Blessing and Sealing

So now that everything is final we are planning Z's sealing and blessing. If you are reading this we invite you to his blessing on Sunday, September 6, at 1:30pm at our chapel. The address is 2618 N. Lindsay Rd. Mesa, 85213.

We hope to have all of our friends and family join us this day. If we work with you at Mayo or Schwab we would especially love to have you with us. The blessing takes place during our regular church meeting beginning at 1:30pm with all of our congregation present. Because it is Labor Day weekend we expect there will be lots of extra seats. The meeting will finish at 2:40pm and we will be serving lunch/dinner at our house just after this meeting.

If you are unfamiliar with blessings for babies, here's a quick explanation. Babies born in The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder-Day Saints (Mormon church) are typically given a blessing within the first few months of life. It is performed usually by the babies father or other special man in the child's life who holds the priesthood to perform such a blessing. Steve will be performing Z's blessing. Several men (usually grandfathers, uncles, special friends of the family) who all hold the priesthood form a circle while holding the baby in the center and the father blesses the child. At this time the name the parents have chosen is formally given to the baby and then a blessing is pronounced upon them. Typically a blessing consists of good health, righteous living, and other gifts or blessings the father may feel moved by the Holy Spirit to bless the child with.

If you would like a better idea of what to expect in a typical LDS Sacrament meeting you can go here.

We will also be sealing Z to us that same weekend on Saturday. We will be doing this in the LDS Mesa Temple. Again if you are unfamiliar; a sealing is an ordinance or ritual performed in temples to create eternal families. We believe that marriages performed in temples are blessed with a sealing power that allows the marriage to continue on after this life.

Children born to parents that have been married in the temple automatically inherit this sealing and they are blessed to be a part of that family after this life, forever. However, when children are adopted or a couple goes to the temple to be sealed after they are already married the children must have this sealing ordinance performed to be a part of the family eternally. Thus the statement, "eternal families" is something we believe to be true if the family has had this performed in the temple.

We are very excited, as is Norma, to have Z sealed to us forever. In fact, Norma will be accompanying us in the temple that day along with some of our closest family and friends. We are looking forward to seeing a lot of family and friends that weekend.

If you would like more information about sealings or blessings of the temple, this is is a great youtube video. You can also visit Mormon.org to have any questions answered via live chat. Or just ask me!