The ancient ordinance of animal sacrifice was completed and ended with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and has been replaced with the ordinance that we call “The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.”
I like this story of deacons who helped bring a grown man to Christ. Normally we hear about faithful, long-suffering ministering brothers, or of a quorum reaching out to a peer.
Anciently, the holders of this priesthood of Aaron were to teach and assist with ordinances—ordinances that focused discipleship on the future Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Old Testament ordinance of animal sacrifice was fulfilled and replaced through the Savior’s life and Atonement. That ancient ordinance was replaced with the ordinance we now call the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord entrusts today’s bearers of the priesthood of Aaron to do very much the same things they did anciently: to teach and to administer ordinances—all to remind us of His Atonement.
The Doctrine and Covenants explains that deacons and teachers are “to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ”
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One bishop taught his new deacons quorum presidency these duties. So the young presidency began to talk about what that might look like in their quorum and in their ward. They decided they should start visiting elderly ward members to see what they needed and then do that.
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Everything John the Baptist said to do, they did. They did what deacons, teachers, and priests do all over this Church and all over this world.
That’s a perfect example of how the Aaronic priesthood should operate. (Although it would be more common for them to work with youth in the ward.)
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