of Christ we just have to add as much as we can to the scale and
Christ will even out the rest. He has
taken the full contract and permitted us to take part in it.
Like how a debt
can be co-signed between two partners, usually a person with more wealth and
one with less, so are the covenants we make co-signed with Christ. In the book
“Believing Christ” by Stephen E. Robinson, he relates the parable of the
bycicle. His daughter wanted a bycicle, but Elder Robinson knew it was far out
of her capacities to pay for one. He told her to give everything she had by
saving all of her money, and he would cover the rest.[1]
This parable is not only referring to the Atonement, but also with the
covenants we make. We want the rewards of the temple, the rewards of the
constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, but even if we save all our spiritual
pennies we don’t have anywhere near the merit needed to receive such wonderful
gifts. Fortunately we don’t have to do it alone. We’re in a partnership, and in
that partnership we are only required to do as much as we can and are still
given the reward despite our ultimate unworthiness as mortals.
However, just because we are asked to give so little compared to the
Saviour does not mean it is easy. In the scriptures it often is said “it is by
grace ye are saved after all ye can do.”[2] The
same goes for our covenants. They’re surprisingly similar. Just because we are
the lesser partners in the contract doesn’t mean that we can slack off and not
give our whole selves. The Saviour has more to give than us, but our giving
should be proportionate to what we can do. This is not an easy world to live
in. It’s not an easy world to abide by the laws our Father set out. Christ says
in Malachi that this world is like “a refiner’s fire…”[3] Allow
me to go nerdy for a minute here and a bit blatant with the analogies. Refining
consists of purifying an impure material, in this case a metal. It is different
from things such as smelting in that smelting involves a chemical change to the
raw material, whereas in refining, the final material is usually chemically
identical to the original one, only purer.[4] In
old times, before Nitric Acid could really be used, a refiner would sit at his
fire, for example, with silver, and burn the impurities away until He could see
his own reflection in the precious metal. That’s when He knew it is pure enough
to work with. It hurts. The fire’s hot. The metal has to be melted to mould
into the form the refiner wants it to be. In case you didn’t notice, we are not
the refiner; we are the silver. The covenants we make are the moulds the silver
is poured into after it is malleable enough to change form. They help us keep
our form in the years to come, after the original firing process has cooled.
Ordinances—The “written
agreement” of a Covenant
Ordinances are
“sacred [ceremonies] or [rites] that show we have entered into a covenant with
God.”[5]
An ordinance is an outward manifestation of inward commitment, but ordinances
and covenants go hand in hand. Why do we use ordinances, then, instead of just
making the covenants and leaving it at that? By witnessing and often partaking
of the ordinances we have been given, we remember
the covenants we have made and refresh our commitment to them. Ordinances hold
us accountable to the covenants and make the covenants easier to understand.
The Covenants We Make are
Merciful and Important
Baptism/Sacrament
In our church,
there are certain principles that cannot be fully seen or understood with a
mortal mind. It’s just the way we are—we can’t understand celestial things in
the state we are now. That’s where the symbols come in. As a church, we are
surrounded by symbols and often don’t pause to think about what they mean. The
sacrament, for instance, is administered every Sunday at our normal,
commonplace meeting. That little bit of bread and water, though, symbolizes the
covenants we have made, sacred promises with God that we are willing to
remember Him and stand as His witness at all times and in all things and in all
places. We promise to remember the Savior, and at the end we say “Amen,” a
Hebrew word that means to be firm, reliable, and faithful until the next time
the word Amen is used. It also means, “so be it,” meaning that by accepting
that prayer we accept any consequences that come with not keeping the covenants
we have made. In essence, the word amen binds us even before we take the
sacrament. Surely this sacred and binding covenant and its accompanying
ordinance deserve a little more than just a passing glance each Sunday.
One important
thing about the sacrament that shows the unending mercy of God is that the
wording of either prayer does not say basically “if you sin you’re condemned.”
The prayers say that if we are “willing
to take upon [us] the name of [the] Son, and always remember Him and keep His
commandments which He has given [us]….”[6]
That we may have the Spirit, His Spirit,
the third member of the Godhead, always with us. We promised when we took the
bread and water earlier today that we were willing to try. God knows we’re not
perfect, and He’s not going to make us covenant to do something that He knows
we are unable to do. It’s like Elder Holland said in April’s General
Conference: “Except in the case of
His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to
work with”[7] He makes it possible for us to keep
our covenants because He knows He can’t expect perfection from us. We promise
every Sunday that we are willing to
do our best, and even if we make a mistake, it’s okay, as long as we try and do
better the next time around. The reason we’re on this earth and the center principle
of this church is the plan of mercy,
after all.
We
are offered the blessings of making covenants as early as possible. Why are we
allowed to take a step into the path of exaltation as early as 8 years old?
Obviously an eight year old doesn’t have the same knowledge as a 19 year old,
and a 19 year old doesn’t have the same knowledge of a 40 year old. Each of us
is only responsible for what we know and understand. But the longer we have
those blessings, such as the gift of the Holy Ghost, the more we learn to
understand and appreciate them and the more good we can do for ourselves and
our future families.
Temple
If we take the
sacrament weekly, doesn’t that show how important it is to frequently renew our
covenants of all kinds? Why, if we take the sacrament so often, should it be
acceptable to shirk in performing the other ordinances leading to exaltation?
Here we sit, with a temple just 15 minutes away. Do we take advantage of it?
Are we participating in and renewing the covenants that will let us become Gods
and Goddesses in our own time? Those of you who not have received your endowment
yet, do you still try to attend the temple as often as possible, to perform
sacred saving ordinances and prepare yourself for the day you’ll go inside? I
think if we truly understood the importance of the covenants we make in the
temple, no power in heaven or earth would be able to keep us away from it. No
power on earth would keep us from striving to be worthy to enter its doors. As it
is, I feel we have grown casual. I know, I’m a 19 year old girl. I only went
through the temple 4 months ago. I really have no right to lecture anyone on
temple attendance, but I had the opportunity to really learn to appreciate its
blessings. The first month after I received my endowments, I was so desperate
to understand that I often went to the Logan temple more than once a week with some
friends who were also preparing for their missions. After a while, we only went
once a week, but the difference it made in my life and my insanely busy
schedule was really amazing. I’ll admit, I’ve slacked off since I got home and
the contrast is stark. I echo the General Authorities and invite everyone to
make temple attendance a regular part of their schedule.
Blessings of Keeping
Covenants
Guidance
Why are
missionaries asked to make more covenants before they leave to teach the world
about the restored gospel? The promises we make open the doors to the fullness
of the Holy Ghost, which is one of the greatest gifts ever given to mankind. We
send 18 and 19 year old kids out to preach the gospel to people much older then
them? How on earth do we expect any conversions to take place without that Holy
Ghost? I have a fair number of friends returned from and currently on missions,
and the impact the Holy Ghost has made in their life as missionaries is
impressive, even just hearing about it. One of my friends said that it helped
him and his companion with everything from planning to contacting. How do you
expect two complete strangers to come together, live with each other and constantly
be in each other’s company, and not murder each other? There’s got to be some
help there, more than any mortal can give.
Even just in daily
life, this world gets harder and harder to live in. The fire is getting hotter.
Each of us has our own special group of trials that were made just for us, and
without the guidance and influence of the Holy Ghost; they become a lot harder
to deal with. With baptism and confirmation, we allow the Spirit to enter our
lives more fully so we can have help in everything we need. I am so grateful
for the guidance of the Spirit in my life.
Comfort
Covenants also
help on the days there seems to be no point in getting out of bed. Whether that
be the loss of a spouse, child, or friend, or just the debilitating loneliness
that comes from knowing you won’t see someone again for a long time, the
covenants I have made help me realize that this life is short enough that I
will see them again soon.
When I was
younger, two of my very good friends were sisters, Kylene and Hayley Knutsen.
Kylene was my age and Hayley was two years younger. My mother substitute taught
for their mother and we generally got along quite well. Hayley had leukemia
that went into remission off and on throughout her life. She dealt with
everything, from dialysis to radiation and chemo to bone marrow transplants.
She went into remission, but her body was scarred and needed help. She needed
an extremely expensive liver transplant, but Haley never faltered with her
smile or her positive attitude. She was a beacon of hope and love to the
community. She brought the entire city of Chandler together in a massive effort
to help pay for her medical costs. One of the high schools raised over $30,000.
Together, we as the city raised over $175,000 in the fundraiser “Hope For
Haley.” She was going to get the liver transplant she needed. Prayers were
being answered. Then, the Monday before she flew out to be evaluated, the
doctors told the family the worst news—the cancer was back. They couldn’t operate and there was nothing they
could do except maker her comfortable. On September 15, 2005, Haley passed away
at age 9.
As an 11 year old
kid, I had already been baptized. I didn’t fully understand, but seeing the
funeral, held in a massive catholic church that was packed past capacity for
this little nine year old, it tore me to see her family so completely
heartbroken. They thought she was going to beat it. Here was a 9 year old who
had never deserved any of what she went through. She was brave and cheerful and
kind. She was sweet and always optimistic. I rarely heard anyone in her family
complain. But the wrenching loneliness that comes after a death of one so young
is almost unimaginable. I know tragedy has struck this ward as well and I am
speaking far too close to home for some. But through the covenants that we
have, because of the knowledge we have, we can “Enjoy the same association we
have in this life in the world to come.”
We know, through the promises made at the altar in the temple, that no
matter what happens, if we are faithful we will
have those we were separated from with us again. What a joyful reunion it will
be.
The power behind
the covenants we make is real. It is eternal. And nothing will take those
blessings from us except our own foolishness. I cannot wait for the day when I
am sealed to my future husband and know that despite what comes, we are
together for eternity. We have been
promised that we will be given all that the Father has, but it will require
sacrifice on our part. But Brother Pilimai said it right last week in his
Sunday school lesson—“All that the Father has is certainly worth all I have to
give to get it.”
I am so blessed to
be a member of this church where I can receive such rich rewards when I am
nowhere near sinless. I am grateful for the mercy of our Heavenly Father, and I’m
thankful He truly is our Father and He acts like one. He is not distant, He is
anxiously aware of each and every one of us. He wants us to grow up and become
like Him, and through the covenants we make on this earth we are taking steps
towards that all important day when we will be admitted into His presence and
live with Him and our families for eternity. I cannot wait to tell the
world—well, maybe just Louisiana, about what’s in store for us. I say these
things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
[1] Robinson, Stephen Edward. Believing
Christ: the parable of the bicycle and other good news. Salt Lake City,
Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1992. Print.
[2] 2 Nephi 25:23
[3] Malachi 3:2, 3 Nephi 24:2
[5] Preach My Gospel. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 2004. Print.
[6] Doctrine and Covenants 20:77-79
[7] Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe” General Conference
April 2013
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