Take Upon Us the Name of Christ

This week we'll ponder what it means to take upon us the name of Christ, to be a "Christian." As we take the sacrament each week and show our willingness to follow the Savior, we recommit to serve others and lift their burdens.  Moroni 4:3 gives us the sacrament prayer on the bread:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

In the last General Conference, we learned a few things about this principle:

 - By your being willing to take His name upon you, you will lift the burdens of countless others.  (President Henry B. Eyring)

 - To take upon ourselves the name of Christ … we must do His work and serve as He served.  (Elder Robert C. Gay)

Redeemed from Death

In an old book my father gave me, The Great Hereafter or Glimpses of the Coming World (published in 1897), I found this verse from Charles Wesley (page 465) along with the etching below (page 361) which both give me hope in Jesus Christ of his resurrection and the resurrection of us all:

I feel a strong immortal "hope,"
Which bears my mournful spirit up
   Beneath its mountain-load:
Redeemed from death, and grief, and pain,
I soon shall find my friend again
   Within the arms of God.

The etching is titled THE THREE MARYS AT THE GRAVE.  "HE IS NOT HERE, BUT IS RISEN."

The Lord shall comfort Zion

This week we'll be pondering the words of Isaiah which give me so much hope: "the Lord shall comfort Zion...." (2 Nephi 8:1-3) This goes along beautifully with Elder Rasband's message yesterday that we need not fear because "the Lord is with us, mindful of us, and blessing us...."

  Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.
  Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him.
  For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
- 2 Nephi 8:1-3 (quoting Isaiah)

Why am I angry?

While pondering and wrestling with the political events of the week, I read the prophet Nephi ask "Why am I angry because of mine enemy?" (2 Nephi 4:27). I need to do better in loving all people as the Savior did. He loved friends and enemies alike. So this week, I'll be pondering Nephi's question. I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon that was written so long ago for me today.

"why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?"

The Armor of Righteousness

This week we plan to ponder the counsel Lehi gave his sons, to achieve freedom from sin through Christ by choosing personal righteousness:

Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.
-- 2 Nephi 1:23