One of my favorite primary songs is “This is My Beloved Son”. It tells about the few times that we know of in scripture where Heavenly Father, speaking from heaven, introduces his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and admonishes the people to “hear Him.” The first verse tells the story of Jesus being baptised in the Jordan river. The second tells of Christ appearing to the Nephites. The third verse, which is what I will base my talk on, says, “Joseph saw two glorious beings shining brighter than the sun. God again presented Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, hear Him.” This is the only time that we know of where God appeared in person with Jesus Christ. In this instance, Joseph not only heard his voice but saw him.
I have
always loved and had a testimony of Joseph Smith’s first vision and am amazed by his faith as just a young boy.
But now that I am a mother of young boys who occasionally wonder and ask
about Heavenly Father and Jesus, I can see seeds of faith beginning to grow and
I am ever more appreciative of Joseph Smith, who grew up in a good family, who
read and learned from the scriptures. In Joseph Smith's words, it was a time of "great religious excitement". Out of all the different churches cropping up, he was confused about which one
to join. Taught by his parents to pray, and inspired by a scripture in James, Jospeh humbly knelt in the woods
near his families farm and prayed for an answer. It was in answer to this simple prayer that he literally saw and heard God, the Father, and His son
Jesus Christ. I love his words:
Joseph Smith—History 1:17:
“I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description. … One
of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This
is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
Not only did
that one event answer Joseph’s question regarding which church to join but it
also established some key doctrines that separate and distinguish our beliefs as Latter-Day-Saints from other Faiths:
1) Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are
two separate beings.
Who not only
look in all likeness to each other, but who have bodies like us.
Elder
L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “[Joseph
Smith’s] experience clarified for mankind the existence of God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Thus to the world came the vision that three
personages comprise this great presiding council of the universe and have
revealed themselves to mankind as three separate beings, physically distinct
from each other.”
2) There is an order in which we
communicate with God
We
pray to Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.
We do not pray to idols, Saints, Mary, nor do we direct our prayers to Jesus.
We pray to God. Why?
Because we fear God in the sense that we honor Him, obey Him, and
glorify Him but we are not scared of Him. Our
doctrine teaches us that we are His children and he is available to us. And
Jesus Christ is the mediator.
In 3 Nephi 18:19 Christ says, “Therefore ye
must pray unto the Father in my name.”
Even when Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to Joseph
Smith. God the Father introduced the Son
and directed Joseph’s communication through Him, saying, “this
is my Beloved Son, hear Him.
President
Gordon B. Hinckley: “I believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in
His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. I was baptized in the name of
these three. I was married in the name of these three. I have no question
concerning their reality and their individuality. … Miracle of miracles and
wonder of wonders, they are interested in us, and we are the substance of their
great concern. They are available to each of us. We approach the Father through
the Son. He is our intercessor at the throne of God. How marvelous it is that
we may so speak to the Father in the name of the Son. I bear witness of these
great, transcendent truths. And I do so by the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost” (“The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,” Liahona, Mar. 1998, 8–9; Ensign,
Mar. 1998, 7).
3) Heavenly Father answers prayers.
And not only that, but expects it of us. Heavenly Father did not just appear to
Joseph Smith and assign him the task of re-establishing the church on the earth. But rather waited for Joseph to come to Him
in prayer and allowed him to ask in faith, nothing wavering. I
think there’s an important lesson there – Heavenly Father wants goods things
for His children but he also expects us to exercise faith in asking and be
thoughtful in the way we pray and in the things we pray for.
3 Nephi 18:20-21 “And
whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall
receive, behold it shall be given unto you.
Pray in
your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your
children may be blessed”
Praying in our families is so important and I have gained
such a testimony of Family Prayer throughout my life. I remember the effort it took my mom to get
all of us kids out of bed and upstairs for family prayer and scripture study. On those cold winter mornings, she’d even
stoke the fire to entice us with it’s warm glow. And although most days it was
just routine and some days we didn’t do it all there were moments during that
time set aside with the family that were so tender and powerful. I remember my mom and my dad praying for each of the children by name and
how special I felt to hear my name and know that they cared about and understood
my individual needs. My mom
would sometimes keep her eyes closed and pause just a little longer after the prayer was
over. I asked her once why she did that
and she said, “I’m just listening.” What
a great reminder that has always been to me - to listen. Now that I am a busy mother myself, I know how important it is to find moments when
the noise of the world can be turned off - moments where I can just "be still and know God".
Nate and
I started having family prayer and
scripture study with our kids several years ago.
Up until then I guess I just assumed that our kids were too young to
really get it. But I am amazed at how
quickly children can adapt to a routine, learn to pray, and understand the importance and meaning of the scriptures. They are so eager to participate – even our one-year-old.
4) God knows us individually and loves us
The first word Heavenly father said to Joseph in the sacred grove was his name. “Joseph, This is my Beloved Son, Hear Him.” Heavenly Father knew him. He knows us. He loves us each individually.
Jeffrey R. Holland:
“I bear witness this
day of a personal, living God, who knows our names, hears and answers prayers,
and cherishes us eternally as children of His spirit. I testify that amidst the
wondrously complex tasks inherent in the universe, He seeks our individual
happiness and safety above all other godly concerns.”
I had an experience a few years ago where I unmistakably
felt Heavenly Father’s love. I was
teaching 6th grade in an inner-city school in South Chicago. The school was located near the projects in a
rough neighborhood. The children came
from broken homes where they were often times abused or neglected. It was
difficult.
But one student, in particular, was very difficult. He came late and angry every day. He was explosive, disruptive, and could just swear
like a sailor. He lied, stole, and cheated every chance he could get. He taunted the other students mercilessly
which more often than not escalated into explosive fist fights. In fact, he
spent his birthday in the hospital that year with a broken jaw from one such
fight. He made blatant racist insults
daily as I was one of two white teachers in a school of 800 African-Americans. And day after day I dreaded his arrival.
On one
occasion, he had entered the class in the middle of a lesson that I had stayed
up late the night before thoughtfully preparing. On the way to his desk he flicked a student
in the back of the head and kicked another girls backpack across the room which
led to a few minutes of swearing and bantering among the classmates. When he finally sat down he shoved back his
chair into the desk behind him, put his feet up on his desk and pulled his hood
up over his head. When I asked him to
get his book out, he swore at me and kicked his desk over. I remember my feelings of anger and even hate
as I headed across the room to get him – to just kick him out of my class! Halfway there something happened. And I felt it more powerfully than I have
ever felt before. The spirit literally
stopped me in my tracks and I was overcome with a feeling of love – love that
was not my own. I walked over to his
desk, picked it up and put it back in it’s place. Then I put my hand on his desk and asked,
“Are you o.k.?” He looked at me and
immediately blinked back the tears. I
motioned towards the hallway where I stood with him as he cried and cried and
cried against the wall. All I could
think of to say was “I’m so sorry” then after a while I touched his arm and
said, “come back in when you’re ready.”
I never knew what happened that
day. He never told me. But from then on we sort of had this mutual
respect for one another and although he still had his moments, he was fine for
the rest of the year and became one of my dearest students.
I testify that Heavenly Father loves us and he knows
us. I am so grateful for the times in my
life when I have felt his love for not only me but those around me. I know that
this is the true and living gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Christ lived on this earth, that He
died, and that He lives again. I testify that
Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet and that he saw and heard the things he said
he did. I have a testimony of prayer. I know that praying to our
Father in Heaven with humility and faith like Joseph Smith, having confidence in Jesus Christ as our
Savior and Redeemer, and seeking the companionship and promptings of the Holy
Ghost will bring comfort, direction, and joy into our lives.
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