As a missionary, I was taught that my purpose was to invite others to come unto Christ through the ordinances of baptism and confirmation. Some of the sweetest and most tender experiences in my mission came by way of these sacred ordinances.
Saturday night, I was privileged to attend the convert baptism of a young single adult in my ward. This young man’s story closely paralleled the conversion story of my wife, with his parents also being in opposition to his baptism as my wife’s parents were to hers.
The opening hymn sung at the baptism was especially touching and invited the Spirit into the meeting, Come Unto Jesus.
1. Come unto Jesus, ye heavy laden,
Careworn and fainting, by sin oppressed.
He’ll safely guide you unto that haven
Where all who trust him may rest.2. Come unto Jesus; He’ll ever heed you,
Though in the darkness you’ve gone astray.
His love will find you and gently lead you
From darkest night into day.3. Come unto Jesus; He’ll surely hear you,
If you in meekness plead for his love.
Oh, know you not that angels are near you
From brightest mansions above?4. Come unto Jesus from ev’ry nation,
From ev’ry land and isle of the sea.
Unto the high and lowly in station,
Ever he calls, “Come to me.”Text and music: Orson Pratt Huish, 1851–1932
Sunday, as this young man received the Gift of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands, the words of the hymn again came powerfully into my mind. The invitation is simple, come unto Jesus, but one that requires a lifetime of commitment and faith.
I admire this young man’s acceptance of the divine invitation to come unto Christ and for the scriptural reminder that the invitation remains open to everyone:
30 For my yoke is aeasy, and my burden is light.Matthew 11: 28-30
Brian, I always find convert stories spiritually touching. It seems that every convert does so in the face of challenges in one form or another. Whether it is family opposition, needing to over come Word of Wisdom challenges, or some other issue. The path to Christ is never easy.
The verses you quoted from Matthew are frequently quoted. One of things I find interesting about these verses is verse 30 itself. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Does anyone actually believe this about Christ? Was anything about his burden light or his yoke easy or comfortable? Some of the most Christ-like and spiritual people I know have very difficult and challenging lives. We all face trials on a regular basis. It occurs to me that the reason Christ’s yoke was easy and burden was light, was because of his continuous eternal perspective. Even the horrible trials and sacrifices he faced could be seen as easy and light if thought of in an eternal perspective. Truly there is a lesson about patience, perservance, and point of view here for all of us when we get down and depressed about the difficulties and burdens in our lives.
Thanks for the post. I wish the new member of your ward all the best.
That was beautiful. I love the passage in 2 Nephi 2:4 “And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and SALVATION IS FREE.” We just have to be willing to go to him and he will do the rest.
Nobody had a heavier yoke than the Savior, but nobody was more willing to take on additional burdens to help us along. That is one of the things I learned from baptism, and my baptism was filled with all kinds of challenges, just like this convert.
I always interpreted “my yoke” to mean the yoke I take upon myself as I follow Christ, contrasted with the weighty burdens of sin, heartache, anger, and pain.
(Thus the Deseret Bookism “I never said it would be easy. I only said it would be worth it.” seems an outright lie to me. I detest that platitude.)
Thank you, Brian.
Thanks for the comments everyone.