We Talk of Christ ~ Or Do We?

           I want to begin our study of 2 Nephi at the end of the book, because it states the theme of this book, and in fact of the entire Book of Mormon so perfectly:

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Ne 25:26)

Vivian Harmer, a young LDS student, had a revealing experience while studying at a university in northern England. One day she found herself seated on a bus next to an Evangelical Christian, and the talk turned to religion. When she learned that Vivian was Mormon, her seat mate flatly stated, “Mormons aren’t Christians.” Of course Vivian denied this and explained that LDS people really are Christians, just often misunderstood. The young woman replied that she knew better, because she had once been visited by the missionaries, who claimed that they had a message for her about Jesus Christ. “I let them in to talk about Christ,” she said,  “and all we talked about was some man named Joseph Smith. I don’t believe in him, and they didn’t tell me anything about Christ. Your church isn’t Christian.”^⁠1 

For the first time Vivian realized that there may be some reason that LDS people are often considered to be something other than devout Christians. And at that moment these words of Nephi came to mind, and she began to examine her own patterns of conversation, especially in regard to her missionary efforts. To her surprise, she realized that she had many gospel conversations where she covered a variety of topics - from the Book of Mormon to living prophets to the pioneers - but somehow failed to mention that the point of all of these gospel blessings was to lead us to Christ, whom we worship, adore and by whose grace we are saved, after all we can do. This led to a change in her own life, and in her priorities.

In this verse, Nephi is describing his daily walk with Christ, and his words challenge us to take a close look at ours. Do your children, grandchildren and friends hear you talk about Christ, rejoice in Christ and preach of Christ? Do they see you looking first and foremost to Jesus (rather than to programs or commandments or goal-setting sessions) for a solution to your problems? Are you a person who speaks often and freely about grace? In other words, are you easily identifiable as a born-again Christian as well as a commandment-keeping Mormon? After all, the whole point of the commandments is to guide us to the rebirth of the spirit and the outpouring of grace that comes as we seek Christ. This, the Book of Mormon teaches, "is the whole meaning of the law." (Alma 34:14)

As Latter-day Saints, we have so many facets to our faith that it is easy to get caught up in discussing the tributaries and miss the source of the living water. But when it comes right down to it, we either talk about Christ, rejoice in Christ, and preach of Christ, or we don’t. People who know us well regard us as devout Christians, or they don’t, based on our performance in those three areas. From our daily conversation, our peace and joy, and what we choose to talk about in church, it will be obvious who or what comes first. With all that we have been given, with the grace and mercy He has poured out upon us, our faith in Christ should be so obvious to our neighbors that they will just laugh should anyone describe us as anything other than followers of Jesus! Right?

¹ Harmer, Vivian. We Talk of Christ. New Era, April 1987.

Tripping Over the Liahona

One day when Lehi looked out of the tent door, there was something new.  

“And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.” 

It looked like a fancy compass, but this wasn’t just a compass, it was a piece of craftsmanship fashioned in a heavenly realm. And it only worked under certain conditions: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them. And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it.” 

(1 Ne 16:10, 28-29)) 

What in our lives today is like the Liahona? Well, since it acted as a guide for Lehi and his family, since it was only activated by faith, and since it actually contained words of guidance, the Liahona could symbolize the word of God in our lives. Or, because it was something special and outside of the day-to-day routine, and because it was a little hard to understand, it might symbolize the temple. In either case, we have in the Liahona a symbolic source of divine guidance that is close at hand, yet requires significant spiritual preparation in order to utilize it. 

What is the Liahona waiting at the door of your tent, and are you stepping over it every morning rather than taking time to consult it? Taking a few minutes to read the scriptures or to attend a temple session doesn’t get noted anywhere. We don’t get “credit” for it, or praised for it, nor can we deduct it from our tithing. But these quiet efforts to get in touch with God’s guidance make a significant difference in our lives.

Just Slightly Off Course Can be Deadly

Dieter Uchtdorf compares being in tune with spiritual guidance to the navigation of a great airliner. He describes a large passenger jet with 257 people aboard that flew from New Zealand to Antarctica in 1979. Unbeknownst to the pilots, the flight coordinates had been modified just two degrees, meaning that the plane was 28 miles east of where the pilots assumed it to be. This resulted in the airplane flying into the side of a 12,000 foot volcano, killing everyone on board. Elder Uchtdorf concludes: 

“Through years of serving the Lord and in countless interviews, I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, and families often comes down to an error of only a few degrees.

Small errors and minor drifts away from the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring sorrowful consequences into our lives. It is therefore of critical importance that we become self-disciplined enough to make early and decisive corrections to get back on the right track and not wait or hope that errors will somehow correct themselves….

These commandments and covenants of God are navigational instructions from a celestial perspective, and will lead us safely to our eternal destination. That destination is one of beauty and glory beyond understanding. It is worth the effort. It is worth making decisive corrections now and then staying on course.”^⁠1 

Commandments (scriptures) and covenants (temple) are the needles on the ball that keep us on a straight course, as the Liahona did the family of Lehi. And thus we see, that “by small means the Lord can bring about great things.” (1 Ne 16:29)

¹ https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/a-matter-of-a-few-degrees?lang=eng

Living With Vision: Lehi's Dream

We talked about vision this week, living with it and living without it. Lehi's vision sets the tone for the entire narrative. It is first and foremost a family affair, with the members of Lehi's own family playing all of the principal roles. His reaction to it is personal. It is Nephi who, through his interaction with the Spirit of the Lord, sees that the meaning of the vision is cosmic in scope; it involves the whole plan of salvation, hinging on the birth and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When he asks the meaning of the things his father saw, his Spirit guide says simply, "Look." And so he might say to us.

Nephi makes what is, in my opinion, the most breathtaking leap of understanding recorded in the scriptures, when he looks upon a young girl, holding a child in her arms in Nazareth, near his old home town. When the angel first asks him if he understands the "condescension of God," and then tells him that this young woman is "the mother of the Son of God in the flesh," Nephi suddenly understands the meaning of everything. It is the love of God.

We won't ever be alone, and this life is not a random set of experiences with no purpose. God himself was willing to be born in a barn, live as a homeless person and eventually suffer every pain and temptation in order to redeem us. That is what the Book of Mormon and every work of scripture is all about. Feeling the joy of this deliverance is partaking of the sweet, delicious fruit. Offering it to our children and loved ones is the purpose of our existence. Christ is the tree of life.

Symbols and Semitic Connections

Here are the main symbols of Lehi's dream along with the interpretations of the symbols as given to Nephi:

Dark and Dreary Wasteland: 1 Ne 8:7                   (What do you think?)          

Large and Spacious Field: 1 Ne 8:9,20                   World: 1 Ne 8:20                 

Tree of Life: 1 Ne 8:10; 11:25; 15:21-22               Love of God: 1 Ne 11:21-22

Fruit of the Tree: 1 Ne 8:11-12                               (What do you think?)

Fountain/River of Filthy Water: 1 Ne 8:13; 12-16   Hell/depths: 1 Ne 12:16, 15:26-36

Rod of Iron: 1 Ne 8:19                                            Word of God: 1 Ne 11:25; 15:23-25

Mist of Darkness: 1 Ne 8:23                                    Temptations: 1 Ne 12:17

Great and Spacious Building: 1 Ne 8:26                 Pride, worldly wisdom and

                                                                                   vanity: 1 Ne 11:35-36; 12:18

Each of these symbols has connections in the literature that Lehi and Nephi would have been familiar with at the time. (And that Joseph Smith would have known nothing about, by the way.) Ancient legends included a tree of life that offered both water and fruit, mists of darkness and a spirit guide to take the hero through the dark and threatening wasteland.  

—  Dreamed a Dream” ~ Hebrew “cognate accusative” dreamed a dream, built a building, sacrificed a sacrifice – uncommon in modern languages but would have been common in Lehi's time

—  Dark and Dreary Wasteland ~ Narrative of Zozimus (600 BCE) has him going through a wilderness praying and receiving a spirit guide

—  Mary as the Mother of God ~ In Ancient Israelite tradition in the Northern Kingdom, the “Sacred Tree” symbolizes Asherah, wife of God and symbol of divine wisdom

—  White Tree/White Fruit ~ 7 th BCE texts describe sacred tree, white fruit

—  Filthy Water = Muddy Wadi. Awful Gulf: “In the Orphic gold plates… the avoidance of the spring on left = the avoidance of suffering, or hell.”

       Combo Living Fountain/Tree of Life: Babylonian creation myth has tree of life “bathed in watery             white vapors,” both a source of food and water

Here is an interesting article about these connections: Lehi's Dream and Ancient Symbols 

Ne 8:9,20  World: 1 Ne 8:20 

Finding a "User-friendly" Approach to the Book of Mormon

In the last few years most of us have been obliged to embrace the digital age. Confronted with a confusing variety of devices with their attendant charge cords, passcodes and modus operandi, we love devices that are labeled “user-friendly.” This is a relatively new term, coined to describe complex machines or systems that are readily accessible without special skills or a lengthy set of instructions. In other words, given a little time, patience, and a few helpful suggestions (usually from someone at least half our age!) you and I can figure them out.

This has got me thinking about another device we can’t function properly without: the word of God. Are the scriptures “user-friendly?” I would submit that they are, and all of the new technology available to us is making them even more so! But, like my tablet or my new FitBit, discovering the power of these wonderful tools takes a little time and effort, and sometimes the assistance of a friend. So I thought we might sit down together and take a fresh look at our own unique text, the Book of Mormon.

Making the Connection

Have you ever given a friend a Book of Mormon, only to find that he or she experienced some confusion when, instead of a book that explains Latter-day Saint beliefs, your friend finds it to be a narrative about Hebrew emigrants to North America in 600 BCE? Let's be honest: though we are very familiar with the story and its characters, we may have a little of the same “disconnect” in understanding how the Book of Mormon relates to our daily lives. There is a crucial difference between reading the scriptures and really using them. 

Let me illustrate. If you are anything like me, this morning you woke up with a set of things that you are: worrying about, praying about, chatting about on the phone with your friends, or trying not to think about! We all have sorrows and weaknesses that weigh us down. We wrestle with money worries and conflicting demands on our time. Our challenges may include health issues, struggling children, addictions, aging parents, marital difficulties or loneliness. We may have all of the above, and more, because life is difficult by definition. Can we actually use the Book of Mormon to address the very modern problems that beset us every day?

We can, and as we learn to do so this book will become more user-friendly in the very best sense. Rather than a chore on our “to-do” list, the Book of Mormon can become the blueprint for a Christian life. The key to “liken[ing] the scripture unto ourselves” is to identify our modern problems as they are faced by these ancient people. Here are just a few examples: Nephi and his brothers have a lot to teach us about family violence. Lehi and Sarah show us how major changes in lifestyle can cause stress on a marriage. Alma Senior and Junior illustrate the difference between control and influence in parenting. The brother of Jared has something to teach us about dating. (Really!) Mormon and Moroni guide us in knowing when it is acceptable to wage war with others. There are so many more, and we will explore them together.

All you need to get more out of the Book of Mormon is a notebook, some quiet time each day, and a commitment to really pay attention. As you read, ask yourself the following questions: Where am I in this story? In other words: how could this story relate to my life? And, where is Jesus in this story? What is He trying to teach me here? Why is this story in the scriptures at all ? And finally, ask the most important question, "So what do I do about this?" or "How does this affect my life?"

Therefore, What?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said the following: "President Boyd K. Packer, himself a master teacher and long-time administrator in the Church Educational System, has a question he often asks when we have made a presentation or given some sort of exhortation to one another in the Twelve. He looks up as if to say, “Are you through?” And then says to the speaker (and, by implication, to the rest of the group), “Therefore, what?”

“Therefore, what?” I think that is what the Savior answered day in and day out as an inseparable element of His teaching and preaching. I’ve tried to suggest that. These sermons and exhortations were to no avail if the actual lives of His disciples did not change." (CES Conference on the New Testament, 8 August 2000, BYU)'' 

The scriptures are meant, above all, to change us, and the only real key to change is Jesus. As you read, try to write down everything you learn about Jesus Christ, the atonement, and his relationship with you. If you do so, your reading of the Book of Mormon will become a source of living water for you. You will find yourself really using what you read in your daily life, and the scriptures will become what one artist has called "the antidote for the emptiness of existence." I invite you to fill your soul with the wisdom, inspiration, and Christian joy that the Book of Mormon offers. As Alma says so beautifully:

"If ye will nourish the word…by your faith with great diligence…it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in your, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof… and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst." (Alma 32:41-42)