This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Morning Session of the October 1994 Conference.
The years fly by so fast as I'm reading these talks. This October 1994 Conference began with a Solemn Assembly to sustain President Hunter as the new President of the Church. On that note, did you ever think of a sustaining vote as a covenant? I think I had known that, abstractly, and heard people use phrases about sustaining like "we raise our right arm to the square" which is clearly covenant language—but I don't know that I'd thought of it as A COVENANT. I figured that sustaining the prophets was part of our covenants to live the Law of the Gospel, maybe, or part of the Law of Consecration and our efforts to build the Kingdom of God. But I didn't think that when sustaining someone, we are making a covenant right then about what we will do. Here's what Elder Haight said about it:
When we sustain the President of the Church by our uplifted hand, it not only signifies that we acknowledge before God that he is the rightful possessor of all the priesthood keys; it also means that we covenant with God that we will abide by the direction and the counsel that come through His prophet. It is a solemn covenant.
Interesting! So not only that we should be willing to obey the prophet, but we have already promised to obey the prophet…from the very first time we sustained him, and every time we've repeated that sustaining since. It gives a different feeling to that Saturday afternoon session where we always do all the sustainings!
As a Primary Teacher (and a teacher of my own children), I also appreciated this quote from President Hunter, shared by Sister Grassli in her talk:
Those who have the opportunity to teach children in the Church are particularly blessed as they help children understand their divine origin and Heavenly Father’s plan for them. These individuals will receive spiritual understanding in their own lives as they teach the precious truths of the gospel to children.
I love that promise! Spiritual understanding for ourselves as we teach the gospel to children. I have already noticed that happening many times as I prepare Primary lessons for our 10-year-olds, but I imagine I'm being helped in other more subtle ways as well.
That’s powerful to consider — that business about sustaining the prophet. It makes me feel the weight of following so much more keenly. Just … it is something I have covenanted to do MANY times!
ReplyDeleteLove this! I feel a wee bit frustrated when people simply raise their hand in a sloppy, half-hearted way. One man (the branch president in Iowa) gave an almost "Heil Hitler" type salute when sustaining. Drove me crazy. He should have known better, that we literally raise our arm to the square to sustain everyone in their callings. It really is a covenant. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete