Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Layton Utah Temple on Sunday, June 16.
Elder Bednar encouraged those who will worship and serve in this house of the Lord to build a “covenant connection” with Heavenly Father and His Son through what they learn there.
Worshipping in the house of the Lord or in chapels is a means to an end, not an end unto itself. “The end of all our worship should be evident in our homes and in our individual lives and homes,” he said. “As we observe, as we listen and as we learn in those sacred settings, we should reflect what we learn in how we treat other people.”
Elder Bednar has encouraged members of the Church to refer to the temple as a “house of the Lord” to help us focus upon the Savior and His redemptive mission.
“We do not come to the house of the Lord simply to enjoy the beauty of the structure. We come here to learn about the Father’s plan, the Savior’s Atonement, and to establish and strengthen a covenant connection with the Father and the Son,” he said.
The house of the Lord is a special place of unique peace and stillness, but it is not meant to be an escape from the world. Rather, in the house of the Lord we can receive the instruction and edification needed “to overcome the world.”
“Based on what we can learn in those sacred settings and places and times, we are better able to receive spiritual strength and fortify our homes,” he said.
Elder Bednar said many individuals rightfully go to the house of the Lord with a question they seek to have answered. He suggested individuals could sometimes benefit from reversing the sequence.
“We can and should come away from our worship in the house of the Lord with additional questions that we need to pursue,” he said. “Sometimes the answer is not a solution. Sometimes the answer to our concern is an additional question. And when we come out of the house of the Lord, we take that new question into our homes, into our scripture study, into our prayers, into our conversation with other family members.”
You can read more about the Layton Utah Temple dedicatory prayer and ceremony on Church Newsroom here.
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