The Least of These

There is a sculpture by Christian artist Timothy P. Schmalz, titled “Homeless Jesus” that depicts the Savior beneath a blanket lying on a park bench.

He is huddled under the folds of a heavy blanket as if he were very cold. His face and hands are hidden. The only evidence of the Biblical Jesus is the statue’s pierced feet.

The sculpture has sparked controversy from the Vatican to North Carolina and beyond. The Pope accepted the sculpture and blessed it. St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York both refused the sculpture. A North Carolina church refused the sculpture because they said that the Savior was not homeless. But in fact, the Savior himself in Matthew 8:20, said:

…The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

This bronze Jesus finally found a resting place at a Jesuit theology school in Toronto and in other places since. If you look closely, you can see the marks of the nails in his feet. Personally, I think that the sculpture should be re-titled: “The Least of These.” In my mind, this sculpture is very powerful and is immediately evocative of the scripture in Matthew 25:35-40:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.(bold Italics added)

The scriptures are replete with the challenge to serve others and to give to those in need. Every person is a child of our Father-in-Heaven. He loves us all, from Adolph Hitler to Mother Teresa. He gives us the opportunity to serve those lying on a virtual park bench – those in want of succor, comfort, love, and compassion, as well as temporal needs. Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen, in their book, The Belonging: The Atonement and Relationships with God and Family Heart, offer great insight into the Lord’s view of giving and service to others:

"Because I have been given much," we sing, "I too must give." [Hymns no. 219] As we reach our hands toward theirs, sometimes their reaching touches ours—and we somehow sense the Lord's grace coming back to us, multiplied, through them. So we sing again, "Each life that touches ours for good reflects thine own great mercy, Lord." [Hymns no 293] As we receive God's love, we extend it to others in a circle that brings it back to us and brings us back to him. In this kind of life, a full life of gracious connections with other people, we live the spirit of charity.

In Mosiah 4:16-19, we learn that the Lord instructs us not to stand in judgment of those in need but simply to give. The consequences of such judgment are also clearly stated:

And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, with his always profound insights, tells us:

We poorly serve the cause of the Lord, at times, with programmatic superficiality and by our lack of empathy for those who drift in despair.

Truly, we live and walk on "a streetful of splendid strangers," whom we are to love and serve even if they are uninterested in us (CR1983 Apr:11)

In Acts 3:6, Peter heals a man without any judgment of the man’s situation, and although he had no money, he gave him a greater gift than money could have ever provided:

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

Chieko N. Okazaki, in her book, Disciples, explains the eternal blessings that come when we aid “one of the least of these:”

Think of the joy we will experience when we hear Christ the Lord speak for us on that great day when he is our advocate with the Father. I cannot help thinking that he experiences equally great joy when he hears us—weak, limited, and imperfect as we are—speak for the "least of these, my brethren [and my sisters]."

It is Christ who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. He is both means and motive for our service. We long to serve others because of the love he has blessed us with. May we be linked in heaven as we are on earth by the outpouring of love from our Savior.

I close with an e-mail from my wonderful granddaughter, Sister Chloe Anderson, who is currently serving a mission in Brazil, in the Ribeirao Preto Mission. (You can read her mission blog at http://sisterchloekathleenanderson.blogspot.com/ ) She describes a “least of these” experience:

I had one of my most powerful spiritual experiences this week as we were visiting people in a neighborhood really far from our house and at the end of our area. We were walking with a sister in the ward that was with us when we came across a woman that was crying uncontrollably, begging us to save her. I took both her hands in mine but she continued wailing and crying and shaking.

I grabbed her hands and told her: "Sister, look into my eyes and I promise everything will be all right." She looked at me and slowly calmed down and we told her that as representatives of Jesus Christ. We were there to help her and that the Lord would bless her in her suffering.

I said a prayer with her hands clasped in mine. I prayed with more intent and concern for this woman than I ever have in my life. I looked down at her feet and saw the skin opening, revealing the sensitive flesh underneath. I felt such a sadness and pain that I knelt down at her feet, removed my own shoes that I’ve used every day for the last 11 months, and carefully put them on the feet of my new friend.

I walked around the whole rest of the day with the worn out flip-flops that she had been using and later that night we found the shack of old clothes and umbrellas that she was living in and left her shoes there at the opening.

I know for certain that she walked with God that day, as did I. I am my sister’s keeper, but i am also my sister’s sister. In that tender moment when it wasn’t expected of me, no one was around, and no one had asked for it, I felt the presence of my lord and Savior Jesus Christ so strongly that as we were leaving her in what appeared to be an only slightly better circumstance, I felt the Savior comforting her and testifying to me of the divinity of this work and the importance of simple Christ-like acts of charity.

Sister Anderson’s shoes were worn with service, but they must have felt heavenly to the woman. “the least of these” indeed.

The Holy Ghost and the Light of Christ

For years I wondered how the Holy Ghost could inspire millions simultaneously. He is a personage of spirit, but a personage nonetheless, and like the Savior and God the Father, can only be in one place at one time. President Joseph Fielding Smith, in his book, Doctrines of Salvation, provides insight into the personage of the Holy Ghost:

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a Spirit, in the form of a man. The Father and the Son are personages of tabernacle; they have bodies of flesh and bones. The Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit, and has a spirit body only…

As a Spirit personage the Holy Ghost has size and dimensions. He does not fill the immensity of space, and cannot be everywhere present in person at the same time.

If he is a personage who can be in only one place at one time, how can he dwell in the hearts of the millions who seek comfort and guidance each day?

Every Sunday, there are many thousands of sacrament meetings taking place at the same time. Prayers, both individual and congregational, are offered for guidance and inspiration. There are all kinds of administrative meetings taking place (bishopric, stake presidency, ward council, youth council, high council, and many others) in which a prayer is said asking for inspiration and guidance as they consider the needs of their area of responsibility.

There are many individuals not necessarily in any meeting, who pray for inspiration as they read the scriptures, ponder their life’s direction, and seek comfort and peace as they deal with crises and tragedies in their own lives. These prayers are offered every second of every day all over the world.

The Holy Ghost, named the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of Promise, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Truth, and the Holy Spirit (among others), is the emissary of the Father and the Son. Again, President Joseph Fielding Smith, in his book, Doctrines of Salvation, provides insight into the mission of the Holy Ghost:

His mission is to teach us all truth. He partakes of the things of the Father and the Son and reveals them to those who serve the Lord in faithfulness. It was through the teachings of the Comforter, or Holy Ghost, that the teachings of Jesus Christ were recalled by the apostles. It is through the teachings of the Holy Spirit that prophecy comes.

But how does he do this? Elder McConkie explains the process in his book, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith:

The light of Christ (also called the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the Lord) is a light, a power, and an influence that proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space. It is everywhere present and accounts for the omnipresence of God. It is the agency of God's power and the law by which all things are governed. It is also the agency used by the Holy Ghost to manifest truth and dispense spiritual gifts to many people at one and the same time. For instance, it is as though the Holy Ghost, who is a personage of spirit, was broadcasting all truth throughout the whole universe all the time, using the light of Christ as the agency by which the message is delivered. But only those who attune their souls to the Holy Spirit receive the available revelation. It is in this way that the person of the Holy Ghost makes his influence felt in the heart of every righteous person at one and the same time.

The next question, then, is just what is the Light of Christ? To requote Elder McConkie from the above:

The light of Christ (also called the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the Lord) is a light, a power, and an influence that proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space. It is everywhere present and accounts for the omnipresence of God. It is the agency of God's power and the law by which all things are governed.

Hyrum L. Andrus, in his book, The Glory of God and Man's Relation to Deity offers more insight into the Light of Christ:

Above and beyond the powers that quicken life in the natural man are the more pure, refined, and highly endowed elements of light and power that center in Jesus Christ. Here, as far as they are manifested in mortality, we find these divine powers in their highest, most pure and refined degrees. We may call this portion of the Light of Christ the "Light of the Gospel." Here is the source of the power that arises out of the manifestation of true faith. Here also is the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost as a Personage draws upon these powers that center in Christ to fulfill His mission.

We have something called “the internet” that has changed the whole culture of every country in the world, which, by the way was given to us through the Light of Christ. In Mormon doctrine, Elder Bruce R. McConkie explains:

This light of Christ is the Spirit which is being poured out upon all flesh in the last days, according to Joel's promise. (Joel 2:28-29; Jos. Smith 2:41.) As a result of this outpouring of the Lord's power the great inventions and advancements of modern times have been made possible.

The internet is a wonderful thing. Because of my computer geek background, I tend to simplify the light of Christ, as the Father and the Savior’s internet, with the Holy Ghost as the IT manager. Elder Bruce R. McConkie, in his book,  A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, describes the light of Christ much better than I do:

There is a spirit—the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Christ, the light of truth, the light of Christ—that defies description and is beyond mortal comprehension. It is in us and in all things; it is around us and around all things; it fills the earth and the heavens and the universe. It is everywhere, in all immensity, without exception; it is an indwelling, immanent, ever-present, never-absent spirit. It has neither shape nor form nor personality. It is not an entity nor a person nor a personage. It has no agency, does not act independently, and exists not to act but to be acted upon. As far as we know, it has no substance and is not material, at least as we measure these things. It is variously described as light and life and law and truth and power. It is the light of Christ; it is the life that is in all things; it is the law by which all things are governed; it is truth shining forth in darkness; it is the power of God who sitteth upon his throne.

My own simple-minded description of the Light of Christ is obviously completely inadequate.. Let me try again. Cave paintings are to our technologically advanced internet as our internet is to the Light of Christ. Anyone with the right electronics can connect to the internet. We can do this almost anywhere with the right tools. Whether we are good or evil, kind or cruel, celestial or carnal, we can connect just like anyone else, and use it for any purpose, good or evil.

We are all born with the light of Christ within us. But we can connect to this incomprehensible network of God’s power only by the choices we make. As we choose to live the gospel, as we choose to serve others and listen to the promptings of that connection, we can maintain the connection. Again quoting from Elder McConkie’s book,  A New Witness for the Articles of Faith:

…it is as though the Holy Ghost, who is a personage of spirit, was broadcasting all truth throughout the whole universe all the time, using the light of Christ as the agency by which the message is delivered. But only those who attune their souls to the Holy Spirit receive the available revelation. It is in this way that the person of the Holy Ghost makes his influence felt in the heart of every righteous person at one and the same time.

We have only begun to scratch the surface of the Holy Ghost’s mission and his use of the immeasurable powers available to him and us through the Light of Christ. Let us live so as to make the connection to that wonderful network daily. Doing so is the only way to ensure regular communication with the Savior and the Father, and the only way to receive the inspiration and guidance we need to return to our Father-in-Heaven.

The Precious Years

As I grow older, the years seem to move faster, and mortal life becomes more precious. I tend to drive a little more carefully (sometimes irritating my younger friends on the road). I tend to see the small things (sunsets, something my grand child says, the cool, soothing touch of my wife’s hand, the beauty of a scripture) with more enjoyment.

Even though I have at least an inkling of eternal life after mortality, I really don’t want to move on into that state quite yet. I want to see my grandchildren grow and mature. I want to have more of my “golden” years to spend with my wife and family. I want to see and do many things. Carlos E. Asay, in his book, The Road to Somewhere: A Guide for Young Men and Women, quoted one of my favorite songs (sung by Tevye) from my favorite musical, Fiddler on the Roof:

Sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears.

Then Elder Asay said:

The years do come and go in rapid succession, especially as one grows older. And they truly are filled with happiness and tears. I am convinced, however, that the seasons of happiness will far outnumber the seasons of tears for those who make the right decisions during the critical years of youth and anticipate the future with faith and a worthy plan of action.

Church leaders often tell us that the precious years are the formative ones – in an October 1991 Church News article, Elder David B. Haight was quoted thusly:

…young men need to take full advantage of these valuable teen years to prepare for life—precious years with meaningful, never-to-be-forgotten spiritual experiences…

When I was young, growing up in northern California, life seemed to stretch before me in an endless summer. I went to dances, swam in the city pool and the river, went boating, hung out with my friends, and basically lived a life that seemed to me to be without end, with the Church way in the background.

On the other hand, all of mortality seems precious. My grandson is getting married soon, and I am certain that he would tell you that these years of discovery – preparing for marriage with his eternal companion and preparing himself spiritually and temporally for his mortal life to come – are most precious and exciting. The bloom of youth colors everything for them. Life, at least the portion of my life still allotted to me is so far off for them as to be of no concern. This is as it should be.

As we move through the various stages of our lives, each year is precious. When our first child came into our lives, I thought that it was the most exciting time I had yet experienced in mortality. I was scared, of the responsibility, of my own lack of experience and capability, of whether I would be up to the task of teaching and loving her sufficiently to help the Lord create an eternal being with the strength to live the gospel (and many other equally weighty concerns). I didn’t worry so much about my wife’s capabilities – I knew she could do it. I remembered with considerable concern the words of the Savior found in Matthew 18:6:

But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

As each of our other children entered our lives, I felt the same joy and trepidation as with the first. Each of them is a precious spirit of our Father-in-Heaven, deserving of our continued care and love.  President Joseph Fielding Smith, author of Life of Joseph F. Smith, quoted his father as saying:

The objects of my life become more apparent as time advances and experience grows. … [the] most important of which to me is that of my family. The richest of all my earthly joys is in my precious children. Thank God!

The years during which our children rose to maturity, as we all grew and learned together, were, indeed, for our family, precious years. Sometimes trying and difficult, but years to be cherished.

Perhaps the apex of these years, and all the years that followed, were those times when our children were either sealed to us in the temple of the Lord or born to us under the covenant, forming our eternal family.

Now we watch them continue to grow in strength and maturity. We watch them make life choices, perhaps offer advice and influence when we can, and see them passing through the same precious years we enjoyed and sometimes, endured. Some of them have children of their own, our precious grandchildren, while others are still awaiting that opportunity.

We cherish these years too. Our later years, the years of real maturity, bring somewhat diminished physical capacity, but we see with different eyes the challenges of mortality and the coming eternities. We see that our great challenge is to live these years with as much vigor and joy as we have in our hearts. We expect that we have challenges and tests ahead of us, but happiness consists in enduring well, or “enjoying to the end” as my home teacher of years ago, Lynn Arbuckle, often said. We certainly expect to be tried and tested in various ways as we pass through these mature years. Trials and tests do not diminish with age.  What does diminish is our unwillingness to accept and endure them. But our ability to endure increases as we move closer to the Savior and the transcendent love he has for each of us. President James E. Faust, in his book , Finding Light in a Dark World, said this:

It is an inevitable fact of life that from time to time each of us suffers some of the troubles, challenges, and disappointments of this world. When we face the challenges of mortality, we wish there was a sure cure for heartache, disappointment, torment, anguish, and despair. The Psalmist stated, "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3). The healing is a divine miracle; the wounds are a common lot of all mankind.

During a satellite fireside for young single adults in November of 1995, President Faust counseled the young adults thusly:

Happiness comes from living the teachings of the Savior and having the vision to see what He would have us become. Remember that “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt. 10:39.) Because we have been given the challenges of mortality, this life is a proving ground for the eternities."

Happiness and joy in this life and in the eternities is what we all seek. The adversary, of course, is angered and frustrated when we seek happiness through the gospel instead of the cunning counterfeits he offers. In their book, Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior, Martha Nibley Beck and John C. Beck tell us:

The "pursuit of happiness" is one of the "self-evident" truths that the Declaration of Independence acknowledges as the right of every human being. Every action taken by most of us is in some way an effort to become happier, to feel more of this sensation we call joy. In short, we all know perfectly well that, as Joseph Smith said, "happiness is the object and design of our existence." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938], p. 255.) This fact is so baldly obvious that Satan rarely even tries to convince us it is not true. Instead, he throws out a smoke screen of deceit to convince us that we can't really credit such a simple definition of life's meaning, that there must be more to it than we can understand. A vast pool of learned treatises, theological, philosophical, and artistic, parade as Satan's substitute for the fourteen words, "Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy."

All of the years of our mortality are precious in different ways. All of them are to be cherished even as we endure the tests of mortality. So let us avoid Satan’s counterfeits and continue in the pursuit of happiness through the gospel, the Savior and his teachings. Let us seek the only possible way to eternal happiness as we walk the path that leads to eternal life and joy with our families in the Celestial Kingdom.

Eating the Moon

This morning, I got up early (as I often do). I knew that there was a full lunar eclipse at 4:00 am, so at 5:30 (when I got up) I walked out on my deck to see if I could still see anything of the moon being covered by the shadow of the earth. Happily, the eclipse was still nearly total. Only a very small sliver of the bright moon was visible. This was a first for me – the first time I actually saw an eclipse. I had seen pictures on the news and on the internet, but this was the first time ever I saw an eclipse as it happened. About 7:30, I went onto the deck again and a larger crescent of the moon was again visible as it sank toward the horizon and into the morning mists – very unusual and beautiful. A small treat for me; one probably not to be repeated in my lifetime.

My Father's Hammer

My dad was a builder. He built an indoor bathroom in his father’s house in Virgin, Utah after he came home from World War II – using his mustering-out pay to pay for it – a huge improvement for his young bride and his parents, who used an outhouse prior to that time, and a small indication of things to come.

who Are Your Friends -- The Codicil

Last month, I discussed Joseph Smith’s quote:

How good and glorious it has seemed unto me, to find pure and holy friends, who are faithful, just, and true, and whose hearts fail not; and whose knees are confirmed and do not falter, while they wait upon the Lord…

My premise was that we should follow the prophet’s counsel when we choose friends. But I thought about my premise all month – off and on—and finally decided that limiting ourselves in that way is a rather narrow and selfish view of friendship in general, and severely limits our ability to enrich our lives. And so I write this codicil.

Who Are Your Friends?

Nearly everybody has something to say about how to find true friends, how to keep them, and how to recognize them. The internet is full of advice, good and bad. Perhaps the best source for this advice is the prophet of the restoration. He defined for us the eternal and celestial qualities true friends should have. Joseph Smith wrote the following about the family members and friends who visited him on August 11, 1842, while he was in hiding in and around Nauvoo from a Missouri extradition order: