Church Talk

I was asked to speak in church this afternoon.  I will attempt to attach a copy of the talk to this blog.  Those who dislike lenghy pictureless blog need not read.

July 14, 2013 – Our Priceless Heritage Talk

I have been asked to share with you the talk Our Priceless Heritage by President Ezra Taft Benson given in October 1976 (Ensign Nov. 1976) near the end of our nation’s Bicentennial celebration.  I am grateful for this opportunity to reflect on my heritage, my citizenship in this great nation, and my membership in the restored church of Christ. 

The freedom and abundant blessings we enjoy today are because of the faithful deeds, the noble lives, the courage, industry, self-reliance, integrity, and faith in God of our forefathers.

President Benson paid “honor to the founders of our beloved republic”.  He says, “The Declaration of Independence to which these great men affixed their signatures is much more than a political document.  It constitutes a spiritual manifesto – revelation, if you will- declaring not for this nation only, but for all nations, the source of man’s rights.”

“Fifty-six men signed the document on August 2, 1776, or, in the case of some, shortly thereafter.  They pledged their lives! – And at least nine of them died as a result of the war.  If the Revolution had failed, if their fight had come to naught, they would have been hanged as traitors.  They pledged their fortunes! – And at least fifteen fulfilled that pledge to support the war effort.  They pledged their sacred honor! – Best expressed by the noble statement of John Adams.  He said: All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope, in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon it; and I leave off as I begun, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration!  It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment, Independence, now, and INDEPENDENCE FOR EVER.”

“How fitting it is that we sing:

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more that self their country loved,

And mercy more than life! – America the Beautiful, Hymn 338

“Their lives should be reminders that we are the blessed beneficiaries of a liberty earned by great sacrifices of property, reputation, and life.”

President Benson went on to say, “Other great stalwarts who also pledged lives, possessions and their sacred honor were the Mormon pioneers.  This they did by covenant before God when they came to membership in His kingdom, ‘to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places…even unto death.’ (Mosiah 18:9)”

“Our Mormon forebears covenanted their lives! – And not a few gave them.  They gave their fortunes! – And many, if not most, lost their lands, homes, and businesses.  They gave their sacred honor! – this by covenant to God.”

“Today we live in a choice land, yes, a land choice above all other lands.  This because of the heritage bequeathed to us by our forebears, a heritage of self-reliance, initiative, personal industry, and faith in God, all in an atmosphere of freedom.”

In Ether 2:12 we read, “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.”

“Were these Founding Fathers and pioneer forefathers to counsel us today in their fundamental beliefs – so manifest by their acts – what would they say to us?’

“First:  They would counsel us to have faith in God.  It was by this faith that both were sustained in their privations, sacrifices, and sufferings.  They placed their trust in God.  He was their defense, their refuge, and their salvation.”

“Second:  They would counsel us to strengthen our homes and family ties.  Though they did not possess our physical comforts, they left their posterity a legacy of something more enduring – a hearthside where parents were close by their children, where daily devotions, family prayer, scripture reading, and the singing of hymns was commonplace.  Families worked, worshipped, played and prayed together.  Family home evening, now a once-a-week practice among the Saints, was to our pioneer forebears almost a nightly occurrence.  Were we to pattern our homes accordingly, family unity and solidarity, crowned with love and happiness, would prevail.”

“Third: They would counsel us on the dignity of work, to practice thrift, and to be self-sustaining.  Theirs was a philosophy that neither the world nor the government owes a man his bread.  Man is commanded of God to live by the sweat of his brow, not someone else’s.”

“And finally:  These noble Founders and pioneers would counsel us to preserve the freedoms granted to us by God.  They knew that the foundation of this nation was spiritual, that the source of all our blessings was God.  They knew that this nation can only prosper in an atmosphere of freedom.”

“Those intrepid forebears knew that their righteousness was the indispensable ingredient to liberty, that this was the greatest legacy they could pass on to future generations.  They would counsel us to preserve that liberty by alert righteousness.  Righteousness is always measured by a nation or an individual keeping the commandments of God.”

A dictionary defines a pioneer as “one who goes before to prepare or open up the way for others to follow.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “We need to walk together as today’s pioneers, living Christlike lives, supporting good causes in our communities, and strengthening our families and homes.”

“The suffering of the pioneers forged a strength in their lives that has been passed on to us.  We face different challenges today.  Our struggle is found in living in a world steeped in sin and spiritual indifference, where self-indulgence, dishonesty, and greed seem to be present everywhere.”

“We need to commit to serve the Lord and our communities with the same diligence and faith that the pioneers had.  We must ever be on our guard that we do not become casual in keeping God’s commandments, in abiding by His laws, and in being honest and trustworthy in all that we do.  We must avoid the entrapments of evil found on the Internet, so readily accessible through our computers, tablets, and cell phones. If we become casual in these things, Lucifer will find a way to dull our commitment and destroy our faith and our love for the Lord and for one another.  Avoiding the temptations and evils of the world requires the faith and fortitude of a real modern-day pioneer.”

President Thomas S. Monson in this month’s First Presidency Message (Ensign, July 2013) has asked, “Can we somehow muster the courage and steadfastness of purpose that characterized the pioneers of the former generation?  Can you and I, in actual fact, be pioneers?  I know we can be.”

I am grateful for the counsel of prophets past and present, to remember and learn from the past.  To have faith in God, strengthen our homes and families, to keep the commandments and “to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s church, restored upon the earth today through the prophet Joseph Smith.   I know that Thomas S. Monson is called of God to be our prophet today. 

These things I say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.