Jennifer taught lesson 13 about the priesthood last week and did a very good job. I enjoyed hearing her perspective on a topic I've heard plenty of men talk about, but not very many women. As I sit here in front of the computer trying to focus solely on priesthood organization, however, I'm finding it difficult not to use aspects of lesson 13 while trying to write about lesson 14. From the title, you can see that I've given up attempting to separate the two lessons.
What is the priesthood? In a nutshell, it is God's power and authority and it is eternal. In the Pearl of Great Price, we learn that the priesthood "which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also" (Moses 6:7). Our Father in Heaven accomplishes His work by the priesthood and He has restored the privilege of using that authority to His sons on the earth. Describing this restored authority, President Joseph F. Smith declared that the priesthood is "nothing more nor less than the power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family . . . and act legitimately" (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 139–40). The Aaronic Priesthood was restored to the earth by John the Baptist to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15, 1829. Elder L. Tom Perry declared that on
the "glorious day when the priesthood was restored to the earth” men were again
given “the right to . . . act as God’s agents as they performed the sacred
priesthood ordinances" (Ensign, Nov. 2010, 91, emphasis added). An agent is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as "someone who represents
a person." In this case, the person being represented is Father in Heaven.
The ordinances of the priesthood are what bless our lives as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for through "the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest" (D&C 84:20). Honestly, without the ordinances of the gospel, there would be no reason for a church to be organized, for it is the church that is the vehicle through which we receive those ordinances. God's house "is a house of order" (D&C 132:8), and He has ordained that an organization is in place, properly powered by the priesthood, to authorize and record the ordinances received by His children.
This is why I compare the priesthood to gasoline. Usually in the setting of the temple preparation classes, I've asked brothers and sisters to tell me what they would consider to be their dream car. The answers I've received over the years have ranged from "I don't have one" to the practical to the exotic (full disclosure: my dream car is the Corvette Stingray of the early 1970s). No matter the answer, I ask the person to then imagine their dream car in their garage (for those who don't have one, I ask them to picture their own car). They get in the car; they put the key in the ignition; they turn the key . . . and realize they don't have any gas in the car! As great as it would be to possess their dream car, the car cannot function properly without gas in the tank. They could sit behind the steering wheel and make engine sounds, but they wouldn't be able to leave the garage. If the Church is the car (the vehicle through which the ordinances are authorized), it wouldn't get out of the garage without the priesthood to power its engine. Priesthood authority and power allows the Church to offer the saving ordinances of baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, temple ordinances and all the other ordinances our Father desires us to obtain. It also authorizes blessings to be offered in behalf of those who need them.
The priesthood is divided into two parts: the Aaronic and the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Aaronic (or "lesser") Priesthood is named after Moses' brother "because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed" (D&C 107:13). It is called the "lesser priesthood" because it is an "appendage" to the Melchizedek Priesthood and "has the power in administering outward ordinances" such as baptism and the administration of the sacrament (D&C 107:14). The offices in the Aaronic Priesthood are deacon, teacher, priest and bishop.
The Melchizedek Priesthood is so named because "Melchizedek was such a great high priest . . . and to avoid the too frequent repetition" of the name of the Supreme Being (D&C 107:2-4). Those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood administer all the spiritual work of the Church and have the authority to direct and preside over the Church. Offices in the Melchizedek Priesthood are elder, high priest, patriarch, seventy and Apostle.
When the subject of the Priesthood is discussed, a reoccurring symbol is that of keys. Physical keys allow the holder to unlock and open certain doors. However the holder is limited by those keys as well as the key they have may not open every available door. For example, when I served as the ward clerk, I was given a key that unlocked the front door to the church building. I also had a key that unlocked the library, the chapel, and the clerk's office. However, even though this key looked exactly the same as the bishop's, my key would not unlock his office door. If I needed to enter his office, he needed to give his specific key. In like manner, Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained that "the function of priesthood keys both enlarges and limits. It enlarges by making it possible for priesthood authority and blessings to be available for all of God’s children. It limits by directing who will be given the authority of the priesthood, who will hold its offices, and how its rights and powers will be conferred . . . . Ultimately, all keys of the priesthood are held by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose priesthood it is. He is the one who determines what keys are delegated to mortals and how those keys will be used" (Ensign, May 2014, 49-50).
That is the priesthood in a nutshell. There is more I could say specifically about individual aspects of this power and authority and its various offices, but this post would then become longer than my two Star Trek posts combined, so I will refrain :) (perhaps I might write more about these specifics in other individualized posts). As far as this post is concerned, the last thing I would say is the priesthood is a gift from God, but as President Thomas S. Monson has taught, the priesthood "is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others" (Ensign, May 2006, 57). In my mind, the priesthood truly comes to bless the life of the holder when it is properly used in the service of others. I have been truly blessed to be asked by Jennifer and Ben and Isaac to give them blessings. There have been constant opportunities to serve not only my family (immediate and extended), but other ward members and neighbors. I am thankful for the chance to serve and to offer comfort in ways that I probably would not do if not for the priesthood and the responsibility it gives me to serve.
The ordinances of the priesthood are what bless our lives as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for through "the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest" (D&C 84:20). Honestly, without the ordinances of the gospel, there would be no reason for a church to be organized, for it is the church that is the vehicle through which we receive those ordinances. God's house "is a house of order" (D&C 132:8), and He has ordained that an organization is in place, properly powered by the priesthood, to authorize and record the ordinances received by His children.
This is why I compare the priesthood to gasoline. Usually in the setting of the temple preparation classes, I've asked brothers and sisters to tell me what they would consider to be their dream car. The answers I've received over the years have ranged from "I don't have one" to the practical to the exotic (full disclosure: my dream car is the Corvette Stingray of the early 1970s). No matter the answer, I ask the person to then imagine their dream car in their garage (for those who don't have one, I ask them to picture their own car). They get in the car; they put the key in the ignition; they turn the key . . . and realize they don't have any gas in the car! As great as it would be to possess their dream car, the car cannot function properly without gas in the tank. They could sit behind the steering wheel and make engine sounds, but they wouldn't be able to leave the garage. If the Church is the car (the vehicle through which the ordinances are authorized), it wouldn't get out of the garage without the priesthood to power its engine. Priesthood authority and power allows the Church to offer the saving ordinances of baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, temple ordinances and all the other ordinances our Father desires us to obtain. It also authorizes blessings to be offered in behalf of those who need them.The priesthood is divided into two parts: the Aaronic and the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Aaronic (or "lesser") Priesthood is named after Moses' brother "because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed" (D&C 107:13). It is called the "lesser priesthood" because it is an "appendage" to the Melchizedek Priesthood and "has the power in administering outward ordinances" such as baptism and the administration of the sacrament (D&C 107:14). The offices in the Aaronic Priesthood are deacon, teacher, priest and bishop.
The Melchizedek Priesthood is so named because "Melchizedek was such a great high priest . . . and to avoid the too frequent repetition" of the name of the Supreme Being (D&C 107:2-4). Those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood administer all the spiritual work of the Church and have the authority to direct and preside over the Church. Offices in the Melchizedek Priesthood are elder, high priest, patriarch, seventy and Apostle.
When the subject of the Priesthood is discussed, a reoccurring symbol is that of keys. Physical keys allow the holder to unlock and open certain doors. However the holder is limited by those keys as well as the key they have may not open every available door. For example, when I served as the ward clerk, I was given a key that unlocked the front door to the church building. I also had a key that unlocked the library, the chapel, and the clerk's office. However, even though this key looked exactly the same as the bishop's, my key would not unlock his office door. If I needed to enter his office, he needed to give his specific key. In like manner, Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained that "the function of priesthood keys both enlarges and limits. It enlarges by making it possible for priesthood authority and blessings to be available for all of God’s children. It limits by directing who will be given the authority of the priesthood, who will hold its offices, and how its rights and powers will be conferred . . . . Ultimately, all keys of the priesthood are held by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose priesthood it is. He is the one who determines what keys are delegated to mortals and how those keys will be used" (Ensign, May 2014, 49-50).That is the priesthood in a nutshell. There is more I could say specifically about individual aspects of this power and authority and its various offices, but this post would then become longer than my two Star Trek posts combined, so I will refrain :) (perhaps I might write more about these specifics in other individualized posts). As far as this post is concerned, the last thing I would say is the priesthood is a gift from God, but as President Thomas S. Monson has taught, the priesthood "is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others" (Ensign, May 2006, 57). In my mind, the priesthood truly comes to bless the life of the holder when it is properly used in the service of others. I have been truly blessed to be asked by Jennifer and Ben and Isaac to give them blessings. There have been constant opportunities to serve not only my family (immediate and extended), but other ward members and neighbors. I am thankful for the chance to serve and to offer comfort in ways that I probably would not do if not for the priesthood and the responsibility it gives me to serve.
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