On the sweetness of Mormon life.

After church a brother is playing Easter hymns outside on his bagpipes.  He is wearing the full regalia and sunglasses–it is brighter and warmer here than in Scotland.  Your family is dressed for Easter also, hats and pearls, another friend takes your picture.

You drove separately because you had come early to practice for a quartet.  Your youngest, dressed to the nines, begs to ride home in the bed of your beat up old pickup.

Christ won.  The crown is his.  His victory spreads.  First in Jerusalem and then out and on.  From his palms a drop has come to you in your soul, and there it continues to grow.

the Jewish sabbath, the sealed tomb–Christ descends into hell, organizes the liberation of the dead (D&C 138)–in the Nephite lands, there is no daylight, a voice from the darkness announces that he has destroyed many cities and people, proclaims himself Christ Alpha and Omega, and begs the people to come unto him by repentance (3 Nephi 9-10)

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Woefully arrayed,
My blood, man,
For thee ran,
It may not be nay’d:
My body blue and wan,
Woefully arrayed:

Time spent at the foot of the cross is better than time spent thinking about theories of the atonement. I admit that. Yet thinking about the atonement can sometimes get you to the cross.

In conference Brother Didn’tCatchHisName talked about trying to explain why Christ needed to suffer for our sins even though God loves us to a woman from Asia who grew up away from the background assumptions of Christendom. He challenged our children to ask us why.

Let me tell you what I am going to tell my kids when they ask. I have three theories. There are lots of worthwhile other theories out there, , but these are the two theories you and I have come up with that as far as I can tell are original, at least in this way of looking at them, plus a way of explaining the ransom theory of the atonement.

Understanding these theories will enhance your understanding of the atonement, but in no way does your salvation depend on it.

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Maundy Thursday

 The last supper — This is my body, this is my blood — Gethsemane (meaning oil press, symbolically meaningful) — The betrayal.

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The second coming – signs of the times – parables of judgment – the marvelous teaching about the sheep and the goats – inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these, my brethren , ye have done it unto me (more…)

Matthew 21-23:  Presently the fig tree withered away — Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness — upon you come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar — For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

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There was talk this General Conference about working in more Holy Week and Easter activities to our liturgical calendars.  I will have more to say on that later.

General Conference has always been part of my personal liturgical calendar.   (more…)

God is love, Christ violently drove the wicked from the temple.  Turn the cheek, wield the whip.  Lion and lamb.

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I decided to do something a little different this time.  Instead of looking over my notes, I am going to just list what struck me from memory.  (If you want to do the same, jot down what you can before you read further).

I also am going to record my impressions.

Hopefully Elder Ballard will not frown if I say that I am thankful for the conference, my personal experience was the best I have had in years, and thankful for you.  For me this was like the conferences of old, the most spiritual its been for me since President Nelson’s legendary talk about the 8 keys to revelatoin.

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Royal triumph entering Jerusalem — In the mouth of babes and little children —

— If these should hold their peace, the very stones would cry out.

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Testify!