Lesson Summary: August 19th

Today Mandy shared some beautiful thoughts from the lesson "Advancing the Work of the Lord."

"Can you not see how a marvelous work and a wonder has been going forward? Can you not see how we as individuals have only contributed our mite, but the multitude has united, and the word of the Lord has been disseminated among the children of men; not in a militant way, but in kindness and in love, with a desire to bless all mankind?" -George Albert Smith

Mandy brought a painting of Christ holding a child and reaching down to lift up a child from a rocky river. Likewise this is our chance to serve as Christ's hands to lift people up.

During the Presidency of George Albert Smith, church membership grew immensely and technology proliferated,  including radio, television and air travel. He used these to further the Church.

“We ought to regard these [inventions] as blessings from the Lord,” he said. “They greatly enlarge our abilities. They can indeed become blessings if we utilize them in righteousness for the dissemination of truth and the furtherance of the work of the Lord among men. The great challenge facing the world today lies in the use we make of many of these inventions. We can use them to destroy, as we have sometimes done in the past, or we can utilize them to enlighten and bless mankind, as our Heavenly Father would have us do.” -George Albert Smith

We have the same opportunities now to use technology. We can use blogging to gently share the gospel, we can share a link to mormon.org or fill out a profile on Mormon.org. There are also simple pass along cards. We can become fans of the church on social media sites. Mandy shared that she used social media to help her connect with young women in her ward.

"Those who misunderstand us now will know us better. Those who believe we have selfish motives will be undeceived, and our brothers and sisters of the world, who desire the truth and wish to know what the Lord wants of them, will be pricked in their hearts and accept the Gospel. Zion will rise and shine, and will become the glory of the whole earth, the Lord God of Israel has so decreed." -George Albert Smith

"It is not necessary that a man should be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, or the Presidency of the Church, in order to obtain the greatest blessings in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. These are but offices required in the Church, and there are many faithful and devoted men worthy to fill these offices whose time and talents are needed throughout the Church. … Remember that in the ranks and throughout the Church there is ample opportunity for every man and for every woman to do something for the blessing of their fellows and for the advancement of the work of the Lord." -George Albert Smith

Every calling and service is important. From the nursery to the Apostles we are essential cogs in moving the work forward.

Lesson Summary: August 19, 2012

Today we heard from Lisa on the topic of "Doing our Part to Share the Gospel."

In post WW1 President Smith was serving as a president of the Europe mission. He struggled with a lack of young men to serve; often they couldn't get visas. Prejudices and false notions  about the church abounded.

We have all had misconceptions about the church brought to our attention. Several sisters shared experiences of living overseas and being confused with Amish or Muslims.  Others shared that people thought that we didn't drink milk or dance. People often find misinformation on the Internet. On a more serious note many believe that we are not Christian or believe Christ is our Savior. Some times misconceptions arise from our behavior, like believing that we only take care of our own. Do people look at us and know we are Christian by our actions?

"We should each do something every day to bring the light to our fellow beings... It is incumbent upon us to ascertain if there is not some means whereby we may  enable to do more than we have already done."- George Albert Smith

One resource for sharing is the Mormon.org website. It is easy to complete a profile and to share what Mormons are really like. A lot of our interactions are with other Mormons and we can be insular. Justserve.org is another website resource to find service opportunities outside the church.

"Peach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words." - President Uchtdorf quoting St. Francis of Assisi (attributed) 

It is our responsibility to share the Gospel. Lisa shared a story from her mission. One women every week would hold family home evening with friends and the missionaries. One week she went to their house and there were 27 people there for family home evening. Likewise, we can invite people to ward activities and the crèche exhibit and we need to be accepting and loving towards those that come. We need to be open to answering questions with no obligation to meet the missionaries. If we show people love and help them feel their divine worth whether or not they know that this comes from Christ we can make a difference. We can serve others.

We cannot be too focused on putting a good public face on the church. We should not be afraid to share our struggles, with faith and otherwise, and be real. Sometimes it isn't always sunshine and roses and it we should be honest about that.

President Kimball sayid that "in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world."

Today we heard from Cristy Davis on Elder Holland's talk "Laborer's in the Vineyard" In this talk Elder Holland paraphrases the Matthew 20 parable as follows:

"I wish to speak of the Savior’s parable in which a householder “went out early in the morning to hire labourers.” After employing the first group at 6:00 in the morning, he returned at 9:00 a.m., at 12:00 noon, and at 3:00 in the afternoon, hiring more workers as the urgency of the harvest increased. The scripture says he came back a final time, “about the eleventh hour” (approximately 5:00 p.m.), and hired a concluding number. Then just an hour later, all the workers gathered to receive their day’s wage. Surprisingly, all received the same wage in spite of the different hours of labor. Immediately, those hired first were angry, saying, “These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.”1 When reading this parable, perhaps you, as well as those workers, have felt there was an injustice being done here."

He conmtinues, "But just at day’s close, the householder returns a surprising fifth time with a remarkable eleventh-hour offer! These last and most discouraged of laborers, hearing only that they will be treated fairly, accept work without even knowing the wage, knowing that anything will be better than nothing, which is what they have had so far. Then as they gather for their payment, they are stunned to receive the same as all the others! How awestruck they must have been and how very, very grateful! Surely never had such compassion been seen in all their working days."

"First of all it is important to note that no one has been treated unfairly here. The first workers agreed to the full wage of the day, and they received it. Furthermore, they were, I can only imagine, very grateful to get the work. In the time of the Savior, an average man and his family could not do much more than live on what they made that day. If you didn’t work or farm or fish or sell, you likely didn’t eat. With more prospective workers than jobs, these first men chosen were the most fortunate in the entire labor pool that morning." - Elder Holland

The first Laborer's are not concerned about their own contract but with their neighbors contract. They were measuring their blessings by comparison with others. Likewise we may feel the same way when we compare with others.

In order to compare your reward to someone else you have to believe that you are worth more than they are. The Lord provides sufficient for our needs. When we think along the terms of having what we need then we will be grateful for our blessings.

We cannot find happiness when we compare our success to others.

"Furthermore, envy is a mistake that just keeps on giving. Obviously we suffer a little when some misfortune befalls us, but envy requires us to suffer all good fortunethat befalls everyone we know! What a bright prospect that is—downing another quart of pickle juice every time anyone around you has a happy moment! " - Elder Holland

The mark of a mature invidivual is the ability to be happy for others. Children have a hard time when siblings get a birthday present or a new pair of shoes, but they must learn others can have gifts, blessings and even talents.

"We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is the race against sin, and surely envy is one of the most universal of those." -Elder Holland

Those that we should have empathy for are those that did not get a chance to work and earn money. They also needed to provide for their families. Throughout the day those that were not chosen must have been devastated. However, there were many chances. Likewise we are often given chances again and again to serve and be the 11th hour worker. Sometimes though we may be left behind. We may be waiting. It is significant that those that were chosen at the 11th hour were patient and still waiting instead of giving up. We also can be comforted in knowing that when our turn comes we will get all that we need.

"This parable—like all parables—is not really about laborers or wages any more than the others are about sheep and goats. This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it.

I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines." -Elder Holland