Lesson for January 15, 2017

Lesson for January 15, 2017 Today our lesson was given by Camille Maynard about Gordon B. Hinckley in chapter 2. “An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World.” Camille said that the first section of the lesson is usually about the life of the prophet. She told the following story: “Soon after returning home from his mission to England, Gordon B. Hinckley fulfilled one last assignment from his mission president, Joseph F. Merrill. President Merrill was also a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he had asked Gordon to make a report to the First Presidency: Presidents Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark Jr., and David O. McKay. Gordon contacted the secretary to the First Presidency and set up an appointment. When Gordon entered the First Presidency’s council room, President Grant and his counselors greeted him warmly. Then President Grant said, “Brother Hinckley, we’ll give you fifteen minutes to tell us what Elder Merrill wants us to hear.” One hour and fifteen minutes later, Gordon left the room. In his allotted fifteen minutes, he had presented his mission president’s concern—that the missionaries needed better printed materials to help them in their work. His short presentation had led to questions from the First Presidency and an hour-long discussion. Having fulfilled this assignment, Gordon felt that “his mission was now truly over, and it was time to move ahead and plan for the future.” He had already graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English, and he wanted to pursue a graduate degree in journalism at Columbia University in New York City. But a phone call two days after his meeting with the First Presidency changed his plans. The call was from President McKay, who said: “Brother Hinckley, we discussed in the meeting of the Presidency and the Twelve yesterday what we talked about during your interview with us. And we have organized a committee consisting of six members of the Twelve, with Elder Stephen L Richards as chairman, to address the needs you outlined. We would like to invite you to come and work with that committee.” Gordon accepted the invitation and was hired as executive secretary of the newly formed Church Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee. He never went to Columbia University, and he never worked as a journalist to publish the news of the world. Instead, he began a lifelong effort to publish the good news of the gospel. These responsibilities were expanded later, when he served as a General Authority.” Camille asked for ways members can be a light to the world. Answers included public service, missionary work, and being ready to answer questions from people who want to know about the Church. This Church began with the humble prayer of the boy Joseph Smith in the grove of his father’s farm. From that remarkable experience, which we call the First Vision, has grown this work. … It is the very personification of Daniel’s vision of a stone cut out of the mountain without hands rolling forth to fill the whole earth (see Daniel 2:44–45).3 When the Church was organized in 1830 there were but six members [and] only a handful of believers, all residing in a largely unknown village. … Stakes of Zion today flourish in every state of the United States, in every province of Canada, in every state of Mexico, in every nation of Central America and throughout South America. Vira Bahr told about how the Church is growing in all parts of the world, including in Russia and other countries. She sees this as a fulfillment of prophecy. Some of the countries the Church is now in were once thought to be impossible to get into. Others told about how exciting it is to interact with new members who marvel that the gospel has been restored. Members who have been in the Church all their lives often don’t get that perspective. Others spoke about how the Church has grown, but did not die when Joseph Smith died. It was not his church. It is God’s Church. Vira also told about being a missionary on Temple Square and how many people from all parts of the world come to visit. On July 24, 1847, the pioneer company of our people came into [the Salt Lake] valley. An advance group had arrived a day or two earlier. Brigham Young arrived on Saturday. The next day, Sabbath services were held both in the morning and in the afternoon. There was no hall of any kind in which to meet. I suppose that in the blistering heat of that July Sunday they sat on the tongues of their wagons and leaned against the wheels while the Brethren spoke. The season was late, and they were faced with a gargantuan and immediate task if they were to grow seed for the next season. But President Young pleaded with them not to violate the Sabbath then or in the future. The next morning they divided into groups to explore their surroundings. Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and a handful of their associates hiked from their campground. … They climbed a dome-shaped peak, President Young having difficulty because of his recent illness. When the Brethren stood on the summit, they looked over [the] valley to the south of them. It was largely barren, except for the willows and rushes that grew along the streams that carried water from the mountains to the lake. There was no building of any kind, but Brigham Young had said the previous Saturday, “This is the place.” The summit where they stood was named Ensign Peak out of reference to these great prophetic words of Isaiah: “And he [speaking of God] will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly.” (Isa. 5:26.) “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isa. 11:12.) … I think [those Brethren] may also on that occasion have spoken of the building of the temple … in fulfillment of the words of Isaiah: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:2–3.) I marvel at the foresight of that little group. It was both audacious and bold. It was almost unbelievable. Here they were, almost a thousand miles [1,600 kilometers] from the nearest settlement to the east and almost eight hundred miles [1,300 kilometers] from the Pacific Coast. They were in an untried climate. The soil was different from that of the black loam of Illinois and Iowa, where they had most recently lived. They had never raised a crop here. They had never experienced a winter. They had not built a structure of any kind. These prophets, dressed in old, travel-worn clothes, standing in boots they had worn for more than a thousand miles from Nauvoo to this valley, spoke of a millennial vision. They spoke out of a prophetic view of the marvelous destiny of this cause. They came down from the peak that day and went to work to bring reality to their dream. Diana Baker said that learning this about the pioneers helps her, as someone from the Midwest, want to put down roots here. Camille asked the question: What does it mean to be an ensign to the nations? We have the best message that we need to share with the world. Not only we can, but our descendants can. too. President Hinckley said: “Sometimes in our day, as we walk our narrow paths and fill our little niches of responsibility, we lose sight of the grand picture. When I was a small boy, draft horses were common. An important part of the harness was the bridle. On the bridle were blinders, one on each side. They were so placed that the horse could see only straight ahead and not to either side. They were designed to keep him from becoming frightened or distracted and to keep his attention on the road at his feet. Some of us do our work as if we had blinders on our eyes. We see only our own little narrow track. We catch nothing of the broader vision. Ours may be a small responsibility in the Church. It is good to fulfill that responsibility with diligence. And it is also good to know how that responsibility contributes to the great overall program of the growing kingdom of God. My brethren and sisters, the time has come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a season to be strong. It is a time to move forward without hesitation, knowing well the meaning, the breadth, and the importance of our mission. It is a time to do what is right regardless of the consequences that might follow. It is a time to be found keeping the commandments. It is a season to reach out with kindness and love to those in distress and to those who are wandering in darkness and pain. It is a time to be considerate and good, decent and courteous toward one another in all of our relationships. In other words, to become more Christlike.7 Unless the world alters the course of its present trends (and that is not likely); and if, on the other hand, we continue to follow the teachings of the prophets, we shall increasingly become a peculiar and distinctive people of whom the world will take note. For instance, as the integrity of the family crumbles under worldly pressures, our position on the sanctity of the family will become more obvious and even more peculiar in contrast, if we have the faith to maintain that position. As the growing permissive attitude toward sex continues to spread, the doctrine of the Church, as consistently taught for more than a century and a half, will become increasingly singular and even strange to many. As the consumption of alcohol and the abuse of drugs increase each year within the mores of our society, our position, set forth by the Lord more than a century and a half ago, will become more unusual before the world. … As the Sabbath increasingly becomes a day of merchandising and entertainment, those who obey the precept of the law, written by the finger of the Lord on Sinai and reinforced by modern revelation, will appear more unusual. It is not always easy to live in the world and not be a part of it. We cannot live entirely with our own or unto ourselves, nor would we wish to. We must mingle with others. In so doing, we can be gracious. We can be inoffensive. We can avoid any spirit or attitude of self-righteousness. But we can maintain our standards. …” Camille asked why we need to see ourselves in the bigger picture? We need to see ourselves and our roles in the bigger picture and also wonder what part we will play in the next chapter.