Recently, I was asked to give the benediction in Sacrament Meeting.
So, what is the real meaning behind this prayer, and to whom (within the Godhead) was it directed? What about the biblical imagery used? I’ll let you figure it out. Is there possibly some sacred feminine imagery expressed here?
This was my gossip-worthy prayer….. (yes, there was some gossip that followed!)
October 22, 2017
Most High God of our ancestors
God of Israel; You are one alone.
We thank Thee, Heavenly Father for Thy constant presence in our lives, and for being mindful of us, Thy children.
Spirit of Wisdom, keep us safe under the shadow of Thy wings.
We thank Thee for the Atonement and for the gift of Thy Son, Jesus Christ.
And for the meaning of the vision which Lehi saw – the Tree of Life
And for the Sacred Grove and the First Vision.
Take care of our needs, both spiritual and temporal.
We pray a special prayer for those who need Thy care more than we do.
And we pray for the means to help them.
Lead all souls into Thy care; especially those most in need of Thy mercy.
We pray for the day when all Israel and Judah together will be restored
And we ask…
May Thou bless and keep us
Make Thy face shine upon us
And be gracious to us
Lift Thy countenance upon us
And give us peace.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Michelle Wiener
Dr. Michelle Wiener holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky and a Master of Ecumenical Studies from the University of Geneva in Switzerland where she studied for a year with the World Council of Churches. A convert from the Bible Belt, she loves genealogy and serves as Temple & Family History Consultant. A devotee of Heavenly Mother, she also runs the Finding Heavenly Mother Project. Michelle just completed her PhD in comparative theology through Euclid University.
All posts by Michelle Wiener
Based on the fact that this excellent prayer was directed to “Most High God of our ancestors/God of Israel/Heavenly Father,” I would have to say that it was directed to Jesus Christ. Christ/Jehovah was the God of Israel to whom they directed prayers. Moreover, Christ is also the God of the whole earth and speaks and acts as both the Father and Son. When the Scriptures use the term God, it generally refers to Christ. While God the Eternal Father hears our prayers, it is Christ who both hears and answers them.
Sorry, but I don’t see anything gossip-worthy in there.
Thank you. It’s just not a “normal” prayer in my ward. But that’s my (non-LDS) seminary training at work!
I’m sure it was hard for some people to make sense out of the prayer. There were indirect references (and an invocation) to Heavenly Mother included, such as “Spirit of Wisdom,” in addition to the Aaronic blessing at the end. Basically, I was giving a Priesthood blessing to the congregation. It’s not the first time I’ve done that. I wrote a Rational Faiths post about that a couple years ago entitled “Using the Priesthood I Don’t Have.” (May 2016) Technically, though I did nothing wrong.
Now there’s one to which I could add my “amen.” None of the stock Mormon phrases in meaningless (and therefore vain) repetition.
Wonderful. More of a high liturgy feel than we are accustomed to in sacrament meeting.
I love it. I can’t tell you how much I love and now I can’t wait for the next time I am asked to pray.