Sept. 21 - Book of Mormon anniversary

Today was the anniversary of Joseph Smith's vision of the angel Moroni, which coincides with the autumnal equinox (much as Christmas coincides with the winter solstice and Easter correlates to the vernal equinox). Two years ago, I organized a celebration of the September 21 anniversary with some LDS grad students and their families in North Carolina. This evening, I organized one here in Ohio, which was attended by friends from both LDS and Community of Christ congregations nearby.

We gathered at 7:00 on a hill in a park at the edge of town that looks vaguely like a miniature Hill Cumorah. It was a loosely structured service consisting of old Restoration hymns; time for people to share favorite Book of Mormon stories, or passages, or experiences; and then a reading from D&C 128/110 to finish. Then my husband and I invited everyone back to our place for apple cider and pumpkin donuts, to usher in the autumn.

I'm pasting below the hymns we sang and the scripture reading we finished with. I did some adapting of the hymns, to replace gendered language and to universalize restoration-of-Israel imagery. My adaptations are indicated in bold type.

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When Earth in Bondage Long Had Lain
Parley P. Pratt (adapted)
We sang this to the tune "Sweet Hour" [ = "Sweet Hour of Prayer"]

When earth in bondage long had lain,

and darkness o’er the nations reigned,

and mortal precepts proved in vain,

a perfect system to obtain—

a voice resounded from on high.

Hark! hark! it is the angel’s cry,

descending from the throne of light,

his garments shining clear and white;

descending from the throne of light,

his garments shining clear and white.

He comes to show the gospel plan

in fulness to the human clan.

Lo! from Cumorah’s lonely hill,

there comes a record of God’s will!

Ye Gentile nations, cease your strife,

and listen to the words of life.

Turn from your sins with one accord;

prepare to meet your coming Lord.

Turn from your sins with one accord,

prepare to meet your coming Lord.

Let every people, far and near

the glorious proclamation hear,

for Israel and the Gentiles too

the way to Zion shall pursue,

their voices and their tongues employ

in songs of everlasting joy.

The mountains and the hills rejoice;

let all creation hear God’s voice!

The mountains and the hills rejoice;

Let all creation hear God’s voice!

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What Wondrous Scenes Mine Eyes Behold
Anonymous (adapted)
We sang this to the tune "Old Hundredth" [ = "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow]

What wondrous scenes mine eyes behold!

What glories burst upon my view!

When Ephraim’s record I unfold,

all things appear divinely new.

Angels to earth good news have borne,

which fills our souls with joy and peace—

good news to comfort those who mourn,

and bring the captives full release.

People so long oppressed and grieved,

in every land, in every clime,

shall hear the word of God, and live.

This is the time, the chosen time!

Glory to God! We tune the lyre

in loud hosannas to his name.

Let every nation join the choir,

and ‘round the earth the news proclaim.

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The Spirit of God

William W. Phelps (adapted)

We ended up singing this to the regular tune, but I had considered singing it instead to the tune "Lion of Judah" [ = "Now Let Us Rejoice"] to create a fresher engagement with the lyrics.

The Spirit of God like a fire is burning.

The latter-day glory begins to come forth.

The visions and blessings of old are returning.

The angels are coming to visit the earth.

Chorus:

We’ll sing and we’ll shout with the angels of heaven:

Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!

Let glory to them in the highest be given,

henceforth and forever. Amen and amen!

The Lord is extending the saints’ understanding,

restoring all blessings bestowed at the first.

The knowledge and power of God are expanding.

The veil o’er the earth is beginning to burst.

How blessed the day when the lamb and the lion

shall lie down together without any ire,

and hymns from all nations resound forth in Zion,

as Jesus descends with his chariots of fire!

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LDS D&C 128:19-22 / RLDS D&C 110:19a-22b

Reader 1:

What do we hear in the gospel which we have received?

Reader 2:

A voice of gladness!

A voice of mercy from heaven!

A voice of truth out of the earth!

Reader 3:

How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of those who bring glad tidings—

who say to Zion: Your God reigns!

Reader 1:

Again, what do we hear?

Reader 4:

Glad tidings from Cumorah!

Moroni, an angel from heaven,

declaring the fulfillment of the prophets—

the book to be revealed.

 Reader 3:

The voice of Michael

on the banks of the Susquehanna,

detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light!

Reader 4:

The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness,

declaring themselves as possessing the keys

to open the dispensation of the fullness of times!

Reader 2:

The voice of God

in the chamber of old Father Whitmer,

and at various times and places

through all the travels and tribulations of this church.

Reader 3:

The voice of Michael the archangel,

the voice of Gabriel, Raphael, and other angels—

Reader 4:

giving line on line, precept on precept;

here a little, there a little—

Reader 2:

giving us consolation, confirming our hope!

Reader 1:

Brothers and sisters,

shall we not go on in so great a cause?

Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad!

King Benjamin and the 47 percent

Here's what I feel moved to say about Romney and the 47 percent:

There is a cherished myth in America--Romney frequently invokes it--which says that America is a place where anyone who exercises initiative and works hard can succeed.

A corollary often derived from that myth is that if you prosper, this is the result of your having exercised initiative and worked hard--in other words, a result of your good morals. This is to say that your prosperity is a reward, which you are entitled (yes, "entitled") to enjoy.

American culture does place a modest pressure on those who prosper to "give something," as we say, back to the community. "Something," though. Not all. Not even close to all. Because, again, you're entitled to enjoy what is construed as the fruits of your labor. You deserve it. And if you "give something" back, you do so as an act of largesse, not an obligation.

A further corollary of this myth-making is that if someone doesn't prosper, this is the result of their having failed to exercise initiative and work hard. In other words, their lack of prosperity is a result of their poor morals. Lack of prosperity is the proper penalty for poor choices. It is deserved.

Americans have been living by this myth for a long time. Long enough that the Book of Mormon, written in the late 1820s, contains a protest against it. Born into a family whose fortunes had declined due to repeated setbacks, and despite their best efforts, Joseph Smith was in a position to see through the myth that good morals = prosperity and bad morals = poverty. And so we find King Benjamin saying this:

Ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?  (Mosiah 4:16-19)

"The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand . . . for his punishments are just." That's Smith's bitter parody of the logic behind Romney's complaint about people "who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement."

Romney is echoing here a widely held corollary of the American myth. No one's entitled to a handout. Anyone who wants to get ahead can do so if they just work hard--so if you find yourself in need, you have only yourself to blame. "The man has brought upon himself his misery."

King Benjamin rejects the logic of the American myth. Your prosperity is not a reward for your hard work. It's a handout--a handout that you received from God. "Are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have?"

And because you are a beggar, you are in no position to be faulting someone else for being a beggar. You are in no position--you are not entitled--to get all holier-than-they on the grounds that you worked hard to get what you have while it's their own fault that they're not in the same position. You're not in a position to pontificate about how people in need should "take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Personal responsibility and self-reliance are pointedly not the virtues touted in King Benjamin's sermon. Those virtues are an illusion, he says. The reality is that we're all beggars, dependent on God's largesse. And someone who maintains otherwise in order to blame others for their poverty, as justification for denying them assistance, "hath great cause to repent."

Be Servants of All

A couple of worship resources appropriate for September 23, both adapted from the Book of Mosiah. Scroll down to find:

• A Repentance Reading
• Disciples' Generous Response

Note: The Repentance Reading pairs up passages with similar themes from the Epistle of James and the Book of Mosiah. This dual reading is loosely modeled after the way Christian Science worship moves back and forth between readings from the Bible and Science and Health. I posted another worship resource in the same dual-reading format a few weeks back; I haven't received feedback from anyone who used that resource in a congregation, so I still think of this format as purely experimental. Anyone out there game to run the experiment? The reading looks longer than it really is because I formatted it in such short lines.

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A REPENTANCE READING

Adapted from James 3-4 and Mosiah 1-2 (contemporary language)

1st Reader:   

In the mouth of two or three witnesses—

2nd Reader:        

—shall every word be established.

1st Reader:    [holding up the Bible]

A reading from the Letter of James.

2nd Reader:    [holding up the Book of Mormon]

A reading from the Book of Mosiah.

1st Reader:    [James 3:13]

If you are truly wise,

you will show it with a life of gentle deeds;

for true wisdom gives birth to gentleness.

   

2nd Reader:    [Mosiah 1:49]

This is wisdom—

that when you serve your fellow beings,

you are serving your God.   

1st Reader:    [James 3:14-16]

If in your heart

there is bitterness, jealousy, or selfishness—

this is not the wisdom that comes from God.

These things belong to the devil.

2nd Reader:    [Mosiah 1:73]

O my people—

be careful not to let contentions rise up among you.

Be careful not to give ear to the evil spirit.

1st Reader:    [James 3:17]

The wisdom that comes from God

is peaceable and gentle,

willing to give way,

full of compassion and good fruits,

free of any prejudice or hypocrisy.

2nd Reader:    [Mosiah 1:120]

Give way to the coaxing of the Holy Spirit

and become like a child—

accepting, mild, humble, patient,

full of love,

trusting in God’s will

the way children trust their parents.

1st Reader:    [James 4:1-2]

These conflicts and quarrels among you—

are these not born from your selfish desires?

You covet things you do not have:

that is why you fight with each other.

2nd Reader:    [Mosiah 2:23-24]

If you always remember

how good, and how forgiving, God has been to you,

you will not have a mind to hurt one another.

You will live peaceably

and give everyone their due.

1st Reader:   

In the mouth of two or three witnesses—

2nd Reader:        

—shall every word be established.

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DISCIPLES’ GENEROUS RESPONSE

Adapted from Mosiah 1:49-59

Leader:    God, our creator—

                 You preserve us from day to day.

All:           You support us from moment to moment.

Leader:    You lend us breath, so that we can live and move.

All:           You give us power to act according to our own wills.

Leader:    You have given us reasons to rejoice.

All:           You have granted us the blessing of living in peace.

Leader:    Even if we thanked you, and praised you, with all the power we possess—

All:           Even if we served you with our whole souls—

Leader:    We would still be in your debt for all you have given us.

All:           We would still be unprofitable servants.

The leader gives a prayer of thanksgiving and for the blessing of the mission tithes that are about to be received. After the prayer, the leader reads:

Leader:    My sisters and brothers—

                 When we serve our fellow beings,

All:           we are serving our God.

Leader:    Should we not labor, then, to serve one another?

All:           Let us labor to serve one another.

Mission tithes are now received.

Follow Me

A couple of worship resources appropriate for September 16. One is based on a passage from the Book of Mormon, the other from the Inspired Version. Both are related to the appointed lectionary reading from Mark.

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A CALL TO WORSHIP

Adapted from 2 Nephi 1:71-76

Contemporary language:

Leader:      The holy Messiah sets us free—

All:            for he is filled with love and keeps his promises!

Leader:      For all who are burdened with guilt and remorse,

All:            he offers himself to be the sacrifice that reconciles them to God.

Leader:      He lays down his life: he gives up his body to be killed.

All:            But he takes his life back again through the power of the Spirit.

Leader:      Rising from death, he frees all from the power of death,

All:            for he pleads on behalf of all people.

Leader:      How important it is to tell everyone on earth

All:            about the mercy and love of the holy Messiah!

Traditional language:

Leader:      Redemption comes in and through the holy Messiah,

All:            for he is full of grace and truth.

Leader:      He offers himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law

All:            to all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Leader:      He lays down his life according to the flesh,

All:            and takes it again by the power of the Spirit.

Leader:      He brings to pass the resurrection, being the first that should rise,

All:            inasmuch as he makes intercession for all who are born.*

Leader:      How great the importance to make known to the inhabitants of the earth

All:            the mercy and grace of the holy Messiah!

* Original: for all the children of men

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DISCIPLES’ GENEROUS RESPONSE

Adapted from Mark 8:36-40 IV (contemporary language)

Leader/Reader 1:

Jesus said:

Reader 2:

If you want to be my follower—

stop worrying about yourself,

pick up your cross,

and come with me.

All:  Jesus, I will follow you.

Reader 3:

If you want to save your life,

you must be willing to give it up for me.

If you are not willing to give up your life for me,

you will lose it.

All:  Jesus, I give you my life.

Reader 4:

What good would it do you

if you owned the whole world

but lost your soul?

What else could possibly be worth

as much as your soul?

All:  Jesus, I give you all that I own.

Reader 2:

Give up worldly things,

and do not be ashamed of me.

All:  Jesus, I want to take your name upon me

         and do your work.