"A dedicated temple is the most holy of any place of worship on the Earth"
--- First Presidency Statement of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (2019)
A temple dedication is an opening ceremony for temples. A sacred "Grand Opening", if you may. As a reminder, only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in good standing can enter operating temples but prior to the dedication, the general public is invited to take a tour of the building where they can learn more about it.
Note: It goes to reason that I highly encourage you to go back and revisit my blog post, "Temples -- Holy Houses of the Lord" to refreshen your understanding of temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
**Also NOTE: If you wish to get in contact with missionaries of the Church to learn more, you can do so at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/missionary-visit
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DEDICATING TEMPLES
Understand that temples have always represented the connection between heaven and earth. They are holy places. They are the Houses of the Lord on Earth, just as it is engraved on the temple: "Holiness to the Lord. House of the Lord". In them, we make sacred covenants (promises) such as eternal marriage for ourselves and perform other sacred ordinances, such as baptisms and confirmations on behalf of those who have died and didn't have the opportunity to receive the restored gospel in life (See "Redeeming the Dead"). Because of temples, families can be together forever and God's plan of happiness is centered on the family. (See "Plan of Salvation and Happiness")
Temples can take years to design and construct after they're publicly announced at General Conference. As it is with any construction project, teams of people need to figure out the logistics of such an undertaking. But between the time after construction finishes and before their operation as a sacred place of worship, the general public is invited to attend an Open House and get a tour of the inside.
The interior of the temple is not a secret. In 2010, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also implemented a 3-D scale model of the Salt Lake City Temple which was housed in the visitor's center next door (until recently while the temple grounds are undergoing renovations). You can get a look at it here. The Salt Lake Temple is an international symbol of the Church for a number of reasons, but largely because of its miraculous history. It is an archetype of faith and sacrifice which took 40 years to construct by the hands of ordinary pioneers back in the day. It was the first temple to begin construction shortly after the pioneers arrived in Utah in 1847 and was the 4th temple to be completed on the Earth. As of the end of 2021, there were a total of 265 temples either announced, under construction, or operating of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (83 of which were announced in the last 4 years alone), and there will undoubtedly be many many more in the years to come.
For the holy purposes for which it is built a dedication ceremony is held wherein one of the Apostles, under the direction of the prophet, offers a "dedicatory prayer", like setting it apart, as the House of the Lord (See "Set Apart and Setting Out", "Prophets and Callings" and "Church Organization"). Because of the sanctity of this occasion, only Church members holding a current temple recommend may attend the dedication (even during the broadcast in local chapels) (See "Temples -- Holy Houses of the Lord"). Because of the vastness of the Church's membership, the temple dedication is often broadcast to chapels across the area, state, or country of the temple. During such a time, each chapel serves as a symbolic extension of the temple, and equal reverence is expected from all in attendance.
**You can read more specifics about Temple Dedications and Dedicatory Prayers on the church's official website here.**
**As you read the information in the link directly above, you may wish to know and see what a Hosanna Shout is. You can see the former Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints dedicate the Conference Center during the October General Conference of 2000 here which includes the Hosanna Shout. Realize that dedications, namely dedicatory prayers, are not unique to temples only but also to places that have a spiritual purpose such as Church buildings where sacrament meeting is held to individual homes themselves where the gospel is taught in the family.**
Temple dedications are always wonderful, sometimes accompanied by a cultural celebration the day before. I attended a few before serving as a missionary and I had the privilege of viewing one temple dedication during this time in Matamoros --- the Tijuana, Mexico temple --- and one re-dedication of the Mexico City Temple a few months earlier on September 13, 2015, in Riveras, which included a broadcast of a cultural celebration with music and dancing.
TEMPLE REDEDICATIONS & HANUKKAH
As I've said, in addition to the dedication ceremony, temples may be re-dedicated, typically following a period of renovations during which time the temple no longer has an operating status. As such, the public is again invited to get a tour of the newly renovated premises in an Open House before again being dedicated and deemed in-operation. The temple rededication ceremony is similar to the regular dedication ceremony.
The Jewish holiday, “Hanukkah”, comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to dedicate”. The eight-day celebration Hanukkah, Chanukah, or “The Festival of Lights” commemorates the re-dedication of "the Second Temple" in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. The story goes that the Jews rose up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in what's called the Maccabean Revolt. Their oppressors had defiled the temple, and a re-dedication took place to restore it to its former sanctity and functionality which included the lighting of the menorah --- one of the symbolic items kept in the temple (Exo. 25:31-40; Lev. 24:2). It is said that the lamp burned for eight days, which was the exact time needed to prepare new consecrated olive oil, despite only having enough oil to burn for a single day. You can understand why this event is considered miraculous in Jewish culture. And so, even anciently, temples had to be rededicated before again becoming fully operational.
DEDICATING OURSELVES TO THE TEMPLE
Temple Dedication and Re-dedication could have dual meanings. The one, the ceremony held to set apart the building for its intended purposes and the second is our individual dedication to the temple and our covenants. Physically, they're still structures made of concrete and other building materials. But what sets them apart from other structures is the sacred work performed inside their walls. The power of the temple is in the faithfulness and diligence of the people to God whereby God can manifest His greatest blessings.
We attended the Tijuana Temple Dedication in December 2015 at the Stake Center in Northern Matamoros. It took several hours because we stayed for all 3 sessions. The dedication was great but the wooden chapel benches were hard and my eyes got strained from watching the bright projection on the screen in the dark for so long. Like going to the movie theatre and watching a movie three times in a single day. Sitting down for about 6 hours was unusual too compared to the constant walking inherent of being a missionary, in that my back and legs became cramped. I'm grateful for the opportunity to attend but that's why most people only attend a single session.
At the end of the night, I was happy for the temple dedication but I was tired and frankly warmer than usual and my mouth tasted awful like metal. I immediately went to the sink to splash some cold water on my face when I got home, drank some water in case I was dehydrated, dressed into cooler clothes, and went to bed immediately, fearing that I was coming down with the flu or something of the sort. Trust me, you don't want to be sick as a missionary because it throws your whole schedule off when you can't leave the house. There are no vacation days as a missionary, no chance to sleep in. There is always work to be done!
I took it easy for about a day and soon I was back to normal. I don’t know what caused me to feel so unwell but I’m glad it was nothing serious and was short-lived. If you read my previous blog posts, you'll understand why health was such a priority to me in Matamoros.
I'm grateful that I get to live near so many temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm also grateful for the increasing number of temples around the world where more and more people get to enjoy the blessings that come with the temple. I know that by dedicating ourselves to the temple and our sacred covenants we will be blessed and qualify for the greatest of all the gifts of God --- Eternal Life.
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