THE GLORY OF HIS SPIRIT

 

Most of us have wondered at some stage why the world is so wicked. We usually come up with answers relating to prophecies for our day and Satan’s power over the earth as his dominion. Both of these are true. However, Satan’s power could never had come to this boiling point if it wasn’t for one important warning found in the Doctrine and Covenants that has been ignored by the masses:

“Now the Lord has withdrawn His Spirit from the world. Do not let this thought become confused in your minds. The Spirit He has withdrawn from the world is not the Holy Ghost (for they never had that!), but it is the light of truth, spoken of in our scriptures as the Spirit of Christ, which is given to every man that cometh into the world, as you find recorded in Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

“Now because of the wickedness of the world, that Spirit has been withdrawn, and when the Spirit of the Lord is not striving with men, the spirit of Satan is. Therefore, we may be sure that the time has come spoken of in Doctrine and Covenants 1:33-35…..Peace has been taken from the earth. The devil has power over his own dominion.

“The Spirit of the Lord has been withdrawn. Not because the Lord desires to withdraw that Spirit, but because of the wickedness of mankind, it becomes necessary that this Spirit of the Lord be withdrawn.  (President Joseph Fielding Smith, The Predicted Judgments, BYU Speeches of the Year [Provo, 21 March 1967] pp 5-6)

I am certain if we look around we will see the madness that surrounds us. People have lost their reason proclaiming bad to be good in the name of human rights and free will. Self-focus has become the obsession as people pursue ‘their truth’ and negate the one and only truth. Men’s hearts have grown cold and hatred rules us. Satan’s power and influence over the world is undeniable.

It would be a bleak world indeed if it wasn’t for one glimmer of hope: “The world is rapidly coming to its end, that is, the end of the days of wickedness. When it is fully ripe in iniquity the Lord will come in the clouds of heaven to take vengeance on the ungodly, for His wrath is kindled against them.” (President Joseph Fielding Smith; D&C 29:9-11)

The Saviour will return and He will bring the glory of His Spirit with Him. The ungodly will be destroyed, Satan will be bound and darkness will no longer cast its shadow on the world.

Consider the privilege it will be for those of us who will be in New Jerusalem enjoying the Saviour’s presence: “When the New Jerusalem is eventually built, and Jesus Christ returns to earth in glory, the need will disappear for the sun and the moon to give light to God’s covenant people. The Lord Himself will be an everlasting light” (Isaiah 60:19-22; Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 14:355-56).

We will want to be in New Jerusalem then. Hang in there. He is coming…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In Clouds of Glory by Greg Collins)

 

 

 

 

 

HEAVEN'S VOICE

 

 

Since God loves all His children and wants them all saved, the very first chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants indicates that this book of scripture is a voice of warning to the entire inhabitants of the earth, that God will not be mocked and judgment awaits us all.

The major theme of this book is to prepare for that judgment. The word ‘prepare’ is mentioned over 90 times throughout this book of scripture.  

The message to the world is this:

1.      In this day and age where people at large, even in most corners of Christendom, believe that revelation has ceased, the Lord has parted the heavens once again and continues to commune with humanity. In verse 30, the Lord describes His Church as ‘the only true and living Church’. The Church has a life, because it has living prophets to administer to it through revelation. It does not operate on dead doctrine.

2.      It is an offer of sanctuary to anyone who will come out of the world, repent and enter into the covenants of salvation. Doctrine and Covenants basically says this to the world: I will return; these are the signs of my return; if you will repent and come into my kingdom and make covenants with me, they will lead you to salvation and life eternal. If not, you will reap the rewards of your deeds. The warnings and promises are the same for Church members.

It is amazing to me that a book which contains such strong warnings for our day and contains such important doctrine is judged and rejected so readily, and for one reason: it encompasses the history of the Church. This is a thorn in the flesh of non-members and inactive members alike.

When I was doing my University degree, I studied a lot of history subjects. One of my history professors told us one day to be careful about judging history. He said even though history is factual it is in reality subjective because it is written by humans from humans’ perspective.

Very often we tend to judge people and past events by today’s standards and we readily disparage those who are dead because they are not here to defend themselves. We have no idea what it was like to live 1,000 or even 100 years ago.

We don’t understand the cultural differences, limitations and difficulties people lived with and what impact that all had on their mentality and understanding of the human experience, just as they could not relate to the liberties and privileges of our society today.

When it comes to the Church, we cannot understand the cultural, religious or socio-economic impact of the 1800s on the society of its day.

We cannot relate to being tarred and feathered today where human rights are the rule of the day. We cannot relate to pushing a cart across our continent and leaving our dead children in the frozen ground along the way in a day where airplanes, trains and cars take us wherever we want to go. We cannot relate to not having supermarkets full of food and having to till the ground for our survival.

We do not know what went on in the hearts and minds of people who went before us. We only know what others could see of them and write about them. That’s history. Highly subjective. When I think of Joseph and all he went through from the age of 14 and now see what is written about him, it makes me want to weep.

Imagine the disbelief, the mockery, the aversion towards Joseph when he dared to tell others of his experience. God had parted the heavens and chose him to speak to! Not a professor, not a doctor, not anyone educated and on the pillar of society, but just a man, a humble man, a teachable man, a willing man. “Fools mock, but they shall mourn……” (Ether 12:26)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith at Saviour's Feet by Liz Lemon Swindle)

A TREASURE ABOVE GOLD

 

I love the standard works of scripture because in each of them I see the Christ.

In the Old Testament I see the merciful Jehovah. His long suffering towards His people Israel, despite their backsliding, is beyond my ability to understand. In the Old Testament I see the roots of His covenant with us, His people. I see His devotion, His mercy, and His commitment that will never be broken by Him.

In the New Testament I see Isaiah’s ‘suffering servant’ (Isaiah 53). I see Christ’s descent from His throne, I see the man of sorrows, the sacrificial lamb, the Saviour of all, and I see the hope of eternal life, the triumph over humanity’s foe.

In the Book of Mormon I see the manifested promised Messiah. I see the God of Israel who fulfils all prophecies and all His promises. And again, I see mercy……on every page.

In the Pearl of Great Price I see the brilliance and godship of a son of God who created worlds without number and who was willing to sink into the bottomless pit of human suffering nailing himself to the cross 'from the foundation of the world'. I see His integrity which earned Him my vote and devotion for all time and eternity.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, I see the majestic, exalted God. I see His inexhaustible work in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man through the restoration of His priesthood, the portal to life everlasting to all who will come into His Kingdom. And I see the King of Glory who will come to reign on this earth and subdue all enemies under His feet (Isaiah 9:6,7).

President Joseph Fielding Smith has said that the Doctrine and Covenants is our book. It stands above the Bible, The Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price. Whereas these books of scripture are vital, they belong to another time. Doctrine and Covenants belongs to the Latter-Day Saints in this dispensation. He said we should ‘treasure it more than the riches of the whole earth’ (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:198-99).

And this is why. On another occasion, President Smith said that if we put into practice the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, “we will know the truth and there shall be no weapon formed against us that shall prosper (see D&C 71:9-11). There shall be no false doctrines and no teachings of men that will deceive us” (In Conference Report, Oct 1931, p 17).

There is only one thing that the Doctrine and Covenants lacks. On the very first page should be Moroni’s admonition to us and to the whole world, to ‘ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ’ if the revelations contained therein are true…..and if we shall ask, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto us, by the power of the Holy Ghost……for by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things (Moroni 9:3,4)

The dynamics of the fulness of the truth given to us in this the last hour of this dispensation with the priceless gift of the Holy Ghost to prepare us for the coming of the Son of Man in this the mire of corruption, evil and Satan’s desperate attempt to destroy us, is beyond God’s mercy. The combined truth with the guidance of the Holy Ghost is more precious than gold. It will bring us to Zion and to our God.

It is time to heed President Nelson’s voice: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost”.

We are the House of Israel. We are the covenant people. We are His peculiar treasure above all people (Exodus 19:5). We are ‘the apple of His eye’ (Det 32:9,10; Zech 2:8), hidden under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8), we are His people and He is our God.

This is our Doctrine and these are our Covenants…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Book of Life by Chris Brazelton)

A PRICELESS GIFT PART 2

 

I wrote yesterday about the priceless gift the Saviour has given to His Church, that of the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This is why I consider it the greatest gift to me. My favourite section of the Doctrine and Covenants is Section 76. In it the Saviour gives us, the members of His church, an incredible promise. It is this:

“I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honour those who serve me….to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come….yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know….. yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man…….and their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish…. (v 5-10)

This promise is my holy grail. I don’t know if it is a curse or a blessing to be a deep thinker. I think deeply and I yearn to known the truths of eternity. For this reason, the Holy Ghost is to me a priceless gift because He has enlightened my understanding as I have searched the scriptures for many years. He is my revealer and testifier of truth.

And this is a wonderful thing, the promise ‘to know’ was not made to the leaders of the Church excluding the membership. This promise is to all.

Immediately following the receipt of this promise, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were privileged to receive understanding of the things of God, and upon meditation of the same, the promise was fulfilled by granting them a vision of the Father and the Son of which Joseph and Sidney bore record to the world (v 11-21-23).

The entire Section 76 is filled with amazing doctrinal knowledge which was revealed to these two men. Their entire experience was given to them for the purpose of bearing their testimony to the Church and to the world that God and His Son live, that they are real and that the Church contains the fulness of the gospel.

It is my belief that the Holy Ghost will reveal to us things of eternity according to our capacity to receive them and to the fulfilling our purpose in this life. If it is not necessary for us to have visions, we won’t have visions but we will receive understanding of things we did not understand before that will be of benefit to us in some way. It will serve a purpose.

The mysteries of the kingdom are many and varied. They are things we do not yet understand, hence the name ‘mystery’. As members of the Church, we understand many mysteries that people of the world do not, because of the ministry of the Holy Ghost,  and we will receive even more if we are but worthy.

We are privileged to study the Doctrine and Covenants this coming year. Knowing the true doctrine of Christ in this world of confusion, false ideologies and interpretations of men which are leading many astray, it is one of our greatest privileges to be taught by the Holy Ghost by whom we shall know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:5).

Joseph Smith once admonished the sisters of Relief Society thus: “…..If you live up to your privilege, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates…..”

When the Holy Ghost takes up his abode with us, he lifts us higher in truth which leads to greater righteousness and causes us to stand on higher ground. This is where the angels are…..

I think Joseph spoke from experience. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ascension by Danny Hahlbohm)

A PRICELESS GIFT

 

 

When Jesus was born on this earth, He brought with Him salvation for all mankind. When He left, He left a priceless gift, not to the world, but to His Church. This gift is the gift of the Holy Ghost (John 14:16).

Prior to His death, the Saviour told his sorrowing disciples: “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).

Until Christ’s ascension, the Holy Ghost administered to the children of men as a testifier of truth only. The gift of his presence was promised to only them who believe, and were baptized in His name, “after that Jesus was glorified” (JST John 7:39a).

The gift of the Holy Ghost would have to be the greatest gift to man second to salvation. Imagine the privilege of having a member of the Godhead with you always……It’s a gift worthy of un-surpassing appreciation yet the one that we as members of the Church often take for granted.

Cast your mind on all the gifts you just received this Christmas as you celebrated the birth of Christ. How valuable are they to you? What will you do with them and how will you cherish the ones you really love? Some Christmas gifts will even be tossed aside unwanted and some gifts will stay with us unutilized…..much like the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Consider this explanation: “There is a difference between the gift of the Holy Ghost and the enjoyment of the gift…..

“The actual enjoyment of the gift of the Holy Ghost is a supernal gift that man can receive in mortality. The fact of its receipt is a witness that the saints so blessed are reconciled to God and are doing the things that will assure them of eternal life in the realms ahead.” (Bruce R.  McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 257). In other words, this gift is a gage of how well we are doing.

Before Christ’s ascension, the Saviour told His disciples that they shall receive power when the Holy Ghost comes upon them and because of that they will become His witnesses ‘unto the uttermost part of the earth’ (Acts 1:8).

By virtue of our discipleship and as baptized members of His Church, we too have this power upon us. This is its’ value:

“The gift of the Holy Ghost quickens all the intellectual faculties….it inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. 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.” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, p 101)

Have you a Christmas gift that could possibly equal such a gift as this that the Saviour made possible to come into the world??? May we show our appreciation and gratitude throughout the next year as we strive to be worthy of his presence and may we be reminded every Christmas after that of this great gift of the Babe of Bethlehem that tells us we are His own.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Beloved Son by Danny Hahlbohm)

A PATH TO PERFECTION

 

“Abraham saw in vision all the spirit hosts of heaven. Among them were ‘the noble and great ones’ who participated in the creation of this earth and who were foreordained to serve the Almighty in special capacities while they dwelt in mortality. Christ was there, the foremost spirit of the innumerable host. Of him the account says:

“There stood one among them that was like unto God….in intelligence, in knowledge and understanding, in the possession of truth, in conformity to divine law, and therefore in power. Like God in plan and purpose, in desires for righteousness, in a willingness to serve his brethren, in all things that lead to that fulness of the glory of the Father….. (Abraham 3:24).

“But the Son of the Father had yet to pass through a mortal probation, to overcome the world, to attain a resurrection, and to come back to his Father with his own glorious and tangible body…..He had to work out his own salvation by doing on earth the will of the Father in all things.”

-        Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p 53-4)

It is sobering to think that Christ advanced so far in His development as a spirit child of God that such power was given Him of the Father for the creation of worlds….yet He was not perfect. That perfection could only come through the journey of mortality and resurrection.

The Saviour affirmed this truth when He gave out the mandate to the Jews prior to His death to be ‘perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’ (Matthew 5:48). Whilst visiting the Nephites after His resurrection, the Saviour included himself in that command, because as a resurrected being, His perfection was obtained (3 Nephi 12:48).

It is equally sobering to think that He too had to pass through a mortal probation to achieve perfection. This important truth stands: one cannot obtain perfection without a resurrected body.

We knew this truth before we were born and we desired it greatly. This opportunity, when presented to us, was ‘so transcendently glorious’ that we burst forth into song and shouted for joy (Job 38:7; see also James Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 8).

I am certain that our shouts of joy and songs of elation echoed throughout eternity giving praise to the Father’s Son who was willing to pave the way to our perfection.

I am certain we sang glory to His name even as the angels heralding His birth. For without birth, there is no death; without death there is no resurrection and without resurrection there is no perfection.

The day you were born

You split the heavens open

And angels descended

Trailing in their flight

golden stars spilling over the night.

 

The moon hid in shame

As they spread Your godly light

And from their lips fell

Homage to Your glory

In the still of the night.

 

How I wish I could fly

Spreading the message far and wide:

Our God and our King was born

On a Meridian night!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mother of God by Lester Yocum)

A MAN AMONG MEN

 

“We know very little about the personality, form, visage, and general appearance of the Lord Jesus…. We know He was born…..we know He ‘grew up with his brethren’ (JST Matt 3:24) and that when He was about thirty years of age He began a strenuous full-time mission that would tax the strength of the most physically powerful of men.

“During that ministry we read of Him eating and drinking; of his being hungry, tired and thirsty; of his walking long distances, climbing high mountains, and sleeping soundly amid storms and terrors.

“We know he was smitten, scourged, and crucified, and that nails pierced his hands and feet and a spear was thrust into his side. There can be no doubt that He grew up and lived as other men live, subject to the ills and troubles of mortality.”

-        Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p 477

We also know that He stood above other men in personality, character and demeanor. A Messianic Psalm gives us this glimpse into the mortal Messiah: “Thou art fairer than the children of men” (Psalm 45:2).

Dictionary definitions of ‘fair’ include the following: clean, pure, spotless, characterized by frankness, honestly, impartiality, or candor: just. Certainly He was all that and more, possessing a flawless character which distinguished Him from other men.

The Saviour was divested of His glory in mortality and born as other men. He grew and worked as a humble carpenter, serving under His father and being subject to mortal parents waiting for the time of His ministry (Mark 6:3; Luke 2:51). But then this: “He spoke not as other men, neither could he be taught; for he needed not that any man should teach him” (JST Matt 3:24-26).

What I find most endearing about His mortality is the time that He slept through a raging storm. The Saviour spent three years traversing the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea to the point of exhaustion. His tiredness would have been massive even for a fit carpenter.

This is the moment that showed His humanity. His tiredness was such that He slept soundly despite the raging tempest tossing the vessel He slept in. I don’t know why, but this affects me emotionally. A God yet a man, a man above all men.

Yet His godship surpassed His humanity when He spoke: “Peace, be still!” and the waters obeyed. Such command, such control, such power in one man!  (Mark 4:39)

He arose and rebuked the roaring winds

and the raging sea,

He, who with His word

caused the earth to be,

Spoke to the Galilean tempest:

 “Peace, be still”.

 

He who has all things

under His command,

Calmed the troubled sea of dismay

in the souls of men.

 

He, who holds all humanity

in the palm of His hand,

Caused the waves of the sea

to whisper His name.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

THE LONELY PATH

 

“The trial of Jesus in Gethsemane would not have been possible and could not have occurred had it not been preceded by a lifetime of sinless virtue…Christ paid the price of a perfect life, walking in holy sinlessness despite adversity, physical suffering, deep sorrows, and the snares of ruthless and determined adversaries, both seen and unseen.

‘All this He did with the knowledge that one misstep would mean creation’s doom! For had He sinned even in the smallest point or slightest negligence of thought, the Atonement would have become impossible and the whole purpose of creation frustrated. The burden of the whole world weighed upon Him through every moment of His life.” (Elder Bruce D. Porter, The King of Kings, p 92)

Some years ago, I had a priesthood blessing from my then Bishop and was told in that blessing that my life was planned for me in pre-existence and that I accepted that plan because of my great faith in Jesus Christ. This gave me an insight into my anchor in Christ from which I could draw the strength and power to endure my trials and prosper spiritually in this life. It was a comfort beyond compare. It saved me from drowning during the greatest test I had to pass.

When I consider the mortal burden of commitment with which the Saviour lived His life I stand amazed knowing that He had no anchor like we do to draw strength form because He WAS the anchor. Yes, He had the support of the Father and a window into heaven….. until He faced the crucible of His life. Until He was faced with drowning…..

When it mattered the most to have a well He could draw from, the Father withdrew so He could say: “I have overcome and trodden the winepress alone” (Isaiah 63:3; D&C 76:107; 88:106; 133:48,50). Lest you think it was easy for Him: “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none” (Psalm 69:20)

And this is a hard doctrine: “….I came into the world to do the will of the Father ….and my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross” (3 Nephi 27:13,14). The Saviour knew from the beginning that this would be His outcome. He knew what He had to do without anyone to save Him, because He was saving me and you.

You came,

Despite such heavy burden

You had to carry.

 

The sacrifice exacting

Your every ounce of grace,

That my every sin and every mistake

Could easily be erased.

 

Yet You stayed true,

To what You set out to do

Tracing Your path from Bethlehem

To the valley of doom. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Love by Eileen Whitehead)

THE EMBRACE

 

In his dying sermon Lehi alluded to the physical symbol of the reconciliation between God and man: “The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld His glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of His love” (2 Nephi 1:15). This reconciliation is brought about through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the symbol is ‘the embrace’ (see Tad Callister, The Infinite Atonement, 28).

Imagine yourself coming to the gates of celestial kingdom and being met there by the Saviour who is the gatekeeper because ‘He employs no servant there’ (2 Nephi 9:41). In the eloquent words of Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“I will tell you….out of the conviction of my soul…what I think the major reason is why He ‘employeth no servant there’, as contained in another Book of Mormon scripture which says he waits for you ‘with open arms’ (Mormon 6:17). That’s why He’s there! He waits for you ‘with open arms’.

“That imagery is too powerful to brush aside…It is imagery that should work itself into the very center core of one’s mind – a rendezvous impending, a moment in time and space, the likes of which there is none other….”   (Maxwell, “But a Few Days”, 7)

Elder Orson F. Whitney experienced a taste of such a tender moment in his dream:

“I ran to meet Him, fell at his feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with him. I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped, raised me up, and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real, I felt the very warmth of His body, as He held me in His arms” (Whitney, Through Memory’s Halls, 83)

I don’t know what an embrace meant to us and how it felt when we were spirits, before we were born. I don’t know what it was like but I do know that the Saviour made possible the embrace that I know now. I long to experience that with Him…..to feel of His love, but mostly to make Him feel mine.

Every Christmas, the mother in me

Longs to hold the baby You became.

To hold all that You were,

To smell the babyhood on You.

 

Just one hug, just one embrace,

And to kiss Your sweet little face.

 

Were You a baby like all the rest?

Did You cry out in the night

Longing to hear the beating

Of Your mother’s heart?

 

Did You remember who You were?

And did You know You would

One day make all things new?

Did You rejoice even then

In my salvation too?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Baby Jesus by Jennifer Hickey)

DESCENT OF A GOD

 

“Years ago my wife and I travelled to the Holy Land. As we ascended Shepherd’s Field, we overlooked the quaint little town of Bethlehem. It was as though time stood still. We tried to imagine the scene two thousand years earlier with no paved roads, no running water, no electricity, no shopping malls.

“Life was reduced to its simplest terms: rude shelters to protect one from the elements, a central well from which to draw water, transportation by foot or donkey or horse. The days were spent plowing the field, tending the sheep, or selling a few simple items of merchandise. It was hard to believe we were viewing the place where a God was born.

“He, “the King of heaven”….left a throne to inherit a manger. He exchanged the dominion of a god for the dependence of a babe. He gave up wealth, power, dominion, and the fulness of His glory – for what? – for taunting, mocking, humiliation, and subjection.

“It was a trade of unparalleled dimension, a condescension of incredible proportions, a descent of incalculable depth. And so, the great Jehovah, creator of worlds without number, infinite in virtue and power, made his entry into this world in swaddling clothes and a manger.”

-        Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p 69

I cannot read something like this without the stark realization of one of Christ’s greatest virtues – humility.  Consider for a moment the eons of time He would have spent in exact obedience to His Father’s laws, the instruction He would have received and the knowledge He would have obtained to rise to His godly status.

The development of the Saviour’s impeccable character would have earned Him amazing respect and adoration from us all, His younger siblings. No doubt we looked up to Him for example and guidance. Imagine all that not producing an iota of pride.

Only innate goodness could produce the humility that He possessed. Only such humility could lower itself into the manger of a stable. The humility of a God who knew His purpose: “To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

 

No soft pillows and kingly bed

On which to lay His princely head.

A bleak future on some hill

Lay in shadows of His Father’s will.

 

For man’s purpose did He come

To dispel the gloom from

The devil’s hellish flood.

To light the world with heaven’s glow,

The greatest love you’ll ever know.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Greatest Gift by Liz Lemon Swindle)

CHRIST IN PROPHECY

 

We are in the currents of celebrating the first fulfilment of the Messianic Prophecy. Isaiah’s prophecy of Christ foretold of ‘the suffering servant’ who would be a ‘man of sorrows’, one who stands ‘as a sheep before his shearers, and one who takes our transgressions upon Himself (Isaiah 53). This ‘suffering servant’ was the babe in the manger, of lowly birth, yet of godly descent, the Christ child whom the angels heralded into this fallen world.

The second part of the Prophecy speaks of the Messiah as the “King of Glory”. This prophecy foretells His Second Coming when He will subdue all enemies under His feet; put down all kingdoms, will sit on the throne of David, and ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6). This is yet to come.

When we think of the ‘Messianic prophecies’, we usually think of the prophets and the scriptures, but in truth, every believer in Christ has a part in these prophecies.

“Every proper and perfect prayer uttered by a righteous man, woman, or child, from the day Adam stepped through Eden’s portals into his lone and dreary habitation, to the day the angelic hosts acclaimed the birth of God’s own Son, was in fact a Messianic prophecy.

“The mere saying, with sincerity and understanding, of the words of the prayer itself constituted a Messianic affirmation…..thus witnessing that they knew that salvation came through Him and His atoning blood.

“Similarly, every true prayer today is a reaffirmation that Jesus is the Lord and that through His blood the believing saints are redeemed.

“And so with every baptism, every priesthood ordination, every patriarchal blessing, every act of administering to the sick, every divine ordinance or performance ordained of God, every sacrifice, symbolism, and similitude; all that God ever gave to His people – all was ordained and established in such a way as to testify of His Son and center the faith of believing people in Him and in the redemption He was foreordained to make.

“The words of those who have spoken of Christ since He lived upon this earth, and believed in His coming, are ‘Messianic testimonies’……in fulfilment of the prophecies of His birth and His Second Coming..”  (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, 26,27

Every testimony we bear of Christ, every prayer we utter, and every act done in His name, affirms that Christ lived and that He will return. Each time we do so, we confirm the fulfilment of the Messianic Prophecy of His birth and the Messianic Hope of His Second Coming. Every man, woman and child who believes and lives with expectation of salvation through His name, has the power of prophecy.

I worshipped You in heaven

As my Saviour and my King.

I knew Your holy suffering

Would pay for everything.

 

I rejoiced when I heard Your sweet cry

In the warmth of the stable,

The beginning of Your journey

To the sacrificial table.

 

I awaited anxiously to see all

That You would do,

And I wept bitterly

When the cross claimed You.

 

But when You returned in triumph

With trumps echoing Your fame

I was amazed at the price You paid

For the value of my name!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by ZENART07)

DIVINE BIRTH

 

 

My appreciation for the Saviour’s birth deepens every year. We tend to be very focused on the importance of the Saviour’s sacrifice through the infinite Atonement and so we should be, but the  truth remains, there would never have been an Atonement, if there was never the birth.

“Life is a school, a place for us to learn and grow. We experience ‘growing pains’ through the sorrow and contamination of a lone and dreary world. These experiences may include sin, but they also include mistakes, disappointments, and the undeserved pain of adversity. The blessed news of the Gospel is that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can purify all the uncleanness and sweeten all the bitterness we taste.

“Bitter fruits of life can destroy our peace, break our hearts, and separate us from God. Could it be that the great Atonement of Christ could put back together the broken parts and give beauty to the ashes of experience? The Atonement can heal the effects of tasting all of mortal bitterness.” (Bruce C. Hafen, Beauty for Ashes, Ensign April 1990).

Christ’s birth leads to the Cross of Calvary. It opens the door to the Saviour’s healing power through which He can turn life’s bitter fruits into sweet, bind up the broken hearted, turn the corruptible into incorruptible, the threads of frailty into eternal cords of strength, the broken into whole, to liberate the captive and let out of the prison of mortal weakness them that are bound… He can give us eternal beauty for the ashes of mortality (Isaiah 61:1)

Without birth there would not be death and without death there would not be life. To this end was He born (John 18:37).

“We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions….when all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies…When a wrong wants righting, or a work wants doing, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, God sends a baby into the world to do it. That is why, long, long ago, a babe was born at Bethlehem.”

-        (F.W. Boreham, Mountains in the Mist: Some Australian Reveries [1919], 166-67,170)

 

The baby in the stable

So innocent and sweet,

On the altar of sacrifice

Lay at Father’s feet.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN  

(Art: Unto Us A Child is Given by Eva Koleva Timothy)

TO HONOUR HIM

 

The scriptural account of the visit of the wise men to Jesus and His mother states that they fell down and worshipped Him and presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

The gifts that were given to Christ child were costly gifts that were by custom given to royalty but the Magi gave them to more than a king. Matthew records that ‘there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem’ asking ‘where is the child that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him’ (Matthew 2:2). However, the Joseph Smith Inspired Translation reads ‘where is the child that is born the Messiah of the Jews?’

Bruce R. McConkie noted the probability that the Magi were themselves Jews who lived, as millions of Jews then did, in one of the nations to the East. He went on to say that it was the Jews who were acquainted with the scriptures and the prophecies regarding Christ’s birth and that first witnesses of His birth were to come from the House of Israel and not from the Gentile nations (see Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, 358)

If this is so, the gifts presented to Christ child were gifts fit not only for a King but for a God. Much has been written about these gifts by way of speculation but a close look reveals that these gifts might not have been given by chance and that the Magi were more in tune with the divine than we think. Consider just one of them, frankincense.

When Jehovah instructed Moses to make an holy anointing oil, He named specific sweet spices and instructed how they should be made with ‘pure frankincense’ and added: “Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it….it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you….whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people”. Instruction was also given for making of perfume with frankincense which was ‘holy for the Lord’ and not meant to be used for the congregation (Exodus 30: 37).

The mental and physical healing properties of the frankincense oil are well documented. It is best known for its ability to clear and focus the mind suggesting a spiritual quality to it. Today its price can range between $30.00 and $14,850. A gift fit for a god indeed…..for all the earth is His and everything in it!

My favourite Christmas song is The Little Drummer Boy. I don’t know how many tears I have shed listening to this song. What touches me most is that the little drummer boy had no gift to give to the King. Such a contrast to the wealthy Magi.

I was born and raised in a socialist country but in a strong Catholic community. Exchanging of gifts at Christmas was not a custom. There was no commercialism. The birth of Christ was revered in my childhood. Since I have lived in Australia, I have never figured out why we give each other gifts when we celebrate Christ’s birthday. Does it help us remember He is our greatest gift?

The Little Drummer Boy had no riches to give the King but he gave something of himself and it was accepted. Perhaps it would be more advantageous to give the Saviour something of ourselves this Christmas….such as an act of service, a missionary moment, a commitment to give up a weakness or a sin, to meaningfully partake of the Sacrament each Sunday, to express more love, to judge less, to be more merciful, to obey Him more, to love Him more, to strive to be like Him……after all, the best gift He would want would be ME and YOU.

We are worth far more than frankincense.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Holy Men by Liz Lemon Swindle)