*Today in church we sang the song, "Upon the Cross of Calvary" and it reminded me of some podcasts I've listened to about how sometimes in our church we focus on what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but overlook what He did for us on the cross. Because we generally don't use the cross as a symbol of our faith, sometimes we forget that His death on the cross is an integral part of His Atonement for us. When you study the scriptures and the hymns, in almost every case it talks about how Christ atoned for our sins on the cross, and Gethsemane is rarely mentioned. It was interesting when it was pointed out in the podcasts. I'm grateful that Christ suffered for my sins in Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary.
*Today in church it was my turn to give a talk. I try to receive the Spirit through the messages in the talks each week, and so I prayed that I'd be able to share the Spirit with those listening today. The topic was "What do I do, as a disciple of Christ, to help others feel the love of Christ?" I'll put the talk here, in case anyone wants to read it.
It was a delight!
Good afternoon! I’m excited to be able to speak to you today. I thought I’d briefly introduce myself and my family since there are so many new people in our ward now. My husband Ben and I have been in Wylie for thirteen years. Our two oldest children, Scott and Emma, currently attend the Young Single Adult Ward in Dallas. We also have our three girls here, Gracie, Caytie, and Tessa, who are in Young Womens, and our youngest son Benson, who is our last one in Primary. I have no idea how they have all gotten so old so quickly, but they bring us a lot of joy and “experience” in life.
(A couple facts about me: I’m a Sagitarius, my favorite color is green, I like to cook but I don’t like to choose what to cook…) One of my new favorite facts about myself is that I was just called to be one of the Sunbeam teachers in our Primary. In my last 20 years of church service, about 15 have been in the Primary in some way or another, and I really feel blessed to have been able to serve there. One of my favorite things about Primary is that you have to learn how to break down the gospel into its simplest form. How do you explain the Atonement of Jesus Christ, or teach about why Nehemiah had to rebuild a wall in Jerusalem to three and four year olds? You need to use the simplest terms, and it amazes me how easily the Spirit can slip in and testify to the truth of what you’re saying. I was asked to speak today about how, as a disciple of Christ, we can help those around us feel the love of Christ. What is a disciple, then? What are the things that they do?
In Primary we often sing the song “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus.” Listen to the words of this song, because I think it teaches us perfectly what a disciple is and what they can do to help others feel the love of Christ: “I’m trying to be like Jesus; I’m following in his ways. I’m trying to love as he did in all that I do and say. At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice, but I try to listen as the Still Small Voice whispers, ‘Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught.’”
In “non-Primary” language, Elder Robert D. Hales gave his definition of a disciple as “one who has been baptized and is willing to take upon him or her the name of the Savior and follow Him. A disciple strives to become as He is by keeping His commandments in mortality, much the same as an apprentice seeks to become like his or her master” (April 2017). Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf added: “It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not a primary way of worshipping. Ours is not a secondhand religion. We cannot receive the blessings of the gospel merely by observing the good that others do. We need to get off the sidelines and practice what we preach” (April 2009).
So then, what is it that we are supposed to be doing as disciples? We can go back to the Primary song and try to be like Jesus. He showed us throughout his earthly ministry what he wants us to do– He wants us to love one another. To try to show kindness in all we do. To be gentle and loving in deed AND in thought. John 15:12 states, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
How did Jesus show his love? He showed kindness. Sister Sharon Eubank explained that some people don’t feel accepted or acceptable: “The New Testament shows the great efforts Jesus made to reach out to all kinds of people: lepers, tax collectors, children, Galileans, harlots, women, Pharisees, sinners, Samaritans, widows, Roman soldiers, adulterers, the ritually unclean. In almost every story, He is reaching someone who wasn’t traditionally accepted in society. … It is an unwavering requirement of Christian disciples and Latter-day Saints to show true love to one another” (“Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 74). Interestingly, this is what is quoted on the Church’s “supporting people who identify as transgender” webpage. We have a choice when we interact with people. We can choose to be kind.
Jesus took care of the needy, and he fed the hungry. I’d like to share a story about feeding the hungry, and you that are new will learn what an amazing group of people that we have in this ward. You may have heard that six years ago Wylie was hit by a freak hail storm. Those that have lived in Texas their whole lives had never seen a storm like this. The hailstones were grapefruit sized, and were being flung around the sky with tornado-force winds. The storm broke 14 of our windows and put hundreds of holes through the wooden decking in our roof. It’s estimated that 80% of Wylie needed a new roof after this storm, so understandably, tarps and roofing supplies and roofers were in very short supply. After the initial storm it rained again before many of us were able to get the windows and roofs tarped adequately. The rain came through the holes in the decking and soaked our attic insulation, which made it heavy, causing interior ceilings to collapse (sometimes in the middle of the night on your bed), but even more seriously, it began to grow mold. This ultimately forced us out of our home as experts cleaned the mold, and we lived in a hotel for five weeks. Hotel rooms were also in high demand as a lot of people in the city needed big repairs, but we found two rooms for our family of eight here in Wylie, and even though they were on different floors, we felt blessed to have them.
There are so many ways that people served us during this time, and so many tender mercies that I could share, but the thing I want to focus on today is this: our hotel rooms each had a tiny fridge and a tiny microwave. Breakfast was provided, the kids had lunch at school, but I couldn't prepare adequate dinners for my family. Our ward members created a sign up and invited us over for dinner in their homes for almost every weeknight for a month. When we found out we still needed to stay another week, they offered to keep the sign up going. At first I said no. It was too much. I couldn't ask for more. A friend asked me, "But do you need it?" And when I admitted that we did, she said, "Then we want to do it." The Roper family was hungry, and we were fed by the sweet disciples living right here. We felt the love of Christ through you.
Jesus ministered. (I had a stint in Relief Society recently, so I couldn’t leave this one out.) When the Savior visited the Nephites, he invited each to come to him, one by one, and he blessed, healed, and prayed for them all. This was not a small group of people, but he took time to show his love to each of them. Because he is not now with us we are all invited to do as He would do and be ministers to each other. This is easy to say, but not always very easy for us to do, and I must not be the only one thinking this because there is an article in the Liahona magazine this month called, “Have the Courage to Reach Out.” It reminds us that the story of Esther, which we read this week in the “Come, Follow Me” readings, is perhaps best known as a story of courage. Through Esther’s great faith in the power of fasting and prayer, she was able to go forward with a plan that ultimately saved the Jewish people. We can look to her example of courage, even in ministering, as we set aside our fears to get to know someone and help them in their challenges. Like Esther, we can use fasting and prayer to strengthen our faith to act. We can have the courage to reach out, whether it is to get to know someone or to invite them to do something that will bless their lives. God will help you.
President Nelson recently said on Facebook, “There is nothing easy or automatic about becoming such powerful disciples. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and his gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee.” We will not always get this right. We will not always follow through when we need to. But as TJ Nelson shared last Sunday, the great thing about this church (and, I’d say, The Great Plan of Happiness) is that we get lots of chances to try again. Let’s try to be like Jesus, try to love as He did in all we do and say, and try to listen when the Still Small voice whispers to love one another. He wants all of His children to feel His love. We are the tools He has to make it happen. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
