What are we forgetting? Xmas v. Christmas

I remember the first time I saw the contraction Xmas. I was kind of like, “What is that supposed to mean?” Eventually I figured out it was supposed to be a shorter way to write Christmas. Sure, it was fewer letters, but at what cost?
I remember a lesson my Dad taught me about the importance of writing Christmas longhand. He was at work and a coworker commented about how it was taking him so long to write Christmas on everything and that it would be so much faster to write Xmas. My dad told his coworker something like this,

“What is the difference between Christmas and Xmas? In one of those we cross out Christ. In the other, we are remembering the reason for the season. Every time I go through the extra effort to write Christ’s name down, I remember what the season is all about.” 

In a world full of distractions, it is easy to miss what Christmas is about. In our holiday cheer this year, may we take the time to write out Christmas, and remember the ‘Who’ every time. And remember that He was the greatest Christmas gift a loving Father in Heaven could give.
Merry Christmas!

Sacrament -The Bread of Life

What the Sacrament means to me

Sacrament. Communion. Holy Eucharist. The Last Supper of Jesus Christ is observed in many Christian churches. What the Savior meant when He broke and blessed the bread is interpreted in so many ways. To me, partaking of it represents a covenant I make with him. I feel my experience in church today captures what the sacrament means to me.

We sang the hymn “As Now We Take the Sacrament”( Full hymn, words and music) as the bread was broken by priesthood holders. I was responsible for selecting this hymn. I chose it to remind the congregation and especially myself of why we were partaking. The first two verses go:

“As now we take the sacrament,

Our thoughts are turned to thee,

Thou Son of God, who lived for us,

Then died on Calvary.

We contemplate thy lasting grace,

Thy boundless charity;

To us the gift of life was giv’n

For all eternity. 

As now our minds review the past,

We know we must repent;

The way to thee is righteousness—

The way thy life was spent.

Forgiveness is a gift from thee

We seek with pure intent.

With hands now pledged to do thy work,

We take the sacrament.” 

I take the sacrament to remind myself of Jesus Christ and what He has done for me. I also reflect on my need to walk the way he walked in His perfect life and repent, seeking his forgiveness. He knew I would not be able to walk the perfect path. He knew I would stumble and fall. He prepared a way for me to receive forgiveness and cleansing through His Grace. He also knew that I would need it constantly. I must renew this covenant to follow His path every week because I fail every week.

Jesus explained that the bread represented his flesh, and the wine his blood. While I was waiting for the bread to be passed to me I reflected on his sermon shortly after the Sermon on the Mount.

“53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:53-54)

I recalled learning in Sunday School (in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) years ago that in an ancient Jewish tradition, eating the bread of a teacher meant doing as he did and taught, which is the same as being a disciple. When I eat the bread symbolizing the flesh of Jesus Christ, I covenant that I will do as He did and live as He taught. It is a call impossible to fulfill on my own. I strive anyways trusting that my Savior makes all things possible through His cleansing and life changing Grace.

As the cups were blessed and passed I contemplated the healing portion of the Sacrament. Jesus Christ wanted it to be clear that through the infinite, atoning sacrifice of His we could be washing clean through His blood. He made that clear by teaching that through the symbolic ordinances of the Old Testament. When a lamb was slaughtered on the altar, it was the blood spilt that represented the cleansing power. That pointed to the great and last sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. His blood cleanses us from sin and makes change possible. When I drink out of the sacrament cup I am reminded that it symbolizes His blood and represents the Grace of Jesus Christ cleansing me from sin.

Every week I partake of the sacrament and experience the cleansing Grace of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, commit to eat His bread of life and live life by His example, and commit to always remember Him, my Savior.

Comment Response

On Facebook, I saw a comment that asked if a collection of statements were accurate about what Mormons believe. Rather than blow up the comment field by trying to address all the concerns, I took his post and conversed with it a bit. I think the commenter was sincere, so I wanted to answer his question. As to whether this discussion is a good explanation of the core of Mormon doctrine, not really. A good understanding of what the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe is found in our Articles of Faith. I included those at the end of this post.

His comment is in italics and I left the spelling and words as they were.

My response is underlined

Since it sounds like you sincerely want to understand what it is we believe, I took different statements from your comment to address one at a time. I don't claim to be a perfect explainer of our doctrine nor an authoritative source that should be quoted, but I sincerely want to help you understand the viewpoint and belief of a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In the discussion of faith on the web there is often confusion as we only encounter fragments of the actual beliefs at a time. These tell the story of our doctrine as well as a few threads explain a tapestry. Also, while most Christians agree on the Bible being true, across denominations there is rife disagreement about what it means. Everyone’s backgrounds and perspectives often add connotation to verses that seem so clear, yet are expansions of what the text claims for itself. 

http://pdpics.com/photo/2834-white-thread-needle/

I will talk in terms of what I personally understand and believe as a Mormon.

"Hi please help me im a Christian and trying to learn about different religions around the world not to what I believe , but different to what Gods Word Speaks ---- Are these statements True to the Mormon belief?"

The statements are thematically similar to my beliefs, but some go past the doctrine into common speculations, others are a little off. Most importantly the central focuses of our faith are left out.

"The Mormon Jesus and the biblical Jesus teach a different nature of Christ and, at the very crux of Christianity, they teach different ways to salvation. Even LDS prophet Gordon B Hinckley said: ‘The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.’ "

We don't subscribe to the post new testament creeds and so we often understand biblical passages differently from traditional (Catholic and Protestant) churches. One way is our view of the Godhead instead of the Trinity. We believe the Three are united as God and one in purpose and unity, but not in being the same person. When I say Christ was born the Son of God, I mean He was a Son. Most of what the Book of Mormon does is teach who Christ is. I am able to understand more of his nature, but mostly that falls under his character. That includes His love, His propitiation/atonement, His obedience to the Father, His meekness and humility, and His mercy and justice. What I learn isn't in opposition to the biblical account, but often is in more detail or clarification. It may run counter to ideas about Christ that have developed by believers outside of what the Bible clearly taught.

"According to LDS teaching, the Mormon Jesus was born as the first spirit child of a probable heavenly mother and heavenly father."

I do believe that Jesus was the firstborn spirit son of God. I also believe that we all are spirit children of God. Hebrews 12:9 provides a good explanation for the dual nature of our parentage. I have an earthly father, and a spiritual father. As I believe Jesus to be a separate individual from His Father, He is the firstborn Son.

"This Jesus is a created being."

I strongly disagree with that statement. Suffice it to say, I believe Jesus Christ has always existed, and that being spiritually born was not the beginning. His existence no more started at spiritual birth than it did at His physical birth.

"He was not a god initially but earned his way to deity over time."

This falls into the realm of speculation as far as I know (I don't know everything nor should I claim such, someone may enlighten me later). Many members of the church have differing opinions on this matter. Using this to frame our doctrine can easily lead to misconception.

"The second spirit child was Lucifer."

I believe angels often refers to the spirit children of God, often in context of when they don't have physical bodies (not a perfect definition but gets some of the idea across). As Lucifer translates to 'Son of the 'morning' many infer he was one of the first of God's spirit children, or angels. Whether he was second son or not is purely up to speculation.

"Both brothers presented their plans to the Council of the Gods for the future salvation of those on earth."

That Lucifer presented a plan is correct, but the plan Jesus presented was the plan of The Father. As such the plan of Lucifer was rebellion against God the Father, and in that plan Lucifer wanted to put himself over God the Father. The concept of this isn't in opposition to the biblical account, but rather is a result of us using other information we consider as scripture which adds detail to the biblical account. 'Council of gods' means something very different to us than it likely came off for you. Our vernacular and connotations can often seem foreign when first encountered. Members of the church, myself included, usually use the term ‘Council in Heaven.’

"Jesus’ plan was accepted, while Lucifer took a third of the host of heaven and was cast down."

This is as the war in Heaven is recorded in the book of Revelations. We believe the dragon in Revelation 12:7 to be Lucifer and that series of verses to describe the premortal events leading to his fallen status as well as the rest of the fallen angels. Jude 1:6 also describes it as them failing to keep their first estate.

"Then came the rest of us."

I believe we in our premortal state as spirit children of God participated in that council and war. That we kept our first estate (by choosing to side with Jesus) as referenced in Jude 1:6 meant we are here on earth in the second estate. Solely from a biblical perspective it sounds possible, but we didn't derive that doctrine solely by using the Bible.

"Men might one day earn godhood."

I don't believe godhood can be earned. My understanding of the Grace coming from Jesus Christ is very potent and a process approach rather than a singular event. His Grace changes us and I believe that there is no limit to what he can change us into. Our goal is to become like Him. This is not a claim to replace God, stop worshipping him, or have some sort of competing pantheon. We will always worship God our Father, and his greatness is not dependant on contrast. Contrary to common supposition, the Bible supports the idea of deification. You likely have different views of these scriptures, but I find it enlightening to see where others come from, so I put what I felt was relevant so you could look through them.

Psalms 82:6 (love the whole Psalm)
Matthew 5:48
John 10:34
Acts 17:29
Romans 8:17
2 Corinthians 3:18
Galatians 4:7
Ephesians 4:13
1 John 3:2
Revelations 3:21

"Women bear spirit children throughout the eternities as queens and priestesses to their husbands."

Yes, this is not from the bible and is foreign to most other religions. I don't think it worth trying to show the biblical proofs for or against the idea as they will be inferential at best. We gain such understanding through modern revelation.

"None of this matches the biblical account, where Jesus is God and Lucifer is a fallen angel."

This is just more details of that biblical account shoing how Lucifer falling came to be as well as how the Plan for our Salvation was presented. We affirm Jesus as God, yet separate from the Father who is also God. I will keep it simple because 90% of the time us Christians discuss differing ideas of the Trinity, we talk in circles.

"Indeed, the greatest lie Satan fed us in the garden was that we could be ‘like God’, yet this is what Mormons believe?"

We believe the lie was when he told them they would not die from partaking of the fruit. I can see how the conclusion for that is drawn. While he is not a member of our church, C.S. Lewis a Christian author describes the fall and man's potential very well shedding light on what I mentioned. Personally, I find a study of his writings is very good at opening doors to understanding how others understand the Bible and it's teachings.
"Thank You"
You are welcome. Thank you for sincerely trying to understand. I hope I could shed some light on our understanding of the Bible. There is always so much more to learn about it.

"Praise God/Jesus"

Amen to that.



Here is an official statement of what we truly believe and what really comes into the core of our doctrine. These are accepted as scripture within the Church. While not all inclusive it is pretty thorough:
The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Articles of Faith 1:1–13

If I sin a bunch in high school...?

Stock from Google Maps

My companion and I let another pair of missionaries borrow our car to go to the Sealing (or Eternal Marriage) of one of their parents. We had their car for the day and were sure to not drive it too much and keep it clean. We were driving in for dinner when my companion mentioned we should get them gas before returning the car. We went to the Kroger by our house and filled up.

On the way home after that we realized we forgot to get the receipt, which we are required to collect for paperwork using mission vehicles. Instead of filling in the lost receipt form, we decided to go back and try getting it.

"Hey are y'all carrying bibles?"

On our way to the register at the gas station, someone called out asking if we were carrying bibles. I said yes and walked right up to his truck and shook his hand. After introductions, he explained to me that he had a question. It took him a while to word it, but it boiled down to this: “If I sin a bunch in high school, what does that mean for the rest of my life and the hereafter? If I just say I’m saved am I fine? Am I going to hell?”

My companion and I explained this:
No, just saying you believe in Jesus Christ isn’t enough, you also have to believe what He said which involves doing. He explained lots of things to do in the scriptures. One of those is not doing that sin you mentioned. The reason Christ died for us was to cleanse us from those sins. Sinning will have a negative impact on your life, but Christ can change you. A prophet Alma explained this same concern to his son Corianton in these chapters of this book here. (Alma Chapters 39 through 42)
I then showed him how the Book of Mormon has the answer to his question and gave him a copy.
I also know that sinning doesn't make us happy, following God does. He has given us commandments to help us follow the path to happiness. When we repent and allow Jesus to wash those sins from our lives we come closer to happiness. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ means we will live again, we can be cleansed from sin, we can be healed, and we can find peace.

"You have to believe what He said"

God saw a young man who while believing, didn’t know who to turn to when he made a mistake. What he had been taught was not sufficient to address his concern. He didn't know to whom to turn. God sent my companion and I back there to cross paths with him at this critical time in his life. God cares about him and sent an answer to his plea.

"How do I pray?" Diamond's story

Diamond had a young family that she cared about. She wanted them to learn about God, but for that to happen she had to relearn about God first. It had been years since her last prayer, she didn't even know how to start. She wanted to know again today that which she knew years ago. She cracked open the only bible left in the house determined to come back.
Within minutes I was sent to her door.
I came with my companion as two young people showing up out of nowhere, sharing things she had never heard of before and promising that she could know for herself. All she needed to do was read this book and pray.

I was excited as we returned a few days later to share more of our message. We spoke of a gospel that blesses families, a loving Father in Heaven, and how he blesses us today. I saw her get excited. We finish our lessons by inviting the person we teach to pray. What followed was beautiful.
Diamond shared her separation from God and how she felt something missing. The relationship she treasured in the past was hard to find. I helped her find the words: "There isn't a connection."
These are the moments I truly feel alive. I told her:
"You don't have this connection right now, but God is eager to speak to you. The moment you were ready to seek, He sent us. I know His hand is stretched out reaching for you. He is ready to answer you prayers and bless you even more than before."
Diamond understood, but shared, "I feel like I don't know how to pray anymore." Every time she tried it just felt awkward. Diamond wanted to pray, but she didn't know how.
Here is what we taught:

"Start simple. A prayer doesn't need to be eloquent. What matters most to God is that it comes from the heart. Start by addressing God. You can say Heavenly Father, Father in Heaven, or even just God.
"I start by thanking him for things. It reminds me of how much He loves me. I start to see how He has helped me in my life. It also gets me started going.
"Then I start to ask Him things. I ask Him to bless my family, to help me do something, or even a question.
"Always close a prayer by saying in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. If you feel stuck at any point in the prayer and don't know what to do next you can just close it like that.
"The only way to feel comfortable praying is to start praying. We will be here to help at any point if you need us. Will you say a prayer right now?"
There was a brief moment when Diamond mustered up the courage, and then she began to pray. It was one of the briefest prayers I have heard, but it was beautiful. Every first prayer, or first prayer in a long time rings with humble sincerity. She thanked God for sending her help, and asked him to help her as she learns.
I know that as we continue to help Diamond, she will reconnect her relationship with God. It will be stronger than ever before.

Serving Bree

Serving Bree. 

Excerpts from my journal (names changed)

I was at the library with some other missionaries when we received a phone call. When I pulled out the phone, the caller ID read “Bree.” I had no idea who that was at all. The phone had been passed missionary to missionary in the area. We got out of the library quickly and answered. Rapidly we heard her speaking quickly and frantically. I calmed her down and figured out what we could do to help. 

Bree had a U-Haul stuck in her driveway that she couldn't drive back since she didn't have a license. She was going to go to jail over it if it kept staying in her yard since she couldn't pay the fines. She didn’t know who to turn to for help, but she found our number in the phone from when some past missionaries had met her quite a while back. 

Experience had shown there would be more to it, so I got to planning. I felt that I needed to ask Chase and Karri, a young couple from church, to help out as well as a few other missionaries. I didn't know Chase and Karri well, but I felt they should help.

When we got there thankfully Karri was there as there was also a rambunctious grandchild that needed to be watched the whole time. To our great surprise we also needed to unload the U-Haul at the storage place into the smallest storage unit I have ever seen. I knew from the start that it wouldn't all fit. All of her stuff was in a mess in the back of the U-Haul since her neighbors showed little care in loading it for her when she first got the truck. 

Photo from we-ha.com

Furniture and clothes were everywhere in piles. Somehow we managed to arrange, rearrange, dissemble, and get it all pushed in barely. As we did that I noticed it was getting late for us to still be out. I looked at Bree and knew something. I may not have ever met her before, nor understood what had led her to her current predicament. I did know that she needed help and the few of us were the only people trying to help. I couldn’t leave her there until we had done all we could. This is what I want to be. 

When we got back to her place we said a prayer with her and gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon. She was so grateful and expressed her desire to read it. It may not seem like much, but I have seen people learn how to access Jesus Christ’s power from his sacrifice by reading that book. I couldn’t change her life situation, but I could give her the key.

We talked with Chase about it and in light of the talks about service we had heard the past few days (here are those talks). He and his wife had been talking about needing to do more service and one day later I called them up. One blessing he noticed was that by serving others his worries seemed much less overwhelming. I was glad that we were able to help and give him a good experience.

I saw God’s hand moving us in position to serve for that very moment to help with something that seemed so small to us. He loves Bree and cares about her cares. This was something God cared about. His hand is always moving us around to serve his children.

"...the Lord will move us on that seeming chessboard to do His work" -Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Where do I go with a missionary moment?

This is the moment I have been waiting for. My friend just asked me why Mormons believe we lived before this life. My missionary moment!
In the next 5 minutes, I laid out on paper the entire Plan of Salvation from the moment God introduced it in the premortal existence to the goal becoming like our Heavenly Father and living with him again. I blew her mind with awe for God's plan. I could see her joining me on that path to follow Christ. Yet to this day nothing in her life has changed in that direction due to that great missionary moment. I didn't fail to explain the doctrine to her, but something was missing from our gospel discussion.
Since that time, I have begun to serve as a full time missionary. I have gained an understanding on how someone goes from that first gospel conversation to joining the church trying to endure to the end.
Phase one: Our member missionary moments. These gospel conversations reignite our fire for member missionary work as we get the opprotunity to explain the truths we hold dearly. This prepares our friends to receive the gospel.
Phase two: Missionaries teach the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The people that have been prepared through past gospel conversations now are receptive and go through the process of gaining a testimony of their own. 

From: lds.org

Phase three: Baptism and enduring to the end. I always see this vista of a person's life changing by their reception of the gospel. They forsake bad habits and become a disciple of Jesus Christ. One day they will be dressed in white in the Celestial Kingdom. It is amazing to think that their path started back on that simple missionary moment I had with them.
I know that the path from phase two to phase three is straightforward. I spend a lot of time and effort as a missionary preparing those I teach for baptism. The path from our missionary moment to the person meeting with the missionaries is not so clear. In the good old days missionaries would just knock on everyone's doors and those who were interested would let them in. Today it doesn't work like that. Our culture has changed.
When I knock on a door as a missionary, I have learned something. People today don't like their doors being knocked. Even if they want to hear the gospel, the fact that it is coming by strangers knocking on their door turns them off. These people who have been the recipient of so many missionary moments and gospel conversations then reject what all of that was leading up towards simply becuase of the way it was introduced.
How do those God has prepared meet with the missionaries?
I ask them.
I know this person is prepared, we were led to have a gospel conversation. I see the vista of them receiving all the joy of the gospel. My missionary moment needs just one addition. I need to ask my friend to meet with missionaries.
The chasm between the gospel conversation and them receiving the gospel is bridged. I see the great view, but now I also see the bridge to get them there. I go into every gospel conversation with a goal in mind, and a plan to get there.

From: www.goodfreephotos.com