President Russell M. Nelson on making home a sacred place

President Russell M. Nelson (born Sept 9, 1924) was an internationally-renowned heart surgeon when he was called to serve as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984. He became president of that quorum on July 15, 2015. Following the death of President Monson, he was set apart as president of the Church on January 14, 2018.

"You may feel that there is still more you need to do to make your home truly a sanctuary of faith. If so, please do it! If you are married, counsel with your wife as your equal partner in this crucial work. There are few pursuits more important than this. Between now and the time the Lord comes again, we all need our homes to be places of serenity and security.

"Attitudes and actions that invite the Spirit will increase the holiness of your home. Equally certain is the fact that holiness will vanish if there is anything in your behavior or environment that offends the Holy Spirit, for then 'the heavens withdraw themselves' (D&C 121:37).

"Have you ever wondered why the Lord wants us to make our homes the center of gospel learning and gospel living? It is not just to prepare us for, and help us through, a pandemic. Present restrictions on gathering will eventually end. However, your commitment to make your home your primary sanctuary of faith should never end. As faith and holiness decrease in this fallen world, your need for holy places will increase. I urge you to continue to make your home a truly holy place 'and be not moved' (D&C 87:8, emphasis added) from that essential goal."

- Russell M. Nelson, "What We Are Learning and Will Never Forget," General Conference April 2021, Priesthood session

Addressing the Priesthood session of the April 2021 conference, President Nelson talked about the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts it has had on people throughout the world. So many of those impacts are negative, but President Nelson pointed out that there have been, or should have been, many positive aspects as well. He pointed out several ways those benefits came, including the blessing of helping us recognize our homes as "the center of faith and worship" in our lives. That is definitely not a new message; but during this time, we've seen and felt the power of sacred ordinances at home and the blessing of personal worship.

So President Nelson encouraged us to continue to do all we can to build that feeling of holiness in our homes:

The growth and spirit won't come on their own; we must invite the Spirit through our "attitudes and actions" and avoid anything that would detract from that sacredness. President Nelson reminded us that even when conditions return to "normal," our efforts to create sacred sanctuaries must never fade; the need will continue to grow as there is a decline in faith in the world.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)

President Howard W. Hunter on reverence in society and in church

President Howard W. Hunter (1907-1995) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1959.  He served as Church President from June 5, 1994 to his death on March 3, 1995.

"There are wide areas of our society from which the spirit of prayer and reverence and worship has vanished. Men and women in many circles are clever, interesting, or brilliant, but they lack one crucial element in a complete life. They do not look up. They do not offer up vows in righteousness, as the requirement is stated in the Doctrine and Covenants, 'on all days and at all times.' (D&C 59:11.) Their conversation sparkles, but it is not sacred. Their talk is witty, but it is not wise. Whether it be in the office, the locker room, or the laboratory, they have come too far down the scale of dignity who display their own limited powers and then find it necessary to blaspheme those unlimited powers that come from above.

"Unfortunately we sometimes find this lack of reverence even within the Church. Occasionally we visit too loudly, enter and leave meetings too disrespectfully in what should be an hour of prayer and purifying worship. Reverence is the atmosphere of heaven. Prayer is the utterance of the soul to God the Father. We do well to become more like our Father by looking up to him, by remembering him always, and by caring greatly about his world and his work."

- Howard W. Hunter, "Hallowed Be Thy Name," General Conference October 1977
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

President Hunter points out some important differences between worldly attitudes, and the "humble followers of Christ" (2 Ne 28:14). Too often men and women in the world seek only to be "clever, interesting, or brilliant," coming across as witty but forgetting to be wise and humble. There is a desire to impress their peers, to stand out and be influential—but without regard for a divine power and its righteous principles. Certainly as we grow in our spirituality and understanding of the Savior's love for us and His plan for happiness, we will see how little the approbation of the world means compared to God's approval for our lives.

President Hunter warns too about the risk of forgetting sacred things, sacred times, sacred places. When we gather in our meetings, we should remember why we are there and strive to do nothing that would detract from the spirit of worshipful reverence. As we strive to "always remember Him," that will be more natural for us.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

Elder D. Todd Christofferson on having a sense of the sacred

Elder D. Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) was called to the Seventy in 1993, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2008.

"The importance of having a sense of the sacred is simply this—if one does not appreciate holy things, he will lose them. Absent a feeling of reverence, he will grow increasingly casual in attitude and lax in conduct. He will drift from the moorings that his covenants with God could provide. His feeling of accountability to God will diminish and then be forgotten. Thereafter, he will care only about his own comfort and satisfying his uncontrolled appetites. Finally, he will come to despise sacred things, even God, and then he will despise himself.

"On the other hand, with a sense of the sacred, one grows in understanding and truth. The Holy Spirit becomes his frequent and then constant companion. More and more he will stand in holy places and be entrusted with holy things. Just the opposite of cynicism and despair, his end is eternal life.

"Paradoxically, much of what I want to convey cannot really be passed from one person to another. It must grow from within. But if I can help you think about some things in a contemplative way, then the Spirit may work in you so that you will not need me or anyone else to tell you what is sacred or how to respond—you will feel it for yourself. It will be part of your nature; indeed, much of it already is."

- D. Todd Christofferson, "A Sense of the Sacred," BYU Devotional, November 7, 2004
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

The address by Elder Christofferson was very thought-provoking to me. What are the "sacred things" in my life? How do I think about them, and respond to them? There can be sacred locations, sacred events, sacred actions, sacred thoughts. All of those are a part of the higher portion of living, and we must learn to draw them into our life and not neglect their role and place in our living and progress.

When we start to neglect the things that are most sacred, we start to lose them, and according to Elder Christofferson, will eventually come to despise them. That though be a frightening prospect to us. On the contrary, if we recognize and emphasize the sacred things, we grow and progress in our understanding and in our spiritual life, and are entrusted in greater measure with additional sacred things. That "more abundant life" is truly a joyful gift from God.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

Elder Ronald A. Rasband on standing in holy places to overcome fear

Elder Ronald A. Rasband (b. February 6, 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 2000.  He was the senior president of the Seventy when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in October 2015.

"When we stand in holy places—our righteous homes, our dedicated chapels, the consecrated temples—we feel the Spirit of the Lord with us. We find answers to questions that trouble us or the peace to simply set them aside. That is the Spirit in action. These sacred places in the kingdom of God on earth call for our reverence, our respect for others, our best selves in living the gospel, and our hopes to lay aside our fears and seek the healing power of Jesus Christ through His Atonement.

"There is no room for fear in these holy places of God or in the hearts of His children. Why? Because of love. God loves us—always—and we love Him. Our love of God counters all fears, and His love abounds in holy places. Think about it. When we are tentative in our commitments to the Lord, when we stray from His path leading to life eternal, when we question or doubt our significance in His divine design, when we allow fear to open the door to all its companions—discouragement, anger, frustration, disappointment—the Spirit leaves us, and we are without the Lord. If you know what that is like, you know it is not a good place to be. In contrast, when we stand in holy places, we can feel God’s love, and 'perfect love casteth out all fear' (Moroni 8:16)."

- Ronald A. Rasband, "Be Not Troubled," General Conference October 2018
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

Elder Rasband's message responded to the challenges and uncertainties we sometimes face in our lives that cause fear. We all have them from time to time, in different degrees and for varied reasons; but there are ways to compensate and overcome as we strive to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. His first suggestion was to learn to find comfort and hope as we recognize and "stand" in the places in our lives that are holy—temples, chapels, homes.

Perhaps we would do well to evaluate whether our homes, in particular, provide the kind of sacred environment Elder Rasband is describing, where reverence, respect, and gospel living are the normal condition.

Holy places are filled with God's love, Elder Rasband teaches; and that love drives fears away. "Our love of God counters all fears, and His love abounds in holy places." But Elder Rasband warns of things that might cause the Lord's spirit to depart, leaving us with the fears of the world:

• when we are tentative in our commitments to the Lord
• when we stray from His path leading to life eternal
• when we question or doubt our significance in His divine design
• when we allow fear to open the door to all its companions—discouragement, anger, frustration, disappointment

A good warning for us all, to do the things that will enable us all to "stand in holy places and be not moved."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

Boyd K. Packer on the sacredness of the holy temple

President Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015) served as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve (a position that no longer exists) from 1961 to 1970, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He served as president of that Quorum from 1994 until his death on July 3, 2015 at age 90.

"May we each dedicate ourselves anew to the service of the Lord.

"Say the word temple. Say it quietly and reverently. Say it over and over again. Temple. Temple. Temple. Add the word holy. Holy Temple. Say it as though it were capitalized, no matter where it appears in the sentence.

"Temple. One other word is equal in importance to a Latter-day Saint. Home. Put the words holy temple and home together, and you have described the house of the Lord!

"May God grant that we may be worthy to enter there and receive the fulness of the blessings of His priesthood."

- Boyd K. Packer, "The Temple, the Priesthood," Ensign, May 1993, pp. 18-21
Click here to read the full talk

President Packer shared these thoughts in a conference talk in 1993, as he commemorated the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Salt Lake temple. He reviewed the general history of temples in our dispensation, and then particularly the details of the construction of the Salt Lake temple and its dedication service. It is a very interesting talk, worth a review.

Towards the end of his remarks, President Packer shared these tender words about the sacredness of the holy temple. It was a theme he felt strongly about, having taught and written extensively about temples throughout his ministry. Even the word "temple" should convey a spirit of reverence and gratitude to us, and evoke a feeling of the sacred.

On the day I share this thought (Sunday March 20, 2016) another temple dedication will occur, of the refurbished Provo Tabernacle—the 150th temple functioning today. It will be a good opportunity for members who are able to participate to follow President Packer's advice, and "dedicate ourselves anew to the service of the Lord." This brings to mind another classic comment about temple dedications:

"May I remind you that when we dedicate a house to the Lord, what we really do is dedicate ourselves to the Lord's service, with a covenant that we shall use the house in the way he intends that it shall be used."
- Joseph Fielding Smith, comments before dedicating the Ogden temple; see "Ogden Temple Dedicatory Prayer," Ensign, Mar. 1972, 6