Our church is a lay organization - meaning everyone volunteers. The people that give "sermons" on Sunday are members of the congregation, we all take turns. There isn't a sign-up sheet or an orderly rotation, it's just whomever the Bishop asks but he's good at giving members a chance and is happy to accept volunteers.
JC and I received a call late Wednesday night asking if we could give talks (sermons) the upcoming Sunday. This was unusual for various reasons: the time of night, the short notice (usually people are given at least two weeks to prepare), and that both of us were asked (because those giving talks sit up on a stand facing the congregation, not a great place for our active kids so we had to do a trade-off in-between our talks). We also had a busy week ahead of us leaving very little time for us to prepare. But it worked out. For me, this was the easiest talk I have ever written and probably the best one I have ever given. I really feel that when we are called, the Lord helps us. I know He was there when I wrote this talk, providing inspiration, directing my research, and reminding me of personal stories I could use that applied to my message. And I know that He was there when I gave my talk, calming me and helping me.
So, as we have a tradition on this blog of sharing our talks, here you go:
My name is EC. My family has been in the ward for almost a year and a half now. Which is about the longest we’ve ever lived in a given ward, so that means we’ll probably be moving soon. Just kidding Bishop. We’re originally from Oregon, we came here for school and work. We enjoy the outdoors, biking, heavy rain, and we know that Tillamook Creamery makes the best ice cream. Ever. Sorry Graeters.
As a family, we’ve lately been reading in Mosiah. After we read, we discuss with Hulk (our five year old son) what we read. And by discuss, what I really mean is we talk at him while he jumps on his bed. A large section of Mosiah is dedicated to the teaching of a man named Abinadi.
Every time we read about Abinadi we ask Hulk, “Who is Abinadi?”
For the first month or so Hulk would respond, “I don’t know!”
We would then explain that Abinadi is a prophet.
We would then ask Hulk, “What is a prophet?”
And Hulk would respond, “I don’t know!”
You can imagine what our family scripture study is like.
If you ask Hulk now, “what is a prophet?” He’ll respond, “Someone who teaches about God and Jesus Christ.” So, we’ve made some progress.
The scriptures continually support the importance of having prophets and their role as the mouth piece of the Lord. Heavenly Father has spoken “by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began.” The primary hymn book has a song that teaches that Adam, our first earthly father, was also our first prophet.
A prophet is a messenger from God. Prophets are teachers and they instruct us on the will and character of our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. Because of their calling, prophets have a very personal relationship with God. When Heavenly Father was instructing Aaron and Miriam after they had complained against the prophet Moses, He taught them concerning this personal relationship saying, “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.”
When the Lord called the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord told Jeremiah, “Go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak”
And in Amos three seven we learn that “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets”.
Joseph Smith, the first prophet of our modern times, received revelation from the Lord saying, “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”
When a prophet speaks, we would be wise to listen because they are truly speaking the words Heavenly Father would have them say.
Another important role of Prophets is to preach of righteousness and when we begin to stray from the truthfulness of the gospel, it is the prophet that calls us back, restores the true faith, and removes false views.
When ancient Israel turned away from the Lord and began to worship idols, the Lord sent prophets saying “[testify] against Israel, and against Judah… saying, turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”
Throughout scriptural history prophets have been called to cry repentance. Noah to the unrighteous people warning them of the flood, Jonah to Nineveh, Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar and the people of Babylon, Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah to the wicked Lamanites, and in return Samuel the Lamanite to the wicked Nephites. Abinadi to the unrighteous King Noah. When the Lord called Isaiah to preach to ancient Israel He instructed him to, “cry aloud, spare not,lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, andthe house of Jacob their sins.”
Prophets are our lifeline to the Lord, our guides as they strive to keep us from wandering off the straight and narrow path back to our Heavenly Father. They are there when we turn our back on the Lord.
Is that not a sacred calling? Prophets are there for us, to remind us of our purpose, of the plan of salvation, of our loving Heavenly Father, and of our purpose here on Earth. So when we become distracted with the things of this world, Prophets lovingly guide us back.
One afternoon, during high school, I was walking through the parking lot of a mall with a few friends as we made our way to a restaurant. While we walked, we talked, but one friend was busily texting on her phone. Since she was absorbed by her phone, she was clueless to the large puddles in the road or even oncoming cars that our group moved to avoid. So I would gently grab her arm and steer her as we walked. This was a funny event but how often are we so distracted that we don’t notice the dangers that lie ahead before we reach our end destination? Prophets are there to guide us but they are much more direct. Instead of grabbing our arm they tell us to put the phone away so that we can better face the challenges that lay ahead.
In two weeks, we will have the sacred opportunity to hear the words of our living prophets. These are men and women that the Lord has called to teach us of His will and character and to call us back to the fold.
Elder D Todd Christofferson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a devotional while still a member of the Quorum of the Seventy. His devotional centered on the appreciation and reverence for sacred things and he instructed members of the audience to ask themselves, “Do I see the calling of the prophets and apostles as sacred? Do I treat their counsel seriously, or is it a light thing with me? Do your actions show that you want to know and do what he teaches? Do you actively study his words and the statements of the Brethren? Is this something you hunger and thirst for? If so, you have a sense of the sacredness of the calling of prophets as the witnesses and messengers of the Son of God.”
When our modern day prophets are called, they join the company of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We have been instructed to read our scriptures often. When we read the scriptures, we read of the prophetic words and counsels of prophets from previous dispensations talking to us. If it’s important to read the scriptures then it is important to take heed when a prophet from today, talks to us today, in real life. We demonstrate our love and respect to the Lord and our understanding of the sacred calling of prophets as we actively listen to their words during General Conference and then go back and review those words and apply them to our lives over the next six months until the next General Conference and hopefully, after that, the rest of our lives.
This last General Conference, Elder David A Bednar taught that, “meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint.” Meekness helps us overcome pride and it is a Christ-like attribute that we have access to because of the atonement. Elder Bednar gave President Nelson and President Eyring as examples of meekness when they responded to President Monson’s invitation to study, ponder, and apply the truths contained in the Book of Mormon. Here were two apostles of the Lord, who have read the Book of Mormon probably more times than I have years in my life. Yet they responded to President Monson’s invitation and felt the blessings as they demonstrated to the Lord the sacred calling of a Prophet.
The talk on meekness by Elder Bednar, which I just mentioned, I had to review at least a half dozen times before I fully understood its message. It was not something I understood after listening to it once during General Conference, it was something I had to go back to several times. But, by going back I demonstrated to the Lord that the calling of a Prophet is sacred to me and this allowed the Lord to soften my heart so that I could receive the message He had prepared for me.
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