Announcements - Dec. 22, 2013

Plan to attend the Weekday Activity on Wednesday, January 8^th at 7 P.M.

Start the New Year right by learning about Internet, Safety and Savvy.

All ward adults are invited.  

Lesson Summary - Dec. 22, 2013

Teaching of President Lorenzo Snow #24

and

“The Moral Force of Women”

by Elder Christofferson

Presented by Andrea

“When Jesus lay in a manger, a helpless infant, He knew not that He was the Son of God, and that formerly He created the earth…The Glory and power He possessed before He came into the world was made known unto Him…while traveling here on earth, fulfilling His mission. Jesus told the people He did not perform the miracles He wrought in their midst by His own power, nor by His own wisdom; but He was there in order to accomplish the will of His Father. He came not to seek the glory of men, or the honor of men; but to seek the honor and glory of His Father that sent Him. Now, the peculiarity of His mission, and that which distinguished it from other missions, was this: He came not to seek the glory and honor of men, but to seek the honor and glory of His Father, and to accomplish the work of His Father who sent Him. Herein lay the secret of His prosperity; and herein lies the secret of the prosperity of every individual who works upon the same principle.”

Lorenzo Snow

Elder Christofferson teaches us the same message: “Sisters, of all of your associations, it is your relationship with God, your Heavenly Father, who is the source of your moral power, that you must always put first in your life. Remember that Jesus’s power came through His single-minded devotion to the will of the Father. He never varied from that which pleased His Father. Strive to be that kind of disciple of the Father and the Son, and your influence will never fade.”

The common message from each of these lessons is to have the single minded focus in all that we do, of bringing honor and glory to the Father and the Son.

How do we do this? President Monson suggests “and when we find Him, will we be prepared, as were the wise men of old, to provide gifts from our many treasures?” What is our treasure? What are our gifts?

Some sisters offered: our time, our agency, our service, and our single-minded focus.

The only gift we can give Him is the only one He wants. It encompasses all of those suggestions: we need to give Him our heart.

C.S. Lewis talks about humans as Tin Soldiers. That through learning of Christ and becoming His disciples, and handing ourselves over to Him, we are becoming real. We change. The part of us that doesn't like the change is the part of us that is still Tin.

Lewis continues, “The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing is to hand over your whole self – all your wishes and precautions – to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call ‘ourselves’, to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time to be ‘good’. We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way – centered on money or pleasure or ambition – and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do…”

When He said, “Be perfect”, He meant it. He meant that we must go in for the full treatment. It is hard, but the sort of compromise that we are all hankering after is harder – in fact, it is impossible.”

Why can’t part of us stay Tin? Some answers were: we need to become vulnerable, to be humble. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

In our darkest moments is just when He wants our hearts, when He will be there to bear our burdens and to comfort and direct our lives.

In his book “Believing Christ”, Stephen Robinson give an example of a convert who was “one of the roughest persons he has ever known. Abused as a child, she had run away – lived on the streets, traveled with a motorcycle gang. Then she met the missionaries and became converted. For a long time after her baptism, this sister still swore like a trooper, even in church, and never quite lived the Word of Wisdom one hundred percent. She punched out someone at a Relief Society meeting… At what point did she become eligible for the kingdom? When she quit cigarettes? Got her temper and language under control? No, though important. She was justified through her faith in Jesus Christ on the day that she repented of her sins, was baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost…She believed in Christ and believed Christ. She gave all she had and held nothing back. It may not have been much, but it was everything.”

He summed it up this way, “Each of us operates at a different level of performance within the covenant boundaries. The percentages vary both from person to person, and even for the same person over a period of time. In my case, my efforts might take me 20% of the way to perfection. The Savior covers the other 80%. In your cases, your efforts might take you 50% or 2% of the way. The Savior’s will covers the difference. But in every case the sum of the joint effort is the same – anyone’s best efforts however great or small, plus the atonement of Christ will equal 100% of what is needed to enter God’s kingdom.”

“And when we find him, will we be prepared, as were the wise men of old, to provide gifts from our many treasures? They presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are not the gifts that Jesus asks of us. From the treasure of our hearts Jesus asks that we give of ourselves.” Pres. Monson

So this takes us to Christ’s gifts to us – we give Him our hearts – our singular focus – and what does He give to us?

Each one of us is given the gift of the atonement – knowledge that we are saved. Brother Robinson said it this way: ”The divine victim has answered the demands of justice in the Garden of the Press and on Calvary, and He did it alone, and He did it for you and me. This gives Him the right to claim those who enter into His covenant, to bring each of us under His wing and say, ‘I've paid for this one; this one is mine’ ”.

C.S. Lewis continues, “A real person, Christ, here and now, is in that very room where you are saying your prayers, is doing things to you. It is not a question of a good man who died two thousand years ago. It is a living Man, still as much a man as you, and still as much God as He was when He created the world, really coming and interfering with your very self; killing the old natural self in you and replacing it with the kind of self He has.”

Consider the power we have as women. Consider the effect that each of us has on loved ones, neighbor, colleagues, friends when we show – in overt and subtle ways – how we turn to Christ. Is there any greater lesson we can teach?

Elder Christofferson quotes Elder Maxwell, “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?”

My prayer for each of us on this day – and going into this week – is to better recognize the moments when we are not doing our very best to turn to Christ. When we are more tin than divine. And I pray that when we do turn ourselves over to Him in our moments of grief, loneliness, pride, we share our testimony of the sweet relief that we feel with those around us. With this not only can we change ourselves, we can change the world.

Lesson - Dec. 15, 2013

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church - Lorenzo Snow

Lesson 24 “Reflections on the Mission of Jesus Christ”

presented by Michelle

Michelle began her lesson by explaining that the lesson was about the mission of Jesus Christ and that we would be watching several bible videos on the life and mission of Christ from lds.org/Mormon channel.

The first video was “The Nativity” which depicted the events leading up to the birth of Christ and His birth in Bethlehem as noted in Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:19; Matthew 1:20-21:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-38

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:1-19

 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-21

Michelle asked, “What was Christ’s mission here on earth?”

The answer is the Atonement…He came to atone for our sins.

Moses 1:39 says:  For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

He came to suffer for our sins in Gethsamane.

Joseph Smith said, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

Lorenzo Snow had this as one of his main focuses during his presidency, that Christ came to earth to do the will of the Father.

Other parts of Christ’s earthly mission besides the atonement were:

Being an example of perfect living

Love for everyone: healing, raising of the dead, ministering to all

Organizing His church and preparing the apostles to take over the church after His crucifixion.

His mission (the atonement) and His ministry on earth go hand in hand.

To illustrate this point, Michelle played several more videos from lds.org/Mormon channel.

The next video was: “Whosoever Will Lose His Life for My Sake, Shall Find It” which dealt with Matthew 16:21-28:

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

In this video, Jesus was teaching the principle of service. He also rebuked Peter but then showed an increase in love to him. He set the example that we should be firm in our beliefs but then we follow up with love.

Michelle then showed the video, “Suffer the Little Children” which tells about Luke 18: 15-17:

15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

 16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

 17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

The next video was, “Thou art the Christ” which depicted Matthew 16: 13-19:

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In these scriptures, Jesus was teaching about revelation. He wanted His disciples to rely on revelation and the Spirit and was preparing them for what it would be like after His crucifixion.

All this circles back and highlights Christ’s ultimate mission which was the atonement for all our sins.

Michelle closed with her testimony of the atonement of Christ and during recent events in her life, she has been able to turn herself over to the Lord. She has felt the power of the atonement and has more of an understanding of it.

The final video Michelle played to close the lesson was, “For God So Loved the World”. This video covered John 3:16:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Announcements - Dec. 1, 2013

• The ward temple night will be Thursday, December 5, 7:00 p.m. session.

• The ward progressive dinner will be Saturday, December 7, 6:30 p.m.

• Our next weekday activity will be on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. which will be dinner and a program celebrating Christmas.

Lesson Summary - December 1, 2013

Engage in Service and Good Works

presented by Diane

Diane began her lesson by relating a story about their family cook in Uruguay. This woman had given birth to her third child just three weeks before, but had returned to work since she was the only source of income for her family. Diane’s mother had loaded the station wagon with two large tubs filled with food, canned goods, towels, toys, and various sundry items. The cook and her family lived in a tiny corrugated hut with a sheet for a door. Diane’s mother showed the family how to bath the baby, and the two other children found toys that had been brought to them. Joy filled the little hut that day as service was rendered and hearts turned to God. Diane’s mother set an example of service in the most natural way, by being a mother, and that service comes in all shapes and sizes. Simple acts and generous hearts are all that are required.

The scriptures note service often:

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt 25:40

“…by love serve ye one another.” Galatians 5:13

“Choose ye this day whom you will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

“Say unto this people, Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.” Moses 6:33

“…When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17

There are many ways we can serve. Often they come naturally, or they can be learned.

Diane told about a young father in the ward, who last week came up to her and gave her a hug because she reminded him of his mother. He said that his mother would want him to do that because he was sure that she missed him as much as he missed her. It was a simple act of service that Diane appreciated so much.

We have had many opportunities for service recently, especially in our ward, with the special fasts for those who are sick.

None of us are immune from the difficulties of life. So our job is to lift up the hands that hang down and we bear each others burdens with service to one another.

Diane next asked the audience to come up with ways we serve the Lord. Some of the ways were listed were:

1-Random acts of kindness

2-A phone call to someone, letting them know we are thinking of them

3-Teaching our children, and other children correct principles

A sister who has worked in the Primary for many years, was asked to talk about her service to the children in the ward. There are all types of children, from ones who know a lot about the church and gospel principles, to ones who don’t know much. Some who have problems or who are having a bad day. Primary gives children a sense of security and peace. Those who work in Primary serve the children of the ward.

4-Accepting others who are different from us. A bishop in Salt Lake dressed up as a homeless person and showed up to his ward meetings. It was amazing to see the reactions of the ward members. Most ignored him, some welcomed him, some even told him to leave and a few gave him money. They were surprised when he revealed himself and realized how they treated people differently if they weren’t like themselves.

5-Tithing and other offerings. The humanitarian offerings have raised $1.4 billion from 1985-2011. 179 countries have received aid since 1985 and there are 143 storehouses in operation. Countless people have been served.

Joseph Smith in the “Times and Seasons” in 1842 said, “We are to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church, or in any other, or in no church at all.”

Thomas S. Monson said in January, 1995, “Not only by precept did Jesus teach, but also by example. He stretched forth His hand that others might be lifted toward God. . . . .Unaltered is the divine command to succor the weak and lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. Each of us has the charge to be not a doubter, but a doer; not a leaner, but a lifter. But our complacency tree has many branches, and each spring more buds come into bloom. Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out: “Is there no balm in Gilead … ?” (Jer. 8:22) Each of us must answer.”

6-Visiting Teaching

Acts of service don’t need to be big. “A small thing now is better than a big thing later or never.”

Small acts of service mentioned were a plate of muffins to one of the widowers in the ward, or a dozen donuts and a couple of quarts of milk to a new neighbor who may not have gone to the store yet.

One sister witnessed a store clerk during the Christmas rush, stop and help a small child pick out a Christmas present for her mother. This store employee gave her total attention to this child when she didn’t have to and when there many other customers around.

It is a good reminder that so often people around us are “invisible” and we may not notice them. We should be mindful of those people and lend a hand when possible.

Diane advised us to follow inspiration to know what to do for that particular person.

It can be as simple as telling someone they look nice today.

Another sister mentioned that when someone does something to hurt her, she tries to respond with kindness and love. That person may have something going on in their life that causes them to act that way. This sister reminds herself that “It’s not all about me.”

Former General Relief Society President, Julie Beck, used to tell herself, “Get over yourself.” She would worry about what people would think if she tried to do something for them; she worried that she was imposing on people, that they wouldn’t appreciate what she was trying to do. She just had to tell herself to “Get over herself”, that it wasn’t about her but about the people she was trying to help. It made her not worry about providing service for others.

7-Just do it! What would Jesus do?

8-Give hugs. The power of positive touches.

9-Donate clothing, items to Deseret Industries, Goodwill, etc.

10-Missionary work

11-Fulfill your callings

12-Use your creativity to find ways to provide service

We need to serve God by humbling ourselves.

13-Serve in our community. One sister who is very active in her community told about her experiences while serving as mayor. She advised the sisters to become more involved in the community, that we don’t realize that we can be a great influence for good. This sister wondered how she could bring the light of the Gospel to the community. She decided that as mayor, she would emphasize service and began the tradition of a community service day within her city. It is still going on after five years and is hugely successful.

Serving outside of church allows opportunities for others to ask about the church. She said that we should be good examples.

Another ward sister teaches tennis at the local high school and mentioned to Diane that she knows that she is a positive influence on the girls she teaches.

Diane closed by expressing her hope that we will be examples to those we interact with to spread truth and let our influences for good be known and take the opportunities around us to expand our influence.