Sister Beck on "Priesthood Power, Every Hour"

I just read through Sister Beck's talk at the BYU Women's conference in April. I am again totally impressed that she can take up what is "traditional" but see it from a perspective full of insight and new life. I think she sees a whole lot more than she even lets on.

I wanted to post her thoughts on women and the priesthood, which are taken from this article on her talk:

“I’ve learned through studying the history of Relief Society that we have and live with inseparable connection to the priesthood,” Sister Beck said. No one need confuse the idea of those who hold the priesthood with the gifts, blessings, and privileges associated with the priesthood, she explained.

“Don’t confuse the power of the priesthood with the keys and offices of the priesthood,” Sister Beck said. “The power is limitless and is shared with those who make and keep covenants. Too much is said and misunderstood about what brothers have and sister’s don’t. This is Satan’s way of confusing men and women so that neither understands what they really have.”

Our responsibility, Sister Beck said, is to make sure that our homes are blessed with priesthood power, as the Primary song says, “every hour” (Children’s Songbook, 190). “It isn’t just when Dad is there. It isn’t just when Mom is there. It isn’t just when a priesthood ordination or blessing is being performed. It’s every hour as covenants are made and kept.”

When I heard that song as a kid, I thought it meant I was blessed because my dad had the priesthood and could give blessings if we needed them. I have a broader view now than I did then, but after reading her words I'm downright embarrassed. :) What does it mean, that a home is blessed by the priesthood every hour? If we really only mean that a dad could give a blessing if needed, then that's pretty weak. So could a home teacher or friend or let's just say a prayer for that matter.

If it means we have a righteous leader in the home, well for one, not every man with the priesthood is righteous. And for two, in the absence of a righteous father a woman has all the same privileges to preside and receive revelation (which says to me: it was always with the mother; that parent means parent; that parents are a team working together before God; the mom can step into the role as sole presider, without any additional setting-apart or giving of office, etc). So the blessings of revelation to guide a family are not equal with having a dad with a certain office in a priesthood.

So, those are both out. I'm ready to throw out my previous understanding. Now, what does that mean, to have a home blessed by the priesthood, every hour?

I really like Sister Beck's reading of priesthood power: it is present wherever and whenever covenants are made and kept. Are we including baptism here, or just temple covenants? I remember a visiting teaching message, though I haven't tracked it down yet, that reminded us that every gospel blessing we receive, even our very gift of the Holy Ghost we receive at baptism, is through the Melchizedek priesthood. (I suppose that's much like Elder Oaks's talk on Two Lines of Communication. In fact, that would be another interesting place to go. He said that the Melchizedek priesthood authorizes that gift as another "line of communication." I got this image of another branch coming from the same tree, or another cable being plugged into the same electrical device. Corny, I know. But I do really like the idea of our personal "line of communication" with God being having a "Melchizedek priesthood" nature about it.)

Is that gift in our homes a way of fulfilling this little Primary song?

In addition, I liked this post at The Exponent on the March 2011 Visiting Teaching message. I think she brought out some interesting points as she read through some other quotations by Sis. Beck, Sis. Thompson, and others. I think that the more we read scriptures and go to the temple, the more we realize that what we assume about the priesthood, covenants, etc. is pretty shallow, and there is a whole lot more going on!

To this end, I wonder what more we would understand about having the priesthood power in our homes, every hour, if we understood better the scriptures and the temple? At times I long for more information about women's roles (in relation to what we learn in the temple, especially) but then at other times I think we've got a whole lot sitting in front of us that we haven't even touched. (A sort of "purloined letter" - overlooked, because it's in an obvious, accessible place.)

And anyway, it seems the more we understand all this the more we realize we have a lot to do with having the priesthood power in our homes, regardless of those around us. As she put it:

"Our responsibility, Sister Beck said, is to make sure that our homes are blessed with priesthood power, as the Primary song says, “every hour”

And remember this was at a Women's Conference. She is talking to the women of the church, not the men.

I know our lessons on the priesthood are probably in the past for everyone by now, but it's something that inflects a variety of lessons and can be crucial in one-on-one teaching moments. How does this approach to "priesthood power" change your grasp on the meaning of the priesthood?