Special ZOOM program :
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Sunday, August 8, 2021
Eugene England book : an evening with author, Terryl Givens
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Easter Every Sunday
One of my early morning seminary students posted this last week. It's notes from a talk I gave over 20 years ago, just after the 12 published "The Living Christ." Thanks, Jocelyn.
1. Preparation needs to begin before we ever enter the
building.
As in the Old Testament, where priests had to keep themselves ritually clean in order to officiate in the sacrifice of the lamb, so the Priesthood today must prepare by staying clean - including in their activities with friends on Friday and Saturday night. As we members arrive at Church, we can take time for a parking lot interview- as if entering the Temple- and ask ourselves: ' Am I worthy today to partake? Can I enter the Lord’s house and be comfortable renewing my covenants alongside these ward members?' If necessary, pray, make peace with others in the foyer or a classroom or over the phone. But as you are judging your worthiness, Neal A. Maxwell said, “If you now feel or have ever felt the desire to partake of the Sacrament, to thank God for His goodness or remember Christ’s atonement then you should.”
Arrive early enough to watch the teachers prepare the
Sacrament table, and consider: that they are laying out the Body and Blood of
Christ which they cover with a clean shroud of linen. When the linen is
removed, new life is offered to all.
2. Prayer- For Priests, saying the Sacrament prayer is a time to be perfect - just like Christ. Priests stand in for Jesus whose words they speak. They represent Christ as He pleads formercy from the Father- our Father and His- in our behalf and in His name. If possible, a priest should have thought about the word he is speaking and try to say them as if he means them : to make the words his own. We as members participate in the prayer not only through our AMEN, but also by offering heartfelt silent prayers of our own as we worship.
3. We all - member and priesthood officiators - participate by either feeding or feasting. In blessing and passing the sacrament, the priesthood presents an interesting paradox : the greatest becomes the servant of all in a powerful contrast to our worldly culture. God’s plan has MEN standing, preparing, and serving food to seated women and children while waiting to eat LAST, just the opposite of mealtime in most cultures. One most memorable Sacrament occasion for me was at a family reunion in Zion’s Canyon. Grandpa presided and all serving were our sons or nephews. You have probably had a similar experience encircling a hospital bed, on a battlefield, or in a quiet hotel room far from home.
There is no power in merely OBSERVING the passing of the Sacrament anymore than the unclean woman was healed by WATCHING Jesus walk by: she had to reach out her hand and lay hold on the healing body of Christ. During the passing of the sacrament, we as members should be feasting, not just on the soft bread and cool water but also on the words of Christ. I love to watch young families helping children remember Jesus by looking at pictures of Christ. Reading scriptures or sacramental hymns can help us as adults
“Remember Him” for at least the first 10 minutes of our new
life with Christ.
Choose today to take the Sacrament.
2- Pay attention to the ordinance. “Our outward involvement
in spiritual things can also be illusive. One can be present at Sacrament
meeting but not really worship; the physical body can be there, while the mind
and heart are elsewhere. One can accept a calling but still not magnify it,
ending up by simply serving time. One can pay fast offerings unaccompanied by
any personal service to needy neighbors or to the poor. We can open our
checkbooks in the same way as some open their scriptures- more in mechanical than
spiritual compliance. In Church, we can join in singing the hymns while being
without a song in our hearts. We can take the sacrament with hand and mouth yet
not be taken in mind, at least sometimes, to Gethsemane and Calvary. We can
play artful doctrinal ping-pong in various Church classes but with minds and
hearts that are less stretched than the ping-pong net.... (p. 56) Not everyone
will be like Cain or Judas. Equally tragic are able men like Pilate and Agrippa
who see themselves as sophisticated neutrals.” (Maxwell, p. 55)
3- Make the covenant today and keep it: “Already too many
Church members have broken hearts and broken homes because of broken covenants
and broken promises. Society’s increasing slide towards pleasure-seeking brings
our so-called civilization comparatively closer to Sodom then to Eden.” (Maxwell,
p.67) “If you sense that one day every
knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord,
why not do so now? For in the coming of that collective confession, it will
mean much less to kneel down when it is not longer possible to stand up!” (Maxwell,
p. 173)
4- Consecrate the rest of your life. “Consecration is the
only surrender that is also a victory. It brings release from raucous,
overpopulated cell block of selfishness and emancipation from the dark prison
of pride.” (Maxwell, p. 62)
Choose today to live a life of holiness- may we stand as
lights and guides to others around us, too. Only those who are different can
make a difference in a darkening world.
[all quotations are taken from the Neal A. Maxwell Quote
Book]
“He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. “ The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles, (2000)
Sunday, March 7, 2021
{Documentary) History of the Church Referred to in the old D&C Section Headings
Each of the sections of the OLD hard copy Doctrine and Covenants (my hard copy gives a publication date of 1981/2005) begins with a new (at that time) section heading which gives the historical background, or context, of how, where, when, etc. that revelation was received. Each old section heading also references the History of the Church, meaning the Documentary History compiled from journals and letters of Joseph Smith, usually written down by one of his scribes or friends. For example, the old heading of D&C section 4 says:
"Revelation given through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, to his father, Joseph Smith, Sen., at Harmony, Pennsylvania, February 1829, HC 1:28"
The NEW, digital versions of the headings LEAVE OUT the references to the HC. The new, digital version says,
"SECTION 4
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to his father, Joseph Smith Sr., at Harmony, Pennsylvania, February 1829."
So, don't get rid of your old, printed out hard copy scriptures: that version is very helpful for scripture study!
Of course, you can read MORE and more accurate background/context at the Joseph Smith Papers website. Especially helpful is the Joseph Smith’s Revelations: A Doctrine and Covenants Study Companion from the Joseph Smith Papers.
But for 100 years, the History of the Church was the "go to" source for historical information. If you do not own a set of these volumes of the (Documentary) History of the Church, they are available FREE online at BYU Studies (again, thank you, John Welch).
https://byustudies.byu.edu/further-study/history-of-the-church/
Sunday, February 21, 2021
Doctrine and Covenants 14-17 : CFM Lesson
Final of the three videos of me teaching this week's CFM lessons. This final one covers the revelations sought by David, John and Peter Whitmer Jr and the calling of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon.
The still photo above comes from a trailer for a NEW movie about the 3 witnesses which will be released to theaters this summer, 2021. You can view the trailer and learn more about the movie at https://witnessesfilm.com/
As usual, the links to videos, Ensign articles and podcasts that I refer to are in the comment section below the YouTube video of the lesson and here, below.
D&C 14- 15- 16- 17
1. GREAT
VIDEO : Sequel to Days of Harmony : A Day for the Eternities : Whitmer family
Story : translation of Book of Mormon,
Org of Church, 3 witnesses, etc. Link to
this in digital CFM manual at LDS.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIqv3DI6PFg
2. GREAT
VIDEO : The Fourth Witness: The Mary Whitmer story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5v_j2JaPu4&t=11s
3. Great article by Richard Lloyd Anderson on the Whitmer family : Ensign August 1979
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1979/08/the-whitmers-a-family-that-nourished-the-church?lang=eng
4. Doctrine
and Covenants Central : Tyler and Taylor 14-17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jxna2UJmbo&feature=emb_logo
5. D&C
14-17 Scott Woodward video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjVk_K-VVc4&feature=emb_logo
6. Good
summary of the lives of the 3 and 8 witnesses video by Casey Paul Griffiths
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYB_ykilZUc&feature=emb_logo
7. Casey
Paul Griffiths podcast with John Bytheway and Hank Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Et4hMg-YY
8. Ensign
article about miracle of plowing, fertilizing on Whitmer farm. Ensign; Feb 1989
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/02/true-to-the-book-of-mormon-the-whitmers?lang=eng
9. 3 witnesses movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NEiXWtijQw
Doctrine and Covenants 13 : CFM Lesson
Listed below in the comments, and here in this blog post, are the URLs to the various videos and podcasts I refer to in the lesson. Enjoy
Doctrine and Covenants 13; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75
7. D&C
13 video by Scott Woodward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3P_I0Xs6HU
8. Priesthood
restoration site video : Daniel Smith, Messages of Christ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fSWRJ_GEX0&feature=emb_logo
9. BYU
Religious Education : Restoration of the Priesthood video (Dec 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E71AB_fEcMc
10. Book of
Mormon Central / Doctrine and Covenants Central : video of Harmony: Hale home,
Joseph Emma home; location of restoration of priesthood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4IkfktONsc
Doctrine and Covenants 12 : CFM
If you would like to know more about D&C 12, Joseph Knight and his family and their desires to assist in God's work, I have posted a lesson on my YouTube channel at ( https://youtu.be/FEwd7C6Qn5A )
2. . D&C12 video by Scott Woodward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl_ILTC9EAo&feature=emb_logo
3. The Knight Home has recently been purchased and restored by Knight family descendants. Family members volunteer as docents and take people on tours of the home. https://www.josephknightfamily.org/deepLinks/_2_FHE_Father_Knight_Friend_to_Joseph_smith.pdf
Pages 9, 10, 11 of this pdf - Make a craft: wagon of Knights used to
transport the Book of Mormon
4. Revelationsin Context : background of the Knight and Whitmer families https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/the-knight-and-whitmer-families?lang=eng
5. Take a Knight family road trip PowerPoint : from England to Utah https://www.josephknightfamily.org/deepLinks/_5_Take_a_Knight_Road_Trip_pdf.pdf
6. GREAT VIDEO : “Days of Harmony” : told by Oliver Cowdery : Links to this are in the digital version of the CFM D&C manual https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6CBPlazU-A
Saturday, January 23, 2021
Jan 25-Feb 1 : Sharper than a Two-edged Sword (D&C 6)
This week, I decided to look in (a LOT of ) detail at the Hebrew background to one phrase in D&C 6: 'sharper than a two-edged sword.'
Doctrine and Covenants 6:2 Behold,
I am God; give heed unto my word,
which is quick and powerful, sharper than
a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore
give heed unto my words.
3 Behold,
the field is
white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap, let him thrust in
his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he
may treasure up
for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God.
4 Yea,
whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of
God.
Where does the metaphor of God’s word as “sharper than a two-edged sword” come from and what does it mean?
The immediate sources for these words are two
verses from the New Testament, which all of Joseph Smith’s friends and family
would have recognized:
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Rev 1:16 And
he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp
twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
So why a TWO-EDGED sword?
If you say that something
is a double-edged sword, you mean that it has positive effects as well as negative
effects.
A sword is a ROD of IRON, an expensive piece of metal
which could be beaten into a sword in times of war, into plowshare or pruning
hook (scythe) in time of peace. (see below for the PLOWSHARE].
[ see Isa 11:3-4 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the
LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after
the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and
reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.]
But, both Paul, in Hebrews, and John, in Revelation, were
using a well-known metaphor from the Old Testament. See for example, Psalm 149:6, Proverbs 5:4,
Job 1:15. What you cannot tell from the
English, is what the original metaphor was in Hebrew. Most of the time, the word “edge” – when used
of a sword – translates the Hebrew word,
פֶּה peh or MOUTH, probably
from the image of TEETH, which are sharp and biting. So if you have a TOOTHED
sword, it logically comes out of your mouth.
Let’s look more closely at the Hebrew of some of these OT
verses.
Proverbs 5:4
חַדָּה כְּחֶרֶב פִּיּֽוֹת
Pro 5:4 But
her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged [פִּיּֽוֹת peyote
feminine plural] sword.
Job 1:15 לְפִי־חָרֶב
Job 1:15 And
the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the
servants with the edge [לְפִי l’pey] of the sword; and
I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
Psalm 149 is particularly interesting because the English translation has both a word for MOUTH (for the HB גְרוֹנָם garonim which actually means “throat, gargle; to roar or shout) and ‘twoedged” for the HB , פֶּה peh or MOUTH)
Psalm 149:6 וֹמְמוֹת אֵל
בִּגְרוֹנָם וְחֶרֶב פִּֽיפִיּוֹת בְּיָדָֽם׃
Psa 149:6 Let the high praises of God be in their
mouth [גְרוֹנָם ], and a twoedged [פִּֽיפִיּוֹת : peypeyot : peh here is doubled and
then made plural] sword in their hand;
Sometimes the word “twoedged” is not an adjective,
but the MOUTH still gets referenced in describing God’s (or a prophet’s) sword.
This is particularly true of poetic portions of the OT.
Isa 49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft (or
arrow); in his quiver hath he hid me;
The psalmist
(David?) in Psa 57:4 uses alliteration –
ch repeated 4 times- (like Neal A Maxwell) in describing teeth as weapons, tongue
as sword.
Psa 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among
them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears [חֲנִ֣ית chaniyth ] and arrows [ חִצִּ֑ים chetsim] , and their tongue a sharp [ חַדָּֽה chadah ] sword [ חֶ֣רֶב chereb].
Psa 64:3 Who whet (sharpen) their tongue like a sword,
and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
Psa 89:43 Thou
hast also turned the edge [ צ֣וּר tsuwr
rock, sharp, edge] of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the
battle
Isa 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be
devoured [תְּאֻכְּל֔וּ אָכַל 'akal to eat or devour] with the sword [חֶ֣רֶב חֶרֶב chereb] : for the mouth [פִּ֥י פֶּה peh] of the
LORD hath spoken it.
 |
Statue : sword into plowshare :
What is the connection between the SWORD and the PLOW? Plowshare is an old-fashioned way of talking
about the hard metal tip attached to a wooden plow allowing it to break earth
more effectively.
Remember, a sword is made from a ROD of IRON, an expensive
piece of metal which could be beaten into a sword in times of war, then back
into a plowshare or pruning hook (scythe) in time of peace
Isa 2:2-5 And
it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above
the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and
say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the
God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:
for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the
nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come
ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Or Joel’s opposite warning to the wicked:
Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into
swords, and your pruninghooks [אֵת ʼêth, ayth ] into
spears: . . .
This is an interesting Hebrew word: it is spelled the same as את, or ote which means
sign, ensign, miracle, plague. It is
spelled with two letters: aleph which is the FIRST letter of the HB
alphabet, and tav, which is the LAST letter of the HB alphabet. The first and the last, in GK alpha and
omega.
MIRRORING GOD'S ACTIONS
Doctrine and Covenants 6:2 Behold, I am God; give heed unto my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my words.
3 Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap, let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God.
4 Yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God.
Notice that God is using a sharp, two edged sword to HARVEST souls. ALL will be CUT, but the covenant-keeping wheat is brought into the storehouse and the disobedient tares will be CUT OFF and cast into the fire.
One of the purposes of D&C 6 is to say that whosoever wants to help God is welcome to step into the field which is white and use their own blade/tool/weapon to assist with the harvest. Remember, the TEMPLE is the storehouse (literally, in the OT, foods - tithes and free-will offerings - were stored inside the temple walls to feed the people in times of FAMINE, PESTILENCE, or WAR).
CUTTING COVENANT WITH A TWO-EDGED SWORD
In Hebrew, the verb karat (כָּרַ֧ת )- meaning to make or seal a covenant - translates literally as "to
cut".
2 NEPHI 4:4 For the Lord
God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper
in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye
shall be cut off from my presence.
Covenants in biblical times were often sealed by killing
and cutting up an animal, with the implication that the party who breaks the
covenant will suffer a similar fate (see Jer 16:4
They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither
shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and
they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be
meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.).
(See also Deu 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing . . .
21 The LORD
shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee
22 The LORD
shall smite thee . . . the sword
23 And thy
heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee
shall be iron. (FAMINE)
25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before
thine enemies:
26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of
the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.)
When God offers His covenant, His words become like
a two-edged sword, whose edges represent Blessings and Mercy to those who
accept and live His commandments, or Cursings and Justice to those who choose
iniquity.
In the Old Testament, Isaiah uses powerful metaphors of this offered
BLESSING / CURSING. Objects can either
bless or curse you, depending upon your choices. “[T]he rod of his mouth . . . (Isa 11:4)” becomes either a cursed sword, or a
blessed plowshare. In ancient times, the same expensive metal rod was beaten
into a sword in times of war, then into a plowshare or pruning hook (scythe) in
time of peace
BLESSING / CURSING in ISAIAH
When my daughter, Heather, was a student at BYU, she studied Isaiah with Victor Ludlow, who required students to create a special project as the final exam. Heather chose to make a book of verses from Isaiah, illustrating objects with interesting textured paper. If you read the book from left to right – the English way – the verses depict curses upon the wicked. If you read the book from right to left – the HEBREW way – the same objects become covenant blessings. After the class ended, Heather gave me the book: I treasure it.
Here are some of the objects /verses she contrasts:
WATER
+ Isa 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is
thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed,
and my blessing upon thine offspring:
-
Isa
28:2 as a flood of mighty waters
overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.
+ Isa 60:20 .
. . the LORD shall be thine everlasting light,
-
Isa
10:16-17 Therefore shall the Lord. . . kindle a burning like the burning of a
fire . . . and his Holy One for a flame:
and it shall burn and devour . . . in one day;
PEACE
+ Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born . . . and his
name shall be called . . .The Prince of Peace.
Isa Isa 32:17 And the work of
righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and
assurance forever.
- Isa 48:22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
