Talk: Reverence

Introductory Story


President Spencer W. Kimball wrote:

“We are a richly blessed people. The Lord has given us everything: the gospel of Jesus Christ, the light, the priesthood, the power, the promises, the covenants, the temples, our families, the truth. We should be the happiest people on earth. We should also be the most reverent people, but here I think every individual and every family should take a look at themselves. Are we a reverent people? Do our actions in the home and at church show reverence for our Creator?

“Sometimes we wonder. We attend sacrament meetings and conferences where children wander unrestrained in the aisles. During the service, we notice adults talking with their neighbors, people dozing, and young people gathering in the foyers. We see families coming late and filing noisily to their seats, and groups engaged in loud conversation in the chapel after the meeting.

“Our thoughts turn to investigators, friends, and those whose testimonies are fragile and developing. Are our meetings the powerful missionary tools they can be, where the Spirit of the Lord reigns and penetrates hearts? Or to sense the Spirit must we first block out many needless distractions?

“Let us examine reverence, not only its meaning and importance in the lives of Latter-day Saints, but some possible ways we can teach reverence to our children and improve our performance.

First off, what is reverence?

The Church’s website defines it as: Profound respect and love. A reverent attitude toward God includes honoring Him, expressing gratitude to Him, and obeying His commandments.

What does it mean to be reverent?

The book “True to the Faith” (2004, 145) says:

As people show reverence for God, they also show reverence and gratitude for His blessings, His commandments, His prophets, His Church, His ordinances, His priesthood, and His plan for His children. A reverent attitude includes self-respect and personal purity. It leads to proper worship and right conduct. Reverent behavior includes prayer, scripture study, fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings. It includes having wholesome thoughts, wearing modest clothing, and using clean, wholesome language. The depth of a person's reverence is evident in his or her choice of music and other entertainment, in the way sacred subjects are spoken of, and in the way the person dresses and acts when attending church services and worshiping in the temple. Reverence also includes making righteous choices even when no one is watching. Reverence for the Lord leads to serving other people and treating them with kindness and respect. Reverence leads to a quiet transformation in life. The Lord will pour out His Spirit more abundantly on those who are reverent. They are less troubled and confused. They are able to receive revelation to help them solve personal and family problems.

The Melchizedek Priesthood manual from a few years ago said this about reverence:

“Reverence has been defined as a ‘feeling or attitude of deep respect, love, and awe, as for something sacred.’ To describe it as devotion to God is another way to express the meaning of reverence.

“Many of our leaders have expressed regard for reverence as one of the highest qualities of the soul, indicating it involves true faith in God and in his righteousness, high culture, and a love for the finer things in life.”

From the material that we have presented so far let’s look at what it means to be reverent and what affect it has on our lives.

Reverence for the Lord:

• Action

Reverence and gratitude for His blessings, His commandments, His prophets, His Church, His ordinances, His priesthood, and His plan for His children

• Affect

Quiet transformation in life, self-respect and personal purity, proper worship and right conduct, more abundance of the Spirit

• Behaviors

Prayer, scripture study, fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings, having wholesome thoughts, wearing modest clothing, and using clean, wholesome language, making righteous choices even when no one is watching

Learning about and showing reverence at Church is important though that is not where it begins. Reverence starts in the home. School and Church are great places for learning though they do not replace the influence and impact that comes from learning in the home. Assuming that our homes are a place where our children can find solace from the world and many of their cares then it provides an ideal place for them to be able to ask questions and receive answers without concern for ridicule or censure. A place where the Spirit can dwells, and as Moroni from the Book of Mormon tells us the Spirit can teach us all things (Moroni 10:5).

Is being reverent easy?

Many times life gets in the way and redirects our minds from things that we want to do to things that we have to do and we at times forget the things that we are working on to improve.

Now the hard question that we must ask now is how can we be more reverent and how can we help our children to be more reverent?

There are many suggestions and helps that people have provided to help with this. The thing to remember is that everyone has different behavioral and emotional challenges that they have to overcome. As a result different methods need to be employed. The proper approach you take or teach would need to be evaluated and prayed about.

Story about David.

Here are some suggestions that I found on the Church’s website.

In the pamphlet, We Should Be A Reverent People, President Spencer W. Kimball gives some advice on how parents can help their children enjoy church meetings.

1. Participating in Sunday School and sacrament meetings with their children.

2. Making preparation for meetings pleasant and unhurried.

3. Arriving five to ten minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin.

4. Sitting together as a family.

5. Discussing a talk, message, musical number, or other aspect of the meeting afterward

For parents with small children you could try:

1. Help children understand what is happening.

Young children may be able to occupy themselves quietly with a coloring book or workbook, but it is important to help them understand as much as possible about the meeting. An occasional whispered comment to clarify ward business or the speaker’s message may help the child to relate to what is happening. For example, the father could whisper, ‘That is Gordy’s daddy speaking now. He’s talking about pioneers.

2. Emphasize the songs.

Singing can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the meeting for children. Encourage a child’s interest in hymns by singing simple hymns at home and by teaching them to the child. The ward music director may be able to furnish a list of hymns to be sung in future meetings.

3. Reinforce etiquette learned at home, in Primary, and in Sunday School.

Help children remember to fold their arms and bow their heads during prayers and to sit quietly during the sacrament. Children should understand that it is discourteous to play in the aisles or to walk in and out of the chapel during the meeting.

4. Set the example.

Set a good example by showing interest in the meeting, communicating only when necessary and only in whispers, and encouraging children to do likewise.

5. Ensure that children are ready for meetings.

Visits to the restroom and drinking fountain should take place before the meeting begins