A LIGHT ON A HILL

 

In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, we read that Christ said to His disciples and members of His Church: “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) but when speaking to the Nephites, the Book of Mormon records that He said: “ I give unto you to be the light of this people” (3 Nephi 12:14).

The variation is clear, the Saviour was not saying that we are the light just by virtue of having the truth, but that we are commanded to be the light, to light the path for others to see the way to salvation by our example of good works, charitable deeds and Christ-like characters. In other words, by what we have become because we follow the Master of perfection.

This is a tall order considering many of us are struggling to live the Gospel in the first place which depletes our reservoir of self-confidence and fosters self-doubt. Some of us consider we are never good enough for someone else to follow.

One year as I studied the New Testament, I was amazed at the confidence and bravery with which Jesus, over and over, testified of himself as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. One example of this remains with me still.

During His active ministry, Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Jewish feasts, one of which was the Feast of the Tabernacles.

At the close of the first day of this feast, amid ritualist pageantry, while hymns and songs of praise were sung, the blowing trumpets and dancers holding flaming torches in their hands, four of the sons of Levi lighted the four great golden candelabras. Amid the shining light of the temple that was lighting up every court in Jerusalem dispelling the darkness, stood up Jesus and proclaimed: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). (see also The Mortal Messiah 1 by Bruce R. McConkie, p 180)

Imagine the fortitude to stand up and proclaim yourself the Saviour of the world to a people who thought you were possessed of a devil and sought to kill you (John 7:19,20). This he had to testify to the people who expected the Messiah to come as the King of Glory (Isaiah 9:6,7), knowing that they would reject the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:11) who would come first. Was there, however, a better opportunity for Him to proclaim himself as the light of the world?

We might say that it was easy for Jesus, knowing explicitly who He was, to have the confidence to be the ultimate light on a hill, and that we mere mortals, in our weakness cannot be expected to do the same, nevertheless, the mandate stands and to make it easier, here is the key:

“The closer you draw to our Heavenly Father, the more His light and joy will shine from within you. Others will notice that there is something unique and special about you. And they will ask about it” (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Missionary Work: Sharing What Is In Your Heart, General Conference April 2019).

Do you know of anyone who was closer to Heavenly Father than Jesus was? He repeatedly stated He and the Father are one, therefore, if there is light in one, there is light in the other. Those who believed in Christ saw this light in Him…..but this light is not exclusive to the Godhead but to all who would glorify Him that they ‘may be one’ with the Father and the Son (John 17:20,21; 3 Nephi 19:28,29).

Should the stars fall from heaven,

And the sun refuse to give its light;

Should the earth become the darkest night,

You would ever be my only guiding light.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lord of Light by Chris Brazelton)

HOLY SPIRIT:

 

I might have difficulty in expressing myself  today as I recount the influence of the spirit of which I wish to bear witness.

A week ago I had a priesthood blessing to receive some clarity regarding my health and the path I need to take next. I felt I didn’t receive any answers regarding my present earthly sojourn. Instead I was told that my ‘eternal rewards are stacking up’. I felt guilty because I did not appreciate this as much as I should have because I know after all, this is most important, but I badly needed some comfort and clarity regarding my present condition.

A week later the clarity came in amazing force….and it wasn’t what I expected. I felt the influence of the Holy Ghost so strongly that I could not hold back the weeping. I was taught, I was born witness to what I was told and I knew what my path needed to be. As I expressed my gratitude through prayer, over and over my words pointed to the footprints of the Saviour of the world that I needed to follow. Once again the tears flowed. I had my answer. He was the Shepherd and I was the sheep.

When I had my blessing, I was anointed with holy oil. I read recently a wonderful analogy regarding anointing and sheep:

“Sheep can get their head caught in briers and die trying to get untangled. There are [also] horrid little flies that like to torment sheep by laying eggs in their nostrils which turn into worms and drive the sheep to beat their head against a rock, sometimes to death. Their ears and eyes are also susceptible to tormenting insects. So the shepherd anoints their whole head with oil. Then there is peace.”

I can relate to the experience of the sheep. I felt tormented too. The writer, who to me is unknown, continued on to say that if we have mental and physical torment, God can anoint our heads with oil so we can fix our hearts and mind and have our eyes on Him always.

The Bible Dictionary defines the anointing oil as ‘a symbol for purity and for the Holy Spirit and its influence’. The most important anointing that makes this possible is this:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives….to comfort all that mourn….to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

He is the Shepherd and we are the sheep. As we follow, through His spirit, He anoints our heads with oil to give us beauty for ashes and everlasting peace. And He watches over you and me because He has promised He knows His sheep (3 Nephi 18:31).

How grateful to know Your voice

In this world of utter despair

And hear it echo

In Your loving tender care.

 

How fiercely You watch,

How tenderly You care,

How safe You make me feel

Knowing You are ever there.

 

How grateful I am to be in Your flock,

How grateful to be in Your keep;

You are my shepherd

And I am Your sheep.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Eva Koleva Timothy) 

 

THE OBEDIENT SON

 

“Jesus achieved perfect unity with the Father by submitting Himself, both flesh and spirit, to the will of the Father. The Saviour’s ministry was always clearly focused because there was no debilitating or distracting double-mindedness in Him. Referring to His Father, Jesus said, “I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29)

-        Elder D. Todd Christofferson, in Conference Report, Oct 2022, 76-77

Indeed, the Saviour did always those things that pleased His Father. And He still does.

When the resurrected Christ visited the Americas, He made 163 references to the Father and 15 of those were references to His obedience to His Father. Over and over He reiterated He was following His Father’s commands in all His teachings to the Nephites (3 Nephi 15:14-16,18,19; 16:3,10,16; 17:2; 18;14,27; 20:10,14,46).

There are two notable examples of Christ’s obedience to the Father whilst in mortality:

-        HIS BAPTISM:  Nephi tells us that Christ was baptised to enter into the covenant of obedience (2 Nephi 31:7). We read of the most glorious confirmation of Christ’s Sonship at the time of His baptism. Matthew records the Father’s voice saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Is there a greater example of obedience than from Him who knew no sin and needed no baptism?

-        HIS ATONEMENT: In the hour of His crucible, in the midst of His worst agony, the Saviour did not shrink from drinking the bitter cup that was given to Him and that He agreed to drink before the world was (3 Nephi 11:11; D&C 19:18; Abraham 3:27). No matter how deep the suffering, the commitment and obedience was unfailing as He submitted himself to the Father’s will (Mark 14:36; Matt 26:42). Is there a greater example of submission to the eternal plan of one’s life?

Such a level of submission and obedience is unfathomable to most of us. It can only come from the deepest love and respect and one other thing, lack of pride. Let me explain.

Generally speaking, the older generation in our society is no longer respected. Our advice is seldom solicited or heeded once our children are adults. And we would not dare tell them what to do. We feel we no longer have that right once they are living their own lives. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.

I grew up in Croatia in the 60s. I would not dare address my parents with a familiar pronoun of ‘you’. To the date of their death, I addressed them with ‘thou’. No, it was not forced wokeness but a sign of respect and all of us children were doing it. It was reflective of ‘thou shalt honour thy father and they mother’.  I don’t know if this is still the custom but it used to be.

My point is this. The Saviour continues to be obedient to the Father despite having obtained godhood himself. Only total lack of pride would enable Him to recognize and honour a higher deity than himself. He has lived up to His commitment to preserve the Father’s glory and I see Him honouring the Father forever. Could we possibly have a greater example than the beloved Christ?

 

My obedience, Father

I lay at Thy feet,

For He who has brought

Honour and glory to Thy name

Shall forever my guide remain.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Not My Will by Yongsung Kim)

THE GREAT MEDIATOR

 

I could not hold back the tears yesterday whilst reading chapter 17 of 3 Nephi. So spiritually and emotionally charged was the multitude as the Saviour taught them, that they became ‘weak’ whilst listening to Him, but yet their tears at His imminent departure pleaded for more time in His presence (3 Nephi 17:2,5).

And so in His compassion and mercy, Christ tarried and healed all that needed healing: the sick, the lame, the blind, the dumb and ‘all that were afflicted in any manner’ (v 9). Imagine suffering from depression, anxiety, phobia or any mental health issue that are not so readily seen and stepping forward, unrestrained, to be healed at the hands of the Great Healer……because HE sees….

The intercessory prayer pre-crucifixion gives us a great glimpse into Christ’s role as The Great Mediator but Chapter 17 of 3 Nephi would have to be the most emotive one. Verse 14 tells us that He ‘groaned within himself as He said: “Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel”. Immediately following, He knelt upon the ground and prayed for such marvelous things for those who were with Him that they could not be recorded (v 17).

I have always wanted to know what was in that prayer. I wondered what His prayer for me would be. Would He pray for mercy for my inadequacies or would there be enough to swell His heart with gratitude for my faithfulness? The Nephites who heard Him pray for them were overcome and filled with joy (v 17, 18). Perhaps this was the reason:

“Each of us, lives on a kind of spiritual credit. One day the account will be closed, a settlement demanded. However casually we may view it now, when that day comes and the foreclosure is imminent, we will look around in restless agony for someone, anyone, to help us….

“Unless there is a mediator, unless we have a friend, the full weight of justice untampered, unsympathetic, must positively must, fall on us. The full recompense for every transgression, however minor or however deep, will be exacted from us to the uttermost farthing.

“But know this: Truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is such a Mediator. ‘For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5).”

-        Boyd K. Packer, The Mediator, General Conference April 1977

Following His prayer, the Saviour said to the multitude: “Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full” (v 20). So full was His joy that He wept (v 21).

For some years now I have uttered these exact words in my prayers: ‘I ask for strength to walk in paths of righteousness that I might be a delight in Thine hand and bring Thee joy forever’. When the Saviour brings me before the Father’s throne to kneel at His feet I will weep if I see His joy.

One day soon Father,

when I kneel at Your throne

I will bring you my deeds

from my earthly home.

Because of Thy Son’s mercy,

Consider them bliss,

And greet me joyfully

With an holy kiss.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus Christ is Lord by kBrake)

SALT OF THE EARTH

 

 

To be ‘the salt of the earth’ is a goal every member of the Church should strive for (3 Nephi 12:13) yet it is one we seldom think about. The ancients would have been better at it as salt was used in the Mosaic sacrificial ritual as a reminder that we should remember and preserve our covenants with God (see Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5). This admonition, however, minus the visual use of salt is issued to us today also (D&C 101:39-40).

To be ‘the salt of the earth’ was delivered through the Beatitudes in conjunction with being ‘the light of the world’, which is a clear indication of being a good example but what does being the salt of the earth really mean? And why is it used to help us remember our covenants?

One explanation is that “the saints, as the salt of the earth, are set forth to season their fellowmen, to keep society free from corruption, to help their fellow beings become wholesome, pure and acceptable before the Lord” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 2, p 128). In other words, the more obedient and righteous people there are on the earth, the more spiritual energy and light for all of us to live in and be drawn to goodness.

I remember this, as an example. Some years ago, Australia was in a serious draught. The Pacific Area President told the saints that if we all paid our tithing the draught would end and shortly thereafter it did. The righteous action of the saints benefited the whole country. Why tithing though? Because tithing is one of the commandments of the baptismal covenant which yields temporal blessings.

Salt is a preservative. When we preserve our commitment to our covenants, like salt, we do not lose our spiritual quality. There is nothing that puts us on the path of spiritual corruption quicker than  abandoning our baptismal covenant because the baptismal covenant is a covenant of obedience to the commandments and the gateway to temple covenants.

Alma's first baptism at the waters of Moron was a man called Helam. The words he used as he baptised Helam took the baptismal covenant to a new level. He said: Helam, I baptise thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead...." (Mosiah 18:13). Anciently covenants were not broken even at the point of death. The meaning of the ancient ‘Covenant of Salt’ was equivalent to an ‘indissoluble covenant’.

A covenant is not just a promise but a signed contract. If you break a signed contract, you have lost your integrity and you can no longer be trusted. You have lost your savour. You are no longer the salt of the earth but are ‘good for nothing, only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men’ (D&C 101:40). Consider the legal implications of attempting to break a signed contract in our day and age. Such a contract is binding and cannot be broken.

“That upright people who keep the commandments are the salt of the earth, none question; but we might add that the Lord Jesus himself is the Salt of the Earth. The seasoning, sanctifying, edifying, preserving, uplifting influence of his gospel keeps all the obedient from corruption and decay and sorrow” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 2, p 128).

So we can say, being the salt of the earth makes us like Christ. We can also be that seasoning, edifying and uplifting influence in the world if we live His gospel. Next time you see salt on you kitchen table, remember that…..

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Light of the World by Eva Koleva Timothy) 

THE CALL

 

 

“On that very night, the night of the greatest suffering that has ever taken place in the world or that ever will take place, the Saviour said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you….Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

“I submit to you that may be one of the Saviour’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-Day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart.

“I can tell you this as a parent. As concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless, I would be infinitely more devastated if I felt that at such a time that child could not trust me to help, or should feel his or her interest were unimportant to me or unsafe in my care.

“In that same spirit, I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Saviour when He finds that his people do not feel confident in His care or secure in His hands or trust in His commandments.”

-        Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Created for Greater Things, p 56

 

In need I reach for heaven’s door,

To concede, in spirit, I am forever poor.

I find Him waiting and knowing all,

No reprimand,

Just grateful I heard His call.

He took my heart into His hands,

The sacred balm, like honey,

soothed my aches.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: My Peace I Give Unto You by B. Laura Wilson) 

 

THE ROCK

 

“……whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock – And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand – And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

(3 Nephi 14:24-27)

I am Messiah, the King of Zion, The Rock of Heaven (Moses 7:53)

Then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed The Rock of our Salvation (Deut 32:15)

Our fathers drank of that spiritual rock and that rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)

If ye are built upon my rock, earth and hell cannot prevail (D&C 6:34)

I am the good shepherd and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall (D&C 50:44)

“And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall”

(Helaman 5:12)

There is none like Thee,

The Rock of my Salvation,

My Saviour and My king;

My refuge from billowing storms,

From the devil’s mighty winds

And violent waves of the sea.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Wise Man by Haley Miller)

THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH

 

In Nephi’s vision of us in our day, he spoke of ‘carnal security’ that leads the members of the Church to the dangerous mentality of ‘all is well in Zion’ (2 Nephi 28: 20-24). It makes some of us think that we have plenty of time to repent and to get our lives into order. This mentality can be seen in the parable of the Ten Virgins.

As a symbol of our covenant relationship with Christ, Jesus used the metaphor of marriage in this parable between Himself and His Church. Therefore, when He comes, He will come as a bridegroom to wed the righteous of His Church. These, He states are the members who have received the truth, have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide and have not been deceived (D&C 45:56,57).

There is something interesting worthy of note in the marriage metaphor. The parable says that the Bridegroom 'tarried', meaning he delayed His appearance to the last hour of the day. In fact, he has 'tarried' now for over 2000 years. It has been so long since He spoke of His return that many Church members are sleeping and not watching on the 'towers of Zion' finding it too long to wait for the midnight hour and the call to gather for the wedding feast (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 467). Could it be that He ‘tarries’ so that as many as possible can be saved? This is a merciful act.

The call to gather has already come. It came on November 3rd, 1831 through the prophet of this dispensation: "Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour" (D&C 133:10,10).

The oil of preparedness cannot be purchased but needs to be earned over time because this oil is the oil of righteousness: "In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity—these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps. (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p.256 )"

When the time of His appearing is here, there will be no reservoir of good works, spiritually building moments, or a sinless slate that we can draw from and we will no longer be able to exist on the testimony of others, as the five negligent virgins presumed. Imagine the frantic situation some of us will be in and imagine the sorrow of those of us who will be bereft of the ability to fill their lamps…..

ODE TO THE TEN VIRGINS

I would gladly give you some oil

Your empty lamp to fill,

If you could glean the sweat

From my furrowed brow

As I worked on the oil press

So diligently until now.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Five Were Wise by Michael Malm)

INHERITANCE

 

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”  (3 Nephi 12:5)

“As things are now constituted, the meek do not inherit the earth; even He who said of himself, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt 11:29) had in fact no place of his own to lay his head. This world’s goods were of little moment to him, and he had neither gold nor silver nor houses nor lands, nor kingdoms……The meek – those who are the God-fearing and the righteous – seldom hold title to much of that which appertains to this present world.

“But there will be a day when the Lord shall come to make up his jewels; there will be a day when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the faithful of ancient Israel shall dwell again in old Canaan; and there will be also an eventual celestial day when ‘the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.” (D&C 88:17)

There are some of us, if not many of us who do not own a house and therefore not an inch of this earth is ours. As much as some of us try to cling to our earthly abode and our possessions, we are all, regardless of our possessions, just passing through. We are like the people of Enoch’s city who felt like strangers and pilgrims on this earth (D&C 45:11-13). Jacob described the early Nephites as ‘a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem and born in tribulation and wilderness (Jacob 7:26), and Paul described the faithful ancients who ‘died in faith, not having received the promises…and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth’ (Hebrews 11:13).

This is not our true home but there will come a day when all that will change. In the Millenial reign for one, there will be no poor among us and we will all own something of this earth. But that is just the beginning, when the Millenium ends, this earth will be sanctified and celestialized and ‘crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father….that bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever….(D&C 88:18-20). I want to own a parcel of that earth.

I have not owned a home for the past 30 years. Some years ago when I was drowning in self-pity trying to figure out where I could live next, I remembered the Saviour and His lustre-lack earthly life. It gave me so much comfort to know that I was not less because I had no home of my own. I wrote the following poem in gratitude of His loving care of me for He has provided for me better than I could ever have done on my own. Until I kneel at His feet on the celestialized earth, I will wander….

 

You send me wherever You want me to go;

Over plains, seas and roughest roads.

I am dismayed I have

To wander in search of my bed;

Then I remember foxes had holes

And the birds of the air had nests

But You had nowhere to lay down Your head.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Joseph Brickey)

BLESSEDNESS

 

 

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people….and His fame went throughout all Syria…..and there followed Him great multitudes of people…..and they brought unto him all sick people…and he healed them all….and seeing the multitude He went up into a mountain, and his disciples came unto him” (Matthew 4:23-25).

“It was a day of miracles. Those vexed with unclean spirits were healed; multitudes thronged near seeking merely to touch Him; faith was in every heart; He responded to their pleas…..It was in such a setting of miracles and healings and worship – that Jesus spoke the Sermon on the Mount both in Galilee and in the land Bountiful” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 2, p 120-1)

Unto such he preached the glories of the kingdom while rejection yet awaited Him and the unjust death idled on the Hill of Calvary waiting silently. How full His heart must have been with gratitude and compassion for those who sought Him and wanted to hear the words of salvation. How grateful He must have been for the believers who were spiritually attuned, who received the Beatitudes as they fell from His lips.

President Harold B. Lee taught that the Beatitudes embody the “constitution for a perfect life” (Decisions for Successful Living [1973], 57,60). Bruce R. McConkie stated that “beatitude is a state of utmost bliss, and the Beatitudes are our Lord’s declarations for the blessedness and eventual eternal glory of those who obey the various principles recited in them” (The Mortal Messiah Book 2, p 118).

The word ‘Beatitude’ comes from the Latin ‘beautus’, meaning to be fortunate, to be happy, to be blessed. Imagine if it was spelt with an extra ‘t’ and it read BeATTITUDE…..imagine if we always fostered such an attitude of being fortunate and happy and blessed for having been taught the path to eternal life….Imagine honouring our beloved Saviour by living in such an attitude of gratitude for the path to eternal life He has given us.

What Beatitude is the most important? This one: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:6): “As starving men crave a crust of bread, as choking men thirst for water, so do the righteous yearn for the Holy Ghost….. the greatest of all the gifts of God, as pertaining to this life; and those who enjoy that gift here and now, will inherit eternal life hereafter, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God in eternity” (Bruce R McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 2, p 122).

 I pledged my life into Thy hands

When by Thy words you taught me how;

You fed me truths I needed to know

And feed me still even now.

 

As I promised to obey,

You promised we’d never part;

I remember, I remember

And carry it all

In the shadow of my heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Compassion and Grace by Greg Collins)

WHO COME UNTO ME

 

In my last post I wrote about unity with Christ through baptism. The Saviour sought to impress this upon the people of ancient Americas and upon us today who have the privilege of holding the Book of Mormon in our hands. I am once again grateful for the clarification of scriptures that this book offers us. The account of the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Mormon testifies of this.

In the Book of Mormon, the Saviour began His sermon making it clear that the teachings that were to follow only applied to those who are willing to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost for remission of their sins (3 Nephi 12:1,2). In other words, the Sermon on the Mount was ever only directed to the members of His Church, those who are willing to accept Christ and keep his commandments. (See also Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to the Book of Mormon, p 263-4)

This significant point is reiterated through the Beatitudes. The very first one promises that the poor in spirit will be blessed but with a significant addition in the Book of Mormon that does not exist in the New Testament. That addition reads: who come unto me. The following Beatitudes all begin with the word ‘and’ connecting them to the previous Beatitude and all the way to this first one which is the reference to the introductory verses to the Sermon which deal with baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:1,2)….in other words, who come unto me.

Following the Beatitudes come two other confirmations that the Sermon is for baptized members. The first is the admonition to be the salt of the earth (3 Nephi 12:13). In the Mosaic sacrificial ritual, salt was a reminder that we should remember and preserve our covenants with God (Old Testament Institute Manual, p 165)

The second is to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). As members of the House of Israel and of the household of faith under the Abrahamic covenant, we are to take the gospel to the world and to bring the light of Christ’s gospel to the world of darkness.

It can be argued that the blessings promised throughout the Beatitudes are biased since they are only for baptized members of Christ’s church but I believe the suggestion is that these blessings are   more readily assured for those who are willing to accept Christ and that invitation is extended to all.  They are promises and assurance of what Christ can do for us.

The thought that only those who come unto Him are more blessed might seem like elitism but in my opinion, He has the right to bless those who believe in Him and accept Him and He has the right to ask anything of us, most especially to believe and accept. He has suffered for the just and the unjust, for the grateful and the ungrateful. He is the only way to salvation, the way that was decreed in the realms of heaven long ago. Let us be that light on a hill that we might bring others under the umbrella of His blessings. That is our responsibility, that is our privilege.

If I had the might to plant Thee in each heart

Of all that breathes,

In pursuit of such a quest I would walk the earth

With apparent ease.

As I can do so little this desire to meet,

I lay my loyal love at Thy holy feet.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Send Forth Labourers by Greg Collins)

ONE WITH CHRIST

 

 

Imagine the Saviour appearing and you are among the multitude to witness that appearance and He calls you by name to come to Him: “And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet” (3 Nephi 11:19). Imagine the honour, the overflowing of your heart, the tears that would flow, the expression of humility and deepest gratitude for your salvation that would propel you to kiss His feet……it makes me feel the moment….

Right from the start of His visit to the Americas, the Saviour made it plain He was there to teach the members of His Church. Hence immediately after calling Nephi to come forth, He gave him and  the Twelve that He chose, authority to baptize with specific instructions as to how it is to be done.

From 3 Nephi 11:21 to 12:3, the Saviour mentioned baptism 19 times and reiterated 7 times that His doctrine is: faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. So insistent was He that this is the only path to salvation, that He emphasized that ‘whose does not believe in Him, and is not baptized, shall be damned’ (3 Nephi 11:33,34).

Worthy of mention is the concept of unity which baptism grants to all who believe in Christ and His doctrine. I have a fondness for noticing repetition in scriptural teachings. It speaks ‘importance’ to me.  In the block of scriptures regarding baptism, the Saviour mentions the Father 16 times.

The sense of unity between Him, the Father and the Holy Ghost is unmistakable…..”the Father will bear record of me,  and the Holy Ghost will bear record of Him and Me, for the Father and I, and the Holy Ghost are one” (3 Nephi 11:35,36).

I am reminded of the intercessory prayer that was uttered by Christ where He prayed ‘not for the world but for them which the Father had given Him’, meaning His disciples (John 17:9). And then for the rest of the Church membership, meaning us: “Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us….” (v 21).

Thus baptism, a covenant of obedience, which makes us Christ’s, becomes also a covenant of unity, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. As we come into the fold of God and become ‘the body of Christ’ we also become one with one another. The baptismal covenant reads thus (Mosiah 18:8):

·        We come into the fold of God;

·        We are being called His people;

·        We bear one another’s burdens;

·        We mourn with those that mourn;

·        We comfort those who stand in need of comfort;

·        We stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all places;

·        We enter into a covenant to serve God;

·        We covenant to keep His commandments.

I was baptized when I was 18 years of age. The moment I was raised out of the water, I was so overcome by the spirit which descended upon me that I wept uncontrollably. I knew I was one with Christ and that I was home. I know if I ever left the Church, I would be betraying my covenant of baptism, even if I continued to live the commandments….because I would no longer be Christ’s. I would not wish to lose that….ever.

How godly You were

When You planted the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth;

How noble and honourable

When You gave me hope

Through the water’s gate;

I bequest to You my earthly deeds

And fly to You

With my arms of faith. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Holy Ghost Descended Like a Dove by Greg Collins)

A SURE PATH

 

 

Mormon tells us that the people who survived the devastation of the American continent at the time of Christ’s visit are those who were more righteous and who ‘received the prophets’ (3 Nephi 10:12).

I reflected upon all the people who have rejected Joseph Smith and still reject him today. I am astounded when I read Section 121 of Doctrine and Covenants to see how serious a sin it is to reject the prophets of God. Consider the consequences of such a rejection that the Saviour promised would come upon the people who rejected Joseph and charged him with falsehoods (vs 11,16,19,20,21,22,24):

·        Their prospects shall melt away as the frost melts away before the burning rays of the sun;

·        They who shall oppose the Lord’s anointed shall be cursed;

·        They shall be severed from the temple ordinances;

·        Their food supplies would perish;

·        They themselves shall be despised by those that flattered them;

·        They and generations of their posterity shall not have the right to the priesthood;

·        It would be better for them if a millstone was hanged about their necks and they drowned in the depths of the sea….yikes!

·        The Lord has reserved a swift judgment for them all….double yikes!

Why such a harsh punishment for those who reject the prophets? Here is a story that might help us see the importance of their leadership: “On one occasion, Karl G. Maeser was leading a party of young missionaries across the Alps. As they reached the summit, he looked back and saw a row of sticks thrust in the snow to mark the one safe path across the otherwise treacherous glacier.

“Halting the company of missionaries, he gestured toward the sticks and said, ‘Brethren, there stands the priesthood [of God]. They are just common sticks like the rest of us,…but the position they hold, makes them what they are to us. If we step aside from the path they mark, we are lost’ (in Alma P. Burton, Karl G. Maeser, Mormon Educator [Deseret Book Co., 1953] p 22).

Why are we lost if we don’t follow the prophets? Because ‘the voice of warning is for all people by the mouths of all Christ’s disciples whom He has chosen in these last days’ and ‘they who will not hear the voice of the Lord through His servants or give heed to the word’s of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people’ (D&C 1:4,14). They will be cut off because they will resist the truth and lose their way to salvation.

The path is sure, the path is secure….”whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (v 38).

 

Your words through Your prophets

Like a lamp unto my feet

Bid me to follow Thee.

I dare to follow the path through

 the highest mountains,

I dare to sail dangerous seas,

Ever trusting what you speak to me

Will lead me back to Thee.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Prophet and Seer by Simon Dewey)