Watching Interactions on the Day of the Passover, Matthew chapter 21 and Mark chapter 14

There are three interactions in these chapters that caught my attention, this time through.

The first occurred when the disciples were sent to find an ass for Jesus's entry into the city of Jerusalem. Jesus told them that, if the unknown owner of the ass and her colt ask why they were taking her, they should simply explain that the Lord needed her. And, sure enough, that was enough of a reason for the owner to let her go.

How often are we that generous, giving or lending our resources freely to those on the Lord's errand and doing so with trust in Him, rather than asking for all the details and being concerned until what we have lent is returned?

The second that caught my attention occurred when the woman brought a box of ointment of spikenard and poured it on Jesus's head. It was the response of some of those sitting with him: disapproval of her having spent a lot of money to express her love and respect rather than spending that money on the poor.  Jesus comes to her defense and counsels compassion and appreciation rather than fault finding.  It was a that point that Judas, who felt responsible for keeping track of the funds and how they were used, chose to leave.

How easy it is for us to find fault when someone uses funds in good ways that, to us, seem "less good than it could have been by a long shot".  How easy it is to get our dander up and become unhappy and divisive when we judge another's use of sacred funds or similar resources?

The third I considered was the man who was drawing water from the well.  Christ knew that the "goodman of the house" where that man lived, would be willing to let Jesus and his disciples share the passover meal in his upper room. 

 In those days drawing water was woman's work.  So why was this man doing that?   We don't know, but it's likely that the woman who usually did that was unable, due to injury, absence, illness, or whatever, and he (brother, son, servant, whatever) had undertaken the task.

So perhaps we learn that this is a household where, at least in this case, individuals were more interested in providing what was needful for others than they were interested in the comfort or discomfort of firm boundaries of responsibilities.  Less focus who gets to do or not do what.  More focus on helping to get things done so that all have what they need (which in this case was water) in a home which, it turns out, is a place where Jesus and his imperfect disciples are welcome.

 

Listening to marriage sealing ordinances

 Listening to what is actually said…

 Contrary to common phraseology, a husband and wife are not "sealed to each other", or “sealed together”. Rather, in that marriage ceremony specific blessings are promised and “sealed” equally upon the husband and upon the wife, which blessings each one is to receive as they individually continue in their personal, faithfulness disciples of Jesus Christ, keeping the holy promises (covenants to follow the teachings of Christ) that they have previously made. 

Temple marriage sealings are not about with whom you will, or will not “live together forever”.   In the life after this one, the same sociality (quality of social interaction) that exists among us in this life, will continue to exist (Doc & Cov130:2) among family members, friends, etc. etc... 

So if it's not about who you will be with, what is it? When you listen, you will find that, rather than who gets to be with whom, sealing in a temple marriage is, in reality, about your personal commitments to become the kind of disciples you may become; radiantly full of faith, hope and charity. And they are about your desires to create, with the Lord’s grace and mercy, a marriage full of faith hope and charity, and which encompasses the principles of His gospel that you have previously promised and covenanted to live.  

The words of temple marriage sealing express how much the Lord desires to help and bless you in those commitments and desires, both individually and as a couple, both now and in the future. 

The sealing words are about what He is entrusting you with, and they are about who and what the Lord is inviting you to faithfully become, and what he may trust you with in the future as you continue to follow Him, strive to live the promises you have made to Him, receive His amazing grace, and continue to grow in faith in Him, and in hope in Him, and in loving as He does. 

They are about the abilities and blessings he will seal upon you as you, as His disciples, and through that grace, mercy and power to heal and bless, become able to bear that trust He has placed in you. Becoming that kind of son or daughter of God is a lifelong and beyond journey, and brings good blessings as well as sobering responsibilities.

Joseph Fielding Smith called temple marriage "the crowning ordinance", but it's not "crowning" as in "having arrived at the pinnacle". It's more like, "the final, top, ordinance and covenant for which keeping all the other covenants you've made with God helps to prepare you". When you are married in the temple, you haven't arrived.  You've just begun a whole new phase of the journey.

Alma, chapter 42

 This is Alma trying to explain, to his son, Corianton, the justice of God, a justice that sounds so fierce and miserable in Old Testament writings, starting with the casting out of the Garden of Eden (which increased sadness and difficulty for Adam and Eve) and continuing on throughout history, and which seems, to Corianton, to be out of character of a loving God.

Alma starts from the beginning.  His explanation goes something like this:

1st: Adam and Eve.  If they had remained in their original state in the Garden of Eden, where everything was provided, and where there was no death due to the tree of life, there would have been sobering natural consequences?  What would have been some of those?

They would have lived forever, their children and grandchildren and every succeeding generation would have lived forever.  That is unsustainable on earth...beyond its natural resources...shortages of food, overwhelming environmental pollution, etc. etc.    Think about what happens in a society in that situation.

2nd: Powerful, wicked, men and women would never die.  Their destructive, dishonest egregious efforts to maintain power would never end.  They (and we) would never have the sense of mortality that offers us reminders and crucial opportunities to review our lives.  Alma refers to this in verse 5: "having no space for repentance" means having no sense of parameters of lifespan or sense of an end, which parameters serve all of us well in moving us to review our lives and consider how we are using our time and to what ends, and therefore offering opportunities to recognized opportunities to engage in the blessed experience of repentance.  

3rd: Furthermore, not only would powerful, wicked people never die, there would be never ending battles between them and those who wanted to dethrone them or to take their place.  We have enough of those in a mortal life, they would be endless in an immortal wicked world.

Alma refers to such a situation being one in which the word of God becomes void.  Void means "having no legal or binding force; nul; not effectual to bind parties, or to convey or support a right, not sufficient to produce its effect.   Alma is saying that in  such a situation, people who choose wickedness, would not be motivated to repent, but feel free to continually pursue wicked goals without fear of death or any sense of mortal danger. The prophet Isaiah wrote: "My word shall not return to me void, but shall accomplish that which I please". (Isaiah 55:11). A world that includes death, either your own, or of those who are important to you, includes a powerful, and fairly frequent nudge to consider your life, the word of God, and what is most important to you.  A world without death does so far less.

4th: Alma also says that the "great plan of salvation would have been frustrated".  God's whole plan is set up to give us experience that teaches us powerful, personal lessons, helps us see and choose what is most important to us, teaches us how to make changes in order to become all we desire to be, and then to be transformed by glorious resurrection.  

Alma is trying to show Corianton that it is easy to see harshness in God's actions where there is actually a tremendous amount of mercy.

Note: Resurrection doesn't just mean "getting a body back".  It means being "raised with glory", transformed in heavenly ways, empowered to do the good you seek to do in powerful ways.  What kind of glory?  One that reflects, specifically, who you, individually have become and the desires of your heart. (Doctrine and Covenants 88).  (Those who do not wish to do anything good....no glory with your resurrection).

5th: Alma also speaks about what the inevitability of physical death does in a person's life:  It prevents you from living here forever (which most would not prefer once they not only experience the tragedies and violence involved in mortal life) and helps you understand that this life is far from ideal and that post death existence offers far more to us than mortal life does. 

Understanding that, we begin to see that being forever here on earth would cause us to become "lost" (Alma 42:6).  Have you ever become physically lost?  Unable to find your way home, or to the destination at which you set out to arrive?  Becoming lost, in this verse is like that...unable to find your way home to life in the presence of God, which home is joyful to every person who loves goodness.

Corianton, with his father and brothers, has been through a lot (Alma chapter 38), both physically and emotionally, because of his work with his father, trying to teach the word God.  He wonders whether it makes sense to teach about a coming of a Savior far into the future that he is not sure will happen.  And he has made some bad decisions trying to find relief from that insecurity about what he has been asked to do and to teach. 

Alma's words in chapter 42 are his attempt to help his son see that God's response to sin, whether it is Corianton's sin or the sin of Adam and Eve, or anyone else, is not a vindictive assignment to a state of punishment and misery, but rather a reflection of God offering a mortal life that is set up to help us understand and experience the natural, logical, actual consequences of sin (which consequence, is always, ultimately, and naturally, misery) and the consequences of discipleship.

Most of us, consciously, or unconsciously, experience that learning and experience during our lives.  Death, and our awareness of our mortality, is part of the plan to move us out of living amidst what would otherwise be a never ending earthly cycle of power seeking and conflict and violence and struggle, and the misery that such creates if allowed to continue without end.  

The post mortal life, Alma explains, is set up to free us from that awful possibility...putting us in a new, post-moral state; a state where redemption continues to be possible due our desire to repent and change without the encumbrance of a failing, mortal body, which redemption continues to be available to us due to the amazing justice of God and due to the amazing mercy and deliverance from the bondage of our sins, which deliverance the Father and the Son made possible through the latter's atonement for each of us.  

Corianton has been struggling with a misapprehension of the nature of God...seeing Him as a decreer of laws, a promiser of far off personal interaction, and a vindictive dealer out of justice.  When we see God that way we seek consolation elsewhere, which is exactly what Corianton did.  That put Corianton in a reasonable state of mind: feeling antipathy towards God because he thinks that God's motives must be control and punishment for sin (which he, Corianton has engaged in) while, at the same time He claims to be full of love.  Corianton's antipathy, coming from those assumptions, makes total sense.

Corianton has been laboring under the belief that God, by nature is vindictive and harsh, focused on obedience and penalty (justice), in spite of claiming to be a God of love.  His father is trying to help disabuse him from that erroneous assumption by explaining the total incorporation of loving mercy and forgiveness in God's plan from the beginning, made possible by a huge and voluntarily and lovingly given price on the part of both the Father and the Son.  

Verse 1 of Chapter 43 indicates that Coriantion may have found it helpful.

 

Creating a moral, compassionate, brave and principled life

If we are adults with moral awareness, we are responsible for our decisions. 

And when we see our lives more like an organic act which we are called to create, rooted in increasing moral and compassionate understanding, and less like a script we need to follow, we are more fully free to grow in wisdom and comprehension (though following a  script initially may appeal to us more because it requires far less of us).

It is certainly easier to learn a role or a part that someone has handed to us than it is to create a life based upon an evolving foundation of truth seeking. 

But it is the latter that is ultimately more likely to foster greater moral courage, comprehension, and a thoughtfully principled life.

And so questions are good, changing moral understanding and evolving enlightenment is hopefully life-long, agency is important, and kindness towards others who are on their own version of such learning processes is essential.

It is not true that when the prophet speaks the thinking has been done.

Some critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints express belief that that church expects unquestioning responses to statements by church leaders. A quote which they choose to offer in support of this misconception is that ‘when the prophet speaks, the thinking is done.’ This statement originally appeared in the Improvement Era, in June 1945, as the Ward Teaching message for the month. The entire paragraph of that article that contains that phrase was

"When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan–it is God’s plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy. God works in no other way. To think otherwise, without immediate repentance, may cost one his faith, may destroy his testimony, and leave him a stranger to the kingdom of God"

Dr. J. Raymond Cope, the leader of the First Unitarian Society in Salt Lake City, was one individual who read that article in 1945 and was concerned. He decided to express his concerns about the impact of this message in a letter to President George Albert Smith in November of the same year. The letter was cordial, and expressed the feeling that such a message was “doing inestimable harm to many who have no other reason to question the integrity of the Church leaders… this cannot be the position of the true leaders.”

President Smith responded to Dr. Cope with a letter of his own, designed to clarify the point, at the first of December. The letter, reproduced in full below, should lay to rest any misconception about whether the Church or its leaders expect blind obedience in any degree. (Items that are underlined were underlined in the original.)

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Office of the First Presidency

Salt Lake City, Utah

December 7, 1945

Dr. J. Raymond Cope

First Unitarian Society

13th East at 6th South Street

Salt Lake City, Utah

 

My dear Dr. Cope:

I have read with interest and deep concern your letter of November 16, 1945, in which you make special comment on “a short religious editorial prepared by one of your (our) leaders entitled “Sustaining the General Authorities of the Church'”. You say that you read the message with amazement, and that you have since been disturbed because of its effect upon members of the Church.

I am gratified with the spirit of friendliness that pervades your letter, and thank you for having taken the time to write to me.

The leaflet to which you refer, and from which you quote in your letter, was not “prepared” by “one of our leaders.” However, one or more of them inadvertently permitted the paragraph to pass uncensored. By their so doing, not a few members of the Church have been upset in their feelings, and General Authorities have been embarrassed.

I am pleased to assure you that you are right in your attitude that the passage quoted does not express the true position of the Church. Even to imply that members of the Church are not to do their own thinking is grossly to misrepresent the true ideal of the Church, which is that every individual must obtain for himself a testimony of the truth of the Gospel, must, through the redemption of Jesus Christ, work out his own salvation, and is personally responsible to His Maker for his individual acts. The Lord Himself does not attempt coercion in His desire and effort to give peace and salvation to His children. He gives the principles of life and true progress, but leaves every person free to choose or to reject His teachings. This plan the Authorities of the Church try to follow.

The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: “I want liberty of thinking and believing as I please.” This liberty he and his successors in the leadership of the Church have granted to every other member thereof.

On one occasion in answer to the question by a prominent visitor how he governed his people, the Prophet answered: “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.”

Again, as recorded in the History of the Church (Volume 5, page 498 [499] Joseph Smith said further: “If I esteem mankind to be in error, shall I bear them down? No. I will lift them up, and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better; and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do, only by the force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way.”

I cite these few quotations, from many that might be given, merely to confirm your good and true opinion that the Church gives to every man his free agency, and admonishes him always to use the reason and good judgment with which God has blessed him.

In the advocacy of this principle leaders of the Church not only join congregations in singing but quote frequently the following:

“Know this, that every soul is free

To choose his life and what he’ll be,

For this eternal truth is given

That God will force no man to heaven.”

Again I thank you for your manifest friendliness and for your expressed willingness to cooperate in every way to establish good will and harmony among the people with whom we are jointly laboring to bring brotherhood and tolerance.

Faithfully yours,

Geo. Albert Smith [signed]

In a nutshell, that sentiment of 

"When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan–it is God’s plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy. God works in no other way. To think otherwise, without immediate repentance, may cost one his faith, may destroy his testimony, and leave him a stranger to the kingdom of God"

Is definitely not a gospel truth nor is it supported as such by the church.

This letter from George Albert Smith can be found in the George A. Smith Papers (Manuscript no. 36, Box 63-8A), Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. More detailed information on this topic can be found in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 19:1 (Spring 1986), 35-39.

You can find a transcription of that 1945 misguided Improvement Era magazine article here: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/archive/publications/when-the-prophet-speaks-is-the-thinking-done

My church calling

Though it may seem so at first glance, my church calling is not to serve as organizer, director, manager, mentor or teacher.  

My calling is to minister individually and, occasionally, collectively.  

And it is to be available, Christ being the example.

And as an essential part of that, I am instructed to receive and follow the promptings of divine revelation that will help me to be of help to those whom I am called to serve, and help me to be an extension of divine love.

The purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not to make it possible for you to “be happy”.

We equate heaven with happiness,  and we equate living the gospel of Jesus Christ with happiness.   

Certainly, living in the presence of God, when all is said and done, is a state of light and love. And surely, our lives, when we understand and live His gospel, are better in terms of inner peace and moments of joy than when we don’t understand it or live it.  But the purpose or result of the gospel of Jesus Christ is definitely not to make you happy every day as you work with Him.  If we believe that happiness to supposed to be the ongoing, predictable result of our earnest discipleship we will be disappointed, because, frankly, it isn’t.

Witness:

Jesus was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” and suffered hunger, thirst, fatigue, temptations and pain. (a)

Ammon was “depressed” in spirit and “suffered many things”. (b)

Alma was “weighed down with sorrow”. (c)

Nephi was “much cast down”. (d)

Paul experienced “distress” and “anguish of heart”. (e)

The purpose of the gospel of Jesus is not to make us happy now and every day (though there are moments of happiness in discipleship).  The purpose of the gospel in this life, and beyond, is to change us from a natural man or woman to a saint. (f)

And that change is unlikely if we do not have the opportunity to become people who respond with faith in Christ and love of God, repentance, and openhearted charity towards others, even while simultaneously experiencing all of the above feelings and challenges as we engage in the work of disciples of Christ.

References:  

a. Isaiah 53:3, Mosiah 3:7, Mosiah 14:3

b. Alma 26:27, Mosiah 7:16

c. Alma 8:14

d. Helaman 10:3

e. 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10, 1st Corinthians 2:4

f. Mosiah 3:19

Being Prepared and Moving Forward, Doctrine and Covenants 38:29-35, 39-41, some main points.

 Received in 1831

Main points:

You have heard of wars going on in other countries, and you expect that there will even bigger wars between countries.  But you underestimate the results that will come from what is going on in the minds and hearts of people in your own country.

 

You have been praying, so now I will counsel you: Seek wisdom and embrace what it teaches you.  If you do so, you will be prepared for what wicked people do.  If you do not do so their actions will surprise you in awful, frightening, alarming ways, and you will be unprepared to respond.

 

If you have sought wisdom and then prepared accordingly, you will not fear.

 

Being prepared needs to include creating a community of believers and receiving an endowment of priesthood power from God.

 

It also includes going out beyond your community, following the promptings of the Holy Spirit as you interact with others.

 

And it includes caring for the poor and needy, administering to their relief, and welcoming them into the community that you have created.

 

Speaking of poverty and riches: the riches you should seek are the riches of eternity.  

 

Also, beware of pride. (Otherwise you run a good risk of becoming the kind of people that the Nephites became.)

 

And work hard to accomplish the things that the Lord has commanded you to do.

 

And, remember, when you speak of the above, or teach any other part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to anyone, that it is essential that you do so in mildness and in meekness. 

"I'm Trying to be Like...."

 "Christ was not interested in himself, but in his Father and his Father's children.  He did not care to hear himself called good.  It was not of consequence to him.  He was there to let men see the goodness of the Father in whom he glorified."

~ George MacDonald, "The Way", Unspoken Sermons, Volume 2

Doctrine and Covenants 24: 7-8

 You shall devote all your service to God’s work of uniting people in love and care for each other here on earth; and in this you will have strength.

Be patient in afflictions, for you shall have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with you, even unto the end of your days.

Doctrine and Covenants 20:18-21: A scriptural definition of “church” as found in the KJV, and the sin of contention.

 “The word ‘church’ (Hebrew qahal or edah; Greek ekklesia) had a slightly broader meaning anciently than it does now. It referred to an assembly, congregation, or association of people who bonded together and shared the same loyalties. Thus, the term was not necessarily restricted to religious associations; in fact, in Athens the Greeks used the term to denote the legislative assembly of government.

“Originally, the term ekklesia, formed from two words meaning call and out, referred to those citizens whom heralds called out or summoned to public meetings. Thus, it was an ideal word to represent the body of individuals whom God “calls out” of the world through the Holy Ghost. The civil dimension of the word appears in Acts 19:32, where assembly in the KJV is a translation of the Greek ekklesia.”

“The term abominable is used in the Old Testament to describe what God hates, what cannot fail to arouse his wrath.”

“ When we put all this together, we find that the term ‘great and abominable church’ means an immense assembly or association of people bound together by their loyalty to that which God hates.”

~ Stephen Robinson, “Warring Against the Saints”, Ensign, January 1988

“Our...enemy is wickedness—those who love darkness more than light and who serve the evil one.  Those who attack other [religious denominations] violate the Lord’s command, as stated in this verse [Doctrine and Covenants  18:20]...In fact thy run a great risk that by adopting Satan’s methodology—in this case, argument and contention—they may themselves become members of the ‘church of the devil’”

~ Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, p. 107, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2000

“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit  of contention is not of me, but  is of the  devil, who is the father  of contention, and he stirreth up the  hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.  Behold,  this is not  my doctrine,  to stir up the  hearts of men with anger,  one against another;  but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done  away.”   ~ 3rd Nephi  11:29-30

There is, in scripture, permission given to contend with “the 'church' of the devil” ( Doctrine  and Covenants 18:20).   Tellingly, that verse is bracketed clearly with the declaration that without faith, hope and charity you can do nothing  (verse 19) and the admonition to speak the truth with soberness (verse 21)).

The bracketing verses clearly indicate that this contending against evil that is allowed is one that  eschews  any involvement in the sin of contention, but manifests itself instead by its truth speaking that is aimed at those who, like the devil, love to and rejoice in harming, denigrating and hating others of God’s children (Moses 7:29-34).  And those verses clearly indicate that God requires that such truth speaking on our part be fully grounded in faith, hope and love, and delivered in self-restrained and profound seriousness.

It seems that no matter what your cause, nor what evil organization or group you are contending against, when you embrace or indulge in anger and contention you lose your alignment with God.

Walketh in his own way and after the image of his own god Doctrine and Covenants 1:16

 How does one  answer the question, “What idols or false gods do men worship?”

Actually, the better question is “what idols or false gods do I worship?”

Usually, when that  first question comes up in  a Sunday school class, members of the class come up with things that they see others caught up in acquiring or maintaining or lavishing attention on, or depending upon for personal validation or security, and that they think they themselves are not. However, the real question to answer is the second one.

Thinking about idolatry throughout the ages and the common threads throughout them, here is a set of questions I can ask myself when I wish to find a more honest and accountable answer to that second question.  Sobering for me to go through.

To whom (not what, nor what book) do I look for guidance in the matters of greatest importance or greatest concern in  my life?

What do I turn to for a daily sense of validation, self-worth, or approval that I seek?

To whom or what do I look to validate the rightness and acceptability of the decisions I make or of my point of view?

On whose respect or approval, or on what accomplishments in my life, does my sense of being successful rest?

Of all possibilities, with whom do I most wish to work in unity?

Of  all the “hats”  I wear, honestly, which one feels most valuable to me?  And do I behave in accordance with it if the answer is “a servant of God”?

What causes me to pause when I am given an opportunity to engage in work aimed at “feeding the poor, visiting the sick, and comforting the weary”?

What am I placing my trust in when I have the means and opportunity to share but I “withhold my substance from the poor” anyway?

Jealousy, Avarice, Worry and Self-indulgence. JAWS

Four things that make it harder for me to hear God's personal communication with me.

"Give heed to God's message through inspiration. If self-indulgence, jealousy, avarice or worry have deadened your response, pray to the Lord to wipe out these impediments." ~ David O. McKay, (1873-1970), Vol. 117, No. 5, Millennial Star, May 1955

 

Doctrine and Covenants 3:7 “For behold, you should not have feared man more than God”

 “For behold, you should not have feared man more than God”

It strikes me that this is a sentence that, due to the situation in which it was spoken or written or received, refers not to fear of threat, or danger,  or misuse of power from others, but to a fear of displeasing someone who has a strong desire that you do something, that seems reasonable to him, and maybe even within reason to you when, in fact, when you asked the Lord about it, He advised you not to do that thing.

The desire to please someone, or to avoid disharmony, or to not rock the boat, or to give way to authority, power, or age or experience, or to support, as a friend or relation, someone else’s proposed plans  (which desires are not uncommon)  should never be of greater value to me than my determination and desire to do that which the Lord has lovingly, personally counseled me to do when I have asked Him for guidance on the decision at hand.

Owning Less, Consecrating More

“Owning less frees up money and time and energy and focus.”  ~ Joshua Becker

 Through minimalism, you have more funds, time, energy and focus to maximize your involvement in, and support of, all the things that matter to you most.”

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/maximalism/ 

Discipleship, Timothy, Chapter 4

 So...what to do now, here, amidst all that is going on?

Reflecting on Paul’s words to Timothy, this morning.

...seek to live a life of godliness...

...godliness is profitable with all things, benefiting both the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

...be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity...give attendance to reading and study, to teaching, to doctrine.

Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given to you by divine inspiration with the laying on of the hands of the elders.

Meditate upon these things, give yourself wholly to them so that the good that results from that may be evident to others.

Be consistently careful and sober and purposeful and loving in your discipleship, for in so doing you will not only be engaged in God’s work for your own salvation, but also in the work of blessing and helping those with whom you interact and who hear your words.

Sacrilege. Today.

Have you seen the photo of the President of the United States holding up a Bible and glaring at the camera at St. John’s Episcopal Church today? 

The Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit priest and author, said in a statement, "Using the Bible as a prop while talking about sending in the military, bragging about how your country is the greatest in the world, and publicly mocking people on a daily basis, is pretty much the opposite of all Jesus stood for."

He added: "Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. And God is not a plaything."

Amen.

sac•ri•lege săk′rə-lĭj

►

• n.
  Desecration, profanation, misuse, or theft of something regarded as sacred.
• n.
  The violation, desecration, or profanation of sacred things.
• n.
  In a more specific sense: The alienation to laymen or to common purposes of that which has been appropriated or consecrated to religious persons or uses.

Mosiah 2:4 The Purpose of the Task

When we were raising children we learned  the power of understanding that “the purpose of the task is to strengthen the relationship”.  For example, washing dishes with our son or daughter might have a visible immediate, short-term consequence: cleaner dishes.  But having clean dishes was not our purpose behind our washing of the dishes with that child.  Our purpose, which we needed to keep forefront in our minds while washing, was the strengthening of love in our relationship with that child.

I found, to my surprise, a parallel insight in King Benjamin’s speech in the Book of Mosiah.

In Mosiah 2:4 the people of Zarahemla are gathered to offer sacrifices and to give thanks that, among other things, King Benjamin “had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men”.

Sounds to me that, even though scriptures often cite particular blessings that come as a consequence of keeping one commandment or another, we fool ourselves if we treat commandments as though they had being given to us so that we may receive particular blessings.  Blessings may be an immediate or delayed consequence of obedience to a commandment (just like cleaner dishes are a consequence of joint dishwashing) but it’s clear from this passage that the giving of specific blessings is not God’s purpose behind, nor His motivation for, His giving us commandments.  His real purpose is to enable us to rejoice and be filled with love towards Him and towards all.

Therefore, it also seems to me that if we think we are keeping Gods commandments, but we are not experiencing changes that make us more filled with love, we definitely need to rethink our understanding and assumptions and attitudes, and even our very character, in regards to the way we approach and comprehend the very concept of obedience to His commandments.  

This, of course, leads very well into Benjamin’s  Mosiah 3:19 discussion about yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putting off the natural (self-focused-what do I get from it?) man and becoming a saint through the atonement of Christ, and, in that process of connecting with Christ and embracing that amazing gift of his, becoming, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon us.   There is a clear difference between approaching commandments while you are doing that kind of change in your life, as opposed to approaching God’s commandments and attempting obedience all the while watching for or expecting specific blessings or positive consequences for our personal benefit or even for the specific benefit of someone else.

Furthermore, this change in perspective and approach described in Mosiah 3 leads well into Benjamin’s longer discussion, in chapter 4, of how such humility and a change in comprehension as we approach and seek to keep God’s commandments and follow His direction will cause us (and here it is again) to “always rejoice and be filled with the love of God” (Mosiah 4:12) which in turn will influence and make more joyful and loving our response to others, including what we teach our children and how we respond to people in need (vs. 13-18).

There are often very nice, very helpful, short-term personal consequences in our lives as we tackle the task of keeping commandments. but they are simply that: consequences.  God’s purpose, however, in inviting us to the task of keeping His commandments is not that we be able to receive positive, short-term, this life or the next, consequences that we hope for.  His purpose in that invitation is for us to become engaged in working with Him to strengthen the bonds of love in our relationships...with Him...and with each other.

Understanding that changes things considerably.

"And deny yourself of all ungodliness"

My friend, F. asked a question about the meaning of that phrase. It caused me to look more carefully at Moroni, chapter 10.  I think looking at the verses surrounding that verse in this chapter is helpful.  Thanks, F., for asking the question.

Verse

30—come unto Christ, (learn his word, watch and emulate his ways, seek his will and follow it with His kind of love) seek every good gift (all those gifts listed in verses 8-21 and more—given to various of his children—recognize them in each other. Recognize them in you.  Work together with those gifts)

31—arise from the dust (don’t believe that you are worthless nor only capable of insignificant, unworthy actions and situations)  and put on thy beautiful garments (rise to who God sees you as; his beloved and noble child, sent on an arduous journey) and strengthen thy stakes (strengthen your knowledge of and commitment to the most basic principles of the gospel, to which everything else is tied—love of God and of fellow men) and enlarge thy borders (catch a greater vision of the expansiveness, clarity  and inclusiveness of the gospel of Christ) forever (this is an eternal process, not a one and done) that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee (do you know what those covenants are?  Pre-mortal? Abrahamic?  Baptismal? Temple?  Likely all four) may be fulfilled.

32—Yea, come unto Christ  (see above) and be perfected in Him (learning his word, watching and emulating his ways, and seeking his will, and following it with His kind of love for God and others is the process of becoming whole and perfect.  See also the paragraph that is Matthew 5:43-48) and deny yourself of all ungodliness (as you go through this process of learning good, you will also go through a process of learning what is not good…as you recognize those, repent—change what you love—to reflect that learning); and if you shall deny yourself of all ungodliness (repent, change what you love as you recognize things in your life that are not good and in accordance to his ever-loving will) and love God with all your might, mind and strength (sometimes it takes that amount of love  of God to get us out of sins we love to indulge in) then is His grace (grace: His ready, powerful, willingness to help us) sufficient for you (enough) that by his grace (that, due to His ready, powerful, willingness to help you and your willingness to receive that help) ye may be perfect in Christ (we are able to come to love the Father, all men and every good thing as He does and respond as He does); and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can nowise deny the power of God (and if you go through this process of welcoming God’s powerful help in your efforts to repent and to become more loving and willing to work with the Father as Christ is, you will become a person who personally has experienced and KNOWS the power of God.)

33 If  ye, by the grace of God (if, through receiving His ready, powerful help throughout in your life and in the life to come, I might add) you  are perfected in Him (continue this process of discipleship  of coming unto Christ,–loving as He does, knowing first hand His power and increasing in comprehension of His ways and embracing those)  then are ye sanctified (made holy—more like God in purpose and understanding) by the grace of God (sanctification, holiness, is not something we can do on our own, it requires that we open ourselves to God’s ready willingness to help and embrace working with Him and repenting and receiving his help) through the shedding of the blood of Christ (repentance that completely erases the sins we are trying to deny ourselves is only possible because of Christ’s atonement for us), which is the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins (Christ’s atonement is a covenant that the Father made with us before we came here.  He promised us a savior that would provide a way for our sins to be remitted) that ye become holy (sanctified, more like He is) without spot (cleansed from sin)

Preventative measures: avoiding burn out in a consecrated life.

From “How to Avoid Clergy Burnout”, by Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell

Anyone familiar with the schedule kept by the Rev. Howard-John Wesley, pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, was not likely surprised by the news that he is stepping away to take a much-deserved sabbatical. Rev. Wesley was known to be on call to answer his parishioners’ needs 24 hours a day.

I’m grateful that Wesley, in announcing his sabbatical, also shared his reasons for it — feeling far from God, tired in his soul and needing to recuperate mentally and physically. I hope his message reaches beyond his church and denomination and spurs action for kindred clergy who find themselves having similar feelings.

In 2015, 52 church-appointed Methodist pastors agreed to be interviewed by me and my fellow researchers at the Duke Clergy Health Initiative, write down what they did every hour of every day for a week and score their activities for meaning and enjoyment.

In this study and others, including a survey that compared 1,726 clergy to thousands of other North Carolinians, we found above-average rates of depression, obesity and chronic diseases, all of which are substantiated by other researchers who studied clergy of other denominations. One reason for these poor health patterns is how clergy respond to the demands of ministry; their call is so sacred that they often stretch themselves too far.

We also found that, not only can clergy combat burnout, they can flourish in their vocation.

By comparing the behavior of flourishing clergy and those experiencing burnout, we were able to identify four strategies for clergy to flourish: caring for their physical and mental health, setting boundaries for their work and personal lives, nourishing friendships and mutual relationships, and working in alignment with God.

Taking care of one’s health is a particular challenge when a pastor’s schedule is at the mercy of parishioners’ needs. Flourishing clergy not only proactively made plans to attend to their physical, mental and spiritual well-being, but also made backup plans to adjust for their unpredictable schedules: If a meeting preempts plans to attend a morning exercise class, walk with a parishioner at lunch. Called away for a hospital visit? Then play basketball with the youth group in the evening. They also reported finding time to practice spiritual devotions and walk in nature.

We found that flourishing pastors reminded themselves often of where God was leading them, especially when they faced criticism. The work of clergy is quite visible, and parishioners sometimes feel free to disapprove of their pastor’s message and say so publicly, immediately after pastors have poured their hearts out from the pulpit.

After hearing criticism, pastors who experienced burnout in our study reported feeling distressed. Those who were flourishing recognized the criticism and worried only if it related to God’s larger goals for their work.

We all know that friendships and social support are important, but in our study those hourly activity logs that clergy completed during the research revealed that only flourishing clergy took the time to share the joy of their small successes with friends and family.

We’ve also found that parishioners play an important role in clergy well-being. The clergy who do best have parishioners who remember they are human.

If you’re a parishioner, you can ask your pastors about their family, their interests, their vacation plans. Suggest that your pastor have a guest preacher any time a month has five Sundays. Encourage your pastors to keep Sabbath and then remember what day of the week their Sabbath is, and don’t schedule any non-emergency work on that day.

Think about how you would like to receive constructive criticism and offer it the same way, perhaps over a cup of coffee that you buy and with an offer to help.

My heartfelt wishes for health to Rev. Wesley, then, and to those reading this: these lessons about clergy, I suspect, pertain to us all. We are more likely to flourish if we share our joy with others, have back-up plans for healthy activities, and align ourselves with a greater purpose.

(Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell is an associate professor at the Duke Global Health Institute and research director of Duke Divinity School’s Clergy Health Initiative. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

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