Sweden this weekend
I've attended church in England, Japan, China, and now Sweden. It is interesting to see how different some things are - and how much the same other things are.
It felt great to be there today.
I learned several things I want to remember:
1. Batteries need charging
2. Super Super Super Excited!
3. The debtor did not even really know the redeemer
4. Problems and difficulties are a sign that the Lord is ready for you to grow in new ways
The sacrament meeting was in Swedish - not surprising. There were Missionaries there from the US and one of the translated for me. When I arrived and one of the members indicated that there were headsets available an elder went back to the clerks office to get them ready. The batteries had not been charged. As I waited I thought about my batteries - and how hard it is to hear the Lord when I don't do the simple things to charge my batteries.
After a lot of trying to get the system to work the elder sat next to me and translated. (There didn't seem to be a crowd waiting for translation - though his companion sat by another family to do the same thing.)
During the sacrament I thought about my children. How I missed them, my worries about them, and my hopes for them. I suppose that our father must have similar hopes for us.
The first speaker was a recent convert of 2 weeks. It was wonderful to hear her share her testimony. She'd started investigating the church and meeting with the missionaries over the Christmas break because her boyfriend was a member. (The gospel was a large enough part of his life that she saw it and knew she needed to understand it.) She came with a thousand questions and she wanted all of them answered because she saw that as the way to find out the truth.
During one of the lessons as she tried to work her way through the list of questions she felt the spirit strongly -and knew that Jesus Christ was her Redeemer. And that Joseph Smith was the prophet that restored the Church of Jesus Christ to he earth again. And that she did not need all of her questions answered to know that the church is true.
Now she is "Super super super excited" about the gospel and wants others to be able to know for themselves of its truthfulness as well.
The next speaker told the parable of the debtor. In the course of the parable he quoted the moneylender as saying, "Business is business," as he rationalized the need for justice instead of mercy. It was interesting to hear the cognate phrase. But also sobering - just because it is a reminder to me how we need to let the gospel permeate every corner of our lives.
He also commented - when the debtor was looking for a way out - that the debtor did not even really know the one who came to redeem him. Again a sober comment that applies to me sometimes as well.
Finally the Bishop spoke. In his remarks he talked about problems - and about a particular challenge he faced a few years ago when, feeling weighed down by the weight of his difficulties, he first questioned why he was having such a hard time and then remembered the savior's role, and the difficulties the savior had faced. When he rememered that he saw the opportunities for faith and growth. (He quoted JFK who spoke in 1959 in Indianapolis saying that the word for Crisis in Chinese is a combination of danger and opportunity.)
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go to sacrament meeting today!
It felt great to be there today.
I learned several things I want to remember:
1. Batteries need charging
2. Super Super Super Excited!
3. The debtor did not even really know the redeemer
4. Problems and difficulties are a sign that the Lord is ready for you to grow in new ways
The sacrament meeting was in Swedish - not surprising. There were Missionaries there from the US and one of the translated for me. When I arrived and one of the members indicated that there were headsets available an elder went back to the clerks office to get them ready. The batteries had not been charged. As I waited I thought about my batteries - and how hard it is to hear the Lord when I don't do the simple things to charge my batteries.
After a lot of trying to get the system to work the elder sat next to me and translated. (There didn't seem to be a crowd waiting for translation - though his companion sat by another family to do the same thing.)
During the sacrament I thought about my children. How I missed them, my worries about them, and my hopes for them. I suppose that our father must have similar hopes for us.
The first speaker was a recent convert of 2 weeks. It was wonderful to hear her share her testimony. She'd started investigating the church and meeting with the missionaries over the Christmas break because her boyfriend was a member. (The gospel was a large enough part of his life that she saw it and knew she needed to understand it.) She came with a thousand questions and she wanted all of them answered because she saw that as the way to find out the truth.
During one of the lessons as she tried to work her way through the list of questions she felt the spirit strongly -and knew that Jesus Christ was her Redeemer. And that Joseph Smith was the prophet that restored the Church of Jesus Christ to he earth again. And that she did not need all of her questions answered to know that the church is true.
Now she is "Super super super excited" about the gospel and wants others to be able to know for themselves of its truthfulness as well.
The next speaker told the parable of the debtor. In the course of the parable he quoted the moneylender as saying, "Business is business," as he rationalized the need for justice instead of mercy. It was interesting to hear the cognate phrase. But also sobering - just because it is a reminder to me how we need to let the gospel permeate every corner of our lives.
He also commented - when the debtor was looking for a way out - that the debtor did not even really know the one who came to redeem him. Again a sober comment that applies to me sometimes as well.
Finally the Bishop spoke. In his remarks he talked about problems - and about a particular challenge he faced a few years ago when, feeling weighed down by the weight of his difficulties, he first questioned why he was having such a hard time and then remembered the savior's role, and the difficulties the savior had faced. When he rememered that he saw the opportunities for faith and growth. (He quoted JFK who spoke in 1959 in Indianapolis saying that the word for Crisis in Chinese is a combination of danger and opportunity.)
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go to sacrament meeting today!
posted by Harvey at 9:37 AM
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