Bulletin
“As a loyal best friend, He will be with us. He will help us. He will send spiritual strength to us… No one in this world is ever alone who's connected to heaven and their Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” - Elder M Russell Ballard
Sacrament Service
First Speaker
Someone who returned from a mission to Atlanta, Georgia in August spoke to us.
In Preach My Gospel, the section on Christ-like attributes - “Just as vital to what you do is who you are…”
Matthew 5
38 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
Christ-like attributes:
Faith, hope, charity/love, virtue, knowledge, patience, humility, obedience.
Chapter 6, Preach My Gospel
Next Speaker
Are we holding onto things that are of no worth and giving up things of true worth that God has for us. Do we hold onto a dime store necklace when God has real treasure for us.
“The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change.” (Elder Dallin H Oaks, The Lord’s Way [1991], 223; emphasis in original)
“Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now.”
…
?When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don’t say he is not worthy to keep practicing. We don’t expect him to be flawless. We just expect him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano but so hard to see in the context of learning heaven?”
(Brad Wilcox, “His Grace Is Sufficient”, Ensign September 2013)
“Now may I speak, not to the slackers in the Kingdom, but to those who carry their own load and more; not to those lulled into false security, but to those buffeted by false insecurity, who, though laboring devotedly in the Kingdom, have recurring feelings of falling forever short.
“Earlier disciples who heard Jesus preach some exacting doctrines were also anxious and said, ‘Who then can be saved?’ (Mark 10:26.)”
“The first thing to be said of this feeling of inadequacy is that it is normal. There is no way the Church can honestly describe where we must yet go and what we must yet do without creating a sense of immense distance. Following celestial road signs while in telestial traffic jams is not easy, especially when we are not just moving next door—or even across town.”
…
“Yes, brothers and sisters, this is a gospel of grand expectations, but God’s grace is sufficient for each of us. Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage, and our personal progress should be yet another way we witness to the wonder of it all!”
“True, there are no instant Christians, but there are constant Christians!” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Notwithstanding My Weakness”, October 1976 General Conference)
Sunday School
The calling of Moses and the freeing of the children of Israel.
We must have faith that God knows better than we do about what will make us happy and what we need.
“the word redeem means to pay off an obligation or a debt. Redeem can also mean to rescue or set free as by paying a ransom.” (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “Redemption”, April 2013 General Conference)
Alma 33
23 And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.
Mosiah 24
13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
The Lord doesn't always remove our burdens, but just makes them feel lighter.
Ether 12
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
1 Corinthians 11
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
“Perhaps we do not always attach that kind of meaning to our weekly sacramental service. How “sacred” and how “holy” is it? Do we see it as our passover, remembrance of our safety and deliverance and redemption?
“With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions. As such it should not be rushed. It is not something to “get over” so that the real purpose of a sacrament meeting can be pursued. This is the real purpose of the meeting. And everything that is said or sung or prayed in those services should be consistent with the grandeur of this sacred ordinance.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘This Do in Remembrance of Me’”, October 1995 General Conference)
Elders Quorum
My Lesson on the second half of Elder Oaks’ talk.
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