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!