It's Elementary, My Dear Readers

Never wore this coat.
Or the hat.

Anyone who knows me knows I am enthusiastic about many things, but a couple of things in particular: Sherlock Holmes and all things relating to or similar to him, and accuracy, especially when it comes to grammar, spelling, and fact checking. In fact, you could say I'm a bit of a perfectionist and a fanatic in this second regard. Maybe even slightly OCD, but I'm not going to say more because I don't want to have to talk to another counselor.

Ahem.

I don't like it when people mis-quote things and take them to be the gospel truth. For instance, Sherlock Holmes never said, "Elementary, my dear Watson." Never. Never never never never never ever. And yet I will probably have to correct multitudes of people before I die because that sort of thing is essential to their salvation or something.

My point is: I keep hearing a particular phrase, most frequently applied when a person wants to come to church in jeans and a t-shirt, or when they don't want to have to change from their sinful ways. Mostly they don't want to be judged by others. It is, "Jesus said, 'Come as you are!'"

False Stereotypes

Did he? When? Where? Seriously, though. Someone please show me where in the King James Version of the Bible, God or Christ says, "Come as you are." I've looked with Sherlockian scrutiny in the Bible as well as the other standard works of the Church, and I cannot find it anywhere. I imagine you might be able to find it in some other translation of the Bible, but let's stick with the most doctrinally sound version. Not a single reference.

The problem with this, 'Come As You Are,' mentality is that it makes God contradictory. He is like a germaphobe Father, and we are his beloved children. Jesus Christ is the perfect older brother who never got a speck of dust on him at recess, while we managed to get ourselves into all sorts of dirt and mud. We simply can't 'come as we are' in this state because God can't stand the sight of all this filth on us, and we would feel dirty, gross, and uncomfortable to be anywhere near him.

That's more like it.

But the confusion is elementary to understand when we look at the source material. You see, Sherlock Holmes did say both, "Elementary," and, "My dear Watson," but in two separate stories. And Jesus Christ does repeatedly tells us to come unto him. Like John 14:6, Isaiah 55:3, or 2 Nephi 28:32. There's even a whole Topical Guide section on it.

Fortunately, Christ loves us and has given to us freely a cleansing agent called The Atonement. It will take some soaking, scrubbing, and sometimes repeated washing to get us clean, but we can get there. In Moroni 10:32, we're told to, "... come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." Christ intends for us to come unto Him by becoming like Him.

I really don't care if you come to church in a t-shirt and jeans. Coming to church is a step towards denying yourself of all ungodliness. I will just celebrate that you are there. So please come: Come to church, come unto Christ, come join with us!

And by the way, Queen Marie Antoinette never said, "Then let them eat cake!"

Why do we need Prophets and Scriptures if we can just Pray?

I guess because Heavenly Father would rather not repeat Himself if He can help it.

Us missionaries have this term for the three basic things you have to do regularly to stay steady and on track. They're also the three basic sources of revelation: CPR, or Go to CHURCH, PRAY, and READ the Scriptures. They're all commandments from God, given to us to enrich and bless our lives.

CHURCH

Mosiah 4:1-3, an entire people become converted during General Conference, Book of Mormon style.

Before you head off to church on Sunday, grab a notebook and have a question in your heart. A Spirit-filled service where other members have come to be edified is the perfect place to listen to those quiet promptings. As you listen to what the speakers and teachers have prayerfully and thoughtfully prepared, something they say may stick out to you or bring up a memory. Write it down. Record the thoughts that come into your mind.

Coming to church is a fantastic opportunity to listen to things that have been revealed through Modern Revelation. This could mean words spoken by the Prophet and his Apostles in General Conference, but it could also be as simple as a Bishop extending a calling or asking the ward to work on a particular aspect of the Gospel.

Even then, we don't just blindly accept everything we're told. We have to take it all and Pray about it...

PRAY

Alma 37:35-37, Counsel with the Lord, and He will direct thee for good.

Imagine that you've been given 15 minutes to talk to the Prophet. Before you go, are you going to prepare some questions to ask him? Or are you just going to wing it? I know I would try to think of some things to ask President Monson ahead of time because if I didn't, we'd just chat for a bit and I'd have wasted his time.

When we pray, we're talking to the Supreme Creator of the Universe, and he wants to hear from us. It should be a sacred experience, not five minutes where we ramble on because we know we have to. Bring a notebook to your closet. In a conversation, two people speak. Record what God tells you through the Holy Ghost. They could be random thoughts that come into your head, or an impression to open your scriptures.

Then, compare what you've been told to what has been written in the scriptures...

READ

1 Nephi 19:22-23, Liken all scriptures to yourself.

There's a saying that we talk to God by praying, but if we want him to talk back to us, we read the scriptures. One time, I really needed some sort of direction with how to act. I struggled to figure out how to work with this one person in my life, and I didn't have the option to run. I went into my closet and prayed for help. Then I opened the scriptures up. One was on forgiving others until seventy times seven. The other was on teaching by example. These two verses helped me know exactly how I needed to approach this situation, and I found them exactly when Heavenly Father wanted me to read them.

Al Carraway shared one way she received revelation by reading Ether. Clayton Christensen teaches us to Pray, Read, Write, Pray. Revelation from the scriptures comes from interacting with them. And sometimes we need to discuss the scriptures with our church leaders to understand them...

Church, Pray, Read. It's how we Endure to the End.

I know that doing these three basic things will help us stand firmly and on a sure foundation when the winds and tempests of trials and temptations beset us. I've seen it in my own life. When I wasn't praying everyday or reading my scriptures, I was drowning in the world and I didn't even realize it. Then I went on a mission. Suddenly, I was praying constantly and reading daily. I had never stopped going to church, but now it's never been so meaningful to take the sacrament and listen to the speakers and lessons. My testimony has never been so strong, and I'm looking forward to maintaining it at home where things will be different.

What is the Difference Between Communion and the Sacrament?

A few things. I want to start with what is similar, though. Just before Christ went to the Garden of Gethsemane to suffer for all of our sins and afflictions, He and His disciples had the Passover feast, which is often called the Last Supper. Here Christ introduced an ordinance to supersede the need of the Passover, which is sometimes called the Lord's Supper. Christ broke and blessed bread, then commanded His disciples to eat it in remembrance of his body that would soon be sacrificed for us all. Then He poured wine, blessed it, and commanded his disciples to drink it in remembrance of His blood that would be shed in great drops for us. This account is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Today, Christians everywhere participate in this sacred ordinance on a regular basis to remember the sacrifice of our Savior and recommit to living righteously. Some call it the Sacrament, like the LDS Church. Others call it Communion, like the Catholic Church. It's called Communion because the participants seek fellowship with Christ.

Now, I am not an expert on any church other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even then, I'm not what you would consider an expert on the LDS Church. The only Communion service I am even slightly familiar with is that of the Catholic Church. That's because my current companion, Sister Clendon, attended a Catholic High School in New Zealand for five years and I asked her a bunch of questions. This is what I gathered from her and other Catholics I've had the pleasure of meeting.

The emblems of communion are a wafer and wine. The priest blesses the wafer. It is placed on the participant's tongue. The wafer sits on the tongue and dissolves; it's not chewed. The wine seems to be optional, reserved for teachers, older youth, and clergy. They drink from the same cup and wipe the rim with a rag between each person. What really sets Catholics apart is their belief in Transubstantiation: that the wafer and wine become the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.

At an LDS Sacrament meeting, the ordinance looks a little different. The emblems are blessed by Aaronic Priesthood holders in the office of a Priest. They can be as young as 16. They bless the Sacrament with the same two prayers each time, one for bread, and one for the water. Then the Deacons, who can be as young as 12, pass the sacrament to each person in the congregation. We use water instead of wine for two reasons given in a revelation to Joseph Smith. First, we were commanded not to drink wine, especially that purchased from the Church's enemies at the time. Second, it doesn't matter what we eat or drink so long as we remember why we're participating in this ordinance. So if someone in the congregation can't have gluten, crackers or gluten-free bread can be used. We believe that the emblems are representations of Christ's body and blood.

The Sacrament is the most important part of coming to church on Sunday. It is when we renew our covenants, especially our baptismal covenant, and helps us remain worthy of the Holy Ghost. It is a commandment to partake of the Sacrament and attend our church meetings. It is so simple, and yet such a powerful symbol in our lives, to always remember the sacrifice of our Savior.

I'm going to take a break from Church...

This seemingly innocent statement belongs in the same category as:

"How will I know alcohol is bad if I don't try one beer?" 

"I'll just keep my eyes closed when bad parts of a movie come up. I'm mature enough for this."

"It's a family tradition to get a tattoo. Family is important."

"God doesn't need to hear me pray today. I'll pray tomorrow."

"Just this once, and then I'll repent."

"God will justify in committing a little sin."

This has been brought to you by The Gospel According to Satan.

Yes, it's true that God will forgive us if we truly repent, no matter how many times it takes for us to overcome our sin. Satan, however, takes this and manipulates it into, "So just give in one time and then repent. It only took Alma three days." There is danger in this mentality because when you surrender to temptation once, it's easier to surrender again, and again. Soon your'e back into old, sinful habits that you thought you had overcome, or into something completely new and wicked that you never thought you would be in.

Repeatedly in the scriptures, we are exhorted to be obedient, watchful, and diligent. Nephi taught, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father; Ye shall have eternal life." 2 Nephi 31:20 

King Benjamin said, "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." Mosiah 4:30

These prophets, and others, know that it is easier on us to keep the commandments 100% of the time rather than 98% of the time. They want us to avoid the painful effects of sin at all costs. Obedience makes us happier in the long run. There is no temptation that is truly impossible to resist. So when you're faced with that temptation to miss church just once, remember that God's commandments are designed to make us happy for eternity.

Can I go shopping on Sunday?

The Short Answer: Ask God.

The Long Answer: Mormons make up a lot of little rules, and this isn't always a bad thing. They're personal commandments they follow so they can obey Jesus Christ more exactly. For instance, a lot of Mormons don't drink caffeine. The Word of Wisdom says not to have hot drinks, or Coffee and Tea. It doesn't say not to consume caffeine, but to keep from being addicted to anything, a lot of Mormons don't drink caffeinated drinks. At the same time, plenty of Mormons enjoy their Diet Coke. It's really a matter to discuss with the Lord.

In the same vein are the "Mormon Prohibited Sunday Activities:" working, shopping, housework, sports, movies, etc. The list can go on. Anything that can be done on any other day of the week and that could detract from the Spirit should be avoided. Of course, sometimes you have to go into work one Sunday, or your kid has a cold so you have to run into the store and grab some cough syrup. These situations are understandable, but they shouldn't become habits. Try as best as you can to not work on Sundays. At the very least, try to make it to church.

The better question to ask is, "What should I do on Sundays?" Go to church, visit your family, visit the sick or elderly, do service, go to a fireside, study the scriptures, watch an uplifting movie, etc. Anything that will help you remember our Savior and feel closer to the Spirit. There are many blessings that come from keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and we want you to fully enjoy all of them.

What are some good Sabbath Day activities you enjoy?

How to Write a Talk

Uh oh. The Bishop just asked you to give a talk next week in Sacrament Meeting. From the sound of every Sacrament Talk Ever, this is something most people avoid. You're not a public speaker. Why couldn't the Bishop have asked Brother Smith who has something to say for every question in the Gospel Doctrines class?

Relax. This doesn't have to be a big deal. Almost no one who gives a talk in Sacrament Meeting is an experienced public speaker. I took debate for three years to gain some confidence to speak at church, and I still get nervous. However, as long as you are prepared, the Spirit will fill your mouth and you will touch the hearts of everyone in the congregation.

Step One: Identify your Topic
   This is usually pretty easy because the Bishop just gives it to you. If the Bishop gave you free reign, pray about it. If he gave you a talk to speak on, boil it down to one or two words. Then take some time to meditate on it.

Step Two: Research
    This step should take most of your time. Spend a few hours or days just doing research on your topic.
Scriptures
Church Magazines
LDS.org for basically everything else
True to the Faith is a great resource for simplified definitions of gospel topics.
Preach My Gospel can help a lot too.

Step Three: Write an Outline
    This is just like writing an essay. Remember how you thought, "I've graduated from school. I'll never have to write another essay ever again!" Well, you were sadly mistaken.
     The ward loves to hear your personal experiences, so don't avoid using them because you think you're boring. You are awesome and unique and stuff. Your experiences helped build your testimony, so use them.
     This is my favorite outline. Change up the order or add/delete stuff as needed.

Introduce yourself and your topic

Point One

     -Scripture

     -Quote from a talk

     -Personal experience

Point Two

     -Scripture

     -Quote from a talk

     -Personal experience

Point Three

     -Scripture

     -Quote from a talk

     -Personal experience

Close with Testimony on topic

Step Four: Flesh it Out (optional)
    Some people like to speak from an outline. I do not. I like to write out my essay/talk/oration. The more research you've done, the easier this will be. The better you understand your topic, the simpler you will be in explaining it.

Step Five: Practice on your Cat
     Your cat will judge you far more than the ward will. Practicing will help you get out some of your jitters.

-or-

Step Five: Practice on an Unsuspecting Non-Member Friend

     Why not do some missionary work while you're working on your talk? Practice on a trusted friend who won't be mean, but can give you some constructive criticism.

Step Six: Give a Masterful Talk in Sacrament Meeting that goes Better Than Expected

     Prepare yourself for all of the compliments you will receive from the ward. It's not just an assignment; you have helped them feel spiritually uplifted.

-or-

Step Six: Ignore Your Outline or Pre-Written Talk Entirely as You Follow the Spirit When You Speak

     This happens to me more than I thought it would. It's entirely possible for the Spirit to give your talk for you, but you have to have something prepared and have done some of the work.

Congratulations! That wasn't too painful, was it? As an added bonus, you've learned far more about this particular topic than you ever thought you would. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn about any gospel topic. That's probably why Heavenly Father has us give talks in Sacrament meeting.