THE POWER OF "I AM"

 

I am mesmerised by the method of identity used in the Book of Mormon. It is not a method we use today in our written communication but to me it is enchanting. It says volumes about the person who proclaims “I am”. It ignites my heart with tenderest of emotions to hear this:

  

“I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites” (Alma 54:14). I just have to read this sentence and know who Captain Moroni was. I have been enthralled by his staggering passion for liberty, the welfare of his people and his faith in Christ as I have studied and admired his warfare acumen through the pages of the book of Alma. He is a fearless man who boldly addressed the leader of the Lamanites, as ‘a child of hell’ (Alma 54:11); he is the man at whose feet the Lamanites threw their weapons (Alma 52:38); he is the man who was beloved by all the people of Nephi (Alma 53:2); he is the man that Helaman addressed as his ‘beloved brother Moroni’ (Alma 56:2,45;58:41). All these things and more rush into my mind when I hear his name. His greatness is too numerous to name here. 

 

Another proclamation of self-identity that gets to me is, “I am Helaman, the son of Alma” (Alma 58:41). When I hear his name I remember the warrior who became a ‘Father’ to 2,000 young men he affectionately called his ‘little sons’ (Alma 56:30,39,44,46) and led them into war with valour and trust in God. To me, when Helaman says “I am the son of Alma” he is referring to more than just a biological connection but to his upbringing by a man who sorrowed for his people (Alma 8:10,14; 31:1,2,30,31;35:15) and sacrificed himself over and over to rescue them from the jaws of hell. Helaman walked in the footsteps of a father whose  accomplishments will echo throughout eternity. When I hear that he is the son of Alma, I know who Helaman is….because he was raised by a great man.

 

Now consider another greatness of valiancy: “I am Mormon, and I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (3 Nephi 5:12,13) . I believe that’s exactly who Mormon is when I read the greatest discourse in holy writ that he has penned on faith, hope and charity  (Moroni 7).  Someone who has produced a mammoth witness of Jesus Christ such as the Book of Mormon can with surety declare himself as His disciple. But nothing speaks to me volumes about this man as much as this poignant advice to his son which echoes in my heart repeatedly: “For we have a labour to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness” (Moroni 9:6). This was his creed and he went down fighting in the quest of its achievement. 

 

This Christmas, however,  may our hearts and minds be turned to the greatest I AM of all times….

·       I am the bread of life (John 6:31, 51)

·       I am the light of the world (John 8:12)

·       I am the door of the sheep (John 10:7,9)

·       I am the good shepherd (John 10:11,14)

·       I am the resurrection and life (John 11:25)

·       I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)

·       I am the true vine (John 15:1,5)

·       I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God (3 Nephi 9:15)…….

 

Such magnitude of power

Of love, mercy and light

Cradled in the body

Of a baby’s heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Light of the World by Nathan Greene)

THE FATHER TO REVEAL

 

The babe that lay in the manger 2021 years ago came for two reasons: to secure our salvation and to reveal to us the Father.  Until Christ came people mainly understood God’s power, His holiness and His anger and judgment but when Christ came, He showed them the Father’s deep devotion and His merciful love towards His children. This He did through himself because that’s the way He was. He has said that He and the Father are one to the Jews, to the Nephites and to us (John 14:9-11; 3 Nephi 11:27; D&C 50:43; 93:3) therefore the way He is, is the way the Father is. I highly recommend that you read this Christmas  Elder Holland’s conference talk of 2003 entitled “The Grandeur of God” to fully understand this. 

 

There is a strong depiction of father-son relationships in the Book of Mormon. This is rightfully obvious because the records were kept by men and handed down to their sons. What else can be seen, however, is the spiritual legacy passed on from father to son. Consider for a moment just these few sons who had been righteously influenced by their fathers: Nephi, who believed all the words of his father Lehi (1 Nephi 2:16) and became crucial to preserving the tribe of Joseph in Americas; Enos who allowed the words of his father Jacob to sink deep into his heart (Enos 1:3) and because of which he was led to such mighty prayer that God could not be restrained from covenanting with him regarding the preservation of records and imminent salvation of the Lamanites (Enos 1:16);  Alma the Younger's concern for his son Corinaton which prompted an entire discourse on God's justice, mercy and resurrection spanning three chapters of his book (Alma 40,1,2); Moroni who accepted the incredible responsibility to safeguard the records and who gave us the discourse on faith, hope and charity as taught by his father Mormon (Moroni 7:1).

 

What do we learn from these family associations? That the testimony of righteous fathers could never be expunged from their sons' souls. There is one relationship that stands out the most in the Book of Mormon but this time it is the son-father relationship. Nobody has been a greater son to his father than Jesus, who fulfilled the will of the Father in all things (3 Nephi 1:14); the son who 'does always those things that please him" (John 8:29) and was consequently called by the Father "Well Beloved" (Helaman 5:47). During His visit to the Americas, according to my calculations, Jesus made 148 references to the Father. He came not only to affirm his divine Sonship but to teach the people to worship the Father. It is the Saviour's love for the Father, more than His love for us, that motivated Him to become the author of our salvation. He is the perfect son because of the perfect father. 

 

The men of the Book of Mormon leave me enthralled, the father-son relationships even more so for is there a more heart searing declaration than this: "I am Helaman, the son of Alma" (Alma 58:41)......except, there is this one: "I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (3 Nephi 9:15).

 

I wish to gift you my heart

Eternal Father of mine;

I wish to glorify Thy name

Through endless moments of time.

I wish to worship you each day that I greet,

I wish to honour you with each breath that I breathe.

Then one day soon when I kneel at your throne

And bring you my deeds from my earthly home;

Accept them with mercy,

Consider them bliss,

And greet me joyfully

With an holy kiss.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Danny Hahlbohm)

SEEDS OF ETERNAL LIFE

 

I have a grandson. A beautiful boy. He is only five as I write this. He is the apple of his mother’s eye, and mine for that matter. I never had a son, only daughters. I marvel how well my daughter teaches her children and I wonder if I was as good as that. I passed many things onto my children: beliefs, principles, habits, traditions, teachings, even weaknesses. It delights me to see that some of our family traditions live on in my daughter’s family. My greatest hope is that I have planted seeds of truths of eternity into their hearts.

I have a daughter who is a returned missionary but no longer lives the gospel. I have come to the end of the road with how much I can do for her, and I know she is now in God’s hands. I hope against hope that one day she will be like Enos and remember the teachings of her youth. Enos gives me hope.

 

The Book of Mormon tells us that whilst hunting one day Enos hungered for a remission of his sins. This hunger came from remembering the words which his father often spoke about eternal life (Enos 1:3,4). We speak many words from day to day but none more important than the ones that uplift, inspire and sow seeds of eternal life in the hearts of those we love. Such were the words which Enos heard his father speak: "But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith.........O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever (Jacob 3:1-2).”

 

So Enos prayed like his father advised and received a remission of his sins, hoping that one day he will hear: "Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father" (Enos 1:27). This hope he owed to his father. Is there a greater hope we can have for our children? And is there a greater example we as parents can follow than the example of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, the defender of the faith, the foe of the anti-Christ, Jacob the believer.

 

I give you my patience

That you might follow your path;

I give you my understanding

That you might love you more;

I give you my forgiveness

That you might learn to love;

I give you my tolerance

That you might grow;

I give you my wisdom

That you might have courage;

I give you my all

As I promised I would,

From my heart into yours;

From mother to son

Forever more

Because a heart can give no more.

• Cathryne Allen

(Art: In The Arms of His Love by Greg Olsen)

GREAT ARE THE WORDS OF ISAIAH

 

How much You must love

Those who serve Thee to the end

Who speak the words of truth

And proclaim Thy holy name;

These are Thy prophets

Your everlasting friends

The strong, the noble

The devoted who hear and obey;

These are Thine angels who herald

Thy gospel and Thy name;

To the ends of the earth they speak

And their words forever remain

Who can ever discount the tenacity of Jeremiah who could not refrain from testifying despite his sufferings; the loneliness of John the Beloved who penned the greatest revelation whilst exiled on Patmos; the sorrowing for their people of Alma and Mormon; the sacrifices of the living prophets who serve in the Church full time and carry the responsibility of the world wide membership? These are the greats....and I admire them all but nothing renders my heart with tenderness and the Spirit like the world of Isaiah. Imagine being a writer. Now imagine being so good at it that the Saviour himself says 'great are your words' and that everyone should study them.

Not only was Isaiah a statesman, an amazing orator and an even greater poetic writer, he was a prophet of God who received inspiration and revelation for the things he wroter and testified of. Whether in his interaction with the kings of Judah he was the advisor to, or his prophecies, the spirit of revelation comes through. This morning I studied chapter 42 and was overcome with the understanding that came to me about the character of the Saviour; his power and humility intertwined in such a glorious personality that has until now been beyond my comprehension. It reduced me to tears. I could not only understand Him this morning but I could SEE Him through my heart. I testify of His glory and His greatness. And I thank Isaiah for being one of the greats.....

• Cathryne Allen

A BIRD IN A CAGE

 

Like Israel of old

I foolishly sought man's protection

And trusted in the shadow of the flesh

Until You showed me the strength

Of Your invincible arm

And how easy You can make

My journey's difficult path;

How foolish I was to trust in man's might

How foolish to seek mortal comfort

And settle for feeble sentries of the heart

In studying the history of the House of Israel, I am always amazed at man's propensity to place his trust in 'the arm of the flesh' rather than exercise faith in God. Ancient Israel was particularly prone to this futile habit. Over and over they made political alliances with heathen nations around them for their protection.....very often resorting to Egypt, the very nation they were rescued from. Even King Hezekiah in 705 B.C. who tried so desperately to turn the nation from idolatry to proper worship of Jehovah made a terrible mistake of seeking such an alliance. Because of it Assyrian king Sennacherib, the successor to Sargon, swept into the land of Judah and captured forty-six cities. This is how he described his siege of Hezekiah: "Himself I made a prisoner.....like a bird in a cage" (Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, p. 288). This is exactly what happens when you put your trust in man...you always owe somebody something and it never quite satisfies and often you end up in a cage.

The nations of this earth have replaced God with governments. We have put our trust in the arm of the flesh....to lead us, to instruct us, to protect us. Individually, however, we can choose to place our ultimate trust in Him to whom trust truly belongs.

The Saviour, the Creator, our Sovereign and our God, puts no bird in a cage.....He who created us gave us freedom of choice, of thought, of speech. He is the protection from the storms of life and the guardian of our hearts. In this day of uncertainty, of calamities and threats of our freedom, He is the only choice we can make to keep us truly free.

- Cathryne Allen

(art by Liz Lemon Swindle, "The Creator")