Lesson 30, Looking Ahead

The Sunday after next we'll be studying, among other sections, D&C 128. I have a very soft spot in my heart for this section. There are so many things about it that I love.

One is the language that Joseph uses in it. The section comes from a letter Joseph Smith wrote to the church while he was in exile because authorities from Missouri were seeking to extradite him and try him for crimes he didn't commit. Unlike the tone of the letter he wrote while imprisoned in Liberty Jail (D&C 121-122), this letter, as well as the one in section 127, is full of uplifting, excited language. And why not? In these letters, Joseph addresses the incredible, merciful, gracious doctrine of salvation for the dead. And it is clear that he loves this doctrine. In fact, from the language he uses, it sounds as if he views this as the apex of the Restoration, that all that occurred, all that was restored before this, was leading up to this climactic revelation. In a way, I agree with that, because this doctrine is intrinsically linked to the temple, and the establishment of the temple, with all the accompanying blessings of the temple, is in my mind the apex, the climax, the most glorious of all the blessings of the Restoration.

More on this later, I'm sure.

The Nauvoo Period

This coming week the lesson focuses on the Nauvoo Period of church history. Specifically, the material relates to the building of the kingdom of God in Nauvoo. Inasmuch as I will not be teaching this week, I'll just list a few thoughts about God's kingdom and the Nauvoo Period.

• The Relief Society was organized in Nauvoo. Much can be said about the Relief Society, and much is said about it. First of all, I think that the creating of such a group is a testament to the incredible inspiration and foresightedness of Joseph Smith. Not being a woman myself (duh?), I don't know a whole lot about RS from personal experience, but I am aware of the power of such an organization. Heavenly Father has blessed His daughters with gifts that cannot be comprehended by men, but that bring so much goodness, kindness, compassion, and peace into the world. Jack Christianson is fond of quoting Elder Matthew Cowley who said that women belong to a Sorority of Saviorhood. Suffice it for me to say that most of the really Christlike people I know happen to belong to the Relief Society. And that's no mistake.
  
• The temple endowment, as we understand it, was first introduced in Nauvoo. The potential for leadership, especially in families, that comes as a part of the Endowment, is immeasurable. The Kingdom of God is built on the foundation of families. God's kingdom is His family. There's a lot to be considered here.
• Hundreds served missions during the Nauvoo Period. Mass conversions took place in Great Britain at this time. It has been said that the conversion of so many British saints was the salvation of the church.
• Joseph Smith's revelations, mostly not published in the D&C, did much to inspire the saints, and convince them of his prophetic mantle.
  

And other things. But this list suffices for the time. I look forward to the discussion on Sunday.

How Long? A Small Moment

I often times am not sure where any lesson will take us on a given day. I know what I have planned, but rarely do we follow my outline from start to finish. And so it was today.

D&C 121:2-3- In both these verses as Joseph is pleading with the Lord about the afflictions of the Saints, he asks "How long" will the trials last. The Lord responds, in more than one place, that the trials will last but a small moment. We spent a lot of time talking about how to gain the perspective of viewing our trials as small moments. I appreciated all the insights that were shared.

It is one of the most difficult principles, to actually believe that our afflictions, whatever they may be, are all to give us experience, and for our good (D&C 122:7), but there is some secret to be found, some peace to be gathered, as we contemplate what the Son of Man has done, and continues to do, for us all.

Whom I Love I also Chasten

D&C 95:1- "Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you."

Last week we ended our discussion with a promise to talk more about chastisement, and I'm certain everyone was thrilled with the prospect of talking more about this subject.

However, the subject is one that in modern revelation is spoken of in very hopeful and loving terms, as it is above. For your consideration, I'll quote a few more:

Mosiah 23:21-22- "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless--whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people [the people of Alma in the wilderness]."

Helaman 15:3- "[T]he people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them."

D&C 1:24-28- "Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding. And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known; And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed; and inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent; and inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time."

There are others, but let these suffice to demonstrate that our Father in Heaven chastens us because He loves us. It may take me a while, but hopefully before Sunday I'll locate a quote that illustrates this principle with clarity and profundity (one of my favorite words).

More to come...

Where Art Thou?

D&C 121-122 contain some principles of sanctification in them. Sanctification is no easy road to follow. I think to begin considering this lesson, I'll review (as in re-read) part of a talk from Elder Holland. Here is an excerpt:

Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?

You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.

For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.

If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” 16 then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.

The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I testify that the living God is our Eternal Father and that Jesus Christ is His living and Only Begotten Son in the flesh. I testify that this Jesus, who was slain and hanged on a tree, 17 was the chief Apostle then and is the chief Apostle now, the Great High Priest, the chief cornerstone of His Church in this last and greatest of all dispensations. I testify that He lives, that the whole triumph of the gospel is that He lives, and because He does, so will we.

On that first Resurrection Sunday, Mary Magdalene first thought she saw a gardener. Well, she did—the Gardener who cultivated Eden and who endured Gethsemane. The Gardener who gave us the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley, the cedars of Lebanon, the tree of life.

I declare Him to be the Savior of the world, the Bishop and Shepherd of our souls, the Bright and Morning Star. I know that our garments can be washed white only in the blood of that Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. I know that we are lifted up unto life because He was lifted up unto death, that He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, and with His stripes we are healed. I bear witness that He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, that He was a man of sorrows acquainted with grief because upon Him were laid the transgressions of us all. 18

I bear witness that He came from God as a God to bind up the brokenhearted, to dry the tears from every eye, to proclaim liberty to the captive and open the prison doors to them that are bound. 19 I promise that because of your faithful response to the call to spread the gospel, He will bind up your broken hearts, dry your tears, and set you and your families free. That is my missionary promise to you and your missionary message to the world.

Nephi, You Have My Sympathy

Look at my presumption.

This blog has proven to be more challenging than I first suspected. It's very difficult to create (or recreate as the case may be) a lesson in which we are led by the Spirit to discuss things, and follow the flow of the experience in writing. But I'll attempt it anyway.

Challenges are a good thing.

Yesterday's lesson, one in which we discussed Thomas B. Marsh (because D&C 112 is directed to Brother Marsh), was on missionary work, among other things.

D&C 112:2- The Lord tells Thomas that there are "some few things" in his heart which were not pleasing to the Lord. This is merciful language; language from a Being who knows how to encourage His children to repentance. I'm absolutely certain there are more than a few things in my heart that are displeasing to the Lord, but the use of this phrase gives hope, a feeling of do-able-ness.

D&C 112:3- "Nevertheless," usually a very blessed term when used in the scriptures; so it is in this case, even though there are things not pleasing to the Lord in Thomas's heart, the Lord promises (and even grants(?)) forgiveness. And He uses a simple parallelism to do it: "inasmuch as thou hast abased thyself thou shalt be exalted." This phrase contrasts to one later in the revelation, in which the Lord tells Thomas and all the Twelve, to "Exalt not yourselves" (D&C 112:15). We ought to know (I think we do, but sometimes we don't realize) that we don't have any power within ourselves unto salvation. Our merits will always fall short. And so the only way to salvation is to abase ourselves, to see ourselves as less than the dust of the earth, to fall on our faces before God, as we remember how Jesus fell on His face before His God because of us, because of what we do every day--our disobedience. When we are thus brought to this kind of humility, or abasement, we then find ourselves worthy through the merits and mercies of the Savior to be exalted.

D&C 112:11- "Be not partial towards them in love above many others." Simply put, don't show favoritism. But how difficult is this! With our co-workers, our neighbors, our parents, our siblings, our children, those we share the road with, etc.

D&C 112:13- The last part of this verse brings to mind the warning/counsel Jesus gave to Peter at the Last Supper: "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:31-32). Yes, Jesus prays for us, in so many ways. He prayed for us specifically at the Last Supper (John 17), He prayed for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, I wonder if His plea to the Father to "forgive them; for they know not what they do," could not be applied to us as to the Roman soldiers who parted His garments (Luke 23:34). He pleads for us before the Father even now, for His infinite and eternal Atonement is forever the ground on which we make our case for salvation (D&C 45:4-5).

It is my faith that we can be forgiven, that we can be healed, that we can find safety, only in the grace of our Master and in emulating His life.