Christmas Eve at Palmyra, NY

I recently had the opportunity to visit the birthplace of Mormonism! It reminded me how much my LDS upbringing fostered my love of history, and it was an absolute thrill to finally visit the place which so thoroughly captured my imagination as a child. I grew up hearing the stories about Joseph Smith and his family, their hardships with farming and with illnesses, and most importantly their adventures surrounding those mysterious golden plates. So when I moved from the West to attend graduate studies in Central Canada, I had hoped for an opportunity to pay a visit to the little village in up-state New York where a lot of these events took place. This year my wife and I decided to spend our Christmas in Rochester – merely a half-hour drive away from Palmyra, NY, which became part of our itinerary. This was a chance not to be missed!

There are a number of Mormon history sites in and around Palmyra that have been preserved or restored for tourists’ enjoyment. We visited two sites: the Smith farm (with the Sacred Grove nearby) and the Hill Cumorah. Visiting on Christmas Eve day, we enjoyed the sites mostly to ourselves. We were the only ones in our tour group at the Smith farm, which was led by a pleasant and friendly senior sister missionary. You can learn about the historic sites here: http://www.hillcumorah.org/smithlog.php.

The light snowy weather provided a beautiful backdrop for this picturesque early 19^th-century historic site. After the guided tour we were free to wander through the Sacred Grove on our own, the place where Joseph Smith claimed he was visited by God and told of his role as prophet of the restoration. Walking among the snow-covered trees, I was moved to reflect upon my own spiritual journey. This place would have elicited a much different response from me in my youth – I once played the guitar and sang “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer” at an LDS church function. That song may have come to mind, accompanied by deeply-felt admiration for Smith. But in fact a very different song came to mind. It felt important to me to sing quietly to myself and to God “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)” as I walked through that snowy grove. When once my tongue formed the words “Praise to the Man,” today they offer “the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Hebrews 13:15).

Those who know me know that a few years ago I left the LDS church, for reasons described here. But my outlook toward the church today is not one of bitterness or antagonism; rather, I desire a continued friendly relationship and respectful discussion. As a born again Christian, I share the sentiments expressed by the apostle Paul toward the religion of his upbringing (the Pharisees): “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:1-4)

What a blessing it was to visit this little site, not only to see the place which inspired my imagination as a child but to see how far God has carried me since then. Once basking in the polished exterior of my own life and of my church, now broken in surrender at the cross. Hallelujah! God truly works in mysterious ways.

As always, thank you for reading, and God bless you!

Smith Family Log Home - December 24, 2013

Christian Music (Part 2): Contemporary

Last week I shared three of my favourite traditional Christian hymns. Today I have compiled a selection of contemporary songs: still capturing what I like about Christian songs, these songs are perhaps more readily accessible to modern listeners. Forget whatever you think you know about “cheesy love songs to Jesus” and enjoy this truly Christian version of contemporary human musical expression.

“Reason to Sing” by All Sons & Daughters

This band has so many songs that I could have included on this list (honourable mentions: “I am Set Free” and “Wake Up”). But I kept coming back to this one. Hopefully you can see why.

“The Same Love” by Paul Baloche

The juxtaposition in the lyrics represents a powerful feature of the Christian gospel: the infinite meets the finite, the holy and indefinable meets the personal. “The same God that spread the heavens wide, the same God that was crucified, is calling us all by name.”

“After All (Holy)” by David Crowder

This simple video illustrates the feel of this song: a guy alone in a room just pouring his heart out to God, overcome by God’s majesty.

Concluding words

I hope you enjoyed listening to these songs! As these songs express, Christianity calls for a personal connection with the creator of the universe; it’s not about sitting in a stuffy church building, following rules, passing “pro-family” laws, and wearing a tie/dress. It’s about a relationship with an all-powerful loving God: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) If you want that connection, read about Jesus in his Word (the Bible), and go to him in prayer. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Start with the Gospel of John, chapter 1, for a simple introduction to who Jesus is and what he can mean to you.

Christian Music (Part 1): Hymns

A good Christian song is more than a melody and some pious words. A good Christian song is a window into the believer’s heart. It stirs something deep inside for the listener, and points them in the direction of God. It should not merely provide a platform for the singer to show off how talented or devout they are – rather, listeners should be able to see through the singer into a human-Divine connection which is intimate, emotional, heartfelt, genuine… Here’s a list of songs that (I think) attempt to do just that!

The problem with making this list is that it’s hard to find recordings which capture what I like about these songs. Often the most beautiful songs are ruined by turning them into routine recitations (as when “Abide With Me!” is appropriated as the “official hymn” for the FA Cup) or showy flourishes which just showcase the singer’s range… Those versions can sound very nice, but they miss the original intent of the song! They become hollow decoration more than substance. They call the listeners attention to themselves rather than pointing them toward God. What a shame. It was hard to find recordings that completely embody the sentiment of the song, but I think these ones come close at least.

Without further ado, here are three traditional hymns that I consider to be beautiful expressions of Christianity (and indeed, of humanity).

Abide With Me

I first encountered this hymn in my LDS upbringing, and it is still one of my favourites today. Of course, the words have taken on a somewhat new meaning just as Jesus has taken on new meaning for me (some thoughts on that here: http://eph1-17.blogspot.ca/2013/08/adopted-by-god.html). This is one song that has been way overdone. Most versions of this song are very “showy,” and completely void of the intimacy that the lyrics seek to convey. So I had to go with an amateur recording – these three artists’ voices blend together beautifully without saying “Hey, look at me!” The performance is humble, as it should be for a song like this. Enjoy!

(I had trouble embedding this one, but here's the link)

Written in 1847 by Henry Francis Lyte only three weeks before his death, “Abide With Me” conveys the believer’s utter dependence on his Creator in his time of vulnerability (and really, always). The writer reflects on the uselessness and impermanence of much that the world values, and places his priority instead on God: “Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see, O Thou who changest not, abide with me.”

Amazing Grace

Another classic that has become such a part of popular usage that its power and meaning could be missed. The version I’m including here is a variation of the original, but it’s well done. I’ve read that some people have changed the lyrics “a wretch like me” to lines which are less “self-loathing”; to me that’s disingenuous to author’s sentiments, because in a true Christian manner he perceived his life before knowing Jesus to be sinful and destructive (in this case, he was a slave trader in the 18^th century!). But one day he discovered God's radical mercy, and that's what this song famously conveys.

Jesus Paid It All

I mentioned this song in my last blog post, because I think it artistically echoes the point that Jesus made in this parable. “When I stand before the throne, I stand in Him complete; Jesus died my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat.” Jesus is our only hope, my friends! You can do all the good works in the world, build that tower brick by brick, but it won’t get you to heaven. Man cannot reach high enough to get to God, but the good news (the gospel) is that God has reached down to man! That’s what Jesus is all about. Again, this is a contemporary version of a classic song.

Whatever your opinion of Christianity, I hope you can see in these songs what being a Christian means to believers – and more importantly, what God means to us. Next time I will continue this theme by sharing three contemporary worship songs that are worth checking out. God bless you!

Storytime with Jesus: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Continuing my series on my favourite parables that Jesus taught, here is the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (aka The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector). It is much shorter than the last one! Please read along with me, and I’ll discuss some thoughts below.

Jesus said…

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14)

Two Different Ways of Approaching God

I had a Bible in front of me from the time I learned how to read until adulthood, and I never remember coming across these five little verses. I thought that I was doing pretty well as far as teenagers went; I didn’t drink, use drugs, swear, etc. I was convinced that my church-going and striving to live the standards of my church kept me “pure” from the sin of the world. Comparing myself with the other students in my high school, I probably said a prayer very much like that of this Pharisee at some point or another in my life…

In hindsight, I was lost. The outward actions and outward appearance mean very little compared to the condition of the heart (see Matthew 23:25-29). When I encountered God in a meaningful way for the first time, I had nothing to offer – all I could do was (metaphorically) beat my breast and say “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It was only at that point that I experienced God’s grace and forgiveness for the first time – years of church-going couldn’t replicate that. Polishing an outward appearance couldn’t ever make me feel justified before God. Like other born again Christians, I now feel justified before God (!) not because of anything that I have done, but because of what Jesus has done for me! What an amazing liberating feeling that is! In the words of one of my favourite worship songs, “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.”

Listen to what Jesus is telling you in this parable. Are you the Pharisee, trying to justify yourself before God with your works? Or are you the Publican, with no merit of your own to speak of, and all you can do is call out to God for forgiveness? Which prayer is yours? Think about this carefully – Jesus says only one of these two men was justified.

God bless you, and thank you for reading.

Storytime with Jesus: The Prodigal Son

Next I will begin a blog series about my favourite parables that Jesus told. A parable is a story which illustrates a concept or a lesson, perhaps better than a simple one-line statement could convey. Jesus regularly spoke in parables when he was presented with a question or a confrontation. Whether you have heard these stories before or not, I hope you can re-read them with me in their entirety before I discuss what they mean to me. I have copied the entirety of the text below for your convenience.

The first parable that I want to discuss is a well-known classic, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus tells this story in response to the Pharisees (uptight religious perfectionists) who criticized Jesus for eating with “sinners.” See all of Luke 15 for context.

Jesus said…

A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. (Luke 15:11-24)

My Thoughts: The Character of God

What I love most about this story is what it tells us about the character of God. Too often people think of God as a distant and judgemental authority figure who is just waiting for us to screw up so he can toss us into the pit of hell. Jesus portrays a God (represented by the father in the story) who stands in the field waiting for his child to return, and then runs to him when he sees him approaching. Jesus portrays a God who cares deeply for and eats with “sinners” like you and me.

This was a parable that struck me in a profound (and I believe God-sent) way one day leading up to my conversion. One day in June 2012, I was supervising my own son (he was two at the time) at an indoor park in a big city mall, and as he dashed from one end of the park to the other I lost sight of him. For a minute that lasted much longer in my mind, I panicked, searching desperately for him. When I finally found him I had such a wave of relief and joy. It was at that point that this parable came to mind. I hadn’t read it for years, but it came to me as though from heaven. It shortly occurred to me what God was telling me – THAT is how he feels about his children. When they are “lost” in this world, doing their own thing, he looks for them. When they come back to him, he celebrates and clothes them with love.

As an atheist I had the impression, based on my understanding of certain Old Testament stories, that the biblical God was actually quite cruel and morally deprived. That moment in the mall sent a profound message to me about God’s true character. And subsequent reading of Jesus’ words has continued to inform my understanding of God as a loving father who desperately desires the return of his children – so much so that he would literally die for us.

Jesus reveals God’s heart for us

God is incomprehensible to us – he exists outside of time, space, and matter. But he makes himself known to us through Jesus, in a way that we can better understand. As such, we can only understand the true character of God through the character of Jesus! As the Bible says, “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus – read about what he said and did. And I hope you agree that Jesus reveals the character of God in a very powerful way in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

If you feel distant from God, know that he will not force you back to the house – but he will be standing out in the field waiting for you to return. And he will run to you when he sees you returning. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8).

Next week, I hope to continue this series with another of my favourite parables that Jesus taught. God bless you!

Mormonism: A Jesus-Centred Faith?

The LDS Church recently came out with a new ad campaign called the “Introduction to Mormons” series (link here: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-introduction-videos). Specifically, I'm looking at the video titled "What Mormons Believe." In the series, the people in front of the camera say things very similar to what I said when I was a believing Mormon speaking to non-believers. What interests me about this campaign is that it appears to be a campaign largely targeted at Christians. Some of the wording caused me to raise an eyebrow or two, especially the claim that for Mormons, “Jesus Christ is the centre of our faith.” Having been involved in both Mormonism and born again Christianity, I feel the need to highlight a few differences between what the LDS Church calls a Jesus-centred faith, and what we in the evangelical stream would call a Jesus-centred faith.

“We worship Christ”

I do not remember ever “worshipping” Jesus as an LDS person. I do not remember ever calling our services “worship” services (even though the church markets them as such to non-members) – we called them “sacrament meeting,” “priesthood meeting,” etc. I do not remember a tone of “worship” of Jesus. You will never hear a Mormon say “Praise God!” or “Hallelujah!” However, you will hear LDS hymns like “Praise to the Man” (referring to Joseph Smith). Sure, I have been to many LDS meetings where Jesus is referred to with gratitude and honour, but you will find a near equal measure of gratitude and honour for the church president, other leaders, and for Joseph Smith.

LDS friends and family, next time you’re in a testimony meeting you should try the following exercise. Make a chart kind of like the one below, and keep a tally of how many times someone expresses “worship,” gratitude, etc., for one of these things.

“I am so grateful for…”
Joseph Smith, for restoring the gospel	8
Latter-day prophets	7
The Book of Mormon	3
A particular church program (missionary work, welfare, young men’s, etc.)	4
A church standard (word of wisdom, food storage, etc.)	4
The pioneers	1
JESUS, for saving me from my sins and granting me eternal life by his grace and mercy!	?

The numbers on the side are just for example, but let me know what your results are! Then tell me whether you think that constitutes worshipping Jesus, because let me tell you – it is a completely different story in the evangelical churches I have attended. We cut out all that other stuff and focus completely on our Lord and our God, Jesus Christ. You may not care for contemporary style of evangelical worship services, but you must admit that the focus of our “worship” is completely different from what you find in a typical LDS church meeting.

“He is our Saviour”

Again, this statement begs for contrast with a Bible-believing born again congregation, because it means completely different things to each group.

For the LDS, every mortal person is “saved” by Jesus in that they will be resurrected to one of three kingdoms in the next life. But not everyone will live with God in the next life – in order to reach that degree of glory you must earn it through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the LDS church.

For the born again Christian, saying that Jesus is our saviour is a completely different thing. When I say that Jesus “saved” me, I mean that he paid it all so that I can live eternally with him in the next life. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). He didn’t just save me a little bit so that I could try really hard to do the rest – he saved me all the way. Jesus paid it all.

Closing thoughts

LDS friends, I hope you get the chance to see what a Jesus-centred faith looks like to us Christians. We use many of the same words, but with very different meanings attached. Remember, it’s not the name on the building that matters, nor the whiteness of your button-up shirts, but whether or not you have been born again by the grace of Jesus. God bless you!