Amakhaya aNgcwele, amaThempeli aNgcwele

Waze wamuhle umhlangano esibe nawo. Saze sabusiseka ngokuzwa izeluleko zobuMongameli bokuQala ngokunjalo nomGwamanda wabaliShumi namBili, esibeseka njengabaphrofethi, ababoni, nabembuli.

Ngiyakhumbula ngezikhathi zantambama kufudumele ilanga libalele ngesikhathi intwasahlobo isizothatha indawo yobusika obabubude esiGodini saseCache, e-Utah. Ubaba, owayethanda njalo ukwenzela abazukulu bakhe izinto ezithile ngemiGqibelo, wadlula emzini wethu ezothi ake “sithathe uhambo.” Amadodana ethu amabili ayeneminyaka emine neyisithupha ayethanda njalo ukuhamba ngemoto kaMkhulu yokuthutha izimpahla, aphuthuma ayohlala ngemuva, mina ngahlala nobaba ngaphambili. Uhambo lwethu lwasiyisa emigwaqweni emaphakathi nendawo yaseLogan, eyayizungeze iThempeli laseLogan, elalihleli ngokugqamileyo egqumeni, elalimaphakathi nedolobha. Ngenkathi siphuma edolobheni, saphuma emigwaqweni yetiyela eyayigcwele izimoto sangena emigwaqweni yothuli eyayingajwayele ukuhamba izimoto, lapho esawela khona amabhuloho amadala sihamba phakathi kwezihlahla sesingena phakathi ehlane. Sase sikude nezinye izimoto sekuyithi sodwa.

Ebona ukuthi abazukulu bakhe base besendaweni ababengakaze babe kuyo ngaphambilini, ubaba wayimisa imoto. “Ngabe nicabanga ukuthi sesilahlekile yini?” kwasho ubaba ebuza abafana abase behlahle amehlo bebuka ngaphandle esigoni sonke. Emva kwesikhashana sokubhekisisa kungakhulumi muntu yeza impendulo yomntwana. Ekhomba ngomunwe wakhe wathi, “Buka.” “Mkhulu, awusoze walahleka uma ukwazi ukulibona ithempeli.” Amehlo ethu ajika, sibuka kanye naye, sibona ilanga livela phakathi kwemibhoshongo yeThempeli laseLogan, kude nesigodi.

Awusoze walahleka uma ukwazi ukulibona ithempeli. Ithempeli lizokukhombisa indlela yakho nomndeni wakho ezweni eligcwele inxushunxushu. Lingumhlahlandlela waphakade ozonisiza ningalahleki “[e]nkung[wini] yobumnyama.”¹ Liyindlu yeNkosi.² Liyindawo lapho kwenziwa khona izivumelwano nalapho kwenziwa khona izimiso zaphakade.

ENcwadini kaMormoni, iNkosi uBenjamini wayala abaNgcwele bangesikhathi sakhe ukuba baqoqane, “wonke umuntu enetende elinomnyango walo obheke ethempelini.”³ Njengamalungu eBandla, sisanda kuthola iseluleko esivela kubaphrofethi banamuhla, okuzothi uma sisilandela, sijikise iminyango yamakhaya ethu ibheke ngokugcwele ethempelini.

UbuMongameli bokuQala sebumeme “amalungu amadala ukuba abe nemvume ekhona manje yokungena ethempelini futhi balivakashele njalo ithempeli” lapho isikhathi nesimo kuvuma futhi amalungu akhuthazwa “ukuba enze imisebenzi yasethempelini ngezikhathi zokuphumula.” Baphinde bakhuthaza “amalungu amasha nentsha yeBandla eneminyaka yobudala eyi-12 nangaphezulu ukuba bazigcine befanelekile ukwelekelela emsebenzini omkhulu wemibhabhadiso nokuqiniswa ngokumela abanye.”⁴ Ngisho abantwana bethu abancane nabo bakhuthaziwe ukuba ke bavakashele emagcekeni ethempeli balithinte ithempeli.⁵ UMongameli uThomas S. Monson wake waseluleka wathi, “Ngesikhathi silithinta ithempeli, ithempeli nalo lizosithinta.”⁶

Sibusisekile ukuphila ngesikhathi sokwakhiwa kwamathempeli lapho sekunikelwe khona noma kwaziswa ngokwakhiwa kwamathempeli ayi-146.⁷ Ngaphansi kwencazelo yegama elithi “iThempeli” kwiBible Dictionary, sifunda lokhu okulandelayo: “Liyindawo engcwele kunazo zonke zokukhonza emhlabeni,” okulandelwa yilamazwi ahlakaniphile: “Yikhaya kuphela elingaqhathaniswa nethempeli ngobungcwele.”⁸ Kimi lamazwi achaza ngobudlelwano obungcwele phakathi kwethempeli nekhaya. Asizukujikisela kuphela iminyango yamakhaya ethu ethempelini, noma endlini yeNkosi, kodwa futhi amakhaya ethu singawenza “indlu kaJehova.”

Emhlanganweni wesikhonkwane osanda kudlula, iGosa uGlen Jenson, ongowamaShumi ayisiKhombisa wesiFunda owayehambele lomhlangano, wamema bonke ababekhona ukuba ke bavakashele amakhaya abo ngamehlo abo angokomoya. Ngifisa ukuba nani nginimeme ukuba nikwenze lokhu. Noma ngabe likuphi ikhaya lakho futhi noma ngabe lakhiwe kanjani, uku setshenziswa kwezimfundiso zaphakade ngaphakathi kwezindonga zalo kuyafana yonke indawo. Masiqaleni ke. Ake ucabange ukuthi uvula umnyango wakwakho wangaphambili ungena ngaphakathi ekhaya lakwakho. Ngabe yikuphi okubonayo, futhi ngabe uzizwa kanjani ngalokho na? Ngabe liyindawo yothando, ukuthula, nokuphepha emhlabeni, njengoba linjalo nethempeli na? Ngabe lihlanzekile futhi lihleleke kahle na? Ngesikhathi ungena kuwo wonke amagumbi alo, ngabe ubona izithombe ezikunika ugqozi yini okubalwa kuzo izithombe zethempeli nezikaMsindisi na? Igumbi lakho lokulala ngabe liyindawo yomkhuleko na? Igumbi enihlanganela kulo noma ikhishi lakho ngabe liyindawo lapho ukudla kulungiswa khona futhi nidle ndawonye yini, lapho kukhulunywa khona konke okwakhayo ngesikhathi nindawonye na? Ngabe iyatholakala yini imibhalo engcwele egumbini lapho umndeni ungakwazi khona ukufunda futhi ukhuleke ndawonye na? Iyatholakala yini indawo yakho yokuzifundela ngevangeli na? Ngabe umculo owuzwayo noma okokuzijabulisa okubonayo kuyamkhubeza yini uMoya? Ngabe okukhulunywayo kuyakha yini noma kudala impikiswano? Luphela lapho-ke uhambo lwethu. Mhlawumbe nawe, njengami, uthole izindawana ezidinga “ukuvuselelwa kwekhaya”––masethembe hhayi “okukhulu ukuvuselelwa kwekhaya.”

Noma ngabe lapho esihlala khona kuyindawo enkulu noma encane, enobumpofu noma enokuningi, ikhona indawo yalezi zindaba ezibalulekile zevangeli kuwona wonke amakhaya ethu.

Ukuze ithempeli nalabo abangena kulo bagcinwe bengcwele futhi befanelekile, iNkosi isibeke imithetho ngezinceku Zayo, abaphrofethi. Kungaba yinto enhle ukuba ke sicabange ndawonye, ngesikhathi sikhuluma njengomndeni, imithetho esingayibeka ethinta amakhaya ethu ukuba agcinwe engcwele ukuze abe “yindlu kaJehova.” Umyalelo othi “nimise indlu yokukhuleka, indlu yokuzila ukudla, indlu yokukholwa, indlu yokuthola ulwazi, indlu yenkazimulo, indlu ehlelekile, indlu kaNkulunkulu”⁹ usinika okubonwa ngaphezulu mayelana nohlobo lwekhaya iNkosi ethanda silakhe. Uma senza lokho sizobe siqala ukwakha “indlu yangokomoya” lapho singahlala khona kungakhathaleki ukuthi sikusiphi isimo––ikhaya eligcwele amagugu “lapho inundu nokugqwala kungenakona khona.”¹⁰

Kukhona ubunye bokulunga phakathi kwethempeli nekhaya. Ukuqonda ubuphakade bethempeli kuzokusondeza emndenini wakho; ukuqonda ubuphakade bomndeni kuzokusondeza ethempelini. UMongameli uHoward W. Hunter wathi, “Ngezimiso zasethempelini, izisekelo zomndeni waphakade zigxilile.”¹¹

UMongameli uBoyd K. Packer waseluleka wathi: “Shono igama elithi ithempeli. Shono ngokuthula nangenhlonipho. Shono futhi uphindaphinda. iThempeli. iThempeli. iThempeli. Shono elinye igama elith elingcwele. IThempeli eliNgcwele. Shono lelo gama kube sengathi lingusonhlamvukazi, noma ngabe livela kuphi emushweni.

“iThempeli. Kunelinye igama elilingana nalo ngokubaluleka kwabaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina. iKhaya. Beka amagama athi ithempeli elingcwele nelithi ikhaya ndawonye, usuyichazile indlu yeNkosi!”¹²

Ngonyaka owedlule ngesikhathi kuhlangene iNhlangano yabaNtwana, izinkulungwane zabantwana ababevela emhlabeni wonke kumawadi nakumagastha eBandla, zazibuthene zizoculela imindeni yazo kulungiselelwa umhlangano wesidlo esingcwele. Babecula ngokulangazelela, ngezethembiso, nangokuzilungiselela. Ababecula ngakho kuqala emakhaya angcwele kuqhubekele emathempelini angcwele. Ngicabanga ukuthi nizoyizwa indlela yeculo ezinhliziyweni zenu njengoba ngizowafunda amagama alo:

UMongameli uBoyd K. Packer wathi, “Okuyiyona nhloso ebalulekile yakho konke esikufundisayo wukuba sihlanganise abazali nabantwana okholweni lweNkosi uJesu Kristu, ukuthi bajabule ekhaya, beboshelwe emshadweni waphakade, oxhumene nezizukulwane zabo, benesiqiniseko sokuphakanyiselwa lapho kukhona khona uBaba wethu oseZulwini.”¹⁴

Ngiyafakaza kini ukuthi ukuzenza lezi zimfundiso kuzonisiza ukuba nijikisele iminyango yamakhaya enu ethempelini, noma endlini yeNkosi, futhi kuzonivumela ukuba nenze amakhaya enu angcwele abe yindlu yeNkosi.

Sengiyaphetha ngalokho engiqale ngakho, ngamagama omntwana omsulwa: “Awusoze walahleka uma ukwazi ukulibona ithempeli.” Ngengeza obami ubufakazi mayelana nobungcwele bamakhaya ethu ngokunjalo nobungcwele bamathempeli eNkosi. Ngiyazi ukuthi uNkulunkulu unguBaba wethu oseZulwini onothando. Ngiyafakaza ngoJesu Kristu nangendima Yakhe njengoMsindisi noMhlengi wethu nangabaphrofethi abaphilayo abagunyaziwe ukusebenzisa zonke izikhiye zobuphristi kusuka kuJoseph Smith kuya ku Thomas S. Monson. Ngiyafakaza ngalokho egameni elingcwele likaJesu Kristu, amen.