Sister Dennis speaks about symbols and the power of symbols to teach us deeper meanings and remind us of important things. She specifically talks about covenants being symbols and the symbols used in the ordinances we participate in to make covenants. She also covers garments and the symbols they are in our lives. She also reminds us that missions and marriage are not a requirement for going through the temple for our endowment. Anyone who is eighteen and feels they are ready should talk to their bishop about preparing. She ends her talk with her testimony of covenants and the power they have had in her life.

“Baptism by immersion is the symbolic gate through which we enter into a covenant relationship with God. Being immersed in the water and coming up again is symbolic of the Savior’s death and Resurrection to new life. As we are baptized, we symbolically die and are born again into the family of Christ and show we are willing to take His name upon us. We ourselves embody that covenant symbolism. In the New Testament we read, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” With our baptism we symbolically put on Christ.”

How do you strive to keep your baptismal covenant?

“The garment of the holy priesthood is deeply symbolic and also points to the Savior. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit and had to leave the Garden of Eden, they were given coats of skins as a covering for them. It is likely that an animal was sacrificed to make those coats of skins—symbolic of the Savior’s own sacrifice for us. Kaphar is the basic Hebrew word for atonement, and one of its meanings is “to cover.” Our temple garment reminds us that the Savior and the blessings of His Atonement cover us throughout our lives. As we put on the garment of the holy priesthood each day, that beautiful symbol becomes a part of us.”

If you are already endowed, how does this change the way you think about your garments? If you are not endowed, how does this change the way you think about and prepare for one day wearing them?

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