Introduction to the Temple Endowment
This is the first of seven meditations on the Temple Endowment Covenants. In this meditation, we will ponder what the endowment ceremony is and what participants agree to during the ceremony, generally. The other meditations in this series will focus on each of the five main endowment covenants in depth and the bestowal of power that endowed members are promised.
Close your eyes and bring your attention to your body. Whether you are sitting, standing, or laying down, make sure your body feels relaxed and supported. Relax the muscles in your face, jaw, neck, and shoulders.
Take a few deep breaths. As you breath in, imagine drawing peace, calm, humility, and openness into your body and mind. As you breath out, imagine expelling tension, negativity, pride, and stress from your body and mind.
In this state of calm and receptiveness, take a moment to say a brief prayer that your mind will be guided to any revelation the Lord has for you today as you ponder.
As your breathing returns to normal, turn your thoughts and attention to the topic of the temple endowment. As I share teachings about this topic, allow your thoughts and the Spirit to guide you. Don’t worry about focusing on every statement or question I share.
Whether you have been endowed or are planning to receive your endowment, take a few moments to evaluate without judgment how much you know about the endowment ceremony. What do you promise to do? What is promised to you in return?
What is the Endowment?
When introducing the temple endowment to the early church members, Joseph Smith defined it as a heavenly bestowal of spiritual powers. (See Joseph Smith Papers glossary summary of “endowment,” josephsmithpapers.org/topic/endowment; see also Doctrine and Covenants 38:32; 39:15; 43:16; 95:8–9.)
The endowment ceremony that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participate in inside temples facilitates this bestowal of heavenly powers. It happens in two parts. The first is the washing and anointing of the “initiatory,” which is an initiation into a holy order. This holy order has a few different names, such as the Holy Order of God, or the Holy Order of the Son of God, or the Holy Order of the Priesthood. (D&C 107:3.)
Anthony Sweat, an Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine, describes an order as a “select or classified group” of people who have been “inducted into a society or group that has some sort of unique identity or mission.” (Anthony Sweat, The Holy Covenants: Living Our Sacred Temple Promises, Deseret Book, pg. 11.)
How would you describe the group that endowment participants are inducted into through the initiatory? What sets this group apart from other groups? What spiritual powers does this group have? Or should this group have?
The second part of the endowment ceremony consists of instruction and entering into covenants with the Lord. During the ceremony, participants agree to wear and respect the holy garment, they promise to not reveal certain things learned in the temple, and they covenant to follow the laws of obedience and sacrifice, the law of the gospel, and the laws of chastity and consecration.
Of these laws, which law has been most significant in your life? Which law do you know the least about? Which law is the most difficult for you to keep?
By being initiated into God’s order and making covenants, participants show their commitment to letting God prevail in their lives. (see Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail,” General Conference, October 2020.)
Ponder the following definition of commitment in the context of the temple endowment and the gospel in general: “Commitment is falling in love with something and then building a structure of behavior around it for the moment when love falters.” (David Brooks, quoted in https://rabbisacks.org/making-love-last-vaetchanan-5778-2.)
When introducing the temple endowment, President Joseph Smith said that the endowment is “calculated to unite our hearts, . . . that our faith may be strong, so that Satan cannot overthrow us nor have any power over us.” (Joseph Smith, “Discourse, 12 November 1835,” Kirtland, Ohio, Journal, September 1835–April 1836, 31, JSP; punctuation modernized. Smith, “Discourse,” 33; capitalization and punctuation modernized.)
Consider this quote for a moment. An endowment session is a personal experience, with almost no interaction with others. How, then, is it “calculated to unite our hearts”?
What do you promise?
Wear Garments
As part of the initiatory phase of the endowment, we are authorized to wear garments and we promise to do so. The General Handbook of the church refers to this promise as a covenant. (General Handbook, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Section 27.2.)
The temple garment serves to remind, protect, and promote modesty and chastity (“The principles of modesty and keeping the body appropriately covered are implicit in the covenant and should govern the nature of all clothing worn.” (First Presidency Letter, October 10, 1988.)).
In 2019, the First Presidency said this about the garment:
“The temple garment is a reminder of covenants made in the temple and, when worn properly throughout life, will serve as a protection against temptation and evil. The garment should be worn beneath the outer clothing. It should not be removed for activities that can reasonably be done while wearing the garment, and it should not be modified to accommodate different styles of clothing. Endowed members should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to answer personal questions about wearing the garment.
It is a sacred privilege to wear the garment and doing so is an outward expression of an inner commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ.”
(From the First Presidency’s 2019 letter “Preparing to Enter the Temple”; see also “Temples,” True to the Faith, 2004.) If you wear garments, what is your attitude toward wearing them? Do you have any personal questions about wearing the garment that you can take to the Lord for guidance?
Modesty is culturally subjective, and we are not tasked with the responsibility to judge others’ garment wearing. It’s interesting that garments are worn on the inside, not the outside, and we are instructed to not “expose [them] to the view of those who do not understand [their] significance.” (“Temples,” True to the Faith, 2004.) Catholic priests, Hasidic Jews, monks, and other people wear religious clothing that is visible to the world. Why do you think we are instructed to keep our garments out of view?
How can thinking of the garment as a piece of the temple that you can carry with you help you in your daily life and routine? Does it inspire you to change anything about your approach to or attitude around wearing garments?
Nondisclosure
The next promise we make during the endowment is the promise to not discuss certain teachings given during the endowment ceremony outside the temple walls. Professor Sweat challenges us to view this promise in the “light of the broader concept of developing holy patterns of living.” (Anthony Sweat, The Holy Covenants: Living Our Sacred Temple Promises, Deseret Book, pg. 55.) He says it is a “principle of godhood” that is about “becoming a trustworthy person; someone who can keep privacies, can exercise discretion, and has self-control.” (Anthony Sweat, The Holy Covenants: Living Our Sacred Temple Promises, Deseret Book, pg. 55-56.)
Think about times you have heard juicy gossip, or a humorous, but inappropriate joke. Think about times you have been asked to keep information private, or times you have been trusted with something.
How trustworthy are you? Can you keep secrets? Can you exercise discretion? How is your self-control?
D&C 76:5-10 explains why being trustworthy is important. After I read this lengthy passage, ponder any line or phrase that stood out to you:
5 I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.
6 Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.
7 And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.
8 Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations.
9 And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught.
10 For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.
When we first started meditating, I asked you to evaluate how much you know about the endowment ceremony. What, if anything, did you learn during this session of pondering? What questions do you have about the endowment? Make a mental note to write your questions down so you can ponder them during the remaining meditations in this temple endowment series.
When you are ready, take a final deep breath. As you open your eyes and return to your surroundings, take a few minutes to write down any thoughts, questions, or promptings that came to mind while you were pondering. And if necessary, make a plan to act on those things.