Introductory Comments to Musings on Gospel Themes.

 Introductory Comments to Musings on Gospel Themes.

During my nearly 90 years of living, I have had many opportunities to be instructed, uplifted, and inspired by the scriptures. This began for me at about age 7, when the president of our Kiel branch sat my brother Klaus and me down, gave us a Book of Mormon, and the pamphlet wherein Joseph Smith tells his own story. He encouraged us to read those regularly, and then extracted a promise that we would do so, a promise which I gladly made and kept.

The occasion for that interview was a result of the war. Kiel was a major base of the German Navy with a large Submarine base. The banks of the harbor also housed many shipyards. Consequently, Kiel was a natural target for the RAF. With nightly bombing raids, the German government instituted a program to relocate children away from immediate danger. The “Kinderlandverschickung” sent Klaus and me to Ebermannstadt in northern Bavaria. Klaus was placed with the local director of the Bank, and I became a member of the Schruefer family, which lived on the cemetery, where they were hired by the city as caretakers and managers.

I had the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith story on my night stand next to my bed. An aunt came to visit. She was more Catholic than the Pope. She picked up the Joseph Smith story, rummaged through it and commented: “What a sweet story for Children”. I was furious, “That is not a story, that is the Truth”.

Later as a 15-year-old, I discovered 2 Ne 2 and marveled at the depth of the philosophical content in the context of the Gospel. Since then, a few years ago, I decided to read all standard works yearly. I counted the pages, divided that number by 365 and discovered that if I read 7 pages a day, I could easily read the entire canon of our scriptures by only reading each day for 15 minutes. Furthermore, that left some time for pondering. I followed that plan for three years, then the following years I decided to search for nuggets. Rather than reading carefully, word for word, I skimmed through the pages until a verse touched me, I wrote it down on a spread sheet along with some comments. In this manner I have gone through the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and I am now halfway through the Doctrine and Covenants. The result of this effort is added to the appendix.

The sole reason for writing these Blog Posts is to share the joy I have experienced as I have pondered the scriptures which have given purpose and direction to my life. 

The thoughts expressed in these posts are entirely my own. They have not been reviewed or edited by “Scriptorians”.  I alone am responsible for thoughts expressed. While I hope that principles discussed do not go counter to official Church position, no such inerrancy is claimed.

I hope that you will feel the warmth associated with attempts to draw near to our Savior as you study and ponder. It is my hope that these musings will stimulate you to do so.

 

Strengthening our Testimony of Jesus Christ

Oquirrh Mountain Ranch Ward

Sacrament Meeting 3.13.22

Strengthening our Testimony of Jesus Christ

Note: This was originally given as a talk in Sacrament Meeting. 

My dear sisters and Brothers

During the 88 years of my live, by now nearly 89 years, I have resided in 35 different Wards or Branches, 7 Missions and 11 Stakes. In all of them my testimony of our Savior has been strengthened by opportunities to serve, and mostly by the love of very dear friends. Not only has the Oquirrh Mountain Ranch Ward not been an exception to the loving experiences encountered, but on the contrary, she stands as a shining example of the love and closeness which will build Zion throughout the world.

Permit me to consider with you three phases of the Love of our Heavenly Father for all of us as expressed by John (John 3:16) “for God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life.”

In the first phase of this discussion, I would have you remember that our Father taught this principle to Adan and Eve in the Garden when he promised them that while Satan would have power to bruise his heel, his seed (Christ) would have power to crush his head. Later after they had been cast out of the Garden and had built an alter to pray to the Father and to offer a sacrifice, they were taught that they should offer a sacrifice because that was a symbol of the last and infinite Sacrifice of the Savior’s Atonement.

I would like to give two more examples, this time of a prophet, whose message Christ describes as: “Great are the words of Isaiah”. As I do this, I would like to invite you to a spiritual feast which will come as an answer to your search of the scriptures for additional prophesies of the coming of the Messiah.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely, He hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows

Isaiah 61:1 – 2 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; 

        Or in Numbers 24:17 Behold a Star from Jacob shining, and a scepter from Israel rising Mendelssohn Christus

And of course, there is the promise to Abraham, given also to Isaac, and then to Jacob:  In Thee and Thy seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed. 

There really are only three truly universal blessings: One is life itself, then there is death. Without death there would be no resurrection and no possibility for Eternal Life. And that possibility is given through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. So, this promise to Abraham is two-fold. (Gen 12:3) On the one hand Abraham is promised that He who would make the resurrection and Eternal Life possible would be borne as his seed. Jesus Christ would come through the lineage of Abraham. Mary would be a distant daughter of Israel. Furthermore, the numerous descendants of Abraham, as many as the grains of sand in the sea, will have the opportunity and responsibility to take the message of the Gospel, the Good News, the joy of forgiveness through the atonement of Christ, to the world. We of the house of Israel have that calling.

In the second phase of contemplating the mission of our Savior we come to the fulfilment of the earlier prophesies. We find Christ in the synagogue of Nazareth. By now he has already done some teaching, and word of his impact has already reached his home, so, the minister hands him the scroll of scriptures and he reads from Isaiah (Luke 4:15 – 21, Isaiah 61:1 – 2). He reads, hands back the scroll and then sits down, which at that time meant he had something to say. All eyes are upon him. They recognize the scripture as a Messianic prophesy, they eagerly await the day of his coming.  “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”  They reject him. In contrast, another fulfilment of the prophesies. (John 4:6 – 26) Christ travels through Samaria, and somewhat fatigued he sends the apostles to get food and he sits down by Jacob’s well, A Samaritan woman comes and he asks her to draw some water for him. She is amazed, that he, a Jew, would talk to a Samaritan. His response: if you knew who I am you would ask me for water, and I would give you living water. After a lengthy conversation he says: “I, that speak unto thee am he”. Let me give you a third example: (John 8:31-58)

So, as the descendants of Israel, how do we respond? How do we meet our opportunity in the third phase of the great Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Let me use three Hymns by way of a suggestion.

I love all three of these hymns, I can’t ever sing any one of them without tears filling my eyes. The first is a very sweet Christmas carol: Away in a manger. In the second verse we sing: ” I love Thee, Lord Jesus”.  I hope we do! The second is the Battle Hymn of the Republic. In the second verse we sing: “Be swift my soul to answer Him, be jubilant my feet.”

 The third is a Hymn of the Restoration: “Rise up. O, Men of God, have done with lesser things. Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.

In Conclusion, may I suggest you follow the Savior’s council to “search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  (John 5:39) Search the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon before 3rd Nephi, for the Prophesies of the coming of the Messiah, then search the New Testament for the teachings by Christ. As you do so I promise you a level of joy beyond what you expected as you permit Christ to permeate your life. You will find the peace He promised (John 16:33) 

The Love and the Friendship which I experienced in your midst at the side of a wonderful woman during the past four years will always be with me. I express my gratitude and love to you and to my Heavenly Father,

Recognizing the love which is responsible

For sending His Son

Who makes it possible for us to experience the Joy of Forgiveness,

As we approach Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

In the Name of Jesus Christ

Amen

The Messiah in the Restoration

 The Messiah

Prophesies of His coming

Fulfilment of these prophesies

The Messiah in the Restoration

The earliest comments about the coming of the Messiah relate to the time prior to the creation of the earth. Elohim, the Father of our spirits, presented His plan of salvation to us, which included the necessity of receiving a body, in order to become like Him, and ultimately return to our heavenly home to become divinely creative with Him in His presence. This furthermore included the inevitability of mistakes which would distance us from the ultimate goal of Eternal Life.

Payment by all who were subject to death by reason of sin, was clearly insufficient, so someone needed to be chosen to accept the task of living without sin in the face of extreme suffering to expiate for the universal load of sin, taking upon himself the infinite sin of the world, and voluntarily giving His life, and conquering death by freely taking up His life again and becoming the first to be resurrected.

Two offered themselves for the task. 

The firstborn spirit of our Father suggested “send me”, fully acknowledging the great gift of agency and free choice in order to make it possible for all of our Father’s children to return home. He was willing to make that infinite sacrifice, give His life and take it up again, while taking upon himself the sins of the world and suffering for all our transgressions, griefs, and carry our sorrows. The condition for making this sacrifice effective in our lives was accepting this offer through obedience and repentance by offering the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

The other offered universality of Eternal Life by removing the possibility of sin, eliminating choice and agency, with their concurrent opportunities for growth. For the universality of salvation, he demanded the glory and power of the Father. 

The Father spoke: “I will send the first”. Satan rebelled, and, because of that rebellion, and the ensuing war, was cast out with one third of the heavenly host who followed him.

Moses 4:1 -  4; Revelation 12:7 – 13; D&C 29:36

The first reference to the Savior in the scriptures, in the context of mortal life, is found in relating incidents in the garden of Eden following the fall. God tells Satan: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman,    between thy seed and her seed (Christ), and he shall bruise thy head. and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Moses 4:21

After Adam and Eve are driven out of the Garden, they obediently build an altar and offer prayers and sacrifices. An angel teaches them the significance of the sacrifice as a “similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.”

Moses 5:5 - 8