The Hosanna Shout

David Kenison, Orem, Utah, david@kenison.net
Written July 2001; updated September 2012, April 2020

---

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all around the world have been blessed by the remarkable wave of temple dedications in recent years.  Saints who longed to receive temple blessings but could only dream of doing so because of the time and expense involved, have had the chance not only to receive the ordinances for themselves but also to begin to serve by performing vicarious ordinances.  And tens, even hundreds of thousands have been privileged to attend sacred dedicatory services.

BEGINNINGS IN KIRTLAND

The Kirtland Temple

One of the special events associated with Temple dedications and other sacred occasions is the “Hosanna Shout.”  In our dispensation, this tradition started with the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836.  Joseph shared the inspired dedicatory prayer, ending with these words:

"And help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb!
"And let these, thine anointed ones, be clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, and Amen." (D&C 109:79-80)

Thoughts on Instinct and Conversion

[In September 2010, Bonnie and I had the privilege of spending a few weeks in England.  We enjoyed the visit tremendously, and had some great experiences.  Shortly after returning, I spoke at a stake fireside and shared thoughts related to one aspect of that trip and the lessons I learned from it.  This is a summary of that talk.]

Pinto station wagon, similar to my first
car – a 1973 model I drove through my
high school and college years

I recently had an experience that has given me much to think about.  I've been driving a car for over 37 years, and estimate that I have driven perhaps some 3 million miles during that time.  I've driven lots of different cars, but the fundamental aspects of driving have not changed much.  With minor variations on a given day, I have done the same things in the same way, time and time again, mile after mile.

I don't recall much of the experience of when I learned to drive (bless my mother's patient heart).  But it was interesting as an adult to help my children go through that time and watch their learning process.  Initially, for most new drivers, there is some degree of tentativeness and uncertainty, even trepidation and concern.  New drivers are so wonderfully cautious!  It seems that every action takes conscious thought – when do I lift my foot from the brake, how hard do I press the accelerator, when do I start the blinker, how sharply do I turn the wheel to make this corner, etc.  The effect is even greater if you watch someone learning to drive a standard transmission, where they have to coordinate pushing in the clutch, shifting the gears, letting out the clutch gradually, and applying just the proper acceleration at just the right time.

Two sides to every story

Each year on February 23, my mother used to have her own personal "day of mourning."  That was the anniversary of the day in 1945 when her hometown, Pforzheim (in southern Germany), was obliterated by an allied bombing attack.  That's now been 67 years, and Mom is no longer here to mourn.  So perhaps I'll stand in for her.

Mom had a book documenting the attack titled "Der Untergang Einer Stadt" (The Downfall of a City) that she would read and reread, looking at the pictures for hours.