Why do we end our prayers and ordinances in the name of Jesus Christ?
This question was asked to me by an investigator I baptized on my mission, and I had no adequate answer. Our prayers are heard directly by Heavenly Father; they require no intermediary to be heard. I have an inkling about at least part of the reason, and below are some fairly disjointed thoughts on the subject.
Mosiah 26:18: "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine." We are aware that we have taken the name of Christ onto ourselves through baptismal covenants. We are not as aware of His reciprocation—He took our names, and therefore, our burdens and the penalties for our sins onto Himself in Gethsemane and on the cross. Just as taking our names onto Himself redirects the collision of brutal justice so that He absorbs their impact, so taking His name onto ourselves gives us access to what His righteous life merited—His peace, love, joy, power, some privileges (eventually all), and even His very nature (eventually all of it).
Jesus speaks to His twelve among the Nephites: "And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake" (3Ne. 27:6-7).
I wince when people at the podium, whether praying or giving talks, hurriedly slur or mumble through a perfunctory pronunciation of the name of Jesus Christ. In D&C 63:58-64, the Lord gives this warning: "For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days. Behold, I am from above, and my power lieth beneath. I am over all, and in all, and through all, and search all things, and the day cometh that all things shall be subject unto me. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ. Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—For behold, verily I say, that many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority. Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off. Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit..." Usually, the commandment "thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" is associated with profanity, but I believe it extends to casualness, too.
Parley P. Pratt records Joseph Smith's authorized use of the name of Christ in the strangest of circumstances. He, Joseph, and others were in chains in Missouri, surrounded by their enemies. He records: "...in a room without beds, chairs, or any other convenience, and chained...together...one man’s ankle to another...In this situation we were guarded night and day by about ten men at a time, who stood over us with loaded pistols in hand. At night we were all stretched on the floor in a row upon our backs...and the noise of the guards effectually prevented sleep. In one of those tedious nights...our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies, and filthy language of our guards...as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed...They even boasted of defiling by force, wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women, and children. I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified...that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards, but had said nothing to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words: 'SILENCE—Ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute, and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS MINUTE.' He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained...calm...and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon the quailing guards...whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards."
This question was asked to me by an investigator I baptized on my mission, and I had no adequate answer. Our prayers are heard directly by Heavenly Father; they require no intermediary to be heard. I have an inkling about at least part of the reason, and below are some fairly disjointed thoughts on the subject.
Mosiah 26:18: "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine." We are aware that we have taken the name of Christ onto ourselves through baptismal covenants. We are not as aware of His reciprocation—He took our names, and therefore, our burdens and the penalties for our sins onto Himself in Gethsemane and on the cross. Just as taking our names onto Himself redirects the collision of brutal justice so that He absorbs their impact, so taking His name onto ourselves gives us access to what His righteous life merited—His peace, love, joy, power, some privileges (eventually all), and even His very nature (eventually all of it).
Jesus speaks to His twelve among the Nephites: "And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake" (3Ne. 27:6-7).
I wince when people at the podium, whether praying or giving talks, hurriedly slur or mumble through a perfunctory pronunciation of the name of Jesus Christ. In D&C 63:58-64, the Lord gives this warning: "For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days. Behold, I am from above, and my power lieth beneath. I am over all, and in all, and through all, and search all things, and the day cometh that all things shall be subject unto me. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ. Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—For behold, verily I say, that many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority. Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off. Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit..." Usually, the commandment "thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" is associated with profanity, but I believe it extends to casualness, too.
Parley P. Pratt records Joseph Smith's authorized use of the name of Christ in the strangest of circumstances. He, Joseph, and others were in chains in Missouri, surrounded by their enemies. He records: "...in a room without beds, chairs, or any other convenience, and chained...together...one man’s ankle to another...In this situation we were guarded night and day by about ten men at a time, who stood over us with loaded pistols in hand. At night we were all stretched on the floor in a row upon our backs...and the noise of the guards effectually prevented sleep. In one of those tedious nights...our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies, and filthy language of our guards...as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed...They even boasted of defiling by force, wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women, and children. I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified...that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards, but had said nothing to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words: 'SILENCE—Ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute, and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS MINUTE.' He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained...calm...and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon the quailing guards...whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards."
I wonder two things—did Joseph play a card the Lord had offered him, that any prophecy he uttered would be fulfilled automatically; and, did the guards receive a personal witness from the Holy Ghost that his prophecy would indeed be fulfilled if they did not "cease?" In any case, the power of commanding anyone, or anything, in the name of Jesus Christ is evident here, and it should give us pause, make us aware of the import of His name.
Mosiah 3:17: "And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." When we are baptized, it is as if we are born into His family, and members of a family share a name. We are collectively referred to as the Church of Jesus Christ. He has other names; John the Baptist ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic priesthood "...in the name of Messiah..." (D&C 13:1). Heavenly Father consistently refers to Christ as "my beloved Son."
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Rev. 22:13). Maybe we end our prayers and ordinances in His name because He IS the end. Creation could not proceed until He agreed to be a propitiating sacrifice, and the plan will not be complete until He says, "the work is done."
