talksjsmith1 ( ** )

— SACRAMENT SERVICE TALK — DECEMBER 9, 2007 —  THE DIVINE MISSION OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH — 

I am grateful, brothers and sisters, for this opportunity to speak today, and I am honored to speak with my friend and neighbor, Elder Phillip Manwaring.  Our family has been blessed to live next door to Phillip.  He has been a great example to our sons of a young man who loves the Lord, who has lived a worthy life, and now has served an honorable mission.  To our family, Phillip represents everything that is good and wonderful about our Latter-day Saint youth.

This month, on December 23, we will celebrate the 202^nd anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  It is fitting and proper that we remember this great prophet, honor him, remind ourselves of the almost indescribable sacrifice he made, and of how his life has blessed our lives.  I am grateful today to share a few thoughts with you about the divine mission of this “chosen seer”.

Both the scriptures and modern-day prophets testify that Joseph Smith was foreordained to fulfill the role of “Prophet of the Restoration”.  He was literally prepared, schooled, and trained for centuries before his mortal life.  His mission was to come to this earth at the proper time in the proper place to open the doors of salvation to the people of this dispensation.  His selection as the prophet to fill this all-important role was not made randomly.  His faith, dedication, and obedience in pre-mortal life had distinguished him as one who could shoulder this incredible responsibility.

The prophet Alma, in the 13^th chapter of Alma in the Book of Mormon, described those faithful high priests who were chosen before mortality to fulfill specific earth-life assignments.  Listen how closely his words describe our wonderful prophet Joseph.  I have changed Alma’s plural pronouns to the singular, as they apply directly to Joseph Smith: “He was called with a holy calling and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of his exceedingly great faith and good works…”, “his holy calling was prepared from the foundation of the world for such a one who would not harden his heart…”, “he was ordained unto the high priesthood of God to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest…”, and finally, “he was called and sanctified, and his garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb”.  Could there be a more apt and precise description of Joseph’s pre- mortal selection for his crucial mortal responsibilities?

There is probably no way to adequately describe how Joseph must have felt when he realized that, in answer to his humble prayer for wisdom, he was kneeling in the presence of God the Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ.  But then, to hear The Father call him by his given name, to directly and specifically acknowledge him as someone that He knew personally!  Perhaps not right at that moment, but certainly in later moments of reflection, Joseph must have considered the sacredness of that one word, his name.  God knew him, He knew where Joseph lived, he knew of his family, of his humble yet sincere prayer.  His appearance to him was not happenstance or coincidence.  This sacred visitation had been planned and looked forward to for millennia, and Joseph was the instrument chosen to carry out the all-important work of the restoration.  Joseph certainly would have found great strength and confidence in the fact that he had been selected and prepared for a divine work by the Creators of the universe and of this earth.  I am also quite confident that Joseph felt the love of the Father for the Savior when He referred to Him as “my beloved Son, and I am also confident that Joseph felt the Father’s love for him, Joseph, as he gazed into the Father’s face and was immersed in the spirit.

Can we even begin to imagine how Joseph felt as he translated what is now the 3^rd chapter of 2 Nephi, and read about himself in that sacred record?  That chapter contains prophecies made by Joseph of Egypt, or Joseph of Old, concerning one of his seed that would be raised up in the last days to do a marvelous work.  Imagine the joy that must have flowed into Joseph Smith’s heart as he translated the following prophecies of Joseph of Old: “…and out of weakness he (meaning Joseph Smith) shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people,…and that seer (again referring to Joseph Smith) will the Lord bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded… and his name shall be called after my name (meaning his name would be Joseph), and his name shall be after the name of his father (meaning Joseph Smith, Sr.),… and the thing (meaning the Book of Mormon) which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring salvation unto my people.”  Imagine how Joseph felt, being referred to as a seer, reading that he would be blessed, that his enemies would be confounded, that he would be an instrument in bringing salvation to the souls of men!  The sanctity of his calling must have been greatly impressed upon his soul!

The Lord Jesus Christ himself bore witness of Joseph’s divine call when he said, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 1, “I, the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments.”  No greater endorsement could be sought than that!

How grateful we should all be that this great prophet stayed true to his divine commission and calling.  President Kimball has pointed out that Joseph endured 24 years of anguish and torment to remain true to his calling.  He was persecuted, defamed, ridiculed, tarred, feathered, beaten, imprisoned unjustly, and abused.  Many who claimed to be his friends turned their backs on him, scorned him and denounced him.  But through all of this tribulation, year after year, Joseph kept his mind focused on two transcendent facts: he had been called of God by God Himself, and he had been ordained under the hands of divine servants to lay the foundation for the Kingdom of God on the earth.  To quote Joseph, “…I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it…”  Joseph could not be deterred, distracted, or discouraged.  With a firm understanding of his role in the Kingdom, he moved always forward against overwhelming adversity.  His faithfulness to his call is reflected in these great words of his:  “Shall we not go on in so great a cause?  Go forward, and not backward.  Courage, brethren, and on, on to the victory.  Let your hearts rejoice and be exceeding glad.”

My father-in-law, Elder Glen L. Rudd, at one time had the privilege of being with President Kimball in the Sacred Grove.  His experience on that day has strengthened my love for and testimony of Joseph Smith.  I hope it will do the same for you.  I know quote from my Elder Rudd’s journal:

“In 1963, Elder Spencer W. Kimball and I attended the stake conference of the newly-created Cumorah Stake in up-state New York.  On Sunday evening following the conference, Elder Kimball asked me if I would be willing to stay over and go with him to the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah the next morning.  Of course, I agreed.  The morning was magnificent, clear and sunny.  We drove to the parking lot near the Joseph Smith home.  A groundskeeper accompanied us, and we walked along the path to the Sacred Grove.  As we walked, Elder Kimball used his pocket knife to whittle a limb into a walking stick.

When we entered the Sacred Grove, Elder Kimball suggested that we talk only in whispers.  The groundskeeper told us that there were only three trees in the Grove that were there that day as witnesses to the First Vision.  With the exception of these three trees, the rest of the trees had grown since the morning of the Vision.  Elder Kimball selected one of these three original trees to sit under, and invited us to sit down on the roots which were above-ground.  As we sat down, Elder Kimball handed me a set of scriptures and said, “Bishop Rudd, please read to us what Joseph wrote about what happened on that morning in this sacred place.”  I turned to the account of the First Vision in the Pearl of Great Price.  I read it slowly and carefully.  The spirit filled my soul as I read.  At the conclusion of the reading, Elder Kimball suggested that we stand and sing, “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”.  Although the three of us didn’t sing very well, I shall never forget the singing of those wonderful words on that special occasion.  Elder Kimball then asked us to join him in prayer.  He asked permission to be the one to offer the prayer.  This was one of the greatest moments of my life.  That morning I heard one prophet express gratitude for The Prophet.  It was marvelous to kneel at his side and hear him thank God for what happened at that spot in 1820.  Rarely in my life have I heard anyone pray so earnestly and so sincerely.  My heart was pounding.  I have never forgotten the great sensation I had that morning in the Sacred Grove with one who was to someday be Joseph’s successor.”

What a sweet experience this was for my father-in-law, but I add, brothers and sisters, that we do not need to kneel with an apostle in the Sacred Grove to know of the reality of the First Vision.  That testimony is available to us all, and it needs to be one of the pillars of our faith.

Think of how our lives today are blessed because of the faithfulness of Joseph Smith.  Through his instrumentality, we know of the true nature of the Godhead, we have the true priesthood and authority of God to bless us, we have the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures to guide our footsteps in our spiritual lives, we know Lehi, Nephi, Alma, and Moroni, we enjoy membership in the fully-restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we understand more fully our pre-mortal existence and we know what awaits us after this life if we live worthily, we have the blessings of temple ordinances and covenants in our lives, we are sealed as families forever, we have the Word of Wisdom to preserve our health, we have the principle of tithing which blesses our individual lives and provides for the needs of others.  This list of blessings which are available to us through the Lord and his chosen Prophet could go on indefinitely.

Brothers and sisters, the Angel Moroni told Joseph Smith that his name would be had for good and evil throughout all ages of the earth.  There are many willing to step forward with criticism and harshness for the Prophet, seeking to cast him in evil and deceitful hues.  It is our obligation and privilege to step forward and see that his name is had for good throughout the earth, acknowledging him as a choice seer, a chosen prophet, an ordained disciple of Jesus Christ.  We don’t worship Joseph, but we honor him; we don’t exalt him, but we celebrate his magnificent life.  Brigham Young once said that he felt like shouting Hallelujah all the time because he had the privilege of knowing the Prophet Joseph.  My prayer is that we feel the same way because we are members of the Church which the Lord restored through him, and because out lives are blessed every single day because of Joseph’s dedication to the Lord and His kingdom.  Personal testimony to close.  Amen.