A report published in the October 1988 issue of the Family Journal on nine-year-old Anna’s participation in the Primary sacrament meeting program in the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake, on Sunday, August 21, 1988. Anna at the time was just about to begin her fourth-grade year at Bountiful Elementary.
In the Primary children’s sacrament meeting program on Sunday, August 21, Anna was assigned to talk about how the Book of Mormon has influenced her life. Despite a lot of suggestions and coaching during the week or two before the program, no one knew what she was going to say. No hints. No rehearsing. Nothing.
As she stood at the pulpit, looking out over the vast congregation, Anna simply said: “If it wasn’t for the Book of Mormon I wouldn’t be here because my mom and dad wouldn’t have gone to Brigham Young University and they wouldn’t have met and got married.”
That was all. Short and sweet. And the congregation loved it.
Showing posts with label Book of Mormon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book of Mormon. Show all posts
Saturday, August 23, 2008
58. A Final Word
An article I wrote in Bountiful, Utah, in late December 1986 and published in the January 1987 issue of Die Lange Zeit. This message was based on a talk I gave on Sunday, December 28, 1986, in the final sacrament meeting of the year in the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. I was serving at the time as the second counselor in the bishopric.
The Prophet Mormon spent fifty years of his adult life in reviewing, selecting, abridging, and summarizing a thousand years of Nephite records. It must have been a glorious experience. At the same time he witnessed the sad destruction of his people.
As he came to the closing moments of his own life, knowing that soon he would stand before his Maker to answer for the unique mission that had been his, what were the final thoughts running through his mind? What was the final message he wanted to leave as he closed his record? What would be the last thing he would choose to say to those of us who lived in our day?
Of all the things he might have chosen to write, his final message was a simple one:
“Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record [the Book of Mormon] but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record [the Holy Bible] shall come from the Gentiles unto you.
“For behold, this [the Book of Mormon] is written for the intent that ye may believe that [the Bible]; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.
“And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen” (Mormon 7:8–10).
This brief closing message is in a nutshell the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ: have faith in Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized, first with water and then with the Holy Ghost, and endure in faith to the end. If we do these things, it shall be well with us in the day of judgment. It is the very same message heralded by the angel at the first coming of Jesus: “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10).
The Prophet Joseph Smith said it in another way: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings, 121).
On another occasion the Prophet declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father” (D&C 76:22–23).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s final testimony, borne less than two weeks before his death, was especially moving to any who heard it:
“As pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person.
“I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.
“But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way” (Ensign, May 1985, 11).
The Prophet Mormon spent fifty years of his adult life in reviewing, selecting, abridging, and summarizing a thousand years of Nephite records. It must have been a glorious experience. At the same time he witnessed the sad destruction of his people.
As he came to the closing moments of his own life, knowing that soon he would stand before his Maker to answer for the unique mission that had been his, what were the final thoughts running through his mind? What was the final message he wanted to leave as he closed his record? What would be the last thing he would choose to say to those of us who lived in our day?
Of all the things he might have chosen to write, his final message was a simple one:
“Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record [the Book of Mormon] but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record [the Holy Bible] shall come from the Gentiles unto you.
“For behold, this [the Book of Mormon] is written for the intent that ye may believe that [the Bible]; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.
“And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen” (Mormon 7:8–10).
This brief closing message is in a nutshell the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ: have faith in Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized, first with water and then with the Holy Ghost, and endure in faith to the end. If we do these things, it shall be well with us in the day of judgment. It is the very same message heralded by the angel at the first coming of Jesus: “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10).
The Prophet Joseph Smith said it in another way: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings, 121).
On another occasion the Prophet declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father” (D&C 76:22–23).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s final testimony, borne less than two weeks before his death, was especially moving to any who heard it:
“As pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person.
“I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.
“But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way” (Ensign, May 1985, 11).
Saturday, April 19, 2008
28. Come unto Christ or Perish
A bishopric message that appeared in the March 2000 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
“For we labor diligently to write,” wrote Nephi in the Book of Mormon, “to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. . . .
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25: 23, 26).
The Book of Mormon, which we are studying again this year in Sunday School, is drenched in Christ. It is, as President Ezra Taft Benson taught some years back, the keystone of our religion and therefore the keystone of our understanding of Christ, the keystone of our faith in Christ, the keystone of our testimony of Christ. There is no more powerful witness of Him and His goodness to be found anywhere.
The overriding message in the Book of Mormon, in my opinion, could be summarized in five simple words: Come unto Christ or perish.
We must come unto Him, give our whole souls unto Him, be reconciled to Him. “Yea, come unto Christ,” concluded Moroni at the very end of the record, “and be perfected in him, . . . and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32).
My humble prayer is that each of us may do exactly that: Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.
“For we labor diligently to write,” wrote Nephi in the Book of Mormon, “to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. . . .
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25: 23, 26).
The Book of Mormon, which we are studying again this year in Sunday School, is drenched in Christ. It is, as President Ezra Taft Benson taught some years back, the keystone of our religion and therefore the keystone of our understanding of Christ, the keystone of our faith in Christ, the keystone of our testimony of Christ. There is no more powerful witness of Him and His goodness to be found anywhere.
The overriding message in the Book of Mormon, in my opinion, could be summarized in five simple words: Come unto Christ or perish.
We must come unto Him, give our whole souls unto Him, be reconciled to Him. “Yea, come unto Christ,” concluded Moroni at the very end of the record, “and be perfected in him, . . . and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32).
My humble prayer is that each of us may do exactly that: Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
10. Searching the Scriptures
A bishopric message written on Thursday afternoon, January 29, 1987, and published in the February 1987 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette. This would be my final message as a counselor in the bishopric. In March 1987, after having served as Bishop Delbert H. Strasser’s second counselor for only twenty months, I was called by President F. Michael Watson to serve as a high councilor in the Bountiful Utah South Stake.
The Savior, during His earthly ministry, taught us the importance of studying the scriptures. He said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
On other occasions He taught similarly. To the Nephites He said, “Behold they [the scriptures] are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them” (3 Nephi 20:11).
In our own day He has said, “Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled” (D&C 1:37).
Apparently the Lord is serious about our searching the scriptures. Why? So that we might come to know Him better. So that through Him we might have eternal life.
The Apostle John wrote that “these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).
We know that the Book of Mormon was written for the express purpose of convincing people in our day that “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (Book of Mormon title page).
President Ezra Taft Benson has repeatedly counseled us to make a daily study of the Book of Mormon a lifetime pursuit. From his seeric vantage point, he can see the blessings that will come to us as individuals, as families, and as a people if we make the Book of Mormon a thorough and complete part of our daily lives.
In addition to our daily reading in the Book of Mormon, we have this year the great opportunity of studying the New Testament as the adult curriculum in Sunday School. We have sensed an excitement among ward members as we have begun anew the study of the four gospels. We also deeply appreciate the faithful efforts of our two Gospel Doctrine teachers— Eugene Hamilton and Jody Pratt—who are helping to engender this excitement. Their efforts in their classes each Sunday and their marvelous sermons in sacrament meeting on January 11 are helping to promote the kind of love affair we hope each of you will come to have with the holy scriptures.
As I search the holy scriptures,
Loving Father of mankind,
May my heart be blessed with wisdom,
And may knowledge fill my mind.
As I search the holy scriptures,
Touch my spirit, Lord, I pray.
May life's myst'ries be unfolded
As I study day by day.
As I search the holy scriptures,
May thy mercy be revealed.
Soothe my troubled heart and spirit;
May my unseen wounds be healed.
As I search the holy scriptures,
Help me ponder and obey.
In thy word is life eternal;
May thy light show me the way.
(C. Marianne Johnson Fisher, Hymns [1985], 277)
Such is our earnest wish for each of you.
The Savior, during His earthly ministry, taught us the importance of studying the scriptures. He said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
On other occasions He taught similarly. To the Nephites He said, “Behold they [the scriptures] are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them” (3 Nephi 20:11).
In our own day He has said, “Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled” (D&C 1:37).
Apparently the Lord is serious about our searching the scriptures. Why? So that we might come to know Him better. So that through Him we might have eternal life.
The Apostle John wrote that “these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).
We know that the Book of Mormon was written for the express purpose of convincing people in our day that “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (Book of Mormon title page).
President Ezra Taft Benson has repeatedly counseled us to make a daily study of the Book of Mormon a lifetime pursuit. From his seeric vantage point, he can see the blessings that will come to us as individuals, as families, and as a people if we make the Book of Mormon a thorough and complete part of our daily lives.
In addition to our daily reading in the Book of Mormon, we have this year the great opportunity of studying the New Testament as the adult curriculum in Sunday School. We have sensed an excitement among ward members as we have begun anew the study of the four gospels. We also deeply appreciate the faithful efforts of our two Gospel Doctrine teachers— Eugene Hamilton and Jody Pratt—who are helping to engender this excitement. Their efforts in their classes each Sunday and their marvelous sermons in sacrament meeting on January 11 are helping to promote the kind of love affair we hope each of you will come to have with the holy scriptures.
As I search the holy scriptures,
Loving Father of mankind,
May my heart be blessed with wisdom,
And may knowledge fill my mind.
As I search the holy scriptures,
Touch my spirit, Lord, I pray.
May life's myst'ries be unfolded
As I study day by day.
As I search the holy scriptures,
May thy mercy be revealed.
Soothe my troubled heart and spirit;
May my unseen wounds be healed.
As I search the holy scriptures,
Help me ponder and obey.
In thy word is life eternal;
May thy light show me the way.
(C. Marianne Johnson Fisher, Hymns [1985], 277)
Such is our earnest wish for each of you.
8. Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
A bishopric message written on Tuesday afternoon, July 29, 1986, and published in the August 1986 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette. The new hymnbook had been published just the year before, replacing the hymnal that had been in use since 1948. The consolidated meeting schedule, which placed all Sunday meetings in a three-hour block, had been introduced six years earlier.
One of the new hymns in our hymnbook reminds us of one of the important reasons why we keep the Sabbath day holy:
In sweet remembrance of thy Son,
We gather in thy house as one
To join in prayer, to sing thy praise,
To worship thee and learn thy ways.
Father, on this the Sabbath day,
Be with us gathered here, we pray.
The Lord’s day, as the very name suggests, is “in sweet remembrance” of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a day set apart to help us remember Him more fully, to come to know Him, and to become more like Him. Our thoughts and our actions on this day should all be directed toward these ends: remembering Him, coming to know Him, and becoming more Christlike. Any thought or action that does not help us accomplish these ends is probably not appropriate for the Sabbath day.
Formal worship—which includes singing, praying, partaking of the sacrament, studying His word—is a central and important part of keeping the Sabbath day holy.
Our Sabbath observance cannot end, however, when we leave the chapel and return home from our meetings. As this same hymn continues:
And may our thoughts still turn to thee,
With loved ones, friends, and family.
In all we do till day is gone,
May worship still continue on.
Father, on this the Sabbath day,
Be with us in our homes, we pray.
An important reason for the change in the Church meeting schedules some years ago was to allow more time for families to be together in home-centered gospel living.
“We are confident,” said President Kimball at that time, “that . . . we will indeed see an upsurge in quality family life, in Christian service, and in attendance at Church meetings” (Ensign, May 1980, 4).
He also said, “We hope our parents are using the added time that has come from the consolidated schedule in order to be with, teach, love, and nurture their children” (Ensign, Nov. 1980, 5).
Finally, we hope that Sunday provides a rich opportunity for studying the scriptures in some depth (even more than the half an hour a day President Benson has asked us to read the Book of Mormon each day during the week).
Help each to seek a quiet hour
To read thy word and feel thy pow’r,
To hear thy voice, though small and still,
Renew our strength to do thy will.
Father, on this the Sabbath day,
Be with us in our hearts, we pray.
Clearly, there are few better ways to remember the Lord and come to know Him better than to invest ourselves in serious study of the scriptures, those sacred works which testify of Him and His grace toward us.
May the Lord bless each of us in our keeping His day holy so that we may “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) and thus have eternal life (see John 17:3).
One of the new hymns in our hymnbook reminds us of one of the important reasons why we keep the Sabbath day holy:
In sweet remembrance of thy Son,
We gather in thy house as one
To join in prayer, to sing thy praise,
To worship thee and learn thy ways.
Father, on this the Sabbath day,
Be with us gathered here, we pray.
The Lord’s day, as the very name suggests, is “in sweet remembrance” of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a day set apart to help us remember Him more fully, to come to know Him, and to become more like Him. Our thoughts and our actions on this day should all be directed toward these ends: remembering Him, coming to know Him, and becoming more Christlike. Any thought or action that does not help us accomplish these ends is probably not appropriate for the Sabbath day.
Formal worship—which includes singing, praying, partaking of the sacrament, studying His word—is a central and important part of keeping the Sabbath day holy.
Our Sabbath observance cannot end, however, when we leave the chapel and return home from our meetings. As this same hymn continues:
And may our thoughts still turn to thee,
With loved ones, friends, and family.
In all we do till day is gone,
May worship still continue on.
Father, on this the Sabbath day,
Be with us in our homes, we pray.
An important reason for the change in the Church meeting schedules some years ago was to allow more time for families to be together in home-centered gospel living.
“We are confident,” said President Kimball at that time, “that . . . we will indeed see an upsurge in quality family life, in Christian service, and in attendance at Church meetings” (Ensign, May 1980, 4).
He also said, “We hope our parents are using the added time that has come from the consolidated schedule in order to be with, teach, love, and nurture their children” (Ensign, Nov. 1980, 5).
Finally, we hope that Sunday provides a rich opportunity for studying the scriptures in some depth (even more than the half an hour a day President Benson has asked us to read the Book of Mormon each day during the week).
Help each to seek a quiet hour
To read thy word and feel thy pow’r,
To hear thy voice, though small and still,
Renew our strength to do thy will.
Father, on this the Sabbath day,
Be with us in our hearts, we pray.
Clearly, there are few better ways to remember the Lord and come to know Him better than to invest ourselves in serious study of the scriptures, those sacred works which testify of Him and His grace toward us.
May the Lord bless each of us in our keeping His day holy so that we may “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) and thus have eternal life (see John 17:3).
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