Sustaining our leaders: a sacrament talk

Sometimes I get super annoyed at the way people sustain someone when they are called to something in the church and then do nothing to help them, or even acknowledge them in their calling. If you sustain someone, you are committing to assist them if so required. I genuinely think some people need a reminder of that, so when I was asked recently to speak in Sacrament meeting, I decided to revisit some information from an old Relief Society lesson I gave years ago. Hopefully it has the desired effect!

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Good afternoon brothers and sisters. Today I’ve felt inspired to speak about sustaining our church leaders.

Pretty much every Sunday a member of the bishopric stands here and reads out callings and releasings at the beginning of our sacrament meeting. We raise our hands to sustain someone who has just received a new calling. Most of the time it’s an automatic reaction. Some Sundays we may not even really listen to the names of the people we are sustaining. It’s simply part of our Sacrament Meeting routine. Despite this failing on our part, it is actually a very sacred action and one we need to do with a thoughtful and prayerful heart. It is a critical motion with eternal consequences and it comes with responsibilities.

President Joseph F Smith said, “It is a serious wrong in the presence of the Almighty for one to vote to sustain the authorities of the Church and then to go away and oppose them and trample under foot the counsels that they give; and we will be judged of the Lord for it.

So when we raise our hand to sustain someone, whether it is the nursery leader or the prophet, what are we really doing? We are not voting. We don’t get to choose who will serve in the calling. That was already prayerfully taken to the Lord by the person who had the authority to do so. We are, instead, agreeing to accept callings or assignments from them if they are in a position to offer them and to help them in any way we can. Our sustaining is a vote of confidence in the person. We are promising to support them in their work and (something I think we should all remember) to speak well of them. We are committing ourselves to accepting that their call came from God.

Sister Terrie Bittner, a writer on the website Mormon Women Stand, said that this truth was brought home for her, one day when she called and asked someone to substitute for her in Primary. This sister admitted that teaching Primary was not her favourite thing (can’t imagine why) but that she had raised her hand to sustain her when she was called, and so, accepting my request for help was part of the promise she had made to God that day. She substituted and worked hard to give the class a wonderful experience. She then went on to say, “ I wondered then if I had ever worked so hard to carry out my covenant to sustain someone in a calling. I believe that is what sustaining someone is—a covenant with God.”

That is something we would all do well to remember when we are extended an assignment or asked to assist with a lesson, an activity or simply just to attend those lessons or activities that people have put so much effort into. Attending them is sustaining too! Please attend activities. SO much work goes into them.

In 1898 whilst serving as the second counsellor in the first presidency, Joseph F Smith said, “It is an important duty resting upon the Saints who … sustain the authorities of the Church, to do so not only by the lifting of the hand, the mere form, but in deed and in truth.”

In D&C 20:65 it says, “No person is to be ordained to any office in this church, where there is a regularly organized branch of the same, without the vote of that church."

We have an opportunity to sustain—support, help, pray for—each of these people in their callings. We indicate our willingness to do so by raising our right hands when their names are read to us in general conference, stake conference, ward or branch conference, or sacrament meeting. Raising our hands is a sign to us, to them, and to the Lord that we will sustain them.

In April 2015, during the sustaining of the church officers in the Saturday Afternoon Session of Conference, several members stood and loudly opposed our first presidency. I remember it well and I was absolutely raging. I remember saying angrily to Doug, how could someone do that? How dare they? Why bother going to conference if you don’t agree with them? That’s the whole POINT of going to conference, to listen to them! But as members of a congregation, we have the right to oppose a calling or a sustaining. I’m certainly not saying we should, but we have the right to! It should still be done by the raising of the hand, certainly not by yelling out- to allow our opinion to be heard by those who are in a position of authority to do so, after the meeting has concluded. We need also remember, that the sustaining vote will be carried by the majority.

Members of the church of Jesus christ of Latter-day Saints, like everyone else, and sometimes even more so, are opinionated people. We will often have more experience than the person called to lead us. We sometimes have personal beliefs that cause us to want things to be done differently than they are. However, once God has approved a calling, we are expected to become humble followers of this person. While this may seem hard or short-sighted, we will someday be the one who is sustained into a calling we are less qualified for. Then we will hope others will be patient and supportive during our time.

Jesus taught us to treat others the way we ourselves want to be treated. The Church is not like the world. We don’t always fill our positions with the most qualified person. (Although with modern politics you have to wonder!) Often the person in the calling is there because there is something he can learn from it. Other times he is there because there is a specific situation or person he can best help, even if he’s less qualified for other parts of the work.

God moves us around to various callings in order to help us grow. We are called to sustain them, whether or not we think they are qualified. Whom God calls; God qualifies. Sustaining people is a covenant we make at the local level. It is also a covenant when we sustain the prophet and the apostles. We covenanted in the waters of baptism and in the temple to follow Jesus Christ and God, and we covenanted to follow the prophet as the Lord’s mouthpiece in our time. To do anything less is to violate our sacred covenants. To do anything less is to decide God made a mistake—and God never makes mistakes.

In his talk Solemn Assemblies, David B Haight said, “When we sustain the President of the Church by our uplifted hand, it not only signifies that we acknowledge before God that he is the rightful possessor of all the priesthood keys; it means that we covenant with God that we will abide by the direction and the counsel that comes through His prophet. It is a solemn covenant.” To do otherwise is dangerous.

Joseph F. Smith said: “Men may become dissatisfied one with another, they may become dissatisfied towards the Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, or others, and may say in their hearts, “I do not like such an one; I do not believe he is as good as he should be, he has too many faults and weaknesses and, therefore, I cannot and will not acknowledge his authority, as I have not faith in the man.” Doubtless there are those, too many perhaps, who feel that way, but the trouble is, just because they have become dissatisfied with the individual and harboured feelings of bitterness in their hearts against their brethren, they lose sight of the designs of the Almighty; they turn against the authority of the Holy Priesthood; and through their blindness allow themselves to be led astray, and at last turn away from the Church.”

One of the temple recommend questions is “Do you sustain the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local leaders of the Church?” Please note that it includes local authorities. So whether we agree with their decisions or not, we must accept them and remember these men (and women!) have been called of the Lord and are his mouthpiece. What it all comes down to for me, is “Is the church true?” Of course it is! Then we are safe in the care of our leaders, because the Lord picked them.

You might not like someone that is called to a position in the gospel, especially a position of authority, but you should sustain them anyway. How many times have we said we don’t like someone before getting to know them. I know I am terrible for that… We can do the same, get to know someone and close that gap.

D&C 1:38 warns: “Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” There is so much safety in knowing God has provided us with a prophet to guide us through the last days of the world. It is one of His gifts of love to His children and our willingness to follow the prophet He has chosen is our message of how much we love and trust God. It is our testimony in action—and a testimony that is words without action does not have the power to bring us back home to God.

Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies. Those who he calls are blessed to have the right words, so long as they remain worthy to receive them. They are able to open their mouth and speak the words that the Lord wants them to speak. Joseph Smith said on more than one occasion that he was not mighty in words but the Lord promised him, as recorded in the doctrine and covenants: "It shall be given you in the very moment what you shall speak and what you shall write." There is no recorded evidence that he ever spoke from a prepared text!

I was called as the ward relief society president at 32 years old. I always assumed the RSP was someone in their 40s or 50s, or even older, not someone my age! Sorry Beth! In fact, at first I was absolutely convinced that my husband and bishop had set me up for a joke. When our stake RSP sat with me, I said. I can't do this. I'm so awkward. I always say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Her words were simple but perfect. “If you do the right thing and pray for the right words, you can open your mouth and they will come. And you can be assured that they will always be the right words.” I don’t think I’ve become any less awkward, but the words did come.

President Henry B Eyring shared a beautiful story about one young man's example of sustaining his Church leaders. “Years ago an 18-year-old student showed me what it means to sustain the Lord’s servants. I am still blessed by his humble example. He had just begun his first year in college. He was baptized less than a year before he left home to begin his studies at a large university. There I served as his bishop.

As the school year began, I had a brief interview with him in the bishop’s office. I remember little of that first conversation except that he spoke of his challenges in a new place, but I will never forget our second conversation. He asked to see me in my office. I was surprised when he said, “Could we pray together, and may I be voice?” I was about to say that I had already prayed and expected that he had as well. Instead I agreed. He began his prayer with a testimony that he knew the bishop was called of God. He asked God to tell me what he should do in a matter of great spiritual consequence. The young man told God he was sure the bishop already knew his needs and would be given the counsel he needed to hear. As he spoke, the specific dangers he would face came to my mind. The counsel was simple but given in great clarity: pray always, obey the commandments, and have no fear. That young man, one year in the Church, taught by example what God can do with a leader as he is sustained by the faith and prayers of those he is called to lead. I spoke recently with that young man who sustained his bishop years ago. I learned that the Lord and the people had sustained him in his call as a missionary, as a stake president, and as a father. He said as our conversation ended, “I still pray for you every day.”

We can support and help leaders of the Church both locally and on a larger scale by our faith and prayers on their behalf, by helping when they ask us, by accepting callings extended to us and most importantly, by following their counsel.

May I leave you with an encouragement to not only sustain your church leaders, but to take opportunities to tell them that you do! If you like a talk someone gives, tell them. If you like a lesson, take the time out to let them know. If a leader goes out of their way to help you or your family, show your gratitude by telling them, then helping someone else. Our words mean so much. I cannot tell you how much it means to me when people have sustained me in my calling. Sometimes people I would least expect!

I’d just like to leave this talk with a final poem by Charles Franklin Benvegar that my friend Alexandra gave me as a teenager, that explains the power of our words and deeds. She would often ask us, are you a Builder? Or a wrecker?

As I watched them tear a building down

A gang of men in a busy town

With a ho-heave-ho, and a lusty yell

They swung a beam and the side wall fell

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,

And the men you’d hire if you wanted to build?”

He gave a laugh and said, “No, indeed,

Just common labor is all I need.”

“I can easily wreck in a day or two,

What builders have taken years to do.”

And I thought to myself, as I went my way

Which of these roles have I tried to play

Am I a builder who works with care,

Measuring life by rule and square?

Am I shaping my work to a well-made plan

Patiently doing the best I can

Or am I a wrecker who walks to town

Content with the labour of tearing down?

“O Lord let my life and my labours be

That which will build for eternity!”

Brothers and sisters. Sustain your leaders. Be a builder, not a wrecker. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Maddie's temple talk

Last week Maddie went to the temple for the first time - this Sunday they had her give her first sacrament talk! Time, please slow down! My little girl is growing up way too fast. She did an amazing job and I am so proud of her! 

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Good morning brothers and sisters.

This morning I have been asked to speak about my first experience at the temple. This year I will be turning 12, which means I now have the opportunity to serve in the temple by doing baptisms and confirmations for people who have passed on. On Friday night, along with the other youth in our ward, I attended the temple for the first time.

Although at first I was nervous and a little unsure, I felt so peaceful when I entered the temple. It was so quiet! It’s nice to be in a place where you can sit and think with no other noise. It was such a wonderful experience to be there with people I love, reassuring me as we did our session together.

Many people are not given the opportunity to enter the waters of baptism as they live on this earth. We are given the chance to provide them a way to be baptised as we do work on their behalf.

Each temple has the words, holiness to the lord, the house of the lord, written above the entry and I know that the temple is a place of peace, the place we can be closest to our Heavenly Father on this earth.

President Spencer W. Kimball once said, “It would be a fine thing if parents would have in every bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so their children from the time they are infants could look at the picture every day until it becomes a part of their lives. When they reach the age that they need to make the very important decision concerning going to the temple, it will have already been made.

I am so blessed to know that I belong to an eternal family. My parents were married in the Perth temple and both sets of my grandparents were sealed in the New Zealand temple long before I was born. I love knowing that when our time on earth is done, we will all be together again. It’s especially comforting to know this as my dads parents have both passed away. I know it will be amazing spending forever with my family.

In primary we learned the song, I love to see the temple.
I love to see the temple
I'm going there someday
To feel the holy spirit
To listen and to pray
For the temple is a house of God
A place of love and beauty
I'll prepare myself while I am young
This is my sacred duty

I love to see the temple
I'll go inside someday
I'll covenant with my Father
I'll promise to obey
For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together
As a child of God, I've learned this truth
A family is forever

The world today is a really hard place to grow up. There are so many things placed in our way that can drag us down. But as we attend the temple and remember the promises we make within, we will be more able to bear every challenge and to overcome each problem. I am so grateful for a temple close by and to know of the blessings that come from being part of a forever family.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

be not weary in well doing

 

the weirdest thing happened to me this week. i have been feeling the burden of anxiety crushing me down so hard, and really feel personally attacked by two people i know, who are meant to be friends. it became worse and worse until it was eating away at me and i couldn't bear it. during this, i kept having constant inspiration for things i could speak about if i had an assignment for sacrament meeting. i even mentioned it to doug, who was like yeah okay jade. but then came the miracle. a few hours after i mentioned it to him, i got a message from a member of our bishopric, asking me to speak this sunday, with less than a weeks notice! 

it was so unbelievable. i knew for sure then, that the thoughts and feelings i was having were definitely for a reason. he had thought of someone and even called them, only to know it was me he needed to ask, and his wife had had the same impression when he asked her who he should call. this is not coincidence, this is absolutely inspired. so i started writing and it all came so easily. it's about the times that life isn't easy. because sometimes it's what people need to hear. 

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Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters. Today I would like to speak on something a little different. Being weary in well doing. This weeks Come Follow Me readings have a pretty clear message of repentance and forgiveness. In Section 64 of the Doctrine and Covenants, there’s a verse that really sticks out. Verse 33 reads: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”

In response to all the quarrelling and unrepentant Saints, Jesus Christ commands the Saints to repent and forgive one another as they try to build Zion. Do we get weary in well-doing? Absolutely. The footnotes that accompany the word “well-doing” are benevolence, good works and self sacrifice. It reminds me of all the things we do on the daily to try and build Zion around us, and how weary I become trying to do so, often seeing little or no reward for my efforts.

The end of the verse brings motivation, fortitude and encouragement as Christ reminds us that we are laying a FOUNDATION of a great work, not the entire building, or end product. In time our small efforts will allow great things to proceed, not right now, but gradually over time, possibly even years from now. As we remind ourselves of the fact that we will not see the end result today or tomorrow or maybe even a year from now, our expectations of others around us sometimes need to be put in check, and we realise that we need to repent of our short comings and forgive more readily, for mistakes and errors as we all continue to learn and come together as we build our little Zion here.

So as we build our little Zion, the most important question is: What am I doing today, to get me where I want to be tomorrow? Am I kind to all? Do I include others? Am I honest and fair? Do I represent the gospel in my words and actions? And most importantly, am I doing my best? The Lord does not expect perfection from us, He only asks that we do our best. As President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Do your best, it will all work out."

Sometimes our best may feel as though it is not much to offer. In the world we live in today, there are so many pressures around us, eating at us and trying to make us feel less than worthy. Pressures to be the perfect spouse or parent, career pressures and all of the pressures we put on ourselves. The Lord only wants us to do the best we can, but so often we push ourselves to do so much more. This is when we can become weary in well-doing. By communicating regularly with the Lord in prayer, we are able to have a clear impression on what is important and required of us, which allows us to be attentive to the things that matter most. Blessings come as a result of seeking and heeding the promptings of the Holy Ghost. President Lorenzo Snow said, “This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint … that it is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every day of our lives.” End quote.

President Russell M Nelson said, “The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children. Through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will assist us in all our righteous pursuits. Whatever our place in life, we can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our own. If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small. I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honour the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.” End quote.

When we turn to the Lord in prayer and become in tune with Him, we will often receive unexpected, even what we might consider unusual promptings. To do that something we wouldn’t usually do. To go somewhere out of our way, to message someone we don’t know well or haven’t had contact with in a long time. The Lord hears our prayers and it is often through someone else that He meets our needs. President Monson spoke many times of how one should “never, ever postpone following a prompting.” I find if I do not act immediately, I will find out later why I should have and the reason the Lord spoke to me at that time. If you have ever doubted if that small push came from the Lord, or your own head, move on it as though the Lord himself sent you a text with instructions. 

Do we check in with others? People who we know and love, who may be feeling hurt or forgotten? When someone has suffered grief or loss in their life, these feelings remain for some time, sometimes for always. Be the one to remember occasions and check in with these people. Sometimes they may feel angry with the Lord for their trials, and to feel His love brought by the arms of another can allow their broken hearts to begin to heal. Reaching out to lift another can be as easy as a message, an email, sending a favourite scripture or a story you have read – or for you cool people out there, sharing a meme.

Some of us will unfortunately experience infuriating unfairness in our lives. Elder Renlund spoke at length about it at the last general conference and explained it perfectly. Some unfairness just cannot be explained and that is what makes it infuriating. Unfairness comes from living with bodies that are imperfect, injured, or diseased. Mortal life is always going to be unfair. Some people are born in wealth and safety; others are not. Some have loving parents; others do not. Some live many years; other will pass away with so many years unlived, leaving their families to mourn and wonder on what could have been. And so the list goes on. Others make hurtful mistakes even when they are trying to do good. Some choose not to prevent unfairness when they had the chance to do so. Distressingly, some individuals use their God-given agency to hurt others when they never should. Sometimes being kind to everyone is hard. Especially when that kindness is not returned. When showing kindness may be towards those who may not deserve it or people who have offended you or hurt you, despite their best intentions. It would so easy if things had have been different. If we could have just forced people to do the right thing. But we fought to be here, in this time, using our God given agency. In these times we need to remember the words of the Savior and do good to all men. We are reminded in Matthew 5:44 “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

Elder Renlund said, and I quote “Different types of unfairness can merge, creating a tsunami of overwhelming unfairness. My heart aches for those who face such unfairness, but I declare with all my aching heart that Jesus Christ both understands unfairness and has the power to provide a remedy. Nothing compares to the unfairness He endured. It was not fair that He experienced all the pains and afflictions of mankind. It was not fair that He suffered for my sins and mistakes and for yours. But He chose to do so because of His love for us and for Heavenly Father. He understands perfectly what we are experiencing.” End quote.

In times such as these it is easy to feel weary in well doing. It is hard to see that others may need your help, when we may feel that we need help so desperately ourselves. But I know, first hand, that the greatest peace comes from service in these times of grief and pain. During my time within this ward, I have watched others in the depths of despair find sanctuary in serving those who they felt were in greater need than themselves. They are laying a foundation of a great work. Those who give when they have nothing or feel as though they have nothing, are truly blessed for their efforts. As President Nelson said, “The Lord loves effort and effort brings rewards. We keep practicing. We are always progressing as long as we are striving to follow the Lord. He doesn’t expect perfection today. We keep climbing. As in times past, our journey does indeed take effort, hard work, and study, but our commitment to progress brings eternal rewards.” End quote.

It takes great courage to be a man or woman of integrity when those around you forsake gospel principles. There will always be people around us who are not doing the right thing. Who you may secretly want to force to do the right thing. But try as you may, they don’t, they can’t and they won’t. That isn’t the Lords plan. The Lords plan allows each of us to make our own decisions. He fought for that plan. We fought for that plan. Christ died for that plan. And what he asks of US is simply that we do our best. What others do doesn’t matter. WE DO OUR BEST.

People have always been against the church and being dedicated and faithful, especially in these latter days. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “There are … millions of sincere and devout persons who disbelieve, oppose, and openly fight the Book of Mormon. … What is it about some words on a printed page—all of which are clean and uplifting and pertain to historical and doctrinal matters—that arouses such violent antagonism?

“Men ordinarily do not rise up to fight the Bible; they do not organize mobs and incite them to shed the blood of others because such persons believe in the scripture of the Old World. … The violent opposition to the Book of Mormon is one of the great evidences of its divinity. If it were not of God, Lucifer would not overly concern himself with it.” End quote.

We may spend our entire lives defending our beliefs to those who cannot and will not understand. But be not weary in well-doing. Being a strong and faithful church member is hard. Seeing others not be that is harder. Feelings of anxiety creep in. We feel less than we are. We can feel like we are running in circles. But the Lord sees us. He sees us and our efforts and knows our hearts. As President Henry B. Eyring said, “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” We were given a promise of great joy, but never told that it would be easy, simply that it would, in the end, be worth it.

In 1975 President Ezra Taft Benson gave a talk entitled “We seek which is praiseworthy.” Though given long before my birth, I feel as though he spoke clearly of “not being weary in well doing.”

Our task is to stick with the kingdom, to not let anything or anybody disaffect or sour us toward that great gift that Christ has given us—his Church. The Church is true. Keep its laws; attend its meetings; sustain its leaders; accept its callings; get its recommend; enjoy its blessings. … Each week we make a solemn covenant to be like Him and take him for our leader, to always remember him in everything and keep all of his commandments. In return he promises to give us his spirit.

President Benson said and I quote ”Just a few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and our Father in heaven well. We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earth life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy like they had. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.

And now we’re here—our memories are veiled—and we’re showing God and ourselves what we can do. And nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us. And then, as President Brigham Young said, we’re going to wonder why we were so stupid in the flesh.

God loves us. He’s watching us, he wants us to succeed, and we’ll know someday that he has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew it, there are heavenly hosts pulling for us—friends in heaven that we can’t remember now, who yearn for our victory. This is our day to show what we can do—what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly bring to God. If we give our all, we will get his all from the greatest of all.” End quote

We are all quite simply attempting to lay our own little foundation here, in our personal corner of Zion. May we take heart, lift each other and be not weary in well doing.

I know of the blessings that await the faithful. I take comfort in my family being eternal and knowing that those that we have lost in this short time we experience here on earth, will be with us again, never to be parted. I know that the Saviour suffered for us, that all will be made right in the next life. I know that the Lord knows our hearts and our struggles, but loves us all the same, more than we can ever know.

the conversion of king lamoni

after 16 long weeks of not attending church, we finally got to go back on sunday. it was strange, but it was nice. we all had to sit on pews that were very well spaced out (pews all the way back in the cultural hall? that's a first!), sacrament tonged into our hands, everyone required to sign in and sanitise on arrival. but it was the same it's always been and it felt so good to be back.

i received a "wonderful" surprise a week or so back, when one of bishops counselors called me and asked me to be our first post covid speaker. i was very surprised, but of course happy to do it. i was given the subject of the conversion of king lamoni and his house and here it is!

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Good morning brothers and sisters. It’s been a hundred and twelve days since we’ve been in the chapel together and a lot of things in the world have changed. A lot of things are still changing, but the truth of the gospel remains the same, which is why we are so blessed to return to this place of refuge amongst the uncertainty outside.

I’ve been asked to speak today about the conversion of King Lamoni and his house, which makes me pretty happy – as it’s one of my favourite stories in the Book of Mormon. Joseph and I love it, him mostly because of Ammon cutting the arms off the robbers, but there is obviously so much more to the story.

Ammon was one of the sons of Mosiah, converted along with Alma the younger, as they went about actually trying to destroy the church. So great was their conversion that an angel of the Lord appeared to them. What an experience that would have been. I mean, I’m not going to lie, there have been occasions where I have wished we could call down an angel to assist with conversion. I know there are plenty of people who could benefit from it and it would make it so easy! The amazing thing is, their conversion was so powerful that they dedicated more than fourteen years of their lives to preaching and ministering unto others to enable them to experience conversion for themselves.

Ammon and his brothers spent several years teaching the Gospel to the Lamanites. Ammon went first to the land of Ishmael. He was captured by the Lamanites and taken before their king, Lamoni. In verse 22 and 23 of Alma chapter 17 King Lamoni asks Ammon if it were his desire to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among his people, Ammon said unto him: “Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.” The king, impressed, offers him high station, along with one of his daughters, to marry. Ammon refuses, and says “Nay, but I will be thy servant” going instead to serve in the king's household where he is given the job of assisting others in caring for the king's flocks. The thing that really stood out to me here, was that Ammon specifically said “perhaps until the day I die.” He was willing to stay for as long as it took to convert these people to believe in Christ and do what he was called to do.

Within days the king would find out that Ammon was willing to risk his life for him. And there came the opportunity for Ammon to be a witness of God to the king. When caring for the flocks of the king, men came to attack and scatter them. Fellow servants tell him they will be killed if the bandits acquire any of the flock. So, Ammon directs the others to encircle the flock so they will not scatter and then confronts the bandits. He recognises this immediately as an opportunity to establish a relationship of trust, preparing them to listen to his message. He doesn’t shy away, he takes these bandits on! As he is seemingly outnumbered, the thieves attack Ammon. From a distance he kills several with his sling and then in hand-to-hand combat cuts off the arms of every robber who attacks him. Upon returning to the king, the other servants present him with these arms and recall the events. King Lamoni asks of Ammons whereabouts, only to be told that this man is still out, tending to the horses. In verse 10 of chapter 18 it says: “Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them.” Ammon gained the trust of the king and his servants through service. They were prepared and ready to listen to his message, all because Ammon was willing to serve. After asking many questions and having them answered by Ammon, King Lamoni and many people in his kingdom are converted to the gospel.

Combining kindness and service with bearing witness has great power to change lives. Thousands of times every day members of the Church are watched, by people curious to know something about our lives. Because we are under covenant to be a witness of the gospel, we will try to tell them how the gospel has brought us happiness. What they think of what we say may depend largely on how much they sense we care for them.

Those we meet will feel the love that springs from our long practice in keeping a covenant to “mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9). It may not be in hours or days as it was for King Lamoni, but they will feel our love after testing our hearts. And when they find our concern sincere, the Holy Spirit can more easily touch them to allow us to teach and to testify, as it did for Ammon.

Later, Ammon's love and respect for Lamoni also impresses Lamoni's father, the king of all the Lamanites and he too was converted to the gospel. Have you ever had someone ask why you are different? Why you choose to do things for others, unasked or unaided? We as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught kindness, to love and to serve from a young age. We watch our parents serve in the church, assist others and teach us to do the same. So many are amazed when they hear our positions in the church are unpaid and often without a monetary reward. But like King Lamoni, this is what leads them to ask questions and have a desire to learn of the truth, because we lead by example.

In this weeks come follow me studies we learnt about how our own testimony can have a far-reaching influence. Though accounts of conversion we read about in the scriptures often involve dramatic events, at their core we usually find it was due to individuals who simply had the courage to speak up and share their witness with others. It’s also mentioned about how a great way to study these events is to look for the far-reaching effects of one person bearing his or her testimony.  Ammon shared the gospel with King Lamoni, who shared it with his kingdom, and his father who shared it with his kingdom. Now if you were to leave this chapel and share it with your neighbour, who shared it with their family, who shared it with their friends, who shared it with their workmates, who told the guys at their local sportsclub, who told their mates at uni, who went home and told their parents, can you even imagine the spread it would create? We need to flood the world with the gospel. To allow every person to hear of it. To follow the example of Ammon and serve, as others observe and are lead to the truth.

Lastly I would just like to touch on the great power of King Lamoni’s conversion. It is spoken about, that it was so strong that he fell to the ground and was still for days. He received such a powerful witness that he was completely overwhelmed by the spirit and unable to rise. Although we may not receive a witness of this extent, conversion is a deeply personal experience and allows us to come to the light of Christ in our own way. Just because we do not have a physical experience of this manner, it does not mean that our testimony is lesser or not as worthy as that of someone else.

As we continue learning and growing within the gospel, may we remember the example we are to others outside of our faith and strive to serve others, that we may be able to share our light and testimony with them, just as Ammon did with King Lamoni.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

christmas talk

i was super complimented to be asked to speak on the sunday before christmas sunday. i love christmas and everything about it so i was definitely up for this one. growing up on a farm in the australian bush, i have so many wonderful memories of "aussie christmas" but one of the ones i love the most was one christmas when one of the senior missionary couples from america came to breakfast and mum decorated the table and house with blue gum everywhere. it smelled and looked amazing and i have been obsessed with aussie christmas ever since. i wouldn't want it any other way. this year mum made me (and various friends of mine) this gorgeous bush wreath and i love it. it has just made my christmas! anyway... back to my talk - here we go!

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Good afternoon brothers and sisters. I’ve been asked to speak today about how we bring Christ into our home during the Christmas season. When Brother Dowe called me a few weeks ago with my assignment, he said, “you’re a Christmas person aren’t you?” Mate, I am literally a Christmas person. Born just before Christmas and everything. You can’t get more Christmassy than that. With all those combined Birthday and Christmas presents I’ve had? It’s in my blood. You know what they say, “All I want for Christmas is for someone to remember my December birthday.” As a child, my mother would wait until after my birthday to put the Christmas tree up so I didn’t have to celebrate “Birthmas”, but now I have children of my own, it’s up on the first day of December. I just can’t feel festive or excited until there is a tree in my lounge room, twinkling with lights.

As a small child, we would go and select an appropriate tree (well, really more part of a tree) from somewhere on our property, hack it off and bring it home to plant it in a bucket where we would decorate it. To this day I associate the smell of eucalyptus with Christmas because of these trees. We would water the tree each day which of course didn’t do much… it always died within a few days after Christmas was over. Come to think of it, maybe that was mums reason for not having the tree up before my birthday!

My favourite part of the decorating though, was when mum would pull out the black tin that held our family nativity. She would allow me to unwrap each piece from their paper and place them just how I wanted them (don’t get any ideas kids!) in the stable my father had built. To me this was the real start of Christmas and the thing I looked forward to the most. I have no doubt this stemmed my adult obsession of nativity scenes. To me they are the best kind of decoration as they are what Christmas is about. There are plenty of those sets in our home.

I was raised in a home where Christmas was celebrated in a beautiful manner. Everything we did was centred on Christ and giving. As President Thomas S Monson taught in the 2012 Christmas Devotional “Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Saviour the focus of the season.”

My all-time favourite Christmas memory is sitting outside on the verandah one hot Christmas eve, with my parents and the youngest of my brothers, I am fairly certain the two older ones were on their missions at the time. We sat with candles burning and sang the Christmas carols from the hymn book one by one. There was no fanfare, no gifts, just a family, sitting together in the still.

Jeffrey R Holland said, “Shepherds would soon arrive and later, wise men from the east. Later yet the memory of that night would bring Santa Claus and Frosty and Rudolph. But first and forever there was just a little family, without toys or trees and tinsel. With a family – that’s how Christmas began.” To us all of us that follow Christ that family is still and always will be, the most important part of Christmas.

So how do we ensure Christ is at the center of Christmas in our home? Each year we do things that remind us of the birth of Christ, the first and most wonderful gift. Christmas is the spirit of giving without the thought of getting. 

Each year we have an advent calendar. But not a chocolate one (although yes we have those too), one that has a scripture and something we can do to bring us closer to Christ each day. For example, doing something kind for a neighbor, singing carols as a family, giving food to a charity, one year we packed a box for a solider on active duty… The best part of this type of advent calendar is that it will allow you to go about doing good each day, just as the Saviour did. When actively seeking one thing each day in the lead up to Christmas, you become more focused, allowing you to see other opportunities to serve right in front of you. The Light the World initiative the church introduced a few years ago is the same sort of thing and brings love both in our families and those we come in contact with. 

Watching the First Presidency Christmas Devotional has always been something we’ve done in our home since we were married. As new parents we watched it after putting the children to bed as we wrapped gifts. Now we attempt to watch it with the children (not always successfully) so they can enjoy the festive stories and beautiful music that are shared.

We go to the Road to Bethlehem each year to watch the Christmas story acted out. This experience is especially wonderful for children to enable them to see what we believe, played out in front of their eyes. Instead of hearing the story read from a book – they have the opportunity to see and recognize each person that they have heard about.

On Christmas Eve, we watch the nativity video before the children goto bed, then in the morning, we read the Christmas story found in Luke chapter 2 before opening our gifts.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed a bit of a recurring theme here? I keep coming back to the story of the nativity over and over. Why? Because that is what Christmas is all about. Over 2000 years ago an angel appeared to a young engaged woman called Mary to tell her that she would bear a child. The son of God. She meekly accepted his words by saying, “behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” Joseph was also told of this miracle that would occur by an angel who told him not to be afraid to take her as his wife. It is obvious to see that Mary was a virtuous and faithful woman chosen by the Lord to bear His son. Joseph a righteous man had also chosen her to be his wife. They were prepared for the coming of the son of God by their faith.

Shepherds were also alerted of the arrival of the Saviour. These Shepherds lived a simple and righteous life. They were dedicated to caring for their sheep, with a  great love for them and I would assume for others. The angel spoke to them and although they were afraid, they followed his instructions and went to see the baby.

Perhaps the best prepared for his arrival were the wise men. The wise men were well respected and educated men. They had wealth and servants and knew of prophecies that had been made concerning this Saviour who would come. They had studied the skies and the words of ancient prophets who foretold his arrival. They watched and waited for many years knowing the signs that would be given.

So each of these people was prepared to meet the Saviour, but how can we be like the wise men and prepare beforehand? To be ready to receive Christ into our homes and lives this Christmas? They had read and studied and were ready to meet him. Are we? I love that Christmas quote that says “wise men still seek Him”. Are we prepared to welcome Him into our homes as we celebrate His birth?

President Thomas S. Monson said, “When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the spirit of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit. It will block out all the distractions around us, which can diminish Christmas and swallow up its true meaning. Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration. If we have not already done so, we can establish Christmas traditions for ourselves and for our families which will help us capture and keep the spirit of Christ. There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus Christ.”

As members of the church we can focus our attention on the Savior and inspire others to do the same. He is the true reason for the season. In a world where people no longer do good “just because” we can make a difference and be the people who do. Smile a little brighter, give a little more, show more patience, be a peacemaker and avoid contention and show love as Christ did. Not just at Christmas, but always. By doing these things and sharing them with our children, we will raise them to love the Saviour, by showing that we love him. We will help build a generation to follow us, who grow in faith and continue to walk the covenant path.

Our celebration of Christmas should be a reflection of the love and selflessness taught by the Saviour. Giving, not getting, brings the Christmas spirit. We feel more kindly one to another. We reach out in love to help those less fortunate. Our hearts are softened. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things. To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the Spirit of Christ.

The Saviour loved all men. Not just those who loved him, but all men. Is there someone we could love more? Someone with whom we have disagreed? Someone who just isn’t our favourite? Is this season the time to make amends? To start anew? Service is the greatest act there is. By truly serving one another, we will forget ourselves and our troubles and become closer to the Saviour than we ever thought possible, for His was the greatest example of service.

May we give as the Saviour gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift. We give as a remembrance of all the Saviour has given. May we also give gifts that have eternal value, along with our gifts that eventually break or are forgotten. How much better the world would be if we all gave gifts of understanding and compassion, of service and friendship, of kindness and gentleness.

Because He came to earth, we have a perfect example to follow. As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year. It is His example, which if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others. Because He came, there is meaning to our mortal existence. Because He came, we know how to reach out to those in trouble or in distress, wherever they may be. Because He came, death has lost its sting, the grave its victory. We will live again because He came. Because He came and paid for our sins, we have the opportunity to gain eternal life. Because He came, we are gathered to worship Him in bonds of  unity and love.

May His precious Spirit be with us, and may He ever be the center of our celebrations and indeed of our very lives.  I am forever grateful for the Saviour, born so many years ago and for the blessed lives we enjoy within the safety of this His restored church.

May I leave you with a poem written by Christina Rosetti?

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb.

If I were a Wise Man

I would do my part,

Yet what can I give Him?

Give my heart.

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

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in other not so festive news, the doctors told steve there is not much else they can try and asked if dougs sister can come home to spend time with steve as it looks as though it may be the end. she arrived this week. of course we are pleased to have her here, but are sad that its for that reason. we are hoping for a christmas miracle, but things are looking pretty bleak. 

a talk on motherhood

i was approached by a bishopric member a few months ago and asked to speak about motherhood. i spent so much time thinking about what it is and what it isn't, but this was my final talk - i just missed one thing, which came to me the minute i sat down afterwards.

jill churchill once said: "there is no one way to be a perfect mother,
but a million ways to be a good one." ♥

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Today I’ve been asked to speak about motherhood. This is probably the fourth talk I’ve been asked to give on motherhood, my first when I was pregnant with Madeline, so I’m pretty sure it’s one of two things. I’ve either got this on lock and am about to tell you all just how it’s done, so listen up! Or the more likely possibility, I’m doing a rubbish job and need to keep researching… which I have done over the past few weeks to put this talk together.

One of my friends asked me a few months ago if being a Christian made it easier to love your children when they are misbehaving, I told her heck no, you just spend a lot more time praying to Heavenly Father for the strength to not kill them. So far he’s given me just enough of that. I did a lot of that this week, when a child who will remain unnamed unplugged my computer not once, but twice in a five minute period and I lost half of my almost finished talk. Gretchen Rubin once said, "The days are long, but the years are short."

So. Motherhood… Motherhood is a partnership with the Lord. We, as women have been given this amazing opportunity to raise the spirit children of our Heavenly Father. It is up to us to guide them in the right pathways and help them to reach their heavenly home. Just personally, I think our most important job as a mother is to prepare our children and have them ready to make decisions that they don’t yet know are coming.

There is a primary song entitled “The Family is of God”, which states: “A mother’s purpose is to care, prepare, to nurture and to strengthen all her children, she teaches children to obey, to pray, to love and serve in the family.” It is so true. Most children learn their first lessons in life from their mothers.

I was blessed with amazing, strong and faithful women in my life. Both my grandmothers had lost a child and felt a pull to the gospel and the promise of eternal families. My mother’s mother had married a severely less-active member of the church, only to have the missionaries knock on her door in the 1960’s when my mother was a child. My grandmother felt something and asked the missionaries to come back... my grandfather was not as keen and said "you do whatever you want to do, but I'm already a member and clearly if I haven't been going for all these years I won’t be rushing off to church..." she persisted in her learning, joined the church and he eventually became active again.

My father’s mother had the missionaries knock on her door and asked them to come in, much to my grandfather’s annoyance. He supported her in her decision to learn more, whilst showing zero interest, but as the missionaries taught her, he moved from the kitchen, to the dining room, to the lounge room doorway, eventually to the lounge and after a few months more he joined them in the gospel. How grateful I am every single day for these two courageous women who stood up and made their choice, regardless of what their husbands thought, teaching their children to love the Lord, and enabling me to have what I have.

Both of my grandmothers died when I was very young so the very few memories I had of them have almost gone... I look forward to the day that I can actually get to know them too. I simply know that they set a fine example for our family with their dedication to attending church, serving within the gospel and their unwavering faith and testimonies. My own mother benefited from their ways and has been a true example of faith and serving others, raising my brothers and I in a strong, gospel centred home. I was lucky enough to choose a husband who had also been raised by another one of these strong women who helped him remain close to the Lord, serve a mission and be ready and waiting for me to arrive.

I have determined to be one of these women too; I am often heard telling my children (much to my own mother’s amusement) that I do not negotiate with terrorists, when they try to get their own way.

As mothers in the gospel, we have to be strong, often defying the ways of the world. In her 2001 BYU address entitled “Knowing Who You Are—and Who You Have Always Been,” Sheri Dew said, “Satan, of course, knows how spiritually potent the knowledge of our divine identity is. He hates women of the noble birthright. He hates us because he is almost out of time, while we are en route to everlasting glory. He hates us because of the influence we have on husbands and children, family and friends, the Church and even the world. It is no secret to him that we are the Lord's secret weapon.”

Elaine S Dalton once said, “If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.” As mothers in the gospel we have the responsibility of teaching our children the right path to walk. In Proverbs22:6 it says, “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I was taught things in my home that I now teach my children, simple things such as having personal and family prayer, reading scriptures, going to church, attending the temple, paying tithing, having regular family home evening, all the basic things that help us learn and keep the commandments. As a whole, we need to fill our homes and the lives of our children, with the light of the gospel, while remembering that when the time comes, it will be their choice which path they follow. For this reason, we need to make sure their feet are firmly planted on the right path! Our examples and testimonies can only take them so far, so we as mothers need to make sure we teach the gospel in our homes, ensuring they gain their own testimony, so they will remain faithful in the years to come.

President Monson spoke specifically of this in his final conference address when he said: “If you do not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far. Once obtained, a testimony needs to be kept vital and alive through continued obedience to the commandments of God and through daily prayer and scripture study.”

The things he mentioned can be taught in the home. If we are doing the right things, our children will see and copy us. As Sister Joy D. Jones said, “Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate!”

Mothers who know of gospel truths stand strong and immovable. In her 2007 general conference talk “Mothers who know”, Julie B Beck said: “Who will prepare this righteous generation of sons and daughters? Latter-day Saint women will do this—women who know and love the Lord and bear testimony of Him, women who are strong and immovable and who do not give up during difficult and discouraging times. We are led by an inspired prophet of God who has called upon the women of the Church to “stand strong and immovable for that which is correct and proper under the plan of the Lord.” He has asked us to “begin in our own homes” to teach children the ways of truth. Latter-day Saint women should be the very best in the world at upholding, nurturing, and protecting families. 

In equal partnership with their husbands, mothers lead a great and eternal organization. These mothers plan for the future. They plan for missions, temple marriages, and education. They plan for prayer, scripture study, and family home evening. They build children into future leaders within the gospel and the world. They do not abandon their plans by allowing social pressure or worldly examples of “parenting” to get to them. Mothers in the gospel are selective about their own activities and involvements, and sometimes even their friendships!, in order to maximize their influence where it matters most, within the walls of their own home. As President Harold B. Lee said, “The most important of the Lord's work that you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home.”

There are many faithful women who by no choice of their own, will not be given the chance in this life to become mothers. In fact, I think I could safely say that Sheri Dew, who actually has no children of her own, has given some of the most amazing talks about motherhood. In her talk, “Are we not all mothers?” she stated: “We tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, but in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both our Heavenly Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living” and they did so before she had even borne a child.”

Like Eve, we sisters began our motherhood before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in this life, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is of course certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us.

My children have been blessed with many “aunties” (some related and others who are friends that have become family) and even a bonus nanna. Some have children of their own, some do not – and may not. However, their shining example and ability to love them as we do has taught me so much, helping me in turn, to become a better mother. For reasons known only to the Lord, some women are required to wait to have children, perhaps even until the next life. This delay is not easy for any righteous woman. Some of us, then, must simply find other ways to mother. All around us are those who need to be loved and led. We have some amazing examples even right here in our ward, of women who have stepped up and stood in place when there has been someone in need of a mother. Motherhood is brought about not only by being able to carry and birth a child, but also by being an example and helping to raise others to walk the strait and narrow path.

Eve set a pattern for us to follow. In addition to bearing children, she mothered all of mankind when she made the most courageous decision any woman has ever made and with Adam opened the way for us to progress. She set an example of womanhood for men to respect and women to follow, modelling beautiful characteristics which we as women should possess: strong faith, a keen sensitivity to the Spirit, a hatred of evil and complete selflessness. She loved us enough to help lead us. As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation. Our young women will learn to live as women of God when they see what women of God look like. What we wear, watch, and read; how we fill our time and our thoughts; how we face trials and temptation, where we find true joy and how we act righteously. We are all mothers in Israel, and our calling is to love and help lead the rising generation through this dangerous life ahead.

Never in the history of the world has there been a greater need for righteous mothers—mothers who bless their children with a sense of safety, security, and confidence about the future, mothers who teach their children where to find peace and truth and that the power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary. If we do not teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them otherwise. No woman who understands the gospel would ever think that any other work is more important or would ever say, “I am just a mother.” If we really want to make a difference in this life, it will happen as we mother those we have borne and those we are willing to bear with. As it happens, one of the greatest blessings of motherhood is, in fact, the other mothers. I am so lucky to have amazing mum friends and so many good examples right here to learn from.

As mothers in Israel, we are the Lord’s secret weapon. Our influence comes from a divine endowment that has been in place from the beginning. We just cannot let the Lord down. And if the day comes when we are the only women on earth who find nobility and divinity in motherhood, so be it. For there is no such thing as just a mother.

The most amazing blessings in my life, are the three children I have been given the opportunity to raise with my husband, in the safety of the gospel. I know of its truth and I want nothing more than for my children to come to learn and know that for themselves. How grateful I am to be a mother in Zion. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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easter talk

(picture from lds.org)

i was asked to speak for the first time in our new ward on easter sunday... (so much pressure!) with a very vague topic of "easter" (way to add to the pressure...) but i think i did okay... i got some good ideas from a talk entitled "this glorious easter morn" given by president gordon b hinckley 20 years ago... give it a read, that man was amazing! what a wonderful easter sunday it was... and how grateful i am for the miracle of the empty tomb ♥

happy easter to you all!

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“There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come; he looked off into the distance thru the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights. He stepped to the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance at which time he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard. He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch he could hold to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man’s strength.

Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. “Daddy, where are you?” His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to his child, “Run! Run!” But the train was too close; his tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little son must die. He took a moment to make his decision.

The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was even aware of the tiny broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They did not see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked: to tell his wife how their son had brutally died to save the lives of others."

Now if you comprehend the emotions which went through this man’s heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Father in Heaven when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? How does our Heavenly Father feel when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus Christ? When we think of the Atonement do we only think of our Savior’s gift to us? Or do we also think of a loving Father in Heaven, who watched His son die for each of us, so that we could live again.

This is Easter morning. This is the Lord’s day, when we celebrate the greatest victory of all time, the victory over death. Those who hated Jesus thought they had put an end to Him forever when they pierced His hands and feet and side when the cross was raised on Calvary. But this was the Son of God, whose power they could not understand. Through His death came the Resurrection and our own assurance of eternal life. None of us can fully understand the pain He suffered as He prayed in Gethsemane and was then crucified between two thieves.

With unbearable sorrow those who loved Him placed His wounded, lifeless body in the tomb belonging of Joseph of Arimathea. Gone was hope from the lives of His Apostles, whom He had loved and taught. Their Lord and Master had been crucified and His body laid in a sealed tomb. He had taught them of His eventual death and Resurrection, but they had not understood. They must have wept and wondered as the great stone was rolled to seal the burial place.

The Jewish Sabbath passed. Then came a new day, a day that would be the Lord’s day. Grieving Mary Magdalene and the other women came to the tomb. The stone was no longer in place. Curiously they looked inside. To their astonishment the tomb was empty. Distraught, Mary ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciples whom Jesus loved. She cried, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him” as found in John chapter 20 verse 2.

They came running, and their fears were confirmed. Jesus no longer lay in the tomb.

“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

“And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

“And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

“And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

“Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” this is found in John chapter 20 verses 11–17.

She who had loved Him so much, she who had been healed by Him, was the first to whom He appeared. There followed others, even, as Paul declared, in 1^st Corinthians, up to 500 brethren at one time.

It was then that the Apostles understood what He had tried to teach them. Thomas, felt His wounds, and declared “My Lord and My God”.

There is no one that could doubt the truth of that account. No other event in history has ever been more certainly confirmed. There is the testimony of all who saw and felt and spoke with the risen Lord. He appeared on two continents in two hemispheres and taught the people before His final ascension. Two sacred volumes, two testaments speak of this, the most glorious of all events in all of human history. But these are only accounts, the faithless critics say. To which we are able to reply that beyond these is the witness and the testimony, borne by the power of the Holy Ghost, of the truth of this most remarkable event. Through the centuries untold numbers have paid with the sacrifice of their comforts, their fortunes, even their very lives for the convictions they carried in their hearts that Jesus Christ lives! He is our risen, living Lord.

There also came the ringing testimony of the first Prophet of this dispensation that he saw and was actually spoken to by the Almighty Father and the Risen Son. That vision, glorious beyond all description, became the beginning of this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That vision, which as we re-tell and read time and time again, allows our own personal conviction of the gospel to grow within us.

There is nothing more universal than death, and nothing brighter with hope and faith than our assurance of being able to one day gain our own immortality. The sorrow that comes with death, the bereavement that follows the passing of a loved one is only able to be softened by that certainty that the Son of God was raised from the dead, that first Easter morning.

How different would our lives be without this hope of immortality? Life would simply be a journey ending with no assurance of where we go to next.

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55).

The pain of death is taken away within the peace of eternal life.

Contemplating the wonder of the Atonement which our Saviour willingly suffered on behalf of all mankind, the Prophet Joseph Smith said in Doctrine and Covenants 128 verse 23:

“Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!”.

Whenever death takes a loved one, there shines through the sorrow of that hour, the triumphant figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, He, the Son of God, who overcame death for me and for all of you. He is our Redeemer. He gave His life for each of us. He, as King of Kings, stands triumphant above all other kings. He stands above all rulers. He is our only true comfort, when the spirit of a loved one departs from this earth.

Towering above all men who have ever lived is Jesus Christ. In our hours of deepest sorrow we draw hope and peace and certainty from the words of the angel that Easter morning, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matt. 28:6). We draw strength from the words of Paul, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ … all [are] made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

I particularly love the words of Hymn 193, I stand all Amazed:

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,

Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.

I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,

That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me

Enough to die for me!

Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

He is our King, our Lord, our Master, the living Christ, who stands on the right hand of His Father. He lives, the living Son of our living God.

As said in the Doctrine and covenants 76: 22-23 “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”

Of this I know for myself, and I bear testimony that he lives, this Easter morning, when we remember the miracle of the empty tomb, in His sacred name, Jesus Christ. Amen.