Eithth-grade Glee Club

So… here I am in eighth grade at the old Antioch Junior High School. I survived seventh grade the year before, enduring considerable bullying and even some petty blackmail by the big time ninth graders (Karma fell upon them when they became freshmen in high school the next year).

I had always wanted to learn to sing, so I signed up for eighth grade glee club. I had never sung before in any organized fashion, but I really wanted to learn. The sad end of my first semester was that the teacher actually asked me not to come back for the second semester. She not very kindly informed me that I could not carry a tune in a bucket. I was the only one (that I am aware of) she removed from glee club – very embarrassing, and it resulted in a mostly lifelong assumption that I could not sing.

Later in life, I asked my sister and her husband to help me learn. My sister informed me that she could teach anyone to sing (she had a masters in music), and we did have a few lessons when they came up to visit our mother. I did practice the things they taught me, and they seemed to help somewhat. Now and then I could find my pitch (turns out I am a natural base), and even sing on key sometimes. I could always hear the notes but before the simple lessons I had, I could not find them aloud. Now, I can at least carry a tune sometimes. Even my sweet wife says I have improved.

In my mind, this is what mortality is all about – improvement. Recently, a wonderful lady missionary whom I am proud to say is a relative of my son’s wife, Sister Christen Anne Aniel, (who is American Pilipino, but is actually serving in the Philippines) said this in her weekly e-mail (I quote it in its entirety without permission – I hope Sister Aniel will not be upset):

Tagalog Word of the Week: kumanta = to sing.

Alma 26:13

"Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?"

There's this really cool story of a woman named Lea. At the age of 26, this single mother found herself in Manila prepping for a major operation, leaving behind her 7-year-old daughter in Mindanao. 

At this stage in her life, she was searching for the truth - she just hadn't known it. A few months ago, her friend had given her a Book of Mormon. She had received a testimony of its truthfulness, before getting to the book of Mosiah. Lea had even came to know of the power of fasting after trying it a few times for herself. After reading more on lds.org, and the many more testaments of truth, she just couldn't contain the light she had discovered. She overcame her shyness, and decided to finally attend church. 

When she got there, the first person she met was the stake president - the first thing she told him was that she wants to get baptized. He told her he would find the missionaries! 

And that's when we come in. As we were sitting in Relief Society, President Arzaga poked his head in and signaled us out. My first reaction was that we were in some sort of trouble (I promise we haven't broken any rules!), but he told us that he had someone for us as he led us to the foyer. And that's when we met Lea.

Although she was shy, I could feel her Spirit bursting out of her - even more so as she glowed when we sang 'I Am A Child of God,' when she shared her testimony to us, and as we all bawled during her closing prayer. When we asked when she wants to get baptized, she then responded with, "As soon as possible!" We then told her we would find our mission president! 

We found him at the mission office and shared with him her story (trying not to cry, but failing miserably). He said we could baptize her on the day we had planned, 20 June, the day before her surgery (despite the usual prereqs). He happily agreed to meet with her, did her baptismal interview as well, and by sacrament meeting she was sitting, surrounded by a group of members who had fellowshipped her right away, as the bishopric announced her baptism at the pulpit. 

I testify that miracles still happen, and Sister Lea is one of them. I know that the true song of redeeming love comes through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and once we learn the tune, it's a beautiful song. [bold emphasis added]

Hope you all have an awesome week! 

There are only 3 places in the all of the scriptures that mention “redeeming love,” Alma 5:9, 5:26, and 26:13. This beautiful concept seems unique to Alma, the son of Alma, the extraordinary prophet and missionary. Even more unique is the concept that redeeming love is so beautiful that as we begin to embrace the gospel, it creates a song in our hearts. Just as I could hear the notes, but could not sing them aloud at first, so the song of redeeming love at first dwells in our hearts, and as we mature in the gospel, bursts forth like the songs of the wonderful birds that the Lord has given us to brighten our lives and gladden our hearts.

The Lord has given a voice to most of the creatures on the earth. Birds are the lead singers. But wolves, coyotes, dogs, cats, lions, tigers, and even Meercats can communicate using a chirp of song to mean many things from danger to “come find me.” Porpoises and whales communicate with complex notes and chirps that can mean many things. Parrots are very intelligent and can learn to use words and song, as can Chimpanzees and great apes. Mortal man has given voice to the song in his heart and created incredibly beautiful music, complex instruments to play it, and beautifully trained voices to sing it (witness Handel’s Messiah).

Why then is it so hard for mortal man to learn the simple song of redemption?

The answer, of course, lies in the preexistence. When the Son of the Morning, our elder brother, was himself tempted by the siren song of eternal, omniscient power and glory; he tried to usurp that power and glory from the Father and Creator of the universe. He was, as we know, cast down from the preexistence along with those billions of spirits who were likewise tempted, to dwell on the earth without bodies or means of return. It is these spirits, under the direction of the evil musical director, Satan himself, who conducts songs of fleshly temptation into our minds to overpower the song of redeeming love.

Redeeming love is a quiet song, sung by a still, small voice that can fill the universe with beauty, but can dwell in your heart. The singer is the Holy Ghost – he would have us join him as he sings, as he teaches the beauties and brightnesses of the universal gospel of Jesus Christ to us. And when a person like sister Lea (and many millions of others) learns the tune, it’s beauty cannot be contained, but according to sister Aniel, came bursting out of her so that we see the siren song of Satan crushed and true redeeming love shining in the countenance of a newly reborn member of the true Church. It brings to mind Alma 5:14:

14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren [and sisters] of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

A mighty change of heart is something that we can all experience. We all know those of whom this is true – whose faces are so pure and bright that the love of the Lord cannot be contained in them. We can all learn the tune. We often do not sing perfectly, but our other elder brother, our Savior, has prepared the way for us to perfect our voices. We know that as President Howard W. Hunter, in his book, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, has explained to us:

Part of our difficulty as we strive to acquire spirituality is the feeling that there is much to do and that we are falling far short. Perfection is something yet ahead for every one of us; but we can capitalize on our strengths, begin where we are, and seek after the happiness that can be found in pursuing the things of God [bold and Italics added].

Even Pavarotti must have sung off key once in a while (although I am sure I have never heard him do so). He controlled that rare occurrence by constant practice and study, by listening to teachers and instructors, but also understanding that he was not perfect but was working for perfection.

I am not in Pavarotti’s class, or even on the same planet. Just as my ability to sing needs a lot more work, I am still learning the tune of the quiet song of redeeming love, but it seems to be more and more often in my heart, for which I am eternally grateful. Learn the tune. Learn kumanta.