Use Not Vain Repetitions

There's a lot we do as Latter-Day Saints that has to be done a certain way - blessing the sacrament, conferring the priesthood, setting someone apart to a new calling, baptism, consecrating oil, temple ordinances, etc. So it's no surprise that we often take that a step farther and pick up phrases that aren't required for what we're doing but we hear so much that they become second nature. Over the past year I've started making a list of things I've found myself saying (or in some cases where I'm only ever observing and not participating, hearing others say) out of habit more than real meaning. None of these are bad to say by any means, or in any way diminish the value of the action being done, but for me personally they just don't add anything. You could use these same phrases in your own worship and mean every word (which is great!), but they've become too rote for me. Below are a few examples of phrases I'm trying to remove from my church vocabulary, the reasons why, and what I'm trying to replace them with.

The name by which (s)he shall be known upon the records of the church

As a new father who will give my first ever baby blessing next month, I've listened a little more closely to other baby blessings in our ward. One phrase that I hear a lot is "We lay our hands upon your head to give this infant a name and blessing. The name by which (s)he shall be known upon the records of the church and in heaven is ...". Sound familiar? I'm sure you've heard that, or at least will start to hear it now that I've brought it up. Did you know this isn't part of the blessing? How did this become so widespread? I've heard this in wards in several different states, so it's not part of local culture by any means. This seems like a case of wanting to make sure all the right things are said during a blessing, which is definitely important, and erring on the side of saying too much rather than too little.

As far as what is required to be said during a baby blessing, the LDS Family Guidebook says that the person giving the blessing must do these things:

1. Address Heavenly Father.
2. State that the blessing is given by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
3. Give the child a name.
4. Give a priesthood blessing as the Spirit directs.
5. Closes in the name of Jesus Christ.

Pretty simple right? Those requirements leave things pretty open for the one giving the blessing to use their own words and make it personal. A blessing could be as simple as "Father in Heaven, by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood I name my son Lincoln Boyd Woodmansee and bless him that he might grow up strong in service of the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." That's pretty brief, but that's all that's required. The problem we typically face with such an open field is that when you can say anything you want, what do you say?? "Well I heard these other men say these words, and that sounded pretty good, so I'll just say that." Simple enough. And nothing really wrong with that, either. Using the prayer structure that other people use doesn't make your prayer worth any less or somehow not count. But it does make it a little less personal (at least for me).

So if I'm not going to say that, what am I going to say? I've joked with Hannah about taking it even farther, and saying "the name by which he shall be known in the nightmares of his enemies and the hearts of his friends", or "the name by which he shall be known in heaven is Lincoln Boyd Woodmansee, but on earth he shall be known as Link, Hero of Time, Ace of Clubs, first of his name, first in our hearts, firstborn greatest of his siblings." I think that would turn a few heads in the congregation. In reality, I want this blessing to be personal and mirror the kind of relationship I have with Heavenly Father and Link. Simple is best for me.

Nourish and Strengthen our Bodies

I don't even have to ask if you've heard this one, it's pretty much the first LDS meme. "Please bless this food that it might nourish and strengthen our bodies and do us the good that we need." The weird thing is, for all the jokes people make about it we still hear people say it! How did such a weirdly formal phrase make its way into everyone's prayers? I've never been one to use this phrase, but it's such a culture-ism that I couldn't not use it as an example.

We know as Latter-Day Saints that we should pray over our meals, but that's about all the counsel we've been given (as far as I know). If you had never prayed before eating before and had to come up with something to say, what would you pray for? I'm guessing you wouldn't ask Heavenly Father to bless your food so that it can do LITERALLY ITS JOB. All food does is nourish and strengthen you, at least assuming you're not eating junk food all day (and even then you can't help but get a little nourished). In general, there's nothing wrong with asking God to help things work as expected. For example, during the initiatory in the temple we petition Heavenly Father to help certain things perform their proper function. But is that how you say your personal prayers? Do you ask Heavenly Father to help the sun rise in the morning, your car tires to retain their air and stick to the road, or your hair to grow? I'm sure you could, and in certain circumstances might even need to, but I'm guessing you don't. You probably ask Him for things you need.

I've thought a lot about what to say in my prayers over my meals and had several conversations about it with Hannah. I tried a few different prayers to see what felt good and real and what seemed like I was just saying things I didn't truly feel. For example, I didn't really like just rephrasing "nourish and strengthen" to things like "give us energy and keep us healthy." To me it seemed a little hollow and like I said before, just not like the kind of thing I really feel the need to pray for. In the end I came up with a few things I like and some I'm still on the fence about, and I'm sure this will change over time as I try to keep things personal and meaningful.

First, I like to use it as a time to pray for the special health needs of anyone at the table. Consider this a more specific version of asking the food to "do us the good that we need." Second, I ask for those at the table to be blessed during any physical activity they have coming up. Basketball games, yard work, doctors appointments, trips to the gym, etc. Anything the energy gained from that food is contributing to. Lastly, I'll ask for a general blessing on the food. Just "please bless the food." We've told to ask for a blessing on the food so sometimes it feels odd not to, but at the same time I don't know exactly what I need Heavenly Father to bless it with. If I have other things to pray for, sometimes I'll exclude this part, but it kind of feels wrong to do so. I'm still trying to sort how I feel about this last one, so maybe I'll eventually come up with something better to say. What do you say in your food prayers?

I know the church is true

For those of us born into the church, we're taught as little kids that when you share your testimony it goes something like this: "I'd like to bear my testimony, I know this church is true, I love my mommy and daddy, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." As we grow up we eventually leave off the "I love my mommy and daddy" line, which is kind of sad but not really relevant in a testimony anyways, but the other two linger on. I'm not going to nitpick the opening or closing, since although you can share your testimony without announcing it first or closing it in the Savior's name it is pretty standard during fast and testimony meeting. Which leaves the classic "I know this church is true."

This is definitely one of those phrases that you could say and mean with all your heart, but it's hard for me to do that. It's another phrase you'd never come up with yourself if you hadn't heard it before. It also seems like a weird thing to take a big stance on - the church is true? Like, the organization? Not the doctrine? It's like saying "I know the Elders Quorum is true." Doesn't that sound a little off? I know what we really mean is that we believe the church is Christ's church restored again to the earth, and we possess the fulness of the gospel. So why not say that? Or at least some personal version of that in your own words? Sounds waaaaay better to me, and like something you've really gained a testimony of.

Wrap-up: La Fabrica

I could go on with different examples, but it feels like I'm beating a dead horse at this point. For me, improving my relationship with Heavenly Father and deepening the sincerity of my personal worship requires thoughtful, sincere and personal action. Copying the mannerisms of other church members is a great way to learn the patterns of the gospel, but at some point we need to be ourselves. When I was serving my mission in Argentina, members would ask where you were from and then follow it up with "are you from 'la fabrica' (the factory)?" Since most of the missionaries come from Utah, and to a certain extent all look and act similarly, the joke amongst Argentine members is that Utah is just a big factory churning out missionary after missionary, almost like an army of clones. Since the Church members are never going to wage a war against an army of droids led by Count Dooku, we don't need to be an army of clones. The church needs you in it, but it doesn't need you to be just like everyone else! It needs you to be you, not another product of "the factory"! Bring your own personality, your own thoughts and opinions, your passion and your spirit. We'll all be that much better for it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and even disagreements, as well as any other phrases you've heard or used that could fall into this category of rote repetition. Leave a comment below!