When I was younger, before the consolidated block we have now, the sacrament used to be administered during junior Sunday School. Aside from making me feel really old, I have some unique memories from attending church.
One of my favorite primary songs we sang as the bread was being broken was “We Bow Our Heads.”
For the first time in my life, I was invited to take the sacrament to a sister in the ward who is recuperating from surgery.
[Cross posted from Sixteen Small Stones]
The Book of Mormon records that Giddianhi, the leader of the antagonist Gadianton Robbers, wrote a letter to Lachoneus, the leader of the protagonist Nephites, demanding that they relinquish all their property and join their cause. In his letter he gives an ultimatum:
“And behold, I swear unto you, if ye will do this, with an oath, ye shall not be destroyed; but if ye will not do this, I swear unto you with an oath, that on the morrow month I will command that my armies shall come down against you, and they shall not stay their hand and shall spare not, but shall slay you, and shall let fall the sword upon you even until ye shall become extinct.”
It was a few years ago that the peculiarity of Giddianhi’s ultimatum really stood out to me for the first time.
As an English major with a particular interest in literature written before the 20th century, I had read a variety of texts from the Old English, Middle English, Renaissance, Early Modern,18th and 19th Century periods. At the time I had been reading a great deal of early American writing, often in the original spelling and grammar, which had been written between 1500 and 1860. I had just finished a handful of books published around the time when Joseph Smith published the Book of Mormon and the phrase “…on the morrow month…” in Giddianhi’s letter really stuck out as an unusual construction.
I wondered if “on the morrow month” was in common usage in the 19th century, when Joseph was translating the Nephite record, but had since fallen out of use. Or maybe it was a construction adapted from the Jacobean language of the King James Bible. I had never run into it in any of my other reading, so I started to investigate.
The word ‘remember’ is used frequently in the scriptures. In an October 2007 Conference address, President Eyring provided timely counsel and stressed the importance of remembering.
Today was an important day for remembering as I attended my maternal grandmother’s funeral and graveside service.
As my aunt, uncles and mother spoke at the funeral service, they spoke of memories that guided and shaped their lives.
A flood of memories rushed into my mind as I reflected on the impact my grandmother had on my life; my upbringing; the upbringing of my children.
I also reflected on how I want to be remembered by my family, friends, and my own children.
In response to President Eyring’s questions, “Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children?” I can respond without hesitation—yes!
Over the past several months, I have leaned and relied heavily upon the Lord; especially with the recent passing of my grandmother.
The Lord has blessed me richly and abundantly as I have remembered and followed Him.
Thanks be to God for rich blessings in store for those who but do His will–the promise of eternal life and exaltation.
I testify that He lives and that He loves each of His children. May we always remember Him and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
[Cross Posted from Sixteen Small Stones]
Some LDS proponents of Socialism like to compare capitalism to the infamous Gadianton Robbers in the Book of Mormon. It seems a simple line to draw between the “Profit Motive” of Capitalism and the secret combination of the Gadiantons to “get gain.” Too simple in fact. A more careful reading shows that in some ways the Gadianton Robbers seem to be more like Marxist Revolutionaries.
Chapter 3 of the book of 3rd Nephi in the Book of Mormon is interesting in that it is one of the few sections of the text which purports to give us a glimpse of how the Gadianton Robbers viewed themselves, rather than how they were viewed by Mormon and his Nephite protagonists. Verses 2 through 10 are the record of an epistle written to the governor of the Nephites, Lachoneus, from the leader of the Gadianton Robbers, Giddianhi:
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| Christ continually invites us to abandon old habits, attitudes, and thoughts and replaces them with newer and better ones. |
The following guest post from Jeffery Thane is cross-posted at LDSPhilosopher.com.
As repeated in the Book of Mormon countless times, prophets have long prophesied that Christ would come to earth to redeem His people. Abinadi taught that “God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth … that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead … and redeem his people.” Abinadi was murdered for preaching this, but Alma, Abinadi’s sole convert, continued to teach others about “the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ.”
