A HUMBLE WITNESS

 

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them…..and the angel of the Lord said unto them, 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 heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:8-14)”

“The trustful and unsophisticated keepers of sheep had not asked for sign or confirmation….they waited not, but went in haste, for in their hearts they believed….They found the Babe in the manger…and having seen they went out and testified to the truth concerning the Child.

“Tidings of such import had never before been delivered by angel or received by man – good tidings of great joy, given to but few and those among the humblest of earth….” 

-          James Talmage, “Jesus the Christ” p 93,94

The humblest of births produced the most humble witnesses of the born Christ, who testified to the people of Judea. No kings, not even Jewish rulers, were privileged to see the newborn Messiah……so anxiously awaited by common man, for it is the common man that would believe and honour the most significant birth in history.

So it is with us, the common people, that our testimony of Christ will bring others to the fold of God. May we let our light shine this coming Christmas and make it known that WE believe…..

 

I watched in awe from our home above

Your descent to the threshold of the stable

And wondered if my soul’s worth

Would make Your mortal task divinely able.

 

Then I heard the angels in the field

Singing praises to Your name;

And I sorrowed knowing, like holy water,

Your love would spill on sacrificial altar.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Fear Not by Liz Lemon Swindle)

WILL IT BE WORTH IT?

 

“When David O. McKay was only 13 years of age, John Smith, the Patriarch to the Church, stopped at the home of Bishop David McKay to give blessings to the children. The Patriarch laid his hands on this young boy’s head and pronounced a powerful blessing, part of which included these words:

“The Lord has a work for thee to do, in which thou shalt see much of the world, assist in gathering scattered Israel, and also labour in the ministry. It shall be thy lot to sit in council with thy brethren and preside among the people and exhort the Saints to faithfulness.”

“After completing the blessing, the patriarch gave David O. a serious look and said: “My boy, you have something to do besides playing marbles.” Later the boy found his mother getting dinner ready and said, “If he thinks I am going to stop playing marbles, he is mistaken.” The mother then took her son aside and told him the meaning of the patriarch’s words. (“Inspirational Stories from the Life Of President David O. McKay”, p 769)

“Each of us must understand theologically that we have more to do than ‘play marbles’ not only here in mortality but especially in the worlds to come.”  (Jerry A. Wilson, “The Great Plan of Happiness”, p 4)

I happened to see a video on YouTube yesterday by one of the commentators who said someone asked him if he thought the person who was assassinated recently now thinks that his life’s work he was dedicated to was worth it.

My immediate thought was: “I wonder if I will look back on my life when I pass and feel that everything I have been through was worth it.” I was immediately brought out of my reverie by the commentator’s response. He said, “yes, I think he would have said it was all worth it because his message was about truth and truth is grounded in Christ. That was his message.”

I reflected on this person’s response. So often we, the elect of God, get caught up playing marbles forgetting that as emissaries of Christ we have a higher purpose, to bear witness of Him who has made our lives possible: through our example, our tenacity, our goodness, our influence, our love, our service, our sacrifices, our endurance, our willingness to stand up for what we believe. We forget sometimes that our lives are not really our own.

The commentator’s final words: “The truth will outlive all of us. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). The truth is eternal. There is nothing more important than it. It’s more important than any of our lives and yes the truth is worth dying for because it is worth living for.”  (Matt Walsh)

I want to remember the beauty of my life

And all my memories near and far;

I want to take them with me

When I am called to cross the bar.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: And The Truth Shall Set You Free by Greg Olsen)

THE REVEALER OF CHRIST

 

“The gift of the Holy Ghost inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.” (Parley P. Pratt, “Key to the Science of Theology”, p 101).

 

Considering all he CAN do, the gift of the Holy Ghost is God’s greatest gift pertaining to this life. All he DOES do, however, is very much up to us. It is one thing to have a gift, any gift, and another to be enjoying the same. I want to bear witness of what the Holy Ghost has done for me. He has invigorated my spiritual senses and opened my mind to understand the truths of eternity, he has endeared me to the things of the spirit and enabled me to distance myself from the world, he has recalled to my memory events of my pre-existence, and the greatest thing He has done is reveal to me the Christ. It is very seldom that my daily scripture study will not bear fruit to this fact. I see the Saviour on every page and I see who He is: His character, His personality, His attributes, His passions, His devotion, His love, His mercy. But this is the beginning of something greater.

 

Elder Holland has stated that besides His atoning sacrifice, Christ’s purpose of coming to this earth was to reveal to us the Father (Jeffrey R. Holland, The Grandeur of God, GC, October 2003). The Saviour spoke often of Him being one with the Father, in every respect: spiritually, intellectually, physically (John 14:9). All the Saviour was and did in mortality was a reflection of the Father. The Holy Ghost has not only brought this to my intellectual understanding, but has helped me see in my heart the distinction between the two most important personages in my life. The closeness I have felt with each can only come through the medium of the Holy Ghost who has brought to my remembrance my eternal association with both. This is the greatest blessing that has come to me in this life. And I owe that to the one person who works so tirelessly to help us see the path of salvation through Christ and the way home to the Father. 

 

The days you embrace my heart

I can scarce contain my tears.

You are the Witness,

The Testator of truth,

The illuminator of my path.

I crave your presence

In the caverns of my heart.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As One (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) by Danny Hahlbohm)

WITNESSES OF CHRIST'S BIRTH

 

This poignant painting by Ron  DiCianni depicts the moment of exquisite joy felt by Simeon, a man in Jerusalem ‘just and devout, waiting for the ‘Consolation of Israel’, to whom was revealed by the power of the Holy Ghost that ‘he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ’ (Luke 2:25,6). Simeon did indeed see Christ before his death being led by the spirit to be at the temple the same day that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus ‘to be presented to the Lord according to the custom’ (Luke 2:22,27). Simeon took the Saviour in his arms and rejoiced bearing witness of His divine birth and mission.

 

Simeon was not the only living witness of the divine birth. God raised up witnesses for Himself to meet all classes and conditions of people . There was also Anna, a prophetess who testified to all in the temple  (Luke 2:36-38); shepherds who testified to the poor and lowly that the hope of Israel was fulfilled (Luke 1:8-17); and the wise men of the East who were not afraid to enter the royal court testifying of the birth of the Messiah of the Jews to the contemptuous king and proud priests of Judea by asking one simple question (Matthew 2:2a/JST). Simeon’s testimony, however, was by far the greatest, after which he said something to Mary that must have seared her heart: "A sword shall pierce through thy own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:35). 

 

Simeon’s testimony to Mary of Christ’s death and Atonement was delivered through an unusual choice of words but yet the most poignant. Mary’s pain to see the suffering of her Son would be necessary so that the thoughts of our hearts will be revealed when Christ comes again in His glory and we stand before God to be judged of our earthly works. When that day comes, who we are will be in our hearts and that is all we will have to give Him. May we be overjoyed like Simeon because we have waited with eagerness for His appearing and may our hearts be imbued with faith and love to make them fit for an offering to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: "Simeon's Moment by Ron DiCianni)

STANDING IN HOLY PLACES

 

 

 

“The Church is a gathering place for imperfect individuals who love God and who are willing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. That willingness is rooted in the reality that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This divine truth can be known only by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, our willingness is directly proportionate to the amount of time we commit to be in holy places where the influence of the Holy Ghost is present.” (Elder Kevin W. Pearson, "Are You Still Willing?", General Conference October 2022)

My last Relief Society lesson was based on the abovementioned talk by Elder Pearson. As I was preparing the lesson I reflected upon my favourite ‘holy place’ where I feel the influence of the Holy Ghost the most. That holy place for me is my daily scripture study. I have noticed over the years how the Holy Ghost has not only borne witness of the truths I have been learning but has broadened my panoramic view of things of eternity to enlarge my understanding. I have especially noticed that this year as my ability to glean scriptural insights has increased. Some days during my study I have been reduced to tears when the spirit has flooded my mind and my heart. I testify that the Holy Ghost is a personage without whom our understanding of truth would come to naught. But there is more….. “The gift of the Holy Ghost…… inspires: virtue, kindness, goodness, beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual mind. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.” (Elder Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, p. 101). Who would not want him for a companion?

 

I am certain that without the influence of the Holy Ghost, I would not know the Saviour as I know Him today. I am certain he brings me to the foot of His throne each time I contemplate the truths of eternity. That contemplation points the path and the way to Him who is the source of all truth and who is the author of my salvation: Jesus Christ, the lover of my soul, the Son of the living God. 

 

ODE TO THE HOLY GHOST:

The days you embrace my heart

I can scarce contain my tears.

You are the witness,

The Testator of truth,

The illuminator of my path.

I crave your presence

In the caverns of my heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: As One (The Godhead) by Danny Hahlbohm)

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES

 

I was lifted heavenward today……..”O Israel, fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine….For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour…I, even I, am the Lord: and beside me there is no saviour.”  (Isaiah 43:1,3,11)

 

As I read Isaiah 43, I saw the tender heart of Jesus.  His expressions of love, tenderness and forgiveness He feels for the House of Israel overwhelmed me.  And then this: “….therefore YE ARE MY WITNESSES, saith the Lord, that I am God” (v12). The desire to be a witness of who He is exploded in my heart and made up for my feelings of inadequacy in my worship and reverence of Christ.

 

I offer here an inspiration from the life of one man, composer George Frideric Handel, who became such a witness. Recovering from a stroke and tired from a largely flagging career as a composer at age 52, he returned from a long and tiring walk one late August in 1741 and found that a poet and previous collaborator, Charles Jennens, had left him a manuscript littered with words of Isaiah foretelling the birth, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. From this, Handel’s most famous work Messiah was composed in just three weeks. At the completion of the composition he simply said: “God has visited me….I am cured and have been set free”. He became a power witness of the Saviour to the physically and spiritually captive as he donated all profits from performances of Messiah to prisoners, orphans and the sick. 

 

“Each of us, like Handel, is engaged in a creative enterprise in this life. Both the physical fostering of mortal life and the righteous living of our days on earth are spiritual achievements. I pray that we may be sensitive to inspiration from on high, that we may be inspired in such a way that the fruits of our labours are inspiring to others…..” 

(Elder Spencer J. Condie , “Handel and the Gift of Messiah”, Ensign 2010)

 

You flowed like a river through my heart

Revealing the wonder of You;

And lifted my eyes higher to see the majestic view.

You ploughed the sacred ground of my heart

And tenderly sowed your seeds of love;

In gratitude, I scatter them in the hearts of others

Like golden stars scattered along the deepest night.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Worlds by Greg Olsen)