THE OPENING OF HEAVENS

 

In my 50 years of Church membership, I have never read the account of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood by Oliver Cowdery. It was a text in small print at the end of Joseph Smith History that I didn’t bother with….until yesterday…when it created such a flutter in my heart I wanted the ends of the earth to read it…….

The date was May 15, 1829. Joseph and Oliver had just prayed to inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins that they found mentioned in the translation of the Book of Mormon. What unfolded had an impact on Oliver such as he had never had before:

“The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the humble, after we had called upon Him in fervent manner….condescended to manifest to us His will. On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us, while the veil was parted and the angel of God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked for message, and the keys of the Gospel of repentance.

“What joy! What wonder! What amazement! While the world was racked and distracted….and while all men were resting upon uncertainty…our eyes beheld, our ears heard…. his voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, ‘I am thy fellow-servant’, dispelled every fear. We listened, we gazed, we admired! ‘Twas the voice of an angel from glory, ‘twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty!

“….what joy filled our hearts, and with what surprise we must have bowed….when we received under his hand the Holy Priesthood as he said, ‘Upon you my fellow-servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood and this authority, which shall remain upon earth, that the Sons of Levi may yet offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness!

“The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Saviour’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease.”

-          Oliver Cowdery, “Messenger and Advocate” vol 1 (October 1834), pp 14-16

 

How can I contain You

In the chambers of my overflowing heart?

Your greatness, Your mercy, Your love,

Are far too vast.

 

All that I am, I give to You:

My heart, my soul, my all,

I lay at Your feet forever more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Knock and It Shall Be Opened by B. Laura Wilson)

A STEP CLOSER TO GOD PART 1

 

 

“Joseph Smith explained the circumstances surrounding the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood (see JS-H 1:68-72), which took place along the bank of the Susquehanna River near Harmony, Pennsylvania. Oliver Cowdery, who was with the Prophet on this occasion, was filled with awe and wonder, for it was his first experience with a heavenly messenger. He wrote:

“On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us, while the vail was parted and the angel of God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked for message, and the keys of the gospel of repentance! – What joy! What wonder! What amazement! While the world was racked and distracted – while millions were groping as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting upon uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld – our ears heard.

“His voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, ‘I am thy fellow-servant’, dispelled every fear. We listened – we gazed – we admired! ‘Twas the voice of an angel from glory – ‘twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while his love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapt in the vision of the Almighty!

“Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk, no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever……what joy filled our hearts and with what surprise we must have bowed, (for who would not have bowed the knee for such a blessing?) when we received under his hand the holy priesthood.”    (Times and Seasons, 1 Nov. 1840, p 202)

When I joined the Church, I didn’t know very much about the Church, its’ organization or most of its teachings. I just knew that I wanted the way of life I could have in the Church and that one day I would have an eternal family. What I understood the least was the priesthood.

When I stepped into the waters of baptism at the tender age of 18, I did not expect to experience my first encounter with the Holy Ghost who descended upon me so forcefully when I came up out of the water that I wept uncontrollably. That was my first experience with the priesthood of God and the powers of heaven and the beginning of my journey with God. The priesthood gave me that.

How godly You were

When You planted the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth.

How noble when you gave me hope

Of salvation through the water’s gate.

I now fly to You on my wings of faith.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Upon You My Fellow Servants by Linda Curley Christensen)

A FORGIVING HEART PART 1

 

 

Losing support of someone close to you and suffering betrayal at their hands is a terrible experience. Even though the Saviour was fully in control of His death (John 10:17-18), that betrayal sealed with a kiss in the Garden must have stung bitterly (Luke 22:27,28; Mark 14:44,45).

 

Considering the persecution and betrayal that came to Joseph from within the Church and the men he associated with closely, I conclude that he would have been very familiar with such a sting. Two in particular were W.W. Phelps and Oliver Cowdery. I am always amazed about Oliver because he was a scribe, an Elder, and a witness. He and Joseph shared sacred privileges together which would have created a strong bond between them.

 

Oliver Cowdery received priesthood authority from angelic ministers, was one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon plates, helped supervise the publication of the Book of Mormon, was a founding member of the Church on April 6, 1830, led a group on a mission to American Indian settlements, served as the Assistant President of the Church and an Assistant Counselor to the First Presidency, assisted in the publication of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, and witnessed the appearance of Jesus Christ and angelic ministers in the Kirtland Temple.

 

It would seem that Oliver had suffered some terrible blows in life. His mother died before his third birthday and he lived for long periods of time with his relatives. After he obtained his education, he came to western New York on a teaching post near Palmyra. There he met the Smith family and was spiritually guided to become Joseph’s scribe.

 

Oliver also married and had six children out of which only one survived past early childhood. His wife Elizabeth and the daughter Maria Louise died two days apart and were buried together in 1892. He had no other descendants.

 

A year after the Kirtland Temple opening, the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society Bank dealt a crushing blow to Oliver’s finances and he reacted by pursuing his own enterprise rather than continuing to consecrate his property to the Church. From there it was all downhill. He accused the leaders of the Church of mismanaging funds and he spread rumours that Joseph had committed adultery. The High Council investigated his allegations, and charges that were made against him and ultimately excommunicated him.

 

It would have been a terrible blow to Joseph to be betrayed by such a close friend. Nevertheless, he saw Oliver as a prodigal son and was anxious that he repent and return. At one stage he instructed his clerk: 'I wish you would write to Oliver Cowdery and ask him if he hasn't eaten husks long enough'." (Joseph Fielding Smith, "Doctrines of Salvation", 1:227)

 

Some seven years later, Oliver admitted his disaffection had resulted mostly from aggressive Latter-Day Saints in Missouri who were threatening him and not from any personal misgivings with the leaders of the Church. He had had enough of eating husks of the world and wanted to return to the fellowship of the Church.

 

Joseph received a letter from Oliver Cowdery in Carthage Jail just hours before he was killed. He encouraged the Quorum of the Twelve to re-admit him into the Church and Oliver was re-baptised. He made plans to be re-united with the Saints in Utah but he never made it. His health declined and he died in 1850 before he could travel west. He was 44 years old.

 

What fascinates me is Joseph’s forgiving heart. It’s difficult enough to be cut off from someone you were close to but to have that person slander your name is a double blow.

 

Sometime in our life, we might lose trust and support from someone close to us. Our forgiveness, even when not asked for, might be their only path to salvation. Usually, betrayals are born out of personal misfortunes or deep issues we might not even be aware of.

 

We might not know what makes people do what they do, but the Saviour knows and because He knows He can pave the path to forgiveness. We only see the outside while he sees the inside. He understands us completely while still holding us responsible for our actions.

 

The Saviour’s ability to forgive is much greater than ours. It’s a reservoir we can draw from by virtue of our discipleship……but more of that in Part 2.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Joseph and Oliver Pray (D&C 13) by Del Parson)