The Joy of the Temple

[Bernard Gui]

A wonderful essay from the Temple Institute of Jerusalem about the singular joy of  the temple....

https://www.templeinstitute.org/newsletter-08-09-17.htm

Quote

Simchah - joy - happiness - is referred to sixteen times throughout the five books of Torah. Twelve of those mentions occur in the book of Devarim - Deuteronomy. Thirteen of the times simchah - joy, or a form of the word simchah, is called upon are directly related to the Holy Temple and the commandment of coming to see G-d three times a year during the appointed seasons. Every time simchah is referred to in Deuteronomy it is connected to "the place which G-d will choose" - the place of the Holy Temple. The Hebrew language has many words for joy and happiness, and each word reflects upon a unique embodiment of happiness, but only the word simchah enjoys so exclusive a connection to the Holy Temple, and to the pilgrim's experience of coming to Jerusalem, and ascending to the Holy Temple with his family and with his offerings and basking together in the presence of G-d.....

The joy of simchah is the joy of being immersed in the presence of G-d, in the realization that there exists a G-d in the world, (and so do we!), and the knowledge that every fiber of one's being is directed toward being with G-d in this sacred space, in this perfect moment. Simchah is the happiness of peace and wholeness, of gratitude, of thanks. When we say chag sameach - happy holiday - this is the happiness that we are wishing upon one another - the happiness of G-d in the world, and of our knowing it. And knowing this, by virtue of our commitment to rejoice before HaShem our G-d in the place He has chosen, we are then able to live our lives in the full knowledge of G-d in the world.....

Simchah - joy - happiness - is a precious commodity and its overwhelming sense of peace and plenty that it bestows our souls is greatest at its source, and its source is the Holy Temple, where G-d's presence is undeniable and all embracing,  "a house of prayer for all nations," a place where G-d and man are at one with another. A place of simchah - the joy of being - being with G-d!

I love being in the temple and experiencing the joy of being with God. The sentiments in this essay make me even more thankful for the temple. Sometimes I take it for granted. When I read this I feel a kinship with my Jewish brothers and sisters which they may not appreciate or understand. 

How about you? What makes it a place of joy for you?

Edited September 9, 2017 by Bernard Gui

[Duncan]

I think for me what brings me joy is something that Bro. Dan Peterson said sometime ago about family names or no family names. People lived tough, hard lives and are basically forgotten now, except in the House of the Lord where their name is mentioned again and are remembered and cared for by people again.

[Darren10]

2 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

A wonderful essay from the Temple Institute of Jerusalem about the singular joy of  the temple....

https://www.templeinstitute.org/newsletter-08-09-17.htm

I love being in the temple and experiencing the joy of being with God. The sentiments in this essay make me even more thankful for the temple. Sometimes I take it for granted. When I read this I feel a kinship with my Jewish brothers and sisters which they may not appreciate or understand. 

How about you? What makes it a place of joy for you?

For me I like stepping out of the world and all its cares to reflect soley on God and others. I also like the connection between temple doctrines, the scriptures, LDS doctrines and its connection to ancient Israel. 

Edited September 9, 2017 by Darren10

[Hamba Tuhan]

Where to begin?

I remember entering the temple for the very first time, filled with anticipation, and immediately feeling like I'd 'gone home' despite the seeming newness of everything. I did two endowments that morning, the first one, of course, for myself, and then another one for a complete stranger who, I knew, also happened to be a brother. I never wanted to leave. I remember approaching the front doors of the temple and looking out into the world and trying to come up with a plan that would allow me to stay inside ... forever.

Then there's the revelation that comes in and because of the temple. Nearly two years ago, I went with the most unsolvable of burdens and prayed with earnestness throughout the session. In answer to which, I heard distinctly and clearly, 'Hamba, prepare yourself for what I have planned'. Immediately I was filled with peace and the almost 'pulsing' assurance that God had this one figured out. That peace stayed with me throughout  the end of 2015 and well into 2016, but by the end of February, I started worrying again. Where was this plan that God had said he had? Had He really spoken to me? I was five weeks away from complete disaster.

Off to the temple I went with my ward. Again, I prayed like mad. Nothing. Silence. The next day, I was travelling home by myself and took the opportunity to vent. 'Where art Thou?' I asked with a mix of desperation and rising resentment. I prayed for more than an hour as I travelled. 'Where wast Thou when I was in Thy house last night?'

And then the voice again, this time returning question with question: 'Hamba, do you really have faith in Me?'

'Thou knowest I do!' I asserted angrily, trembling with indignation. Then immediately came into my mind all of my fears and worries and doubts. So I spoke aloud again, this time with a different attitude: 'Lord, I believe ... help Thou mine unbelief'. And again perfect peace. I still had no clue what was planned, but I spent the next few weeks consciously forcing myself not to fear, not to worry, not to shrink.

My Bishop's wife asked me what I was going to do. I told her, 'Nothing'. 'So you've given up then?' 'No'. 'So what are you going to do?' "I've done all I can; now I'm going to be still and wait for the arm of the Lord to be revealed'.

And then the miracle. Miracles upon miracles. Literally 36 hours before disaster, all was resolved. Looking back, it had all been perfectly planned. A half-dozen threads all came together at the very last moment and in the only possible way.

And then there's the peace. Nowhere else in the entire world feels so luxuriantly undisturbed. I revel in it. Going back to the temple after last year's miracle was an opportunity to exult in it ... and to offer up sincere gratitude.

And then there's the joy. I've already written in this forum about spending last weekend in the temple with an elderly couple whom I've worked with for nearly three years. She came back to church, and he was baptised last year, and now they are sealed to each other and to their deceased parents. I visited them last Sunday to take them the sacrament, and the joy was flashing in their eyes and radiating throughout their small home.

Oh, it's good. So very, very good.

Edited September 9, 2017 by Hamba Tuhan

[Darren10]

20 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

Where to begin?

I remember entering the temple for the very first time, filled with anticipation, and immediately feeling like I'd 'gone home' despite the seeming newness of everything. I did two endowments that morning, the first one, of course, for myself, and then another one for a complete stranger who, I knew, also happened to be a brother. I never wanted to leave. I remember approaching the front doors of the temple and looking out into the world and trying to come up with a plan that would allow me to stay inside ... forever.

Then there's the revelation that comes in and because of the temple. Nearly two years ago, I went with the most unsolvable of burdens and prayed with earnestness throughout the session. In answer to which, I heard distinctly and clearly, 'Hamba, prepare yourself for what I have planned'. Immediately I was filled with peace and the almost 'pulsing' assurance that God had this one figured out. That peace stayed with me throughout  the end of 2015 and well into 2016, but by the end of February, I started worrying again. Where was this plan that God had said he had? Had He really spoken to me? I was five weeks away from complete disaster.

Off to the temple I went with my ward. Again, I prayed like mad. Nothing. Silence. The next day, I was travelling home by myself and took the opportunity to vent. 'Where art Thou?' I asked with a mix of desperation and rising resentment. I prayed for more than an hour as I travelled. 'Where wast Thou when I was in Thy house last night?'

And then the voice again, this time returning question with question: 'Hamba, do you really have faith in Me?'

'Thou knowest I do!' I asserted angrily, trembling with indignation. Then immediately came into my mind all of my fears and worries and doubts. So I spoke aloud again, this time with a different attitude: 'Lord, I believe ... help Thou mine unbelief'. And again perfect peace. I still had no clue what was planned, but I spent the next few weeks consciously forcing myself not to fear, not to worry, not to shrink.

My Bishop's wife asked me what I was going to do. I told her, 'Nothing'. 'So you've given up then?' 'No'. 'So what are you going to do?' "I've done all I can; now I'm going to be still and wait for the arm of the Lord to be revealed'.

And then the miracle. Miracles upon miracles. Literally 36 hours before disaster, all was resolved. Looking back, it had all been perfectly planned. A dozen threads all came together at the very last moment and in the only possible way.

And then there's the peace. Nowhere else in the entire world feels so luxuriantly undisturbed. I revel in it. Going back to the temple after last year's miracle was an opportunity to exult in it ... and to offer up sincere gratitude.

And then there's the joy. I've already written in this forum about spending last weekend in the temple with an elderly couple whom I've worked with for nearly three years. She came back to church, and he was baptised last year, and now they are sealed to each other and to their deceased parents. I visited them last Sunday to take them the sacrament, and the joy was flashing in their eyes and radiating throughout their small home.

Oh, it's good. So very, very good.

I will not pry as your life is your story to tell, but, do understand....I am very curious about some of the details behind this story.

I am very glad things worked out for you. 

[BlueDreams]

In short, just about everything. 

3 things come to mind immediately. 

1. The knowledge. I became a temple worker because I wanted to know the temple inside and out. I wanted to fully understand it. It has been a wonderful experience that has expanded my knowledge and given me insight into women's stewardship. It is like a key that has unlocked parts of the scriptures and made everyday life pieces of a temple experience. The knowledge has made the temple be carried with me, wherever I go. Seeing more the intricacies and hand of God in daily simple things.

2. The people. The temple workers have often been instrumental in my healing when I was at some of my worst moments. The first time I really remember this was when I was a patron. I had had my heart broken painfully so. I'm not a crier, but I needed to let go. But I couldn't anywhere else. The only place I felt secure enough to do so was in the temple. I went for initiatories and I entered the booth to find 3 older women (which is a little less common in the provo temple). They became like three gentle Mothers as I began to crack at the seams. One held my face and told me gently there was no better place to cry. One cared for me. And one cried with me. It still chokes me up to think of that beautiful and gentle moment as I went around this circle of love and care and beauty then stillness before I started again. The next was years later when I was angry and hurt....particularly at God. But I had to work the next day in the temple. Yippee. The assistant to the matron saw me in one of my posts and asked me how I was doing. I told her not great. Again, she cared for me in a way that made me start to tear up. Then she gently touched my face and wiped away my tears, telling me that it was good to cry because it cleansed the soul. The scripture about Christ coming and wiping away all tears came to mind. She was literally Christ's hands that day.  Before I could leave my spot she ran to write down a scripture for me to read later.  That scripture was a catalyst that allowed me to sit in the sealing room alone and open up my pain and hurt to God. 

3. Christ. It is the place that I felt the presence of Christ. That I knew He intrinsically knew my sorrows and pain. Knew where I was and sat with me, loving in a way more deep and powerful and gentle than anything I felt before. In a moment of pure transcendence I understood this scripture to the bottom of my soul in psalms 40:

  

Quote

 

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

 

In a moment where I had been in despondency and pain, I found the pain removed with a joy and love so deep that it made me want to sing praise to the beauty of God. I cannot say enough to describe the profound experience of peace that it was like to know with certainty that Christ sat with me that evening in the temple. 

 

With luv,

BD

[Darren10]

2 hours ago, BlueDreams said:

In short, just about everything. 

3 things come to mind immediately. 

1. The knowledge. I became a temple worker because I wanted to know the temple inside and out. I wanted to fully understand it. It has been a wonderful experience that has expanded my knowledge and given me insight into women's stewardship. It is like a key that has unlocked parts of the scriptures and made everyday life pieces of a temple experience. The knowledge has made the temple be carried with me, wherever I go. Seeing more the intricacies and hand of God in daily simple things.

2. The people. The temple workers have often been instrumental in my healing when I was at some of my worst moments. The first time I really remember this was when I was a patron. I had had my heart broken painfully so. I'm not a crier, but I needed to let go. But I couldn't anywhere else. The only place I felt secure enough to do so was in the temple. I went for initiatories and I entered the booth to find 3 older women (which is a little less common in the provo temple). They became like three gentle Mothers as I began to crack at the seams. One held my face and told me gently there was no better place to cry. One cared for me. And one cried with me. It still chokes me up to think of that beautiful and gentle moment as I went around this circle of love and care and beauty then stillness before I started again. The next was years later when I was angry and hurt....particularly at God. But I had to work the next day in the temple. Yippee. The assistant to the matron saw me in one of my posts and asked me how I was doing. I told her not great. Again, she cared for me in a way that made me start to tear up. Then she gently touched my face and wiped away my tears, telling me that it was good to cry because it cleansed the soul. The scripture about Christ coming and wiping away all tears came to mind. She was literally Christ's hands that day.  Before I could leave my spot she ran to write down a scripture for me to read later.  That scripture was a catalyst that allowed me to sit in the sealing room alone and open up my pain and hurt to God. 

3. Christ. It is the place that I felt the presence of Christ. That I knew He intrinsically knew my sorrows and pain. Knew where I was and sat with me, loving in a way more deep and powerful and gentle than anything I felt before. In a moment of pure transcendence I understood this scripture to the bottom of my soul in psalms 40:

  

In a moment where I had been in despondency and pain, I found the pain removed with a joy and love so deep that it made me want to sing praise to the beauty of God. I cannot say enough to describe the profound experience of peace that it was like to know with certainty that Christ sat with me that evening in the temple. 

 

With luv,

BD

I luv it! 

[Kenngo1969]

6 hours ago, Duncan said:

I think for me what brings me joy is something that Bro. Dan Peterson said sometime ago about family names or no family names. People lived tough, hard lives and are basically forgotten now, except in the House of the Lord where their name is mentioned again and are remembered and cared for by people again.

I'm not sure, but I think this may be what you're referring to.  My ramblings on it are, of course, insignificant, but, although I've tried the link in my browser several times, I can't get Dan's original post to come up.  (I do link to it here, however, in case anyone/everyone has better luck than I have).

https://greatgourdini.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/you-breathed-my-name-aloud/

[Duncan]

1 hour ago, Kenngo1969 said:

I'm not sure, but I think this may be what you're referring to.  My ramblings on it are, of course, insignificant, but, although I've tried the link in my browser several times, I can't get Dan's original post to come up.  (I do link to it here, however, in case anyone/everyone has better luck than I have).

https://greatgourdini.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/you-breathed-my-name-aloud/

he said it in his patheos? blog maybe last month or so, but sounds like something he's thought of for awhile now or since 2014!

[Hamba Tuhan]

10 hours ago, Duncan said:

People lived tough, hard lives and are basically forgotten now, except in the House of the Lord where their name is mentioned again and are remembered and cared for by people again.

Thanks for bringing this up. I've always felt reverential about speaking the names of the deceased, and I think I now understand better why.

[Hamba Tuhan]

7 hours ago, BlueDreams said:

1. The knowledge. I became a temple worker because I wanted to know the temple inside and out. I wanted to fully understand it. It has been a wonderful experience that has expanded my knowledge and given me insight into women's stewardship. It is like a key that has unlocked parts of the scriptures and made everyday life pieces of a temple experience.

Thank you for sharing this. I found myself in a very odd situation last weekend. Whilst I was at the temple, the counsellor in the temple presidency summoned me to his office. I sat down wondering what was going on, and he asked he why I wanted to be an ordinance worker. I looked at him blankly for a moment and then asked him what made him think I wanted to be an ordinance worker. It was then his turn to be confused. He said that my bishop had recommended me, which was a process that should have begun with an expression of interest, and he even showed me the completed form. He then explained that recent policy changes made it possible for people like me to be ordinance workers. I told him I was aware of that but reiterated that I had not asked my bishop to recommend me. He suggested I speak to my bishop about why he had done so without consulting me, suggesting it was probably inappropriate.

So I spoke to my bishop after church the next day and asked him about it. He didn't recommend me. I told him I'd seen the form. He assured me he hadn't filled in a form. I asked, 'So who did?" He shrugged and said, 'Maybe the Lord wants you to serve as an ordinance worker'.

So I've spent the last week trying to figure out what I should do next. I've both pondered and prayed. You've given me a bit more to ponder. Thanks!

Edited September 9, 2017 by Hamba Tuhan

[Hamba Tuhan]

8 hours ago, Darren10 said:

I will not pry as your life is your story to tell, but, do understand....I am very curious about some of the details behind this story.

Far too many details to share, but I can be to the point. I was slated for 'repatriation'. In the space of a few days, six different things all happened, all but one of which should have taken months instead of days, and half of which were completely unexpected. (One example: the territory I live in added my then occupation to its skilled migration list. It had never been on the list before, and when I checked, no other jurisdiction in the nation had it on its list.) Thirty-six hours before I was supposed to leave the country, I received an invitation from Immigration to apply for permanent residency instead.

'Hamba, prepare yourself for what I have planned'. Was it indeed the voice of God, spoken with love and gentleness in His house? Only one way to find out, and it took more faith than I had but left me with more faith than I'd had.

Edited September 9, 2017 by Hamba Tuhan

[BlueDreams]

42 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

Thank you for sharing this. I found myself in a very odd situation last weekend. Whilst I was at the temple, the counsellor in the temple presidency summoned me to his office. I sat down wondering what was going on, and he asked he why I wanted to be an ordinance worker. I looked at him blankly for a moment and then asked him what made him think I wanted to be an ordinance worker. It was then his turn to be confused. He said that my bishop had recommended me, which was a process that should have begun with an expression of interest, and he even showed me the completed form. He then explained that recent policy changes made it possible for people like me to be ordinance workers. I told him I was aware of that but reiterated that I had not asked my bishop to recommend me. He suggested I speak to my bishop about why he had done so without consulting me, suggesting it was probably inappropriate.

So I spoke to my bishop after church the next day and asked him about it. He didn't recommend me. I told him I'd seen the form. He assured me he hadn't filled in a form. I asked, 'So who did?" He shrugged and said, 'Maybe the Lord wants you to serve as an ordinance worker'.

So I've spent the last week trying to figure out what I should do next. I've both pondered and prayed. You've given me a bit more to ponder. Thanks!

Just my personal opinion based off of what I've seen from you anonymously on a message board....but I think you would be a wonderful temple worker   

[Bernard Gui]

One time Sister Gui and I were in the Seattle temple. At a certain place a prayer was given by an older brother that was unlike any other prayer I have ever heard before or since. The man was speaking to God in a most original, humble, direct way with none of the cliches or stock phrases we often hear. At the time, President Benson was very ill. Part of the prayer was a pleading in  behalf of him. The words were unlike any prayer for the Prophet I have ever heard. I was so moved, wrapt in the Spirit, knowing that God was mindful of me and especially of His Prophet. The Spirit bore unforgettable witness of his calling. I observed that Sister Gui was visibly as moved as I was by the prayer. Later when Sister Gui and I met, we shared the thoughts and feelings we were having. The experience drew us together and provided us a firm foundation that endures today. I am so thankful for those few moments in the temple.

Edited September 9, 2017 by Bernard Gui

[Robert F. Smith]

12 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

A wonderful essay from the Temple Institute of Jerusalem about the singular joy of  the temple....

https://www.templeinstitute.org/newsletter-08-09-17.htm

I.....................................................

The Jews do not have a temple today, and so their talk of such joy is perhaps contemplative and hopeful.  Meantime, if you want to see or experience religious joy, attend an Orthodox synagogue on the Sabbath or attend a Sabbath meal in a Jewish home.  http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/593036/jewish/Shabbat.htm . -- the part where the Jewish father lays a hand on the head of his child and blesses him is especially moving.

[Avatar4321]

I love this thread. I have a recommend but haven't been able to get to the Temple in ages. It's difficult with a nonmember wife and a little one to find time to drive several hours. Especially when all the ward trips tend to be while I'm working.

So please continue sharing. I'm inspired by them

[Bernard Gui]

1 hour ago, Robert F. Smith said:

The Jews do not have a temple today, and so their talk of such joy is perhaps contemplative and hopeful.  Meantime, if you want to see or experience religious joy, attend an Orthodox synagogue on the Sabbath or attend a Sabbath meal in a Jewish home.  http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/593036/jewish/Shabbat.htm . -- the part where the Jewish father lays a hand on the head of his child and blesses him is especially moving.

Thanks for the comment. Everything the Institute does is in hopeful and joyous anticipation of the rebuilding of the Temple. Sometimes I covet their enthusiasm for something they are only hoping for....we have the temple but unfortunately sometimes look on attendance as a chore or an inconvenience. I love this image they use...shades of Nibley..."The Temple is where I get my bearings on the universe..."

https://www.templeinstitute.org/gallery_1.htm

 

Edited September 9, 2017 by Bernard Gui

[Duncan]

What I don't find particularly enjoying is the fact that guy in my ward wears white crocs without socks on in the Temple, crocs in the Temple? how gauche!

[Garden Girl]

12 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

Where to begin?

Then there's the revelation that comes in and because of the temple. Nearly two years ago, I went with the most unsolvable of burdens and prayed with earnestness throughout the session. In answer to which, I heard distinctly and clearly, 'Hamba, prepare yourself for what I have planned'. Immediately I was filled with peace and the almost 'pulsing' assurance that God had this one figured out. That peace stayed with me throughout  the end of 2015 and well into 2016, but by the end of February, I started worrying again. Where was this plan that God had said he had? Had He really spoken to me? I was five weeks away from complete disaster.

Off to the temple I went with my ward. Again, I prayed like mad. Nothing. Silence. The next day, I was travelling home by myself and took the opportunity to vent. 'Where art Thou?' I asked with a mix of desperation and rising resentment. I prayed for more than an hour as I travelled. 'Where wast Thou when I was in Thy house last night?'

And then the voice again, this time returning question with question: 'Hamba, do you really have faith in Me?'

'Thou knowest I do!' I asserted angrily, trembling with indignation. Then immediately came into my mind all of my fears and worries and doubts. So I spoke aloud again, this time with a different attitude: 'Lord, I believe ... help Thou mine unbelief'. And again perfect peace. I still had no clue what was planned, but I spent the next few weeks consciously forcing myself not to fear, not to worry, not to shrink.

And then the miracle. Miracles upon miracles. Literally 36 hours before disaster, all was resolved. Looking back, it had all been perfectly planned. A half-dozen threads all came together at the very last moment and in the only possible way.

Oh, it's good. So very, very good.

Hamba....  This is so similar to what I posted in the "God gives special attention" thread where I told about my prayers for a struggling family member... where I had prayed so very earnestly on their behalf, and how I had heard the still small voice so plainly that "All will be well."  And the sense of peace that had filled me completely, and I had no doubt... I clung to that experience, and assurance, for the next almost two years... and I had cried out, "How long, Father, how long?"  And finally, miracle of miracles... wonderful things happened for this person, who went on to be very successful.  Indeed, all was well.   What that taught me was that God knows us, hears our prayers, and answers them in his own time and in his own way with what is best for us and when...

I love the temple and served as an ordinance worker for six years... which afforded me the most wonderful spiritual experiences.  I miss being able to serve, but health issues prevent all but an occasional temple visit...

GG

Edited September 9, 2017 by Garden Girl

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

A wonderful essay from the Temple Institute of Jerusalem about the singular joy of  the temple....

https://www.templeinstitute.org/newsletter-08-09-17.htm

I love being in the temple and experiencing the joy of being with God. The sentiments in this essay make me even more thankful for the temple. Sometimes I take it for granted. When I read this I feel a kinship with my Jewish brothers and sisters which they may not appreciate or understand. 

How about you? What makes it a place of joy for you?

Being at home, every Sunday surrounded by my four children, their spouses (whom I consider my children also) and my seven grandchildren. With all the noise, laughter, conversation, and walks around our large yard and woods. My grand babies, love walking with Papa. In contrast I love the quiet within the Temple, where all come to commune with God, to set aside the noise and trappings of the world. As far as the home and the Temple, the Bible Dictionary states the following...

"A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the Temple in sacredness." 

I have been to many Temples, London, Switzerland, (where my wife and I were sealed, along with two of my children) Washington, Orlando, Nauvoo, Boundiful (hope I spelled that correctly) Vernal, Salt Lake, and of course Atlanta, where I live, and also at it's groundbreaking and dedication. Each time, the Spirit is overwhelming, and I am filled with joy. There are many things that make me happy, but with Home, Church, and the Temple, I feel "JOY". 

[ksfisher]

4 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

The Jews do not have a temple today, and so their talk of such joy is perhaps contemplative and hopeful.  Meantime, if you want to see or experience religious joy, attend an Orthodox synagogue on the Sabbath or attend a Sabbath meal in a Jewish home.  http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/593036/jewish/Shabbat.htm . -- the part where the Jewish father lays a hand on the head of his child and blesses him is especially moving.

Perhaps an LDS sacrament meeting would also be a place to experince joy.  

[hagoth7]

6 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

...

So I spoke to my bishop after church the next day and asked him about it. He didn't recommend me. I told him I'd seen the form. He assured me he hadn't filled in a form. I asked, 'So who did?" He shrugged and said, 'Maybe the Lord wants you to serve as an ordinance worker'.

So I've spent the last week trying to figure out what I should do next. I've both pondered and prayed. You've given me a bit more to ponder. Thanks!

I've got a suggested answer to explain what happened, but it rattles some people's brains.

Will only provide upon request.

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, ksfisher said:

Perhaps an LDS sacrament meeting would also be a place to experince joy.  

Perhaps, but I was thinking of the boisterous, participatory atmosphere in a Jewish congregation, everyone singing the liturgy together, dancing around and parading with the Torah.  The ultra-Orthodox are even more demonstrative, something like Jewish pentecostals.  An LDS congregation is much less celebratory.  The Jewish experience is very different, and I have experienced it many times.

[Five Solas]

18 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

A wonderful essay from the Temple Institute of Jerusalem about the singular joy of  the temple....

https://www.templeinstitute.org/newsletter-08-09-17.htm

I love being in the temple and experiencing the joy of being with God. The sentiments in this essay make me even more thankful for the temple. Sometimes I take it for granted. When I read this I feel a kinship with my Jewish brothers and sisters which they may not appreciate or understand. 

How about you? What makes it a place of joy for you?

In the Bible, the death of Jesus is marked by the temple curtain being torn from top to bottom.  (See Mark 15:38-39, though the account is repeated in all the synoptic gospels). 

In the Christian tradition, the rending of the veil signifies the removal of the separation between God and people.  Through the work of Jesus on the cross, gentiles everywhere have access to the very presence of God.  And the fact it's torn from the top down makes clear this is the work of God, not man.  The author of Hebrews understands the significance and underscores the point in 6:19-20.  And the coming destruction of the temple is made inevitable.  

It's certainly understandable why those in the Jewish faith would reject all this and suppose God would remain most accessible in a particular space (e.g., along or under the Western Wall).  But for LDS who claim faith in the person and work of Christ--it makes a whole lot less sense.  

What do LDS think of Mark 15:38-39 and the torn curtain?  Was it just a random event and the Apostle Paul and ensuing Christian tradition made a mountain out of a molehill? 

--Erik

[Hamba Tuhan]

3 hours ago, Garden Girl said:

What that taught me was that God knows us, hears our prayers, and answers them in his own time and in his own way with what is best for us and when...

Precisely. And in return, we get to know Him ... but this knowledge can take considerable faith and patience, not to mention all the wrestling and repenting.

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I love the temple and served as an ordinance worker for six years... which afforded me the most wonderful spiritual experiences.  I miss being able to serve, but health issues prevent all but an occasional temple visit...

Thanks for sharing this. One of my concerns -- and I'll admit that it's a selfish one -- is that I'll somehow miss out if I no longer get to be on the receiving end of the ordinances. I believe with my mind that the voice of God can speak to those serving as well as those being served, but I obviously haven't experienced it yet.