Last night I was reading “Selfless Service” by William R. Bradford out of the November 1987 Ensign. I have been thinking about service lately because that is one of my responsibilities in our ward. Having this topic on my mind and after reading this talk I felt the need to write down my thoughts.
Elder Bradford tells the story of a group of young people who raised a lot of money to go on an adventure outing, and wanted his help in getting some press coverage of their accomplishments. He told them “no”, because he felt there were better things they could do with the money they had raised than spend it something fairly frivolous for themselves. The young people came around and decided to donate the money to the missionary fund, and wanted to present a check and take some pictures to get a little publicity. Again Elder Bradford told them “no”, but this time because their intentions were wrong. They would be donating money for recognition, not to help others. The theme of his talk is “Many things are only interesting and enticing, while other things are important.”
It was this last statement that stuck out to me. I know there are people who enjoy giving service, but I think, unfortunately those are the minority. I understand people are busy, and giving service at soup kitchens or canneries or whatever, isn’t very high on the priority list. I also understand that some people are willing to give service, but they want recognition for it. But that’s the whole problem with a lot of us. We have filled our lives with so many things (some important, but I dare say most are only interesting/enticing) that we don’t or won’t give time to give service to others.
Elder Bradford then summarizes:
“To get recognition and the praise of men can become an obsessive goal in one’s life. It can lead from one act to another until life is filled with egotism and selfishness. The momentary pleasure that recognition and the praise of men bring almost always causes people to want more. If they can’t get it in one way, they will try another. If it can’t be obtained by being one’s natural self, they will try to get it acting out a life that is unnatural. The longing to be popular, to be praised by one’s peers, and to receive the recognition of men is a very powerful force.
It is vain to seek the praise or recognition of men. This vanity comes of evil because it springs forth out of selfishness. Christ clearly taught this as he spoke of those who “set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.
“Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
“But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion” (2 Ne. 26:29–31).
It reminds me of the Savior’s teachings during the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 6). The Savior gives examples of giving alms to be seen of men, praying to be heard of men and fasting in a way that people are aware you are fasting. All of these (giving alms, praying and fasting) are very important, but the underlying reason for doing them is the key the Savior is teaching. In the examples given, the Savior explains that God does not reward those who do these worthwhile things for the wrong reasons. In other words, if the only reason we gave alms/pray/fast is so others would know we are, and if that is our intent, then our reward is having people see us, hear us and see us “disfigure [our] faces” and if that is really what we want, “[we] have [our] reward”.
I think it is interesting that Elder Bradford mentions the scripture in the Book of Mormon about charity, because charity is what is needed if we are to give service with real intent. Service should be given so that we can truly help others, especially those less fortunate. Without charity, we could still give service, I suppose, but we would not be giving it for the right reason. This was actually a topic I taught about a few weeks ago in class. In reading Paul’s “Love Psalm” (see 1 Corinthians 13), we talked about verse 3 which states “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” and discussed why someone would “bestow all my goods to feed the poor” without having charity. Why would they? The answer is for the (wrong) reasons mentioned above; to be seen of others. Paul’s statement that this type of service “profiteth me nothing” goes hand in hand with the Savior’s teaching that those who serve for the wrong reasons, already have their reward.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Goals, Resolutions and Becoming a Better Person
The New Year is typically a time when we look at our lives and make resolutions or goals to accomplish more or become better people. This is usually the case with me. I like to review my life quite often to make sure I am heading (or at least trying to head) in the right direction. This desire is the first step in improving ourselves. The next steps involve putting that desire into action.
In a talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard given to Salt Lake area Young Adults in 1981, he states "I am a great believer that what you and I think about will ultimately come to pass. I believe if we think about committing a sin long enough, we will find ourselves entangled in that sin. I believe if we think about what it takes to be successful long enough and if we are willing to discipline ourselves to the principle of success, we will experience success." (Ensign, June 1983)
In the Book of Mormon, Jacob taught this same principle. In Jacob 2:5, he says "But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God." According to Robert L. Millet & Joseph Fielding McConkie, "The sins of the people in Jacob's day were not inadvertent transgressions; they had begun to 'labor in sin' in the sense that sin had become their obsession and their preoccupation." (Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 2, p.11).
It's interesting that Jacob taught that their thoughts caused them to "labor in sin", because thoughts are the seeds of action. According an anonymous quote:
Sow a Thought, Reap and Action
Sow an Action, Reap a Habit
Sow a Habit, Reap a Character
Sow a Character, Reap a Destiny
The next step in becoming a better person, who we truly want to become – who God knows we can become – is regarding our thoughts; getting rid of negative or sinful thoughts and replacing them with positive or righteous thoughts.
Doing this takes a fair amount of self discipline. We have all been given the gift of moral agency, "to choose liberty and eternal life…or to choose captivity and death" (2 Nephi 2:27). As the above quote suggests, our thoughts become our actions, habits, and character and eventually lead us to a final destination. Righteous thoughts lead to righteous acts and freedom, eventually leading to eternal life. Impure thoughts cause bondage or captivity. The key is that we chose the outcome. Despite what circumstances we are faced with, we can still choose how to react to those circumstances.
In the book Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl writes "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way" (p. 86). Even in the most destitute of circumstances, some chose to react positively to serve and help others.
The next step is to set goals and write them down. While I was serving a mission, we lived by the phrase "Share the Vision". The "vision" could be anything from living a better life, baptism, or accomplishing any goal. The important thing was to share that vision with someone else. I have seen this in our lives as our family sits down at the beginning of the year to make goals and write predictions of things we think will happen during the next year. We write down our goals, put them in a jar (to hopefully be reviewed during the year) and then review them again at the new year to see how we did.
According to Elder Ballard, the next step is to spend our time on things that make a difference. It is pointless to worry about things that are completely out of control. I have seen people become paralyzed with fear because of trivial matters, things that haven't necessarily happened, but could. It's one thing to be prepared for the worst, it's another thing to worry needlessly over what the worst will be. Regarding spending time on things that make a difference, Viktor Frankl said "I consider it a dangerous misconception of mental hygiene to assume that what man needs in the first place is equilibrium or, as it is called in biology, "homeostasis," i.e., a tensionless state. What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task." (Man's Search for Meaning, p. 127)
If we are always choosing to improve ourselves, not content with mediocrity or idleness, and consistently keeping our thoughts on positive things, we are setting a formula to truly become better people. I believe this is a worthwhile goal, and something that everyone can do, because let's face it, we can all improve something about ourselves, while at the same time making sure we are positive about the things we have gotten right. So here's to a new year and added enthusiasm to improve ourselves.
In a talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard given to Salt Lake area Young Adults in 1981, he states "I am a great believer that what you and I think about will ultimately come to pass. I believe if we think about committing a sin long enough, we will find ourselves entangled in that sin. I believe if we think about what it takes to be successful long enough and if we are willing to discipline ourselves to the principle of success, we will experience success." (Ensign, June 1983)
In the Book of Mormon, Jacob taught this same principle. In Jacob 2:5, he says "But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God." According to Robert L. Millet & Joseph Fielding McConkie, "The sins of the people in Jacob's day were not inadvertent transgressions; they had begun to 'labor in sin' in the sense that sin had become their obsession and their preoccupation." (Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 2, p.11).
It's interesting that Jacob taught that their thoughts caused them to "labor in sin", because thoughts are the seeds of action. According an anonymous quote:
Sow a Thought, Reap and Action
Sow an Action, Reap a Habit
Sow a Habit, Reap a Character
Sow a Character, Reap a Destiny
The next step in becoming a better person, who we truly want to become – who God knows we can become – is regarding our thoughts; getting rid of negative or sinful thoughts and replacing them with positive or righteous thoughts.
Doing this takes a fair amount of self discipline. We have all been given the gift of moral agency, "to choose liberty and eternal life…or to choose captivity and death" (2 Nephi 2:27). As the above quote suggests, our thoughts become our actions, habits, and character and eventually lead us to a final destination. Righteous thoughts lead to righteous acts and freedom, eventually leading to eternal life. Impure thoughts cause bondage or captivity. The key is that we chose the outcome. Despite what circumstances we are faced with, we can still choose how to react to those circumstances.
In the book Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl writes "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way" (p. 86). Even in the most destitute of circumstances, some chose to react positively to serve and help others.
The next step is to set goals and write them down. While I was serving a mission, we lived by the phrase "Share the Vision". The "vision" could be anything from living a better life, baptism, or accomplishing any goal. The important thing was to share that vision with someone else. I have seen this in our lives as our family sits down at the beginning of the year to make goals and write predictions of things we think will happen during the next year. We write down our goals, put them in a jar (to hopefully be reviewed during the year) and then review them again at the new year to see how we did.
According to Elder Ballard, the next step is to spend our time on things that make a difference. It is pointless to worry about things that are completely out of control. I have seen people become paralyzed with fear because of trivial matters, things that haven't necessarily happened, but could. It's one thing to be prepared for the worst, it's another thing to worry needlessly over what the worst will be. Regarding spending time on things that make a difference, Viktor Frankl said "I consider it a dangerous misconception of mental hygiene to assume that what man needs in the first place is equilibrium or, as it is called in biology, "homeostasis," i.e., a tensionless state. What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task." (Man's Search for Meaning, p. 127)
If we are always choosing to improve ourselves, not content with mediocrity or idleness, and consistently keeping our thoughts on positive things, we are setting a formula to truly become better people. I believe this is a worthwhile goal, and something that everyone can do, because let's face it, we can all improve something about ourselves, while at the same time making sure we are positive about the things we have gotten right. So here's to a new year and added enthusiasm to improve ourselves.
Monday, December 22, 2008
High Priest Group Christmas Letter
We gave the following letter to the members of our High Priest Group on Sunday and I thought it would be a nice thing to post here. They're a good bunch of men.
Dear Brethren,
As a High Priest Group Leadership, we want to express our great appreciation to you for your dedicated service to the members of the Liberty Ward. We are honored to serve with you as we witness the selfless way you conduct yourselves.
We thank you for taking your Home Teaching stewardship so personally, continually watching over your families. We probably don’t appreciate it as much as those families do, as this is the only way some of them keep in touch with the Church.
We appreciate your attendance and participation during the lessons that our teachers are diligent in preparing each week. We have all learned and grown much from one another’s counsel and point of view.
We want each of you to know how important you are to our group. Each of us has unique talents and personality that add to the group, all of which are necessary for us to grow as individuals. As the scriptures state:
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. …
“For the body is not one member, but many. …
“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
(1 Corinthians 12:12, 14, 26-27)
During this holiday season, we wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and look forward to continuing to serve along side some of the most valiant men around.
With love,
[Signatures of High Priest Group Leadership]
Dear Brethren,
As a High Priest Group Leadership, we want to express our great appreciation to you for your dedicated service to the members of the Liberty Ward. We are honored to serve with you as we witness the selfless way you conduct yourselves.
We thank you for taking your Home Teaching stewardship so personally, continually watching over your families. We probably don’t appreciate it as much as those families do, as this is the only way some of them keep in touch with the Church.
We appreciate your attendance and participation during the lessons that our teachers are diligent in preparing each week. We have all learned and grown much from one another’s counsel and point of view.
We want each of you to know how important you are to our group. Each of us has unique talents and personality that add to the group, all of which are necessary for us to grow as individuals. As the scriptures state:
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. …
“For the body is not one member, but many. …
“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
(1 Corinthians 12:12, 14, 26-27)
During this holiday season, we wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and look forward to continuing to serve along side some of the most valiant men around.
With love,
[Signatures of High Priest Group Leadership]
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Nativity
To help get in the Christmas mood, and because I taught this lesson on Sunday in my High Priests class, I thought it would be nice to write my thoughts on the Nativity.
In Luke 2:26-35, the angel Gabriel visits the virgin Mary to announce she would be the Mother of the Son of God. Sometime in July 1839, Joseph Smith received a revelation on the priesthood and revealed that Gabriel is actually the prophet Noah. (History of the Church, 3:386). There is beautiful symbolism in Noah, who was the prophet when the world was destroyed (except for 8 people), being the one who would announce to the world the means by which they would be saved.
We know that Mary was "chosen" or foreordained to give birth to the Savior. (Alma 7:10 and Luke 1:28 - Inspired Version). We also know that she was "most beautiful and fair above all other virgins" (1 Nephi 11:15).
Joseph is perhaps the most famous foster father of all time. There is very little we know about Joseph from canonized scripture. However, there is an apocryphal record called "The History of Joseph the Carpenter", which reveals that Joseph was a widower with children from his previous marriage, that he died at the age of 111, and married Mary when she was about 14 years old. This may seem odd when considered in our societal norms, but apparently was not out of the ordinary during that time. We also learn that Mary remained a virgin all her days. We also can assume that he died sometime during Jesus' ministry because according to John 19:26-27, Jesus commends Mary to John's care. Both Mary & Joseph are direct descendants of King David, and according to James E. Talmage "At the time of the Savior's birth, Israel was ruled by alien monarchs. The rights of the royal Davidic family were unrecognized; and the ruler of the Jews was an appointee of Rome. Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." (Jesus the Christ, p. 82).
Lastly we know that Joseph was a just man. Mary & Joseph were espoused, which was a contractual agreement to marry. It wasn't just a simple engagement like we refer to it today; one needed to go through a sort of divorce to terminate the espousal. When Joseph found out that Mary was expecting, and that he wasn't the father, he had two options; a public trial, which would most likely end with the death of the one who committed adultery (see Deuteronomy 22:22-24); or Joseph could end the espousal privately by signing an agreement in front of witnesses. Before Joseph found out the true nature of Mary's pregnancy, he "minded to put her away privily". (Matthew 1:19). After this "trial of his faith", an angel (perhaps Gabriel again) appeared to him and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as a wife, because "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost".
Joseph & Mary, probably 8-9 months pregnant, had to travel between 60-80 miles from the town of Nazareth to Bethlehem. One might wonder why someone so late in the stages of pregnancy, would travel this rough terrain instead of just staying at home. There are a few reasons why Mary accompanied Joseph to Bethlehem; first, it was prophesied that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and also because I think personally Mary wanted to be near her husband.
There were two ways to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem. One way was to travel through Samaria, which we learn through the Savior's later teachings that Jews avoided. The other way was to cross the mountains, and travel along the Jordan River valley, and then back up through the mountains into Judea. However, this path is known as "Red Path" or the "Bloody Way", and is the same path that the traveler took in the parable of the Good Samaritan, wherein he was nearly beaten to death. This would not be an easy trip.
It's pretty well known that the conditions in which the Savior was born were extremely humble. Most scholars believe that he was born in one of the limestone caves in the area. He was laid in a manger, which is a food trough, and probably he was cushioned with the same food that fills the trough - hay or straw.
After the Savior is born, we read in Luke 2:8-14
"8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Elder James E. Talmage summarizes this occurrence with these words: "Tidings of such import had never before been delivered by angel or received by man—good tidings of great joy, given to but few and those among the humblest of earth, but destined to spread to all people. There is sublime grandeur in the scene, as there is divine authorship in the message, and the climax is such as the mind of man could never have conceived—the sudden appearance of a multitude of the heavenly host, singing audibly to human ears the briefest, most consistent and most truly complete of all the songs of peace ever attuned by mortal or spirit choir. What a consummation to be wished—Peace on earth! But how can such come except through the maintenance of good will toward men? And through what means could glory to God in the highest be more effectively rendered?" (Talmage, Jesus The Christ, p.88)
We can all learn a lesson from the shepherds who said "Let us now go" and "they came with haste" to see the Savior of the world.
One last tidbit I want to write is the stark contrast between the life of the Savior, who was technically the rightful king of Judea, and the man who was king when Christ was born - Herod. Even though many scholars are quick to dismiss the "massacre of the innocents", the episode of infanticide as described in Matthew 2:16, Herod's life was full of murder, even among his own wife and children, so it's not beyond his personality to order all infants to be murdered.
Frederic Farrar, author of The Life of Christ, writes this of Herod:
"It must have been very shortly after the murder of the innocents that Herod died. Only five days before his death he had made a frantic attempt at suicide, and had ordered the execution of his eldest son Antipater. His death-bed, which once more reminds us of Henry VIII, was accompanied by circumstances of peculiar horror; and it has been asserted that he died of a loathsome disease, which is hardly mentioned in history, except in the case of men who have been rendered infamous by an atrocity of persecuting zeal. On his bed of intolerable anguish, in that splendid and luxurious palace which he had built for himself, under the palms of Jericho, swollen with disease and scorched by thirst, ulcerated externally and glowing inwardly with a, 'soft slow fire,' surrounded by plotting sons and plundering slaves, detesting all and detested by all, longing for death as a release from his tortures yet dreading it as the beginning of worse terrors, stung by remorse yet still unslaked with murder, a horror to all around him yet in his guilty conscience a worse terror to himself, devoured by the premature corruption of an anticipated grave, eaten of worms as though visibly smitten by the finger of God's wrath after seventy years of successful villainy, the wretched old man, whom men had called the Great, lay in savage frenzy awaiting his last hour. As he knew that none would shed one tear for him, he determined that they should shed many for themselves, and issued an order that, under pain of death, the principal families of the kingdom and the chiefs of the tribes should come to Jericho. They came, and then, shutting them in the hippodrome, he secretly commanded his sister Salome that at the moment of his death they should all be massacred. And so, choking as it were with blood, devising massacres in its very delirium, the soul of Herod passed forth into the night."
Such were the circumstances and state of the world into which the Savior was born. It was by all accounts a miraculous birth; born of a virgin, in the most humble of circumstances, a birth announced by angels and the heavenly hosts. As difficult as it is to believe logically, the story of the Nativity is true. With additional scripture to confirm what is written in the Bible, added revelation to shed additional light on the story, and the spirit that is felt while reading and pondering, it becomes that much easier to believe, regardless of how illogical it might seem.
In Luke 2:26-35, the angel Gabriel visits the virgin Mary to announce she would be the Mother of the Son of God. Sometime in July 1839, Joseph Smith received a revelation on the priesthood and revealed that Gabriel is actually the prophet Noah. (History of the Church, 3:386). There is beautiful symbolism in Noah, who was the prophet when the world was destroyed (except for 8 people), being the one who would announce to the world the means by which they would be saved.
We know that Mary was "chosen" or foreordained to give birth to the Savior. (Alma 7:10 and Luke 1:28 - Inspired Version). We also know that she was "most beautiful and fair above all other virgins" (1 Nephi 11:15).
Joseph is perhaps the most famous foster father of all time. There is very little we know about Joseph from canonized scripture. However, there is an apocryphal record called "The History of Joseph the Carpenter", which reveals that Joseph was a widower with children from his previous marriage, that he died at the age of 111, and married Mary when she was about 14 years old. This may seem odd when considered in our societal norms, but apparently was not out of the ordinary during that time. We also learn that Mary remained a virgin all her days. We also can assume that he died sometime during Jesus' ministry because according to John 19:26-27, Jesus commends Mary to John's care. Both Mary & Joseph are direct descendants of King David, and according to James E. Talmage "At the time of the Savior's birth, Israel was ruled by alien monarchs. The rights of the royal Davidic family were unrecognized; and the ruler of the Jews was an appointee of Rome. Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." (Jesus the Christ, p. 82).
Lastly we know that Joseph was a just man. Mary & Joseph were espoused, which was a contractual agreement to marry. It wasn't just a simple engagement like we refer to it today; one needed to go through a sort of divorce to terminate the espousal. When Joseph found out that Mary was expecting, and that he wasn't the father, he had two options; a public trial, which would most likely end with the death of the one who committed adultery (see Deuteronomy 22:22-24); or Joseph could end the espousal privately by signing an agreement in front of witnesses. Before Joseph found out the true nature of Mary's pregnancy, he "minded to put her away privily". (Matthew 1:19). After this "trial of his faith", an angel (perhaps Gabriel again) appeared to him and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as a wife, because "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost".
Joseph & Mary, probably 8-9 months pregnant, had to travel between 60-80 miles from the town of Nazareth to Bethlehem. One might wonder why someone so late in the stages of pregnancy, would travel this rough terrain instead of just staying at home. There are a few reasons why Mary accompanied Joseph to Bethlehem; first, it was prophesied that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and also because I think personally Mary wanted to be near her husband.
There were two ways to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem. One way was to travel through Samaria, which we learn through the Savior's later teachings that Jews avoided. The other way was to cross the mountains, and travel along the Jordan River valley, and then back up through the mountains into Judea. However, this path is known as "Red Path" or the "Bloody Way", and is the same path that the traveler took in the parable of the Good Samaritan, wherein he was nearly beaten to death. This would not be an easy trip.
It's pretty well known that the conditions in which the Savior was born were extremely humble. Most scholars believe that he was born in one of the limestone caves in the area. He was laid in a manger, which is a food trough, and probably he was cushioned with the same food that fills the trough - hay or straw.
After the Savior is born, we read in Luke 2:8-14
"8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Elder James E. Talmage summarizes this occurrence with these words: "Tidings of such import had never before been delivered by angel or received by man—good tidings of great joy, given to but few and those among the humblest of earth, but destined to spread to all people. There is sublime grandeur in the scene, as there is divine authorship in the message, and the climax is such as the mind of man could never have conceived—the sudden appearance of a multitude of the heavenly host, singing audibly to human ears the briefest, most consistent and most truly complete of all the songs of peace ever attuned by mortal or spirit choir. What a consummation to be wished—Peace on earth! But how can such come except through the maintenance of good will toward men? And through what means could glory to God in the highest be more effectively rendered?" (Talmage, Jesus The Christ, p.88)
We can all learn a lesson from the shepherds who said "Let us now go" and "they came with haste" to see the Savior of the world.
One last tidbit I want to write is the stark contrast between the life of the Savior, who was technically the rightful king of Judea, and the man who was king when Christ was born - Herod. Even though many scholars are quick to dismiss the "massacre of the innocents", the episode of infanticide as described in Matthew 2:16, Herod's life was full of murder, even among his own wife and children, so it's not beyond his personality to order all infants to be murdered.
Frederic Farrar, author of The Life of Christ, writes this of Herod:
"It must have been very shortly after the murder of the innocents that Herod died. Only five days before his death he had made a frantic attempt at suicide, and had ordered the execution of his eldest son Antipater. His death-bed, which once more reminds us of Henry VIII, was accompanied by circumstances of peculiar horror; and it has been asserted that he died of a loathsome disease, which is hardly mentioned in history, except in the case of men who have been rendered infamous by an atrocity of persecuting zeal. On his bed of intolerable anguish, in that splendid and luxurious palace which he had built for himself, under the palms of Jericho, swollen with disease and scorched by thirst, ulcerated externally and glowing inwardly with a, 'soft slow fire,' surrounded by plotting sons and plundering slaves, detesting all and detested by all, longing for death as a release from his tortures yet dreading it as the beginning of worse terrors, stung by remorse yet still unslaked with murder, a horror to all around him yet in his guilty conscience a worse terror to himself, devoured by the premature corruption of an anticipated grave, eaten of worms as though visibly smitten by the finger of God's wrath after seventy years of successful villainy, the wretched old man, whom men had called the Great, lay in savage frenzy awaiting his last hour. As he knew that none would shed one tear for him, he determined that they should shed many for themselves, and issued an order that, under pain of death, the principal families of the kingdom and the chiefs of the tribes should come to Jericho. They came, and then, shutting them in the hippodrome, he secretly commanded his sister Salome that at the moment of his death they should all be massacred. And so, choking as it were with blood, devising massacres in its very delirium, the soul of Herod passed forth into the night."
Such were the circumstances and state of the world into which the Savior was born. It was by all accounts a miraculous birth; born of a virgin, in the most humble of circumstances, a birth announced by angels and the heavenly hosts. As difficult as it is to believe logically, the story of the Nativity is true. With additional scripture to confirm what is written in the Bible, added revelation to shed additional light on the story, and the spirit that is felt while reading and pondering, it becomes that much easier to believe, regardless of how illogical it might seem.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Lesser Known Stories of Faith
I have read Acts a few times in my life, but as I was reading Acts 5 the other day, I came across a scripture that jumped out at me like it never had before. Either I didn't pay much attention to it before, or I am losing light (see D&C 1:33).
At this time in the Church, the Apostles have performed their first recorded miracle (Acts 3) by healing the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the Temple. Word of the miracle travels fast, and people are starting come in droves to listen to and be healed by the Apostles and join the Church. Then in Acts 5:15, it says "Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.”
Imagine the faith of these people that they would be healed of their sicknesses just by having the shadow of Peter pass over them! This scripture is also cross-referenced with Acts 19:11-12
“11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”
People are able to be healed through an article of clothing from Paul! These two stories are great examples of faith and that, at least for me, are not as widely known as others.
At this time in the Church, the Apostles have performed their first recorded miracle (Acts 3) by healing the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the Temple. Word of the miracle travels fast, and people are starting come in droves to listen to and be healed by the Apostles and join the Church. Then in Acts 5:15, it says "Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.”
Imagine the faith of these people that they would be healed of their sicknesses just by having the shadow of Peter pass over them! This scripture is also cross-referenced with Acts 19:11-12
“11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”
People are able to be healed through an article of clothing from Paul! These two stories are great examples of faith and that, at least for me, are not as widely known as others.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
We Are Different
I have a little book called Made For Heaven, by C.S. Lewis; well actually it’s a compilation put together by his estate, I think. The second section of this book takes chapter 10 from his book The Problem of Pain. I was reading this little section this morning and read the following:
“I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mould in which a key is made would be a strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock on of the doors in the house with many mansions.” (Made For Heaven, p.21)
Oddly enough, a primary song that has been sounding through our house lately has been “We are Different”:
1. I know you, and you know me.
We are as diff’rent as the sun and the sea.
I know you, and you know me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
2. I help you, and you help me.
We learn from problems, and we’re starting to see.
I help you, and you help me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
3. I love you, and you love me.
We reach together for the best we can be.
I love you, and you love me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
I think that maybe this universal truth of the difference of personality is what Paul may have been referring to when he wrote the following to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:14-27):
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
I like this scripture because it echoes other truths as found in the scriptures. The Savior said that “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11) and “He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.” (D&C 50:26) We each bring something unique and very important to the Kingdom of God. We need to be careful not to downplay certain callings and exalt others, but treat them like they are - different for a good reason.
Too many times (unfortunately, I think) we tend to compare ourselves to others and desire qualities or attributes that others possess rather than be thankful for our unique talents and personalities. Over the last several months, I have been thinking more and more about this. The overwhelming thought I have come away with is that we don’t know what others struggle with. To covet someone’s lifestyle is very shortsighted for we only see what others want to show us. We don’t see what is hidden from us, or worse the things that they deeply struggle with inside.
All in all, I have come away with two things.
First, I am trying to be more happy with the unique gifts, talents and abilities that I posses, regardless of my shortcomings. I continue to try to enhance my strengths and improve my weaknesses but not so that I can become like someone else, but so I can become who I know I can be.
Second, I have learned that everyone struggles with different things and just because on the outside others may seem to have it all figured out, we don’t know what hidden things they are dealing with. While I try not to be judgmental – or even worse, hopeful that others may be struggling in life – in a way I think this point of view allows me to have a little more empathy towards others, and it does help me to appreciate myself, something we all need to do.
“I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mould in which a key is made would be a strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock on of the doors in the house with many mansions.” (Made For Heaven, p.21)
Oddly enough, a primary song that has been sounding through our house lately has been “We are Different”:
1. I know you, and you know me.
We are as diff’rent as the sun and the sea.
I know you, and you know me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
2. I help you, and you help me.
We learn from problems, and we’re starting to see.
I help you, and you help me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
3. I love you, and you love me.
We reach together for the best we can be.
I love you, and you love me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
I think that maybe this universal truth of the difference of personality is what Paul may have been referring to when he wrote the following to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:14-27):
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
I like this scripture because it echoes other truths as found in the scriptures. The Savior said that “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11) and “He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.” (D&C 50:26) We each bring something unique and very important to the Kingdom of God. We need to be careful not to downplay certain callings and exalt others, but treat them like they are - different for a good reason.
Too many times (unfortunately, I think) we tend to compare ourselves to others and desire qualities or attributes that others possess rather than be thankful for our unique talents and personalities. Over the last several months, I have been thinking more and more about this. The overwhelming thought I have come away with is that we don’t know what others struggle with. To covet someone’s lifestyle is very shortsighted for we only see what others want to show us. We don’t see what is hidden from us, or worse the things that they deeply struggle with inside.
All in all, I have come away with two things.
First, I am trying to be more happy with the unique gifts, talents and abilities that I posses, regardless of my shortcomings. I continue to try to enhance my strengths and improve my weaknesses but not so that I can become like someone else, but so I can become who I know I can be.
Second, I have learned that everyone struggles with different things and just because on the outside others may seem to have it all figured out, we don’t know what hidden things they are dealing with. While I try not to be judgmental – or even worse, hopeful that others may be struggling in life – in a way I think this point of view allows me to have a little more empathy towards others, and it does help me to appreciate myself, something we all need to do.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
"...if ye are not one ye are not mine."
I wouldn’t normally write anything political, but because of the election last week, and the hotly contested Proposition 8 in California, I felt the need to write down some thoughts.
Last night I was reading a talk titled “The Blessings of Being Unified” by Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the First Quorum of the Seventy. There wasn’t much that stood out to me in this particular talk; a few stories about various stakes, wards, neighbors and families overcoming differences to try to be more unified in their various activities. As the talk was winding down, I was getting more and more tired, and almost skipped the last paragraph. I’m glad I didn’t. It reads as follows: “With gratitude in my heart, brothers and sisters, for you and for that which we are doing together, I pray that we may each resolve, in this era of social problems and economic difficulty, to follow as one our prophet-leader and others who have been called to direct us. May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, amen.”
You would think that these sentences were spoken in our day because of the economic challenges we are facing, and with the widening gap of political differences, including Proposition 8, we definitely have our fair share of social problems. As I read that last paragraph, this is what came to my mind. As a nation, we are definitely not united. We are more split than I think we have been for a long time. More and more issues are causing people to take one of two sides. There is hardly any middle ground anymore.
Then this morning I received an email about Scott Eckern, an LDS member who donated money toward and voted “Yes” on Proposition 8. Scott was the former Director of the California Music Theater, and second in command of the theater; this week at least one actor and composer of popular shows sent emails “decrying Eckern’s actions” and urging the artists and theater workers across the country to boycott the CMT. The mounting pressure of the emails and boycotts caused Eckern to resign his position. When did voting become something that should be decried? The email also links to a website that has been set up that shows people's names, companies and amount of money donated to help Proposition 8 pass. The site header says “The following individuals or organizations have donated money to the California Proposition 8 campaign which seeks to ban same sex marriages. Please do not patronize them.” So apparently organizations like UCLA, Disneyland, Intuit, Home Depot, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, Boeing, Morgan Stanley, Columbia Pictures and the cities of Long Beach, Claremont and Los Angeles to name just a few, are now in danger of being boycotted because some of their employees exercised their right to vote. These actions just amaze me. I can’t believe the bitterness and hostility that one group would go through to dismiss the will of the people.
Back to the talk I read last night; the last sentence hit me the hardest “May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one…” I shudder to think of where we are heading as a nation, and hope that somehow we don’t end up like the societies we read about that were destroyed because they were so divided. In D&C 38:27, the Savior said "I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." If as a society we are not one, we are not His. Who do we belong to, then?
Last night I was reading a talk titled “The Blessings of Being Unified” by Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the First Quorum of the Seventy. There wasn’t much that stood out to me in this particular talk; a few stories about various stakes, wards, neighbors and families overcoming differences to try to be more unified in their various activities. As the talk was winding down, I was getting more and more tired, and almost skipped the last paragraph. I’m glad I didn’t. It reads as follows: “With gratitude in my heart, brothers and sisters, for you and for that which we are doing together, I pray that we may each resolve, in this era of social problems and economic difficulty, to follow as one our prophet-leader and others who have been called to direct us. May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, amen.”
You would think that these sentences were spoken in our day because of the economic challenges we are facing, and with the widening gap of political differences, including Proposition 8, we definitely have our fair share of social problems. As I read that last paragraph, this is what came to my mind. As a nation, we are definitely not united. We are more split than I think we have been for a long time. More and more issues are causing people to take one of two sides. There is hardly any middle ground anymore.
Then this morning I received an email about Scott Eckern, an LDS member who donated money toward and voted “Yes” on Proposition 8. Scott was the former Director of the California Music Theater, and second in command of the theater; this week at least one actor and composer of popular shows sent emails “decrying Eckern’s actions” and urging the artists and theater workers across the country to boycott the CMT. The mounting pressure of the emails and boycotts caused Eckern to resign his position. When did voting become something that should be decried? The email also links to a website that has been set up that shows people's names, companies and amount of money donated to help Proposition 8 pass. The site header says “The following individuals or organizations have donated money to the California Proposition 8 campaign which seeks to ban same sex marriages. Please do not patronize them.” So apparently organizations like UCLA, Disneyland, Intuit, Home Depot, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, Boeing, Morgan Stanley, Columbia Pictures and the cities of Long Beach, Claremont and Los Angeles to name just a few, are now in danger of being boycotted because some of their employees exercised their right to vote. These actions just amaze me. I can’t believe the bitterness and hostility that one group would go through to dismiss the will of the people.
Back to the talk I read last night; the last sentence hit me the hardest “May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one…” I shudder to think of where we are heading as a nation, and hope that somehow we don’t end up like the societies we read about that were destroyed because they were so divided. In D&C 38:27, the Savior said "I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." If as a society we are not one, we are not His. Who do we belong to, then?
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