The Peace and Joy of Christmastime

The Peace and Joy of Christmastime

Skyline Ward December 11, 2016

Do we greet others differently on the Sabbath day?  Brother Wagner greets us all in our early morning Stake meetings with “Happy Sabbath”. I think that in other countries and cultures, a distinct Sabbath greeting is more common.  For example, my family lived in Israel for a few years due to my work.  In Israel, the common greeting on the Sabbath day is “Shabat Shalom”.  Which means peaceful Sabbath.  In fact, a normal greeting in Israel, like saying “Hello” in our culture, is “Shalom”.  Which means “Peace” or Peace be unto you.

What is Peace?  How can we experience it … especially in these times when life can be hectic, when the sins of the world can seem so pervasive, when conflict and unkindness seem so prevalent?

When Christ was born in Bethlehem, an Angel appeared unto the shepherds in the fields and declared,  “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord ...And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”  If you remember in the time of the Savior’s birth, the country was not at peace politically.  They were under the rule of the Romans, who had conquered them and ruled over them.  I’m sure the declaration of Peace to them was comforting.  

Jesus brought peace to the world.  He life was a life of service, and love.  He showed us how to live and treat others.  He showed us how to have personal peace in our lives.  By following His example, we can have peace in knowing that we are living as he would have us live and that will give us peace.

He also provided us Peace by atoning for our sins.  His suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross allows us to be free from the guilt and suffering of our sins if we will repent.  He invited us… “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

And then he declared, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

This is the great message of Christmas...The Jesus Christ was born and has born our sins.  Through His atonement, we can live again and be cleansed from our sins and have eternal life with our Father in Heaven.  

President Monson spoke to us in the last conference about the Plan of Happiness.  I think that when the Prophet knows that he can only give a short talk, that the message he give is truly the most important message that we need at this time.  This is what he said,”From the depths of my soul and in all humility, I testify of the great gift which is our Father’s plan for us. It is the one perfect path to peace and happiness both here and in the world to come.”

Notice that the prophet mentioned that the plan of happiness is the perfect plan to peace.

When Christ was preparing to ascend to heaven, after teaching the apostles as a resurrected being he said, ... “the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Even when the world is in turmoil all around you, you can receive the blessing of inner peace. This blessing will continue with you as you stay true to your testimony of the gospel and as you remember that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and watch over you.

Related to Peace, is Joy

“Joy to the World, the Lord is come.  Let earth receive it’s King.”

How can we experience that Joy that comes from receiving the Lord?

President Nelson spoke to us about Joy in his last conference message.  He talked about the perilous times that we live in and that we should not be surprised when we see the prophecies fulfilled.  

These are the latter days, so none of us should be surprised when we see prophecy fulfilled. A host of prophets, including Isaiah, Paul, Nephi, and Mormon, foresaw that perilous times would come,1 that in our day the whole world would be in commotion, that men would “be lovers of their own selves, … without natural affection, … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,” and that many would become servants of Satan who uphold the adversary’s work. Indeed, you and I “wrestle … against the rulers of the darkness of this world, [and] against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

As conflicts between nations escalate, as cowardly terrorists prey on the innocent, and as corruption in everything from business to government becomes increasingly commonplace, what can help us? What can help each of us with our personal struggles and with the rigorous challenge of living in these latter days?

He reminded us that the prophet Lehi stated that “Men are that they might have joy.

He then gave an example of when the saints were being driven from Missouri and 80 of them spent a bitter cold night in a cabin that was only 20 feet square.  Most of them sat or stood all night.  But there wasn’t any complaining.  They even sang hymns.

He said “That’s it! Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!

My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!”

Is this not the most wonderful time of the year?  The way people treat each other with kindness and love. The way we reach out to help each other and have the spirit of giving. This makes this time of year special.

Elder Nelson concluded with this “Anything that opposes Christ or His doctrine will interrupt our joy. That includes the philosophies of men, so abundant online and in the blogosphere, which do exactly what Korihor did. If we look to the world and follow its formulas for happiness, we will never know joy. The unrighteous may experience any number of emotions and sensations, but they will never experience joy! Joy is a gift for the faithful. It is the gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ. He taught us how to have joy. When we choose Heavenly Father to be our God and when we can feel the Savior’s Atonement working in our lives, we will be filled with joy.

Every time we nurture our spouse and guide our children, every time we forgive someone or ask for forgiveness, we can feel joy.

Every day that you and I choose to live celestial laws, every day that we keep our covenants and help others to do the same, joy will be ours.”

I bear testimony of the Peace and Joy that come through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

On Making Choices

On Making Choices

September 18, 2016

Patterson Ward

In a recent fireside, Elder Hamula, of the quorum of the seventy shared his experience in working in Church Headquarters.  He talked about how the standards of the world are departing so dramatically from the standards that the Lord has set and that we should not fear...if we follow the living prophet.

President Monson’s message in the past conference was about making choices.  His talk wasn’t very long and I will be quoting most of it in my talk today.  He said, “It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.

When we left our premortal existence and entered mortality, we brought with us the gift of agency. Our goal is to obtain celestial glory, and the choices we make will, in large part, determine whether or not we reach our goal.

May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.

Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.”

Have you ever made a bad choice?

I’d like to share a personal experience about making choices that perhaps we can learn from.  This is actually a bit embarrassing, but I share to make a point so that we can learn from it.

I worked for 17 years in the mining industry.  Mining can be a dangerous business and the company is continually stressing safety.  Every meeting, even for the accounting staff includes a discussion about safety.  I try and remember those safety discussions when I a working around the house.  I do some of the work on my own cars.  A couple of months ago my wife and I took a trip to Utah.  As we were leaving our driveway, I heard a grinding sound from our van.  I was pretty sure that I needed to replace the brake pads.  Since the sound just started, I decided to drive to Utah and then check the brakes the next day.  We stayed at my brother and sister-in-law’s house that night in Utah.  The next morning, I checked the brakes, and the van did need new pads.  I went to the auto supply store and bought the pads and returned to the house to do the work.  My brother-in-law, Gary had cleared out his garage for me and I pulled into the garage.  Normally, when I do this job at home, I use an hydraulic jack to raise the front end.  I asked Gary if he had one that I could borrow.  He said he doesn’t do much work on his own vehicles and did not have a jack.  So I used the scissor jack that comes with the vehicle and raised the front end.  Normally, when I do this job at home, I place jack stands under the car to hold it up.  I asked Gary if he had any jack stands.  He did not.  I looked around for something big and strong that I could use as a support and couldn’t find anything.  I knew that that night we were going to be staying at my brother-in-law Paul’s house.  And I knew that he had all the tools necessary to do the job.  I reasoned in my mind that I would just do the one side at Gary’s house, the minimum to stop the grinding and then I would finish the job at Paul’s.  So, I proceeded to change the brakes while the car was being supported only by the scissor jack.  The job went pretty quickly and smoothly, until… as I was sitting next to the car with my legs under it, tightening the last bolt, the car slipped off the jack and the front end landed on my leg.  For those of you who haven’t had the experience, having a car fall on your leg is very painful.  My Brother-in-law Gary quickly retrieved the jack and was able to jack the van up within a few minutes.  I received a free trip to the hospital in an ambulance.  Words can’t describe the pain I felt when the car landed on my leg.  I also can’t describe the feeling of regret for doing something that I knew I shouldn’t do.  I knew better than to put my legs under a car that wasn’t supported properly. Fortunately, although I did get a nice sized slice in my calf, somehow, there were no broken bones, no severing of the muscles, and I walked out of the hospital with a few stitches.

What can we learn from this experience?  I knew better than to choose to work on that car without the proper safety precautions.  Doing that was out of my character.  Do we ever say to ourselves “Just this once”, “Just a little bit”, or “Just for a little while?”.

Those questions remind me of President Monson’s talk in the last October General conference.  He said “I plead with you to avoid anything that will deprive you of your happiness here in mortality and eternal life in the world to come. With his deceptions and lies, the adversary will lead you down a slippery slope to your destruction if you allow him to do so. You will likely be on that slippery slope before you even realize that there is no way to stop. You have heard the messages of the adversary. He cunningly calls: Just this once won’t matter; everyone is doing it; don’t be old-fashioned; times have changed; it can’t hurt anyone; your life is yours to live. The adversary knows us, and he knows the temptations which will be difficult for us to ignore. How vital it is that we exercise constant vigilance in order to avoid giving in to such lies and temptations.”

Being aware of how the adversary tempts us will help us avoid those pitfalls...by making the right choices.

Elder Ballard gave some additional council in his last conference talk.  He spoke of Family Councils.  He spoke of several type of Family Councils and said that “The third type of family council is a limited family council. Here, both parents spend time with an individual child in a formal or an informal setting. This is an opportunity for a discussion on making decisions in advance about such things as what he or she will and will not do in the future. When such decisions are made, he or she may want to record them for future reference if needed.”

Did you catch what he said about making choices.  If we can decide what we are going to do before the situation comes, then it will help us.  We are all going to have to make choices on whether we are going to obey the word of wisdom, the law of tithing, the law of chastity, and so forth.  Let us decide beforehand what we will do when those situations arise.

The prophet Nephi shows us how to make correct choices in the way he reacted to his father’s prophecies and commandments.  His prophet father Lehi had received the vision of the Tree of Life and Lehi had shared that vision with his family.  This is what Nephi did “For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord…” (1 Nephi 11:1)

Now let’s consider how Laman & Lemuel chose to react.  “And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father.  And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them. For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought...And it came to pass that after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations.  And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.  And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord? And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us. (1 Nephi 15:1-3,6-9) Did Laman & Lemuel know that God lives?  Did they know that the Lord answers prayers?  I suggest they did.  They had just witnessed the miracle of obtaining the plates of brass.  They had seen angels.  However, despite the things they knew and saw, they didn’t have faith to ask of the Lord.

That leads me to the second part of what President Monson said… I’ll repeat it..  “Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.”

Isn’t it comforting to know that when we do make wrong choices, all is not lost?

I liked the encouragement that Elder Holland gave us in his talk.  “When there was a controversy in the early Church regarding who was entitled to heaven’s blessings and who wasn’t, the Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Verily I say unto you, [the gifts of God] are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep … my commandments, and [for them] that seeketh so to do.”6 Boy, aren’t we all thankful for that added provision “and … seeketh so to do”! That has been a lifesaver because sometimes that is all we can offer! We take some solace in the fact that if God were to reward only the perfectly faithful, He wouldn’t have much of a distribution list.

Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, “O Jesus, … have mercy on me.”7 He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek.”

I’ll close with another quote from President Monson.  “May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.

As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day—whether to make this choice or that choice—if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice.”

May we always try to make the proper choices.

I testify that these principles are true.  In the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I Am a Child of God

I Am a Child of God

Noble Ward

May 15, 2015

Who are you?  How do you identify yourself?

Several week ago, my wife and I went to a movie.  I noticed that there was a Senior discount offered so I asked the lady in the ticket booth what the qualifications were for the Senior discount.  She said it was for those that were 65 or older.  I didn't qualify on that basis, but I told her that I felt like a Senior and identified myself as a Senior.  She promptly gave me the Senior discount...and my wife, who does not identify as a Senior.

We identify ourselves in different ways.  Before my recent retirement, my job title at the large mining company that I worked for was "Business Manager of Financial Shared Services and Global Business Continuity."  Nobody really understood much of what that meant so whenever anyone asked me my profession, I just said that I was an Accountant.  I recently updated my profile on the LinkedIn to describe what I currently do.  It reads "Tax Consultant, Spreadsheet Developer, Chicken Farmer, Pool boy, Gardener, Landscaper, Handyman, Genealogist, Indexer, Temple Patron, Taxi Driver, Grandpa, Book Reader, Accountant, Publicist, Volunteer, Gofer and Squirrel Trapper."

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom spoke in General Conference about this topic.  He said,

"Here on earth, we identify ourselves in many different ways, including our place of birth, our nationality, and our language. Some even identify themselves by their occupation or their hobby. These earthly identities are not wrong unless they supersede or interfere with our eternal identity—that of being a son or a daughter of God."

I would like us to consider how important it is to identify ourselves as children of God and what that means to us.  How we live, and the choices we make.

One of my favorite TV programs is "Who do you think you Are?" This program follows famous people through the process of finding out about their ancestors.  They learn about who their ancestors are and about their ancestor's life experiences.  They often learn about the trials and hardships that their ancestors had to endure. By learning about their ancestors, they always state that they know more about themselves than before and that the experience has changed their lives.

Elder Hallstrom talked about the importance of knowing who we are.

"A correct understanding of our heavenly heritage is essential to exaltation. It is foundational to comprehending the glorious plan of salvation and to nurturing faith in the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus the Christ, and in His merciful Atonement.⁷ Further, it provides continual motivation for us to make and keep our indispensable eternal covenants."

"In real life, we face actual, not imagined, hardships. There is pain—physical, emotional, and spiritual. There are heartbreaks when circumstances are very different from what we had anticipated. There is injustice when we do not seem to deserve our situation. There are disappointments when someone we trusted failed us. There are health and financial setbacks that can be disorienting. There may be times of question when a matter of doctrine or history is beyond our current understanding.

We live in a world that can cause us to forget who we really are. The more distractions that surround us, the easier it is to treat casually, then ignore, and then forget our connection with God."

Knowing that we are children of God can give us confidence that he knows us personally and that he cares about us and would like to hear from us.  I've always been impressed as Joseph Smith recorded his experience in the Sacred Grove, that when he called upon God, in prayer, and received his vision of the Father and the Son, that the Father "called him by name."  He knew Joseph's name, and he knows ours.

My mother lives in Utah.  Each Sunday, if I haven't spoken to her during the week, she expects me to call her to check in.  In fact, I've learned from experience that when I don't call her, she's disappointed and I hear about it later.  She wants to hear from me because I am her child.  She loves me.

In the same way, being children of our Heavenly Father should affect the way that we pray to Him and how we spend our time on the Sabbath day.  What message do we send to Him by our actions?

Do we remember that day and keep it Holy?  Do we rest from our labors?  Do we put away the cares of the world and dedicate the day to Him and His work?  Remembering that we are children of God will help us decide how to spend our Sabbath day.

Knowing that we are children of God helps us in this life because we know that he loves us, always, no matter what we do.  When we go through tough times he will be there for us. 

In Mosiah chapter 24 we read about the people of Alma who were going through tribulations  They had been captured by the Lamanites and subjected to hard work and labor.  They were even forbidden from praying.

But, the people of Alma knew that they were children of God.  They "did pour out their hearts to him and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions"

The result was that their burdens were made light, the Lord did strengthen them so that they could bear the burdens with ease.  And ultimately, he delivered them from bondage so they were able to join the Nephites in liberty.

Elder Halstrom asks us to consider, "When difficult things occur in our lives, what is our immediate response? Is it confusion or doubt or spiritual withdrawal? Is it a blow to our faith? Do we blame God or others for our circumstances? Or is our first response to remember who we are—that we are children of a loving God? Is that coupled with an absolute trust that He allows some earthly suffering because He knows it will bless us, like a refiner’s fire, to become like Him and to gain our eternal inheritance?"

Moses also learned of the significance of being a child of God.  We read in Moses 1

that " Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain, " And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.

And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?

And, behold, thou art my son"

Later on we learn that Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me.

"And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?

For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?

Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.

Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not"

Thus, like Moses, being children of God, we can distinguish truth from error.  We can judge between right and wrong and we can overcome temptations that might come our way.

Remembering that we are children of God can help us keep our covenants.  In the book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon we read about the righteous King Benjamin, who called al of the people of his kingdom together as he was getting old and taught them from a tower that he had erected.

He taught them of the importance of work and of service to others and to care for the poor.  He taught them that we are continually indebted to God because he blesses us as we obey him.  He taught them of Jesus Christ and his suffering and that salvation comes because of the Atonement.

After he was finished speaking he asked them if they believed the words that he had spoken to them.  They all cried out with one voice that they did believe, and they know of the truthfulness of the words by the spirit, and that they had received a change of heart, and had no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

"And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days...
And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant.

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters"

Like the people of King Benjamin's time, Remembering that we are children of our Heavenly Father can give us strength to keep the covenants that we have made.  It is those covenants that bind us to him.

President Thomas S. Monson testified: “We are sons and daughters of a living God. … We cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power."

I don't like to dwell on the negative, but for a brief moment, I'd like you to think back to the time that you felt most discouraged in your life.  It might be a time that you lost of loved one, or a time that you felt lonely, or a failure...or a time that a relationship didn't go as you expected or you were hurt by the actions of others.  Did you get through that time by remembering that you are a child of God?  In the future, you might have another time like that.  If you remember to identify yourself as a Child of God, that will give you strength to endure that time in your life.

One last quote from Elder Hallstrom:  "In today’s world, no matter where we live and no matter what our circumstances are, it is essential that our preeminent identity is as a child of God. Knowing that will allow our faith to flourish, will motivate our continual repentance, and will provide the strength to “be steadfast and immovable” throughout our mortal journey."

I testify that we are all children of God.  He cares about us and loves us.  May we always make that our preeminent identity in our lives.  May this knowledge help us to reach out to him, to receive strength through the trials that come in our life, and to help us keep the covenants that we have made with Him.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.