Christ's Visit- 7-16

These scriptures are so holy that I cannot begin to comment on them in adequate detail. I have been a bit behind on the reading due to my mission papers. Hope Brother Parrish will forgive that. I would, however, like to focus on the things that I learn from these scriptures.

1. Christ has other sheep- Christ has other sheep that are not those at Jerusalem. He discusses how He has come to visit His few sheep in the Americas, also mentioning other sheep elsewhere. I often ponder what this exactly means. I think Christ had sheep all over the place. I imagine His earthly ministry was actually quite extensive. (Personal Interpretation alert!) I would not be surprised if Christ visited places such as Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Isles of the Sea where some believers were assembled in His name. I could see Christ visiting these people who have records of His visit written. I would like to study Messiah beliefs in various cultures to see if they have any correlation to Jesus Christ. I imagine that many traditions of Christ have been lost throughout the years and I also imagine that He did not manifest Himself unto everyone. Christ is a very personal visitor. He likes small groups and intimate settings. I imagine He showed Himself to a few followers and they could have established Zion-like communities that could have failed eventually.

2. Christ remembers the Covenants of the Lord- Christ is the Lord who established the Covenants through His Father's instruction. He remembers the House of Israel and the Gentiles. He promises to establish His Covenants through His servants and to bring peace to His people.

3. Christ's atonement is real. He allowed the people to feel the wounds in His hands and in His side. I cannot wait until I can do that. Now I would like to talk about this.

I really know the atonement happened. I know because I have felt the cleansing power that it has brought into my life. I would like to testify of the power of the atonement and its events.

Christ met with His apostles before He died. He instituted the sacrament, in memory of His atonement and as a means by which true followers of Christ may be found worthy to stand before Him again. He then traveled to a garden where He, like the name Gethsemane implies, would be pressed for blood. Pressed for the sins of the world. Christ there suffered spiritual and physical pain beyond that which we can imagine. His Father sent Him an angel to bear Him up and provide comfort for Him. Christ then was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and eventually led to a death by Crucifixion. They crowned the King of the Universe with a crown of thorns, adorning Him in a purple robe. They stood by and mocked Him, denying His divinity. They called Him the King of the Jews. Little did they know, that He was more than that. He was their King. Their Savior. Their Redeemer. God Himself.

They nailed His hands and feet to a cross. They hung him. And he suffered beyond that which we can imagine. A sinless sacrifice to satisfy a broken law. He died there. They pierced His sides. And He was buried. I imagine I would have cried for my precious Lord. I would have weeped over His body. He was buried in a tomb on a dreary Friday. The earth moaned. The God of Nature suffered. Three days passed. And then, on the glorious Easter morning, He rose from the grave. The bands of death, at last, were broken! The atonement complete.

Christ carried my sorrows, my sins, and my pains. My anguish, my guilt. Christ is my Heavenly Friend. I cannot wait to feel the nail prints in His hands and side. I will kneel down at His feet and cry "My Lord. My God" and shed tears of gratitude and joy. Christ is real. The atonement is real. He will help us. So come what may.

In the Name of the Most High God, Jesus Christ, I testify.

Amen.

Remember the Covenants-3rd Nephi-2-6

There are a couple interesting things from these chapters. Obviously, the mention of the coming of one Jesus Christ, to redeem the world, is a notable one. The repentance of the Nephites is also rather notable. My favorite part, however, is the insert of Mormon.

When Mormon went through and edited the Book of Mormon, he occasionally added some of his own commentary. I like his commentary about the Covenants of Israel and how they shall, in time remember their God, who is Jesus Christ. I really like this image of Jesus Christ as the Messiah who will come in a red robe and as the God who led the Israelites out of captivity. I feel like it's a wonderful connection. God doesn't just deliver us from physical oppression, He rescues us from spiritual oppression.

I would call the Book of Mormon many things after today- the textbook of the atonement (thanks Bro. Parrish), (from now on my own inventions) The Book of the Covenants of the Lord, The Book of Repentance and Redemption, Mercy and Justice: A Case Study, The Big Book of Consequences, and The Book of Christian Living. I love the Book of Mormon now more than ever, despite it's theological quandaries that I don't understand, there's beauty in its simplicity, in its theology.

Faith on the Son of God Heleman 14- 3rd Nephi 1

I love Samuel's prophecy of Christ and his marvelous atonement. I love the fact that he testifies of it so eloquently and gives the sign of his birth as a new star in the sky. A light to the world. To me, that's what Christ is- a light shining in a very dark world. I live in a world where I often feel weighed down by sin and sorrow because of the things I have done. But to me these chapters give a little bit of hope for me. They teach me how, if I have faith on Christ's name, I can obtain a remission of my sins. I strive to repent in my life everyday, not because I sin on purpose, but because I a human. I am in the follies of youth still. I am trying to figure out who I am and what I will become.

It also talked about going out to baptize people. And I can so relate to that. I have an interview for my mission this week and I am so stoked. I can't wait to just tell people about my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. That may lead to baptism or it may not, but I stand ready to testify to the world that Our Redeemer lives. He loves us and will succor us and will not leave us alone. I am grateful for His magnificient power. He saves me. He loves me. And He helps me escape from the jaws of that awful monster of sin and death.

And I am so excited to start 3rd Nephi. It's the best part of the Book of Mormon.

Samuel and Jacob- Helaman 11- 13

For my Book of Mormon class, we are required to keep a daily journal of our "supping" of the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes each and everyday. One reason that I started this blog was to force me to actually do my reading and write about it. So I have a few comments on these chapters.

The Book of Mormon is a master text on complex theological topics- the nature of the atonement of Christ, mercy and justice, the nature of God- but it also contains some seemingly simple lessons. In today's readings, I enjoyed the continual discussion of remembering God and shunning pride. Nephi preaches this and Samuel does too. They both proclaim that these people are not being true to their commitments to God as they set their hearts upon "slippery"- love the word choice-riches and look down upon their fellow men.

I love Samuel's testimony to the people. I love that story, in general though. What Mormon child doesn't aspire to be like Samuel? I think Samuel stands, along with Jacob of the Book of Jacob, as one of my favorite witnesses of Jesus Christ. These prophets tell people hard things but really try to do so for concern for the welfare of the souls. They seek for people to come to the Messiah, find true peace and comfort, in a loving and kind way. Of course there are cries of wickedness and abomination, but that's their style. I think these stories teach us how we must testify in our own way, working to bring people to the Holy One of Israel

My First Post

This is going to be my Book of Mormon/Scripture Study blog where I talk about insights and personal commentary upon the word of God.

It will be interesting to see if I keep up with this. Let's hope I can.