[Music] from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City Utah this is the Saturday evening session of the 195th annual general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with speakers selected from leaders of the church music for this session is provided by a combined choir from Brigham Young University this broadcast is furnished as a public service by Bonavville Distribution it may be used for personal and non-commercial home family or church uses elder Neil L anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will conduct this session [Music] brothers and sisters thank you for joining us for the Saturday evening session of the 195th an annual general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we pray that you will be blessed and strengthened as you participate with us president Russell M nelson who is watching this meeting from home has asked me to conduct this session the music for this session will be provided by a combined choir from Brigham Young University under the direction of Andrew Crane Sonia Palter and Brent Wells with Joseph Peoples and Linda Margots at the organ the choir will begin this session by singing Hail the Day that sees him rise the invocation will then be offered by Elder Edward Dubet of the Presidency of the 70 after which the choir will sing Sweet is the peace the gospel brings [Music] hail the day that seasonal to his throne beyond the skies hallelu Christ the lamb for sinners [Music] hallelu enters now the highest heavenlu [Music] therefore in my triumph waits lift your heads eternal gates hallelu he has conquered death and sin [Music] hallelu take the king of glory hallelu [Music] see he lifts his hands above see he shows the prince of love hallelu his gracious lips [Music] bestowlle blessings on his church below hallelujah [Music] we are sightl [Music] raise our hearts to raise my heartl let my is [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] onlues yeah heat [Music] [Music] [Applause] oh our dear father in heaven We come before thee with gratitude in our hearts for this Easter season as we commemorate the atonement of thy son our savior Jesus Christ at we grateful we thank thee for the restoration of the gospel in these letter days with prophets seers and revelators we ask heavenly father that thou bless our dear prophet President Russell M nelson with good health and strength we ask that thou bless those who address us in these sessions that the messages they have prepared will be carried into the hearts of the members assembled here and throughout the world of the members and friends who are assembled here and throughout the world we that as we listen to these messages that we act upon the impressions which will receive so that we'll find peace and joy in our lives we pray for the full-time missionaries that they be protected throughout the world that they be guided to those who are earnestly seeking to receive thy gospel in the name of Jesus Christ amen amen [Music] [Music] [Music] sweet is the gift to sing light and true with light refine [Music] and show a father's care transcendent love and mercy shine in each junction there [Music] know the S name from every single [Music] reserve us [Music] pure [Music] heart that which we have in part received will be in part no more for he in whom we all believe to us will [Music] all our soul Will he appear onto the mark of breast redemption drawth [Music] and draw me [Music] sweet is the king the goel brings sweet is the peace thank you choir for that beautiful music it will now be our privilege to hear from Elder Gary E stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles he will be followed by Sister Amy A wright who serves as first counselor in the primary general presidency after their remarks the choir will sing "Were you there?" We will then hear from elders James R rasband and Serio R vargas of the 70 at the end of a long overseas assignment my wife Lisa and I stepped into an airport terminal in preparation for just one more flight a redeye to get home as we stood with many others moving a step at a time in long lines we could feel the growing anxiety of fellow travelers worried about making flights getting through passport and visa review and successfully navigating security checks we finally reached a station occupied by a customs officer who seemed unaffected by the high levels of stress in the room she almost mechanically with no eye contact reached for my documents confirmed my picture thumb through one page after another and finally stamped my passport with a heavy thud she then reached for Lisa's papers devoid of emotion head down and focused on her work she methodically thumb through the pages with an expert eye focusing on the details of the documents in front of her we were somewhat surprised when she suddenly stopped lifted her head and made eye contact with Lisa in a deliberate and warm upward gaze with a tender smile she gently stamped Lisa's passport and handed the documents back to her my wife smiled in return accepted the documents and exchanged warm parting words "what just happened?" I asked incredulously lisa then showed me what the agent had seen a small card with the image of the savior it had accidentally slipped from Lisa's purse into the folds of her passport this is what the customs officer had found this is what had changed her whole demeanor this small picture of the Savior connected the hearts of two otherwise disconnected strangers capturing the beauty the miracle and the reality of the light of Jesus Christ for the remainder of that day and often since I have contemplated that sweet simple moment with awe and have rejoiced in the glorious effect of the light of Christ upon God's children we are followers of Jesus Christ and we seek to both receive and share his light implicit in the name of the church is our theology of Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone through ancient and living prophets heavenly father has commanded us to hear him and to come unto Christ we talk of Christ we rejoice in Christ we preach of Christ and we prophesy of Christ we teach that Jesus Christ is a son of God and during his earthly ministry Jesus taught his gospel and established his church we testify that at the end of his life Jesus atoned for our sins when he suffered in the garden of Gethsemane and was crucified on the cross and then was resurrected we rejoice that because of the Savior's atoning sacrifice we can be forgiven and cleansed of our sins as we repent this brings us peace and hope while making it possible for us to return to God's presence we prophesy that because of Jesus's resurrection death is not the end but an important step forward we will all be resurrected after we die each person's spirit and body will be reunited and live forever living prophets in our day who receive revelation from God to teach and lead us are increasingly inviting us to come unto Christ they are helping us to center our hearts and our eyes more fully on him we could cite numerous examples of adjustments and enhancements announced by the first presidency that are designed to focus us on Jesus Christ some of these include the decision to retire the name Mormon Church and replace it with the correct name the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the availability of new inspired Christ themed art in meeting houses young women and young men themes on focus and music focused on Jesus Christ such as I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and look unto Christ greater emphasis on the atonement and the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ as the most important events in history celebration of Easter as a season not just a holiday with an emphasis on Jesus Christ the introduction of the visual identifier of the church and its symbolic nature let us look closer at the impact of some of these first the church symbol in 2020 President Nelson introduced a new visual identifier for the church this symbol reflects the truth that Christ is at the center of his church and should be at the center of our lives we now see this familiar symbol on temple recommends church magazines and websites as the icon for the gospel library and even on military ID tags for many members of the church serving in the armed forces this symbol includes the name of the church contained within a cornerstone a reminder that Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone shown here in Cambodian and used in 145 languages the center of the symbol is a representation of Bertell Thorson's beloved marble Christa statue which has become widely associated with the church and is found in visitor centers and on temple grounds around the world its prominence in the church symbol suggests that Christ should be the center of all we do likewise the Savior's outstretched arms indicate his promise to embrace all who will come unto him this symbol is a visual representation of the love of the Savior and a constant reminder of the living Christ out of curiosity I have inquired of many families and friends concerning one important element of the church symbol surprisingly many are not aware of a hallowed feature that it embodies jesus Christ stands under the arch this represents the resurrected savior emerging from the tomb we truly celebrate the resurrected living Christ even in the use of the church symbol now let us contemplate the significance of Easter in recent First Presidency messages concerning Easter we've been challenged to celebrate the resurrection of the living savior by studying his teachings and helping to establish Easter traditions in society as a whole especially within our own families in short we've been encouraged to move to a higher and holier celebration of Easter i love the continuing revelation concerning Easter and am gratified for your many efforts to make Easter a sacred and holy occasion in addition to holding a 1-hour sacrament meeting on Easter Sunday other examples of worthy activities include warden stake devotionals and activities on Palm Sunday as well as during Holy Week these remembrances include activities with children and youth and often incorporate interfaith choirs others have held Living Christ open houses for members and friends and have participated in multi-denominational community Easter events such activities mirror the multitudes in the city of Jerusalem whose voices join together to praise the Savior during his triumphal entry equally impressive are reports of your responses to the First Presidency's invitation to worship at home as families to commemorate this most important holiday i believe that family worship surrounding Easter has elevated remarkably two years ago I spoke about our family's determination to improve the way we honor Easter admittedly this is still a work in progress we have always enjoyed a special Easter Sunday meal Easter baskets and an Easter egg hunt and we still do however adding an intentional spiritual dimension that focuses on Jesus Christ and his atonement to our celebration has brought a sweet balance to our commemoration of these most holy of all events this year will be our third attempt to make Easter more Christc centered like the Christmas nativity our family Easter day play includes rudimentary costumes reading of scriptures from the New Testament and Book of Mormon music Easter pictures palm frrons and a little chaos if I'm being completely honest children and grandchildren reading and reciting the Palm Sunday praises of Hosana blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord hosana in the highest and this is Jesus of Galilee seem as relevant as peace on earth goodwill to men at Christmas time we now enjoy a mix of decorations what was once almost exclusively bunnies and Easter eggs is now balanced with the Christrist and images of the empty tomb the resurrected Savior appearing in the garden outside the tomb and the Savior's appearance to the Nephites we're also striving to make Easter a season rather than just a day we're trying to be more conversant thoughtful and celebratory of Palm Sunday and Good Friday and the sacred events that took place during all of Holy Week easter allows us to honor both the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the literal and joyous resurrection of him our hearts are heavy as we imagine the Savior suffering in the garden and upon Calvary but our hearts rejoice as we envision the empty tomb and the heavenly decree he is risen recent First Presidency encouragement to look forward to Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ the most glorious of all messages to mankind highlight the magnitude of this season while there appears to be a growing trend among various Christian theologians to view the resurrection in figurative and symbolic terms we affirm our doctrine that the resurrection means that all who have ever lived will be resurrected and the resurrection is literal for as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive jesus Christ broke the bands of death for every living soul we truly stand all amazed at the grace Jesus offers us we embrace his words that greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends cs Lewis stated that to preach Christianity meant to the apostles primarily to preach the resurrection the resurrection is a central theme in every Christian sermon in the acts the resurrection and its consequences were the gospel or good news which the Christians brought i proclaim that there is a resurrection the grave hath no victory and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ in conclusion I testify that all who accept the invitations from our living prophet and his counselors to more intentionally commemorate the holy events that Easter represents will find that their bond with Jesus Christ grows even ever stronger just days ago I learned about a grandmother who rehearsed the Easter story with her four-year-old grandson by using simple replicas of the tomb the stone that covered the supplr Jesus Mary the disciples and the angel the little boy watched and listened intently as his grandma shared the burial closing and opening of the tomb the gu and the garden scene of the resurrection he later carefully repeated the story in p surprising detail to his parents as he moved the figures about himself following this sweet moment he was asked if he knew why we have Easter the boy looked up and with childlike reasoning answered "Cuz him's alive." I add to my test I add my testimony to his and to yours and to that of angels and prophets that he is risen and that he lives of which I testify in the name of Jesus Christ amen amen when our son was in fourth grade his class set up a mock government where Eli was elected by his peers to serve as class judge one day a sitting judge from the second district visited put his official robes on Eli and then administered an oath of office for their class this ignited in his young impressionable soul a passion for studying law and the lawgiver himself Jesus Christ after years of diligent effort Eli received an invitation for an interview with one of his top choices for law school he pronounced "Mom I was asked 10 questions the final question was where do you derive your moral compass i stated that throughout history humankind has derived systems of morality by patterning their lives from archetypes the archetype of morality I strive to pattern my life from is that of Jesus Christ i stated "If all of humanity abided by the teachings of Jesus Christ in the sermon on the mount the world would be a better more peaceful place." Then the interview ended and he thought to himself "There go my childhood dreams no one in secular academia wants to hear about Jesus Christ." Two weeks later Eli was admitted with a scholarship before committing we visited the campus the law school looked like a castle and was set high on a hill overlooking a beautiful lake remarkably as we walked through the magnificent library and stately corridors we found on banners and carved in stone attributes from the Sermon on the Mount the Sermon on the Mount is decisively the most noteworthy discourse ever delivered pioneering in its teachings no other sermon can help us better understand the character of Jesus Christ his divine attributes and our ultimate purpose to become like him lifelong disciplehip of Jesus Christ begins in our homes and in primary as early as 18 months of age we want our children to believe in Jesus Christ belong to Jesus Christ and his church through covenant and strive to become like Jesus Christ first believe in Jesus Christ after the bread of life sermon many of the Lord's disciples found it hard to accept his teachings and doctrine and they went back and walked no more with him jesus then turned to the twel and asked a heart-wrenching question will ye also go away peter responded,"Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the son of the living God." As Peter demonstrated belief is to have faith in someone or to accept something as true and for our faith to lead to salvation it must be centered in the Lord Jesus Christ we exercise faith in Jesus Christ when we have an assurance that he exists an understanding of his true character and nature and a knowledge that we are striving to live according to his will our beloved prophet President Russell M nelson declared "Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power." End quote how can we help strengthen children how can we help children strengthen their belief in Jesus Christ and access his divine power we need to look no further than to our savior himself the Lord spake unto the people saying,"Behold I am Jesus Christ arise and come forth." The multitude went forth and thrust their hands into his side and did fill the prince of the nails in his hands and in his feet and this they did do going forth one by one and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands and did know of assurityity and did bear record that it was he i invite you to ponder what this can look like in the life of young children do they hear testimonies of Jesus Christ in his gospel do they see reverentual worshipful images of his ministry and godhood do they feel and recognize the Holy Ghost testifying of his reality and divinity do they know of his message and mission second belong to Jesus Christ and his church king Benjamin's people experienced a mighty change of heart and by covenant dedicated their lives to doing God's will because of the covenant they made with God and Jesus Christ they were called the children of Christ his sons and his daughters as members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have a covenantal responsibility to build his kingdom and prepare for his return how can we help children make and keep sacred covenants in Come Follow Me in appendix A and B we find conversation starters and lessons that will empower families and support teachers and leaders in their sacred stewardship to prepare children for a lifetime on God's covenant path third become like Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon the Savior admonished his newly called disciples to emulate him as closely as possible what manner of men ought you to be verily I say unto you even as I am how can we help baptized and confirmed children fulfill their covenantal responsibility to gather themselves and others unto Jesus Christ lifelong disciplehip requires us to be doers of the word and not hearers only when extending invitations to the Lord's youngest disciples please take every opportunity to lead them guide them walk beside them and help them find the way counsel with these precious little ones as they prepare to teach testify pray or serve so they are confident and experience joy in fulfilling their responsibilities seek inspired ways to help them come to know that this is their church and they have a vital role to play in preparing for the Savior's return as Jesus Christ becomes the focus of our lives what we desire and how we desire it is forever altered conversion changes everything it changes our nature that we have no more disposition to do evil but to do good continually it changes how we spend our time our resources what we read watch listen to and share it even changes how we respond in a distinguished academic career on the line interview we need to infuse the light of Jesus Christ into every corner of our lives if we are not testifying to the veracity of his premortal godhood his divine mission and his prison bursting resurrection in our homes and in every single meeting of this church then our messages of love service honesty humility gratitude and compassion can become nothing more than a jaunty pep talk of thoughtful living without Jesus Christ there is no power to change no purpose to aspire to and no reconciliation of the tralls of life if we become casual in our disciplehip of Jesus Christ it could be catastrophic for our children when we tell our children we love them are we also telling them that their father in heaven and savior Jesus Christ loved them our love may comfort and inspire but their love can sanctify exalt and heal this Jesus should not be a fictional Jesus or a simplistic Jesus or a bodyless Jesus or a casual Jesus or an unknown Jesus but a glorified omnipotent resurrected exalted worshipful powerful only begotten son of God who is mighty ready to save and as a young child in the Philippines compellingly testified to me one day we are worth saving in the sacred and holy name of him whom God has set forth to be the great propitiation Jesus Christ amen [Music] [Music] were you there when they crucify my [Music] Lord you my Lord [Music] oh sometimes it [Music] tore treble treble were you there when they crucified my Lord were you [Music] there were you there when they were you there were you [Music] [Applause] there to [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oh sometimes ites me to tremble [Music] treble treble [Music] i when [Music] they were you [Music] Last April soon after the joyful news that the church had acquired the Kirkland Temple President Russell M nelson invited us to study the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple recorded in section 109 of the Doctrine and Covenants the dedicatory prayer said President Nelson is dictorial about how the temple spiritually empowers you and me to meet the challenges of life in these last days i am sure that your study of section 109 yielded insights that blessed you this evening I share a couple of things I learned as I followed our prophet's invitation the peacegiving path down which my study led reminded me that the Lord is merciful and that our heavenly father's plan of mercy plan of salvation is truly a plan of mercy as you may be aware newly called missionaries are encouraged to receive the temple endowment as soon as possible and to attend the temple as often as circumstances allow once endowed they also may serve as temple workers before they begin missionary service time in the temple before entering the MTC can be a wonderful blessing for new missionaries as they learn more about temple covenants before sharing the blessing of those covenants with the world but in studying section 109 I learned that in the temple God empowers new missionaries indeed all of us in an additional sacred way in the dedicatory prayer given by Revelation Joseph prayed that when thy servant shall go out from thy house to bear testimony of thy name the hearts of all people would be softened both the great ones of the earth and all the poor the needy and the afflicted he prayed that their prejudices may give way before the truth and thy people may obtain favor in the sight of all that all the ends of the earth may know that we thy servants have heard thy voice and that thou hast sent us this is a beautiful promise for a newly called missionary to have prejudices give way before the truth to obtain favor in the sight of all and to have the world know that they are sent by the Lord each of us surely needs these same blessings what a blessing it would be to have hearts softened as we interact with neighbors and co-workers now the dedicatory prayer does not explain exactly how our time in the temple will soften others hearts but I am convinced it is bound up with how time in the house of the Lord softens our own hearts by centering us on Jesus Christ and his mercy as I studied the Kirtland dedicatory prayer I was also struck that Joseph again and again pleaded for mercy for the members of the church for the enemies of the church for the leaders of the country for the nations of the earth and very personally he plead with the Lord to remember him and to have mercy upon his beloved Emma and their children how must Joseph have felt one week later on Easter day April 3rd 1836 in the Kirtland Temple when the Savior appeared to him and Oliver Calry and as recorded in section 110 of the Doctrine and Covenant said "I have accepted this house and my name shall be here and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house." This promise of mercy must have had special meaning to Joseph and as President Nelson taught last April this promise also applies to every dedicated temple today there are so many ways in which we each can find mercy in the house of the Lord this has been true since the Lord first commanded Israel to build a tabernacle and to place at its center the mercy seat in the temple we find mercy in the covenants we make those covenants in addition to the baptismal covenant bind us to the father and the son and give us increased access to what President Nelson has taught is a special kind of love and mercy called in Hebrew we find mercy also in the opportunity to be sealed to our families for eternity in the temple we come to understand with greater clarity that the creation the fall the Savior's atoning sacrifice and our very ability to enter again into our heavenly father's presence indeed every part of the plan of salvation is a manifestation of mercy it might be said that the plan of salvation is a plan of happiness precisely because it is a plan of mercy i am grateful for the beautiful promise in section 110 that the Lord will manifest himself in mercy in his temples i am also grateful for what it reveals about how the Lord will manifest himself in mercy whenever we like Joseph plead for mercy joseph Smith's plea for mercy in section 109 was not the first time his pleas for mercy prompted revelation in the sacred grove young Joseph prayed not just to know which church was true but he also said that he cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go to obtain mercy somehow his recognition that he needed mercy that only the Lord could provide helped open the windows of heaven three years later the angel Moroni appeared following what Joseph said was his prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follyies this pattern of revelation following a plea for mercy is a familiar one in the scriptures enus heard the voice of the Lord only after praying for forgiveness king Lemonai's father's conversion begins with his prayer i will give away all my sins to know thee now we may not be blessed with these same dramatic experiences but for those who sometimes struggle to feel answers to prayer seeking the Lord's mercy is one of the most powerful ways to feel the witness of the Holy Ghost a similar principle is beautifully taught in Moroni 10:es 3-5 we often shorthand these verses to teach that through sincere prayer we can learn whether the Book of Mormon is true but this shorthand can neglect the important role of mercy listen to how Moroni begins his exhortation i would exhort you that when you shall read these things that you would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men from the creation of Adam even down until the time that you shall receive these things and ponder it in your hearts." Moroni urges us not only to read these things the records he was about to seal up but also to ponder in our hearts what the Book of Mormon reveals about how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men it is pondering upon the Lord's mercy that then prepares us to ask God the eternal father in the name of Christ if these things are not true as we ponder on the Book of Mormon we might ask is it really true as Alma taught that God's plan of mercy assures that every person who ever lived on this earth will be resurrected that they will be restored to their perfect frame is Amu right can the Savior's mercy satisfy all the bitterly real demands of justice that we would otherwise be obligated to pay and instead encircle us in the arms of safety is it true as Alma testified that Christ suffered not only for our sins but for our pains and afflictions so that he could know how to sucker his people according to their infirmities is the Lord really so merciful as King Benjamin taught that is a free gift he atoned for the sins of those who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them or who have ignorantly sinned is it true as Lehi said that Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy and is it really true as Abinadai testified quoting Isaiah that Jesus Christ was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed in some is the Father's plan as taught in the Book of Mormon really this merciful i testify that it is and the peacegiving and hopeful teachings of mercy in the Book of Mormon are true still I imagine that some may be struggling despite your faithful reading and prayers to realize Moroni's promise that Heavenly Father will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost i know this struggle because I felt it many years ago when my own first couple of reads of the Book of Mormon did not yield an immediate and clear answer to my prayers if you are struggling may I invite you to follow Moroni's counsel to ponder on the many ways the Book of Mormon teaches how merciful the Lord hath been to the children of men based on my experience I hope that when you do the peace of the Holy Ghost can enter your heart and you can know believe and feel that the Book of Mormon and the plan of mercy it teaches are true i express my gratitude for the Father's great plan of mercy and for the Savior's willingness to carry it out i know that he will manifest himself in mercy in his holy temple and in every part of our life if we will seek him in the name of Jesus Christ amen amen jesus Christ changed my life when I was baptized at the age of 26 in my beloved Futiar Chile at that time my job took me across the ocean rivers and lakes of the beautiful Chilean Patagonia after my baptism I saw my work in my life in a new and different way recognizing truly that all things denote there is a God in nature salmon are born in the source of the rivers at some point in their lives they need to swim down river to reach the ocean where they find the nourishment and conditions necessary for their development but the ocean is also a dangerous place where predators lurk and where fishers try to catch the salmon with flashy hooks that imitate food but do not nourish them if they can survive these threats they will be ready to use their powerful guidance system to return up river to the same place where they were born facing new as some familiar challenges scientists have studied the migratory behavior for years and have discovered that they use a type of magnetic map similar to GPS to guide them to their final destination with incredible precision we can all return one day to the heavenly home from where we came and like the salmon we have our own magnetic map or light of Christ to guide us there jesus taught his disciples "I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me." As we focus our lives oh Jesus on Jesus Christ we will find our way home enduring to the end and rejoicing to the end president Nelson taught that the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives from the family proclamation we read that each of us is a beloved spirit son or daughter of the heavenly parents and as such each has a divine nature and destiny in the premortal realm spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their eternal father and accepted his plan by which his children could obtain a physical body and gain early experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life before his birth in mortality Jesus Christ appeared to Moses and spoke to him on behalf of the father he told Moses he had a great work for him to do during that meeting the Lord called him my son several times after that experience Satan came tempting him saying "Moses son of man worship me." Moses responded to the temptation by remembering his divine nature saying "Who art thou for behold I am a son of God." The truth freed Moses from an attack by the adversary brothers and sisters the hooks of mortality are real they are often enticing but they seek only one target to pull us out of the course of living waters that lead to the father and eternal life i know how real the hooks of mortality can be one Sunday as a new convert I was teaching a priesthood class when an unsettling conversation arose i struggled to finish my lesson i took offense and felt that I was the victim without saying a word I headed for the exit with the idea that I would not return to church for a while at that very moment a concerned pursuit holder stood in front of me he lovingly invited me to focus on Christ and not on the situation we had experienced in class looking back on the experience with him he shared with me that he heard a voice tell him "Go after him he is important to me." My dear friends we are all important to him president Nelson taught that because of our covenant with God he will never tighten his efforts to help us and we will never exhaust his merciful patience with us close quote our divine nature and covenant relationship with God entitles us to receive divine help just as salmon need to be nourishing the ocean to grow we also need to nourish ourselves spiritually to avoid dying of spiritual malnutrition prayer the scriptures the temple and our regular attendance at Sunday meetings are vital in our spiritual menu in November 1956 Ricardo Garcia entered the waters of baptism in Chile becoming the first members of the church in my country just one day before he died he declared before his family and friends many years ago missionaries invited me to be happy along with my family "I am a happy man tell everyone in Chile the gospel is happiness after having been nourished with the gospel of Jesus Christ Ricardo dedicated his entire life to serving God and his neighbor with love his example of disciplehip has blessed generations including me the prophet Joseph taught that Joseph is me taught that a man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone but ranges through the whole world anxious to bless the whole human race deep inside each of us is a desire to return to our heavenly home and Jesus Christ is our heavenly guidance system he is the way his atoning sacrifice makes it possible for us to make sacred covenants with God once we make covenants we will at times find ourselves swimming against the current danger disappointment temptation and affliction will test our faith and spiritual strength ask for help jesus Christ understands and is always eager to share our burdens remember that he is known as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief the Savior taught "In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer i have overcome the world." His atoning sacrifice allows our sins to be forgiven to the point that he no longer remembers them we may not totally forget our sins as part of our mortal learning so we will remember not to repeat them instead we will remember him as we take the sacrament at church every Sunday this ordinance is an essential part of worship and spiritual development joy comes when we understand that this is not just another day the Sabbath was made for men with intention of giving us rest from the world and renewing our body and spirit we also remember him when we go to the temple the house of the Lord temples gives us a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ as the center of the covenant that leads us to eternal life the greatest of the gifts of God attending the temple has given me comfort and great hope about our eternal destiny i have experienced heavenly connections with people on both sides of the veil i have seen healing miracles in the lives of my young children two of whom live with unseen illnesses that require daily care for the rest of this life our family rejoices as we share about the plan of happiness my children's faces light up when they hear that thanks to Jesus Christ their afflictions shall be but small moment we love our children deeply and we know that someday as President Jeffrey R holland taught they will stand before us glorified and grand particularly perfect in body and mind our covenants bring us closer to God to the point of making the impossible possible filling every space of darkness and doubt with light and peace thanks to Jesus Christ there is hope and wellfounded reasons to continue loving so praying and supporting those we care about i know he lives he knows us and he loves us he is the way the truth and the life of the world i invite all of us today to center our lives on Jesus Christ and his teachings doing so will help us avoid biting the h of temptation offense and self-pity we will stand as temples holy firm and constant we will weather the storms and we will make it home enduring to the end and rejoicing to the end in the name of Jesus Christ amen we are grateful for the spirit of the Lord that has attended us this evening we remind you of the nationwide broadcast Music and the Spoken Word that will air tomorrow morning from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m mountain Daylight Time the Sunday morning session of conference will immediately follow our concluding speaker for this session will be Elder D todd Kristofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles following his remarks the choir will sing "Rejoice the Lord is King." The benediction will then be offered by Elder Gregorio E casillas of the 70 now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying "Where is he that is born king of the Jews for we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him." The magi as they are sometimes called were wise in seeking to find and worship the Messiah for them worshiping meant falling down before him and offering him gifts of gold and precious fragrant spices what does worshiping God mean for you and me when we think of worship our thoughts typically turn to the ways we show religious devotion both privately and in church services as I've considered the matter of worshiping our heavenly father and his beloved son our savior four concepts have come to mind first the actions that constitute our worship second the attitudes and feelings that figure into our worship third the exclusivity of our worship and fourth the need to emulate the holy beings that we worship first the actions that constitute our worship one of the most common and important forms of worship is to gather in a consecrated space to perform acts of devotion the Lord says "And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day." This is of course our primary motivation in building chapels but if necessary a non-dedicated space will do if we can invest it with some degree of sanctity most important is what we do when we gather on the Lord's day of course we dress as best we can according to our means not extravagantly but modestly in a way to signal our respect and reverence for deity our conduct is similarly reverent and respectful we worship by joining in prayer we worship by singing hymns not just listening to but singing the hymns we worship by instructing and learning from one another jesus says "Remember that on this the Lord's day thou shalt offer thine oblations meaning offerings of time talents or means in the service of God and fellow man thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the most high confessing thy sins unto thy brethren and before the Lord we come together not to entertain or be entertained as by a band for instance but to remember him and be instructed more perfectly in his gospel at the most recent general conference Elder Patrick Kieran reminded us that quote "We do not gather on the Sabbath simply to attend sacrament meeting and check it off the list we come together to worship." There is a significant difference between the two to attend means to be present at but to worship is to intentionally praise and adore our God in a way that transforms us." unquote devoting our Sabbaths to the Lord and his purposes is itself an act of worship some years ago then Elder Russell M nelson observed "How do we hallow the Sabbath day in my younger years I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath it wasn't until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my heavenly father with that understanding I no longer needed lists of dos and don'ts when I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath I simply asked myself "What sign do I want to give to God?" Worship on the Lord's day is marked by a particular focus on the great atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ we appropriately and specially celebrate his resurrection at Easter but also every week as we partake of the sacramental emblems of his atonement including his resurrection for the penitent partaking of the sacrament is the highlight of Sabbath worship worshiping together as the body of Christ has unique power and benefits as we teach serve and sustain one another interestingly one recent study found that those who view their spiritual lives as entirely private are less likely to prioritize spiritual growth or to say that their faith is very important or to have regular devotional time with God as a community of saints we strengthen each other in worship and in faith even so we cannot forget the daily acts of worship that we engage in individually and at home the Savior reminds us "Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times." One sister wisely observed "I cannot think of a more profound way to worship God than to welcome his little ones into our lives and care for them and teach them his plan for them." Alma and Amu taught the Zoromites who'd been banned from their synagogues to worship God not merely once a week but always and in whatsoever place you may be in they spoke about prayer as worship ye must pour out your souls in your closets and your secret places and in your wilderness yay and when you do not cry unto the Lord let your hearts be full drawn out in prayer unto him continually they also spoke of searching the scriptures bearing testimony of Christ charitable acts and service receiving the Holy Ghost and living in thanksgiving daily consider that thought living in thanksgiving daily it speaks to my second concept the attitudes and feelings inherent in worship feelings and feeling and expressing gratitude to God is in fact what infuses worship with a sense of joyful renewal as opposed to seeing it as just one more duty true worship means loving God and yielding our will to him the most precious gift we can offer when asked which was the first commandment in all the law Jesus replied "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind." He also called this the great commandment this was the pattern of Jesus's own worship of the father his life and his atoning sacrifice were dedicated to the glory of the father poignantly we remember Jesus's heart-rennding plea in the midst of unimaginable suffering and anguish oh my father if it be possible let this cup pass from me but then his submissive nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt worshiing is striving to follow this perfect example we will not attain perfection in this course overnight but if each day we offer for a sacrifice unto him a broken heart and a contrite spirit he will again baptize us with his spirit and fill us with his grace third the exclusivity of our worship in the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord pronounces this indictment of the world they have strayed from mine ordinances and have broken my everlasting covenant they seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness but every man walketh in his own way and after the image of his own God whose image is in the likeness of the world it's good for us to remember the example of the three Jewish young men Haniah Mishael and Aariah carried captive to Babylon not long after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem king Nebuchadnezzar renamed them Shadrach Meshach and Abednego later when these three refused to worship an image set up by him Nebuchadnezzar commanded that they be thrown into a burning fiery furnace saying to them "And who is that God who shall deliver you out of my hands?" You will recall their bold answer our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand O king but if not be it known unto thee that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." The furnace was so hot that it killed those who threw them into it but Shadrach Meach and Abednego were unharmed then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said "Blessed be the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who hath delivered his servants that trusted in him and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God they trusted in Jehovah for deliverance but if not that is even if God in his wisdom did not prevent their death yet they would remain true to him whatever takes precedence over worship of the father and the son becomes an idol those who reject God as the source of truth or disavow any accountability to him in effect substitute themselves as their god one who places loyalty to party or cause a head of divine direction worships a false god even those who purport to worship God but do not keep his commandments are walking in their own way they draw near unto me with their lips but their hearts are far from me the object of our worship is exclusively the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent finally the need to emulate the father and the son ultimately how we live may be the best most genuine form of worship showing our devotion means emulating the father and the son cultivating their attributes and character in ourselves if as the saying goes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then we might say with respect to deity emulation is the sincerest form of veneration this suggests an active sustained effort on our part to seek holiness but becoming more Christlike is also the natural outcome of our acts of worship elder Kieran's phrase cited earlier about worshiping in a way that transforms us is significant true worship is transformative this is the beauty of the covenant path the path of worship love and loyalty to God we enter that path by baptism pledging to take upon us the name of Christ and to keep his commandments we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost the messenger of the Savior's grace that redeems and cleanses us from sin as we repent we could even say that in repenting we are worshiping him there follow additional priesthood ordinances and covenants made in the house of the Lord that further sanctify us the ceremonies and ordinances of the temple constitute an elevated form of worship president Russell M nelson has emphasized that every man and every woman who participates in priesthood ordinances and who makes and keeps covenants with God has direct access to the power of God this is not only a power we draw upon to serve and to bless it's also the divine power that works in us to refine and purify us as we walk the covenant path the sanctifying power of godliness is manifest in us may we as the ancient Nephites and Lamemonites fall down at the feet of Jesus and worship him may we as commanded by Jesus fall down and worship the Father in the name of the Son may we receive the Holy Spirit and yield our hearts to God have no other gods before him and as disciples of Jesus Christ emulate his character in our own lives i testify that as we do we will experience joy in worship in the name of Jesus Christ amen amen [Music] rejoice the Lord is King Lord and King adore mortals to thanks and sing and triumph ever more lift up your hearts lift up your voice rejoice again I say rejoice lift up your hearts lift up your voice rej again I say [Music] the Lord the Savior the God of truth and love when King our saints he took his seat above lift up your hearts lift up your voice rejoice again I say rejoice lift up your heart lift up your voice rejoice again i say [Music] rejoice his kingom cannot fail he rules all earth and hell the kings of death and hell to Christ the Lord our king lift up your hearts lift up your voice rejoice again I say rejoice lift up your heart lift up your voice rejoice again I say [Music] rejord and judge shall and take his servants up to their eternal home lift up your hearts lift up your voice rejoice again i say rejoice lift up your voice lift up your voice rej again i [Music] [Applause] [Music] say lift up your heart lift up your voice again I Say [Applause] Our heavenly father we are so grateful this night for the blessing that we have to be here today we are so grateful for the messages that have been imprinted in our hearts and our minds we are so grateful for thy son Jesus Christ and his eternal atonement for us we ask thee father that we may live a covenant life we ask thee father that we may be true disciples of thy son Jesus Christ and that we may be able to share this message and uplift others and we ask these things father in the name of thy son Jesus Christ amen [Music] [Music] heat heat [Music] [Music] heat heat [Music] [Music] heat heat [Music] [Music] [Music] thank [Music] you heat heat [Music] [Music] [Music] this has been a broadcast of the Saturday evening session of the 195th annual general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speakers were selected from leaders of the church music for this session was provided by a combined choir from Brigham Young University all are welcome to view and share the messages of this and other conferences found at church of jesus Christrist.org this broadcast is furnished as a public service by Bonavville distribution it may be used for personal and non-commercial home family or church uses copyright 2025 by Intellectual Reserve Incorporated all rights reserved [Music]