#segullah

[suziegallagher]

Preparing the soil

Removal of Weeds Before Digging Introduction and Definition of Spiritual Accompaniment Nutt set out to define Spiritual Direction (Spiritual Accompaniment) and did not accomplish this.[1] However Barry and Connolly have a helpful definition, We define Christian spiritual direction, then, as help given by one believer to another that enables the latter to pay attention to God’s personal…

[comicdiaries]

Segullah feature

I’m back from Japan and excited to share my travel journal with you all starting tomorrow! (It’s much bigger than I initially thought!)

For today, I’m excited to announce that the online art and literature journal Segullah is featuring my cartoons in its fall issue! Segullah publishes prose, poetry, book reviews, and art by some outstanding Mormon women, so I’m thrilled and honored to be part of the collection.

Check out my artist’s statement published on the blog and be sure to click around to see the uplifting and thought-provoking work on the site. My reading list has certainly grown since I started keeping up with this journal!

More comics will be posted tomorrow, so stay tuned! Hope you’ve enjoyed #ldsconf :)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Poor Man's Evening Portion

by Robert Hawker

"Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." - John 13:1

Sweet thought, my soul, for thee everlastingly to cherish; thy Jesus is the same, and his love the same, amidst all thy changings: yet he abideth faithful. His love, and not thy merit, was the first cause of thy salvation; and the same love, and not thy undeservings, is the final cause wherefore thou art not lost. But mark in this blessed scripture, how many sweet and lovely things are said. Jesus hath a people, and that people are in the world, and that people are his own. What! had he not a people in the other world? Yes! by creation all are his, in common with the Father. But by redemption he had none, until he had redeemed them from this present evil world. And observe how very graciously they are spoken of. They are his own, his peculiar people, his treasure, his Segullah, his jewels. And how dearly doth he prize them! They were first given to him by his Father; that made them dear. They are the purchase of his blood; this made them dear also. He hath conquered them by his grace; this endears them to himself as his own. And though they are in this world, too much engaged in the affairs of the world, and too much in love with the world, yet Jesus’s love is not abated: their persons are still dear to Jesus, though their sins he hates. The same love which prompted his infinite mind to stand up for their redemption; the same love is going forth unceasingly, and without change or lessening, to accomplish and render effectual that redemption. Precious Lord Jesus! Oh for grace to love thee, who hast so loved us! And while thou condescendest to call such poor sinful worms thine own, and to love them as thine own, and consider every thing done for them and done to them as to thyself; shall not a portion of such love be communicated to my poor heart, that I may love thee as my own and only Saviour, and learn to love thee to the end, as thou hast loved me and given thyself for me, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor?

[tlhopkinson]

NO FEE Poetry, Prose & Visual Art Contest (Women of faith) + editor interview - Segullah, DEADLINE: Jan. 31, 2019

NO FEE Poetry, Prose & Visual Art Contest (Women of faith) + editor interview - Willawaw Journal, DEADLINE: Jan. 31, 2019

Segullah is currently running a poetry and visual art contest free to enter this year. Segullahis an online literary journal and blog designed to encourage literary and artistic talent, provoke thought and promote greater understanding and faith among Latter-day Saint women and other women of faith. They “publish insightful writings and images which explore life’s richness and complexity while…

[verdadpresenteadv]

Miércoles 29 de septiembre EL PACTO DEL SINAÍ El Éxodo y todo lo que esto implicó, desde la sangre en el dintel de la puerta en Egipto hasta el drama en el Mar Rojo (¡qué experiencia!), sin duda impresionó a quienes lo vivieron (y a los que murieron, desde los primogénitos egipcios hasta los soldados en el fondo del mar, Dios los juzgará con justicia). Como dijo el Señor: “Vosotros visteis lo que hice a los egipcios, y cómo os tomé sobre alas de águilas, y os he traído a mí” (Éxo. 19:4). ¿Por qué el Señor hizo este rescate impresionante y dramático, concretamente sacando una nación de otra nación; o, como les dijo el mismo Moisés: “¿O ha intentado Dios venir a tomar para sí una nación de en medio de otra nación, con pruebas, con señales, con milagros y con guerra, y mano poderosa y brazo extendido, y hechos aterradores como todo lo que hizo con vosotros Jehová vuestro Dios en Egipto ante tus ojos?” (Deut. 4:34)? Lee Éxodo 19:4 al 8. ¿Por qué llamó el Señor al pueblo a salir de Egipto? Era tan simple como eso. Dios llamó a salir a la simiente, a los descendientes de los padres Abraham, Isaac y Jacob. Y con estos descendientes el Señor estableció su Pacto, y ellos serían, en verdad, “mi especial tesoro sobre todos los pueblos; porque mía es toda la tierra” (Éxo. 19:5). Esta relación era fundamental para el Pacto. No obstante, esta idea de un “especial tesoro” (heb., segullah), podría malinterpretarse fácilmente (y, de hecho, así fue). La peculiaridad de ellos no provenía de nada que fuese intrínsecamente santo ni justo en sí mismos. Era por la gracia de Dios que recibieron y por las maravillosas verdades que él les había otorgado, verdades que debían seguir y que, como un “reino de sacerdotes”, en última instancia esparcirían por el mundo. Dios luego les dio también algunas de las estipulaciones del Pacto (la parte que les tocaba a ellos en el Pacto, por así decirlo), los Diez Mandamientos (Éxo. 20), y posteriormente este pacto se ratificó. Luego de rociar un altar recién construido con la sangre de las ofrendas, Moisés “tomó el libro del pacto y lo leyó a oídos del pueblo” (Éxo. 24:7). El pueblo volvió a declarar que obedecería. “Habiendo anunciado Moisés todos los mandamientos de la ley a todo el pueblo, tomó la sangre [...] y roció el mismo libro y también a todo el pueblo, diciendo: Esta es la sangre del pacto que Dios os ha mandado” (Heb. 9:19, 20). ¿Qué significa la sangre y por qué es tan importante, incluso para nosotros hoy?

[icephas]

A Aliança no Sinai

Quarta-feira, 29 de Setembro

O êxodo e tudo o que o envolveu, desde o sangue na ombreira da porta até ao drama no Mar Vermelho, impressionaram os sobreviventes. (E os que morreram, desde os primogénitos no Egipto até aos soldados no fundo do mar, Deus os julgará com justiça.) Como disse o Senhor: “Vós tendes visto o que fiz aos egípcios, como vos levei sobre asas de águias, e vos trouxe a mim” (Êxodo 19:4).

Porque operou o Senhor este impressionante resgate da nação? O próprio Moisés disse: “ou se um deus intentou ir tomar para si um povo do meio de outro povo, com provas, com sinais, e com milagres, e com peleja, e com mão forte, e com braço estendido, e com grandes espantos, conforme tudo quanto o Senhor, vosso Deus, vos fez no Egito, aos vossos olhos” (Deuteronómio 4:34).

5. Leia Êxodo 19:4-8. Porque chamou o Senhor o Seu povo do Egipto?

Deus chamou os descendentes de Abraão, Isaque e Jacó. Com eles estabeleceu aliança, e eles seriam a divina “propriedade peculiar dentre todos os povos; porque toda a terra é” Dele (Êxodo 19:5). Este relacionamento foi fundamental para a aliança.

Contudo, esta ideia de uma “propriedade peculiar” (segullah) poderia ter sido (e foi) facilmente mal compreendida. A sua peculiaridade não vinha de algo santo e justo em si mesmos, mas da graça divina a eles concedida e por causa das verdades maravilhosas que o Senhor lhes concedeu, as quais eles deveriam seguir e, como um “reino de sacerdotes”, espalhar pelo mundo.

Deus transmitiu-lhes estipulações da aliança (a parte deles no acordo, por assim dizer) e os Dez Mandamentos (Êxodo 20). Assim, a aliança foi ratificada. Depois de aspergir com o sangue das ofertas um altar recém-construído, Moisés “tomou o livro do concerto e o leu aos ouvidos do povo” (Êxodo 24:7). O povo declarou novamente que obedeceria.

“porque, havendo Moisés anunciado a todo o povo todos os mandamentos segundo a lei, tomou o sangue dos bezerros e dos bodes, com água, lã purpúrea e hissopo, e aspergiu tanto o mesmo livro como todo o povo, dizendo: Este é o sangue do testamento que Deus vos tem mandado” (Hebreus 9:19, 20). O que significa o sangue, e porque é ele tão importante ainda hoje?

[dfroza]

A sacred point of rebirth.

we are meant to share (to illuminate) this Light

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 20th chapter of the book of John:

[The Empty Tomb]

Very early Sunday morning, before sunrise, Mary Magdalene made her way to the tomb. And when she arrived she discovered that the stone that sealed the entrance to the tomb was moved away! So she went running as fast as she could to go tell Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. She told them, “They’ve taken the Lord’s body from the tomb, and we don’t know where he is!”

Then Peter and the other disciple jumped up and ran to the tomb to go see for themselves. They started out together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He didn’t enter the tomb, but peeked in, and saw only the linen cloths lying there. Then Peter came behind him and went right into the tomb. He too noticed the linen cloths lying there, but the burial cloth that had been on Jesus’ head had been rolled up and placed separate from the other cloths.

Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first went in, and after one look, he believed! For until then they hadn’t understood the Scriptures that prophesied that he was destined to rise from the dead. Puzzled, Peter and the other disciple then left and went back to their homes.

Mary arrived back at the tomb, broken and sobbing. She stooped to peer inside, and through her tears she saw two angels in dazzling white robes, sitting where Jesus’ body had been laid—one at the head and one at the feet!

“Dear woman, why are you crying?” they asked.

Mary answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve laid him.”

Then she turned around to leave, and there was Jesus standing in front of her, but she didn’t realize that it was him!

He said to her, “Dear woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

Mary answered, thinking he was only the gardener, “Sir, if you have taken his body somewhere else, tell me, and I will go and . . .”

“Mary,” Jesus interrupted her.

Turning to face him, she said, “Rabboni!” (Aramaic for “My teacher!”)

Jesus cautioned her, “Mary, don’t cling to me, for I haven’t yet ascended to God, my Father. And he’s not only my Father and God, but now he’s your Father and your God! Now go to my brothers and tell them what I’ve told you, that I am ascending to my Father—and your Father, to my God—and your God!”

Then Mary Magdalene left to inform the disciples of her encounter with Jesus. “I have seen the Lord!” she told them. And she gave them his message.

That evening, the disciples gathered together, and because they were afraid of reprisals from the Jewish leaders, they had locked the doors. But suddenly Jesus appeared among them and said, “Peace to you!” Then he showed them the wounds of his hands and his side—they were overjoyed to see the Lord with their own eyes!

Jesus repeated his greeting, “Peace to you!” And he told them, “Just as the Father has sent me, I’m now sending you.” Then, taking a deep breath, he blew on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. I send you to preach the forgiveness of sins—and people’s sins will be forgiven. But if you don’t proclaim the forgiveness of their sins, they will remain guilty.”

One of the twelve wasn’t present when Jesus appeared to them—it was Thomas, whose nickname was “the Twin.” So the disciples informed him, “We have seen the Lord with our own eyes!”

Still unconvinced, Thomas replied, “There’s no way I’m going to believe this unless I personally see the wounds of the nails in his hands, touch them with my finger, and put my hand into the wound of his side where he was pierced!”

Then eight days later, Thomas and all the others were in the house together. And even though all the doors were locked, Jesus suddenly stood before them! “Peace to you,” he said.

Then, looking into Thomas’ eyes, he said, “Put your finger here in the wounds of my hands. Here—put your hand into my wounded side and see for yourself. Thomas, don’t give in to your doubts any longer, just believe!”

Then the words spilled out of his heart—“You are my Lord, and you are my God!”

Jesus responded, “Thomas, now that you’ve seen me, you believe. But there are those who have never seen me with their eyes but have believed in me with their hearts, and they will be blessed even more!”

Jesus went on to do many more miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not even included in this book. But all that is recorded here is so that you will fully believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you will experience eternal life by the power of his name!

The Book of John, Chapter 20 (The Passion Translation)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 10th chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes:

Teacher: Remember the saying,

Dead flies can spoil a good perfume.

In the same way, all the wisdom and honor in the world cannot outweigh a moment’s folly.

Wise people move to the right where they honor the goodness of God’s creation,

while fools move to the left and choose to ignore it.

Teacher: Fools are easily spotted when they walk down the street:

their lack of sense is obvious to everyone.

If someone in charge becomes angry at you, don’t leave your post;

a calm reply puts great offenses to rest.

I have seen another restless evil in this world, the kind of error that arises from those in power: fools and their folly are promoted to positions of authority, while the rich and talented are assigned menial tasks. I have seen slaves riding on horseback like royalty and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

If you dig a pit, you may fall into it.

If you tear down an old wall, a snake may come out and bite you.

Whoever quarries stones may be crushed by them,

and whoever splits wood may be hurt by flying debris.

If a tool is dull and no one sharpens its edge, the work will be harder;

the advantage of wisdom is this: it brings success.

If a snake bites before it is charmed,

there is no advantage in being a snake charmer.

The words of the wise bring them favor,

but those of the foolish endanger them.

The first words out of a fool’s mouth are folly;

the last words he utters are evil madness.

The fool babbles on and on, not knowing when to stop.

Though no one knows what will happen next, he may think he knows.

Who can tell what the future holds?

The fools’ work wears them out;

they’re so weary they can’t find their way to the city.

Woe to the land whose king is a child

and whose princes start their feast in the morning.

Blessed is the land whose king is of noble heritage

and whose princes know when to feast,

Who discipline themselves with strength and avoid drunkenness.

The roof sags over the head of lazybones;

the house leaks because of idle hands.

Feasts are happy occasions;

wine brings joy to life;

money is the answer for everything.

Don’t curse the king in your thoughts

or demean the rich even in private.

If you do, a little bird or other winged creature overhead might overhear

and wing your words and report what you said to those in power.

The Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 10 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Saturday, may 29 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about being chosen by Love:

“God chose you... from among all peoples” (Deut. 10:15). The idea is repeated several times in Torah (for example, see Deut. 14:2; Exod. 19:5-6; Deut. 7:7-8; Amos 3:2). What a great blessing to be personally selected by God to know his love and forgiveness; what a privilege to be made an heir of the covenant and promises of the LORD! Spiritually understood, being chosen is not the result of simply being born Jewish, but has to do with being in a relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the truth, and therefore Gentiles who trust in God are justified by their faith and chosen as His people. As it is written: "In the Messiah we too have been claimed as God's own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11). What an honor, what a mercy, what a joy!

The corollary of being a “chosen” person, however, is the responsibility to serve as an expression of God’s love that repairs the broken world. Therefore the Apostle Peter refers to followers of Messiah as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, so that we should show forth the praises of the One who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, cp. Exod. 19:6, Deut. 7:6). Please note that these words were addressed to those formerly called Gentiles, since he adds: "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people" (1 Pet. 2:10, cp. Deut. 32:21; Hos. 2:23; Rom. 9:25). The Apostle Paul likewise calls believers in Yeshua a “chosen people” (Eph 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13) who have been given direct and priestly access to God (Heb. 4:16). This priestly lineage began with Malki-Tzedek (Melchizedek), culminated in the advent of Yeshua, and is passed directly to the disciples by means of their justification and identification with the risen Savior "who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a treasured people (am segullah), zealous for good works" (Titus 2:14). “Blessed is the LORD God who has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him and through Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:3-7). Hallelujah!

In this connection note that the word "Hebrew" means "boundary crosser," that is, one who “crosses over” to life by being in relationship with the LORD, while a "Jew" means one who praises the LORD. The word "Jew" (יְהוּדִי) comes from a root (יָדָה) which means to "thank" or to “praise” (Gen. 29:35). The Apostle Paul alluded to this by saying that one whose heart has been circumcised by the Spirit is "one who is praised by God -- not by men" (Rom. 2:29). Being a Jew therefore means you are “chosen” to receive blessings and grace to live in holiness for the glory of God and for the healing of the world. The performance of various commandments are for the greater purpose of tikkun olam, the “repair of the world,” in order to reveal God’s goodness and love (Eph. 2:8-10). Doing so marks someone a Jew, since his praise comes not from man, but from the LORD. God is the source and the power of what makes a true tzaddik (righteous person). After all, Israel was meant to be a “light to the nations” (Isa. 42:6; 60:3), and God had always planned for all the families of the earth to come to know Him and give Him glory through his chosen servant Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 22:18). “Jewishness” is therefore not an end in itself but rather a means to bring healing to the nations, and that healing comes through the blessing of the Messiah... Indeed, the entire redemptive story of the Scriptures centers on the cosmic conflict to deliver humanity from the “curse” by means of the "Seed of the woman" who would come. The gospel is Jewish because it concerns God’s great redemptive plan for the whole world given through Israel (John 3:16; 4:22). Followers of Yeshua are given a Jewish heart that is full of praise for the truth of God’s salvation and love. [Hebrew for Christians]

5.29.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

May 29, 2021

Worship of Idols and Demons

“They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.” (Deuteronomy 32:17)

This terrible indictment was in the farewell song of Moses, written just before the tribes of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land. Perhaps Moses was thinking mainly of the golden calf fashioned by Aaron, who had told the people: “These be thy gods, O Israel” (Exodus 32:4).

Aaron and the people certainly knew that the man-made calf was not “gods,” but they knew that there were many invisible spirit beings in the world and that these “devils” (actually fallen angels) could indwell images made by men as objects of worship. These evil spirits do possess certain powers, which can be used to impress their worshippers with the magical insights and abilities of the images.

This was also a problem in the early church. Paul warned his converts at Corinth, “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1 Corinthians 10:20). John’s closing word to his own flock was “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

It is a serious problem today—not only in lands where images and animalistic spirits abound, but even in the “Christian” West, both in the proliferating New Age cults and in mainline churches that have diluted sound Bible teaching with humanism and ritualistic pantheism. And remember, too, that “covetousness” (that is, coveting money, or power, or anything more than the will of God) “is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). When the prince of these devils himself sought the worship of Jesus, the Lord answered: “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10). We need to remember and follow His example. HMM

A tweet by illumiNations:

"I started to read the book of Mark in my Mpoto language and I came to know Jesus and how much He truly loves us." Read more of Sister Agatha's story at https://bit.ly/34ppQF6

5.29.21 • 12:36pm • Twitter

[talmidimblogging]

Exodus 19:5 – Peculiar Treasures

Exodus 19:55 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine The word “peculiar” here is the Hebrew word “segullah,” and literally means “to shut up.”  To really get an understanding of this, […]Exodus 19:5 – Peculiar Treasures

[free-mormons-blog]

Some Notes on Cultural Diversity in the Universal Church -- Temple and Cosmos Beyond this Ignorant Present -- HUGH NIBLEY 1992

Some Notes on Cultural Diversity in the Universal Church

Is there a gospel culture? We begin with the idea: Is there a gospel community or society? There clearly is. Zion has always been described as a city, an organized society, set apart from the world. If the community preserves its integrity for any length of time, it is bound to emerge as a separate culture. The earliest reference to the culture I have in mind is Israel as the “peculiar people.” Moses and Aaron disengaged the children of Israel from the culture of Egypt, the most distinctive culture of its time. The Lord tells them: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people” (Exodus 19:4-5). The King James Version uses “peculiar treasure” for segullah, a word meaning “set apart,” “sealed,” “removed from the rest of the world.” Exodus continues: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). A distinctive culture begins there. The cultural franchise is set down in Deuteronomy. In the light of recent documentary discoveries the true nature of that culture is beginning to appear, presenting ever closer resemblances to the picture Joseph Smith has given us of ancient Israel and early Christianity.

The Mormon basic concept is that we are God’s spirit children; that idea separates us from the world: “Ye are the children [of Jehovah Elohim] of the Lord your God.” Hence, “ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes,” etc. (Deuteronomy 14:1-2). Awareness of their heavenly parentage sets Israel apart culturally as well as doctrinally.

Their ordinances set them apart too. Every ancient civilization is hierocentric; it is the temple that sets it apart from the rest of the world. And so we read in the 135th Psalm of praises to the Lord, to the name of the Lord and to the servants of the Lord standing “in the house of the Lord [the temple], in the courts of the house of our God” (Psalms 135:2). “Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure [for his segullah again]” (Psalms 135:3-4).

In his letter to Titus (2:12-14), Paul translates segullah by a very interesting word that Aristotle uses also: periousios. It means a peculiar treasure.

The saints are to deny “ungodliness and worldly lusts” to become “a peculiar people.” The word here rendered “peculiar,” periousios, designates that part of any wealth that is set aside or reserved in a separate account, not part of the common deposit, a peculiar treasure, something special and set apart to be of value in times of dire need. When the going is bad, this is where we will go for our salvation. Paul continues: “zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). It is specifically their good works that set the saints apart.

What is the gospel culture composed of? Everything good. Like patriotism, it is more inclusive than exclusive. Its peculiarity, its segullah, is a seal set upon whatever it finds desirable, rendering that thing also peculiar. It is the combination, the structure, that is peculiar, not the separate elements. Our Thirteenth Article of Faith sums it up beautifully; we accept everything we put our stamp on. Can anything be more universally appealing, more desirable for the whole human race, than being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous (that’s inner culture acceptable to any society), and in doing good to all men? Moreover, we seek after every good thing; we are in the market for everything good. Articles six (dealing with organization, the same organization as the primitive church), seven (dealing with the spiritual gifts that set the Mormons apart from the rest of the world at this time), and ten, especially (looking forward to another kind of secular environment)—all have very strong cultural implications. “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel [the same thing we have already been referring to] and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory” (Tenth Article of Faith). We shall see all these things. These are very special things.

So we believe there is a culture here, a single culture peculiar to Mormons. Brigham Young expressed it well when he said, “We have commenced to organize, I will say partially, in the Holy Order that God has established for his people in all ages of the world when he has had a kingdom upon the earth. We may call it the Order of Enoch, the Order of Joseph, the Order of Peter, or Abraham, or Moses, and then go back to Noah,” always the same order.1 It is essentially the same culture, we shall see.

Brigham continues: “We will organize as far as we have the privilege . . . under the laws of the land,”2 that is, under its restraining influence, its alien culture. We have to defer to it because we are dependent on it, and without those laws we would not even be allowed to exist at all. The gospel would never have emerged. “Many branches of industry have been organized here to help sustain each other, to labor for the good of all, and to establish cooperation in the midst of the Church in this place.”3 The concept is of an ongoing culture that had in each dispensation been restored—not the teachings alone, but celestial manners, morals, and environment.

Now, not only is there a single, central celestial culture reserved for the saints, but such a culture has also served as the model for the greatest peaks of human civilization as a whole. Those “Golden Ages,” all too few and far between, which have illuminated the long night of history have, I believe, all drawn their nourishment from the memories of lost Zions. Whenever Homer speaks of anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, he invariably compares it with a heavenly model; whether it is an individual, some godlike hero, a society like the Phaeacians, a dream, or a landscape; it is always compared with some heavenly ideal. Hundreds of graffiti made by the Egyptian pilgrims to holy shrines describe the temples on which they scratch their names as places that make them think they are in heaven. How often the art of the Chinese (flowing robes amid the clouds) refers to its celestial counterparts; the people see themselves as a culture blessed and set apart, frankly styling themselves “the celestials.” The brief splendor of Arabic Spain left behind the haunting image of a paradise on earth, just as the Gothic glories of the Middle Ages coming through Byzantium from the court of Persia transmit the heavenly visions of the Asiatics. The Egyptian court was also another heaven on earth, though its real glory was confined to an early dynasty.

There have been but few such golden moments in history; their flourishing has been all too brief. But they do seem to follow a common pattern. “We are trying to be the image of those who live in heaven; we are trying to pattern after them, to look like them, to walk and talk like them, to deal like them, and build up the kingdom of heaven as they have done,” said Brigham Young.4 Another celestial culture. God has already supplied us with the necessary materials and plans; indeed, the stage has been set for Zion from the beginning. “Heaven,” said President Joseph F. Smith, “was the prototype of the beautiful creation when it came from the hand of the creator and was pronounced good.”5 We have a good start.

The clearest evidence that the great cultures of the world were inspired by a common model is their common dependence on one special institution—the temple. Ancient civilizations were what Eric Burrows called “hierocentric” in nature, that is, all their activities and thoughts were centered around the single sacred point, which was marked in every case by the temple and its ordinances.6 But even apart from that, if we compare the moment of fulfillment of these great cultures such as those of Greece, Persia, China, Arabic Spain, or Egypt, we find the external manifestations are strangely alike. They all sought the heavenly. So it is with us. Brigham Young was the first person to speak in tongues in this dispensation (1832).7 When he did so in the presence of Joseph Smith, the Prophet declared it to be the pure Adamic Tongue.8 It was the language of our father Adam, walking in Eden, and the time will come again when the Lord brings again Zion, the likeness of Zion and Enoch; this people will then all speak the language that Brigham Young spoke. A single language, someday, and a single culture, all based on a heavenly model.

I am going to read from an old book of Adam, a Syriac text9 originally published in 1815, translated into French in 1856, and long forgotten, describing an ancient writer’s idea of what the civilization of Enoch was like. For him it is a common culture scattered among countless worlds. He tells us what life is like on these worlds. His description is noteworthy because while writers of every age have found the description of hell only too easy, they become lost and unconvincing as soon as they attempt to depict what heaven is really like; that is a task that daunts Dante himself. But this old Christian writer, who has Mandaean connections, tells us that Zion is a place “without discord or dissent,” where angels wise and gentle, without malice or deceit, come and go on cheerful assignments. There is a perfect agreement among the worlds, each having its particular glory, and all the inhabitants share their knowledge freely with each other. The worlds averaged one million parasangs (a parasang is about four miles) apart, and through the people’s common knowledge and their common God, the Lord, they share a common glory. They are all incorruptible, without death. They do not grow old or wear out. Their nature is unfailing. They cannot be numbered, and their number is unchanging.10 Each of the worlds is a Zion, though each is different, for, most delightful of all, there is not monotony; there is a single universal culture which, as described in our own scriptures, “shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made” (Moses 7:64)—the culture of Zion. Yet variety (as Brigham Young often noted) was the very keynote to that culture.

But the text describes Zion in negative terms, which are indeed the only terms in which it can be described to people living in another world. Thus in 4 Nephi the only way to tell us benighted people what was going on is to say what was not going on: “There was no contention among all the people, in all the land . . . and there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people” (4 Nephi 1:13, 16). Not surprisingly, therefore, we are told in this old Adam text that each of these worlds is a Zion, having no law courts, no hungry or thirsty, no cold nor heat, no aged or fear, no war, no slavery, no harmful creatures or plants.”11 How boring it all seems to primitives like us! We already possess the technical know-how to achieve something very near to this, but who wants it? “Magnificent buildings beside tranquil seas, . . . flowing springs of life-giving water, . . . everything vibrates with joy; the wants of the people are few, they move about through the air by the power of flight.”12 They are not overly concerned with technology because their technological knowledge has taken them far beyond our clumsy contraptions. “They are at home with the firmaments, . . . with the ‘Jordans’ [a special term referring to ordinances], with groves, with kings, with spirits; their beauty is within them and shines out as if they were pure crystal. Force flows through them from the King as they persevere in prayer and song.”13 (It was a demanding thing; the celestial spirits had to work at it—”Force flows through them from the King as they persevere in prayer and song.”) They study and meditate constantly. “They exhale a fragrance of divine happiness; . . . each is more remarkable than the other, each more illustrious.”14

Such a world, we are told, is only congenial “to the spirits of good men”; it is a life for the wise and prudent, for the families of Abel, Seth, and Enoch.15 This state of things is scattered throughout the universe, according to our old Adam text; and the various colonies, in spite of the vast differences between them, are quite aware of each other.16 In something the same way, the fabulous dreamlike cultures of which we have spoken, in spite of their wide spacing in time, were quite aware of each other’s existence. Thus Professor Werner Jaeger pointed out that both Plato and Aristotle were devoted followers of Zoroaster.17 Buddhism, as we know, moved from India to become the religion of distant China. The world of Lehi was one of widely shared cultures. Buddha, Confucius, Lao-Tzu, Mahavira, Zarathustra, Pythagoras, and Anthales were all contemporaries of Lehi at that magic moment in history which Karl Jaspers calls the “axial [pivotal] period,” that is, the moment when the civilization of the whole world turned on its axis as a new order of the spirit succeeded the old sacral kingship.18 That was the time when the seven wise men would come together from time to time from the ends of the earth to share their knowledge and wisdom at the Feast of the Seven Sages, knitting all the world together in a common cultural heritage.

Let me conclude with some quotations from the prophets of the restoration:

The Lord spake unto Enoch [Joseph Smith, Jun.], saying: Hearken unto me, saith the Lord your God, . . . who have assembled yourselves together; . . . it must needs be that there be an organization of my people . . . in the land of Zion—[or in other words, the city of Enoch (Joseph)], for a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, . . . that you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things (D&C 78:1-5).

Such passages plainly look to the distinctive culture being “of one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18), setting them apart from all the others. “We are following,” said Brigham Young, “the customs of Enoch and the holy fathers, and for this we are looked upon as not being fit for society. We are not adapted to the society of the wicked.”19 The strong word that Brother Reynolds has used here today is that we are subversive to certain cultures. Brigham says much the same thing: “We are looked upon as not being fit for society. We are not adapted to the society of the wicked and do not wish to mingle with them.”20

What I wish to indicate, very briefly then, is that behind all this there is a culture of Zion, a culture that has the virtue of being an eternal one, yet never boring, never monotonous. It is something toward which we should be striving. There are cultural images here, and there is a cultural reality, and we move into it by faith and prayer. It is not a pure figment of the imagination, because every time the human cultures have reached a real peak they have been infatuated with this idea, and have been convinced that they were imitating the heavenly model and doing the best they could. There is a gospel culture.

Notes

1.

JD

17:113.

2.  Ibid.

3.  Ibid.

4.  Ibid., 9:170.

5.  Ibid., 23:175.

6.  Eric Burrows, “Some Cosmological Patterns in Babylonian Religion,” in Samuel H. Hooke, The Labyrinth (London: SPCK, 1935), 46; cf., Hugh W. Nibley, “The Hierocentric State,” WPQ 4 (June 1951): 226-53; reprinted in CWHN 10:99-147.

7. HC 1:279.

8.  Ibid.

9.  “Le Code Nazaréen (or the Livre d’Adam)” in J. P. Migne, ed. Dictionnaire des Apocryphes, 2 vols. (Paris: Migne, 1856), 1:25-28. All subsequent references to the Syriac text are referenced to this volume.

10.  Ibid., 1:27.

11.  Ibid.

12.  Ibid., 1:27-28.

13.  Ibid., 1:28.

14.  Ibid.

15.  Ibid.

16.  Ibid., 1:26-27.

17.  Werner Jaeger, Aristotle (London: Oxford University Press, 1948), 132-36.

18.  Karl Jaspers, The Origin and Goal of History (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1953), 1-21.

19.  JD 10:306.

20.  Ibid.

[suziegallagher]

Day 2: Pick a Soul Booster

platitudes The one liners in the email are those things that people say when they want to reassure but don’t have the words and the words they use are not necessary.A one line sentence to live for, for me… You are the Segullah (treasured possession) of God.

[becauseihavebeengivenmuch]

What or where are your sacred spaces?

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

1 In the chodesh hashelishi (third new moon), after the Bnei Yisroel had their exodus from Eretz Mitzrayim, on that very day they came into the Midbar Sinai.

2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to Midbar Sinai, and had encamped in the midbar; and there Yisroel camped before HaHar.

3 And Moshe went up to HaElohim, and Hashem called out unto him from HaHar, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the Bais Ya’akov, and declare unto the Bnei Yisroel;

4 You yourselves have seen what I did unto the Mitzrayim, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself.

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice very carefully, and be shomer over My brit, then ye shall be a segullah (treasured possession) unto Me above all people; for kol ha’aretz is Mine;

6 And ye shall be unto Me a mamlechet kohanim, and a goy kadosh. These are the words which thou shalt recount unto the Bnei Yisroel.

7 And Moshe came and summoned the Ziknei HaAm, and set authoritatively before their faces all these words just as Hashem commanded him.

8 And kol HaAm answered together, and said, All that Hashem hath spoken we will do. And Moshe brought back the words of HaAm unto Hashem.

9 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Hinei, I am coming unto thee in a thick cloud, that HaAm may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee l’olam. Then Moshe told the words of HaAm unto Hashem.

10 So Hashem said unto Moshe, Go unto HaAm, and set them apart as kodesh today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothing,

11 And be ready by Yom HaShelishi; for Yom HaShelishi Hashem will come down in the sight of kol HaAm upon Mt. Sinai.

12 And thou shalt set boundaries unto HaAm all around, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into HaHar, or touch the edge of it; whosoever toucheth HaHar shall be surely put to death;

13 There shall no yad touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or surely mortally shot; whether it be behemah or ish, it shall not live; when the yovel soundeth long, they shall come up to HaHar.

14 So Moshe came down from HaHar unto HaAm, and set apart as kodesh HaAm; and they washed their clothes.

15 Then he said to HaAm, Be ready by Sheloshet Yamim; come not into your isha.

16 And it came to pass on the Yom HaShelishi when the boker was breaking, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a heavy cloud upon HaHar, and the blast of the shofar exceeding loud; so that kol HaAm that was in the machaneh trembled with terror.

17 And Moshe led HaAm forth out of the machaneh to encounter HaElohim; and they stood at the foot of HaHar.

18 And Mt. Sinai was altogether smoking, because Hashem descended upon it in eish; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of the furnace, and kol HaHar shook violently.

19 And when the sound of the shofar was moving [closer], and grew louder and louder, Moshe spoke, and HaElohim answered him in thunder.

20 And Hashem came down upon Mt. Sinai, onto the top of HaHar; and Hashem summoned Moshe up to the top of HaHar; and Moshe went up.

21 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Go down, warn HaAm, lest they push through toward Hashem to gaze, and many of them fall perishing.

22 And let the kohanim also, which come near to Hashem, set themselves apart as kodesh, lest Hashem break forth upon them.

23 And Moshe said unto Hashem, HaAm cannot come up to Mt. Sinai; for You Yourself charged us, saying, Establish boundaries for HaHar, and set it apart as kodesh.

24 And Hashem said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aharon with thee; but let not the kohanim and HaAm push through to come up unto Hashem, lest He break forth upon them.

25 So Moshe went down unto HaAm and told them. — Exodus 19 | Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) Orthodox Jewish Bible Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. Cross References: Genesis 11:5; Genesis 35:2; Exodus 3:1; Exodus 3:4-5; Exodus 3:12; Exodus 4:5; Exodus 4:29; Exodus 4:31; Exodus 24:1; Exodus 24:5; Exodus 20:1; Deuteronomy 4:36; Deuteronomy 33:2; Matthew 24:31; Acts 7;38; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Corinthians 10:26; Hebrews 12:18; Hebrews 12:20; Hebrews 12:26; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 12:14; Revelation 15:8; Revelation 22:14

[icephas]

The Covenant at Sinai

Wednesday, September 29

The Exodus and all that it entailed, from the blood on the doorpost in Egypt to the drama at the Red Sea — what an experience! No doubt it made an impression on those who lived through it. (And those who died, from the first-born children in Egypt to the soldiers at the bottom of the sea, God will judge them fairly.) As the Lord said: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” (Exodus 19:4).

Why did the Lord do this stunning and dramatic rescue, actually taking one nation out of another nation, or, as Moses himself said to them: “Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?” (Deuteronomy 4:34)?

Read Exodus 19:4-8. Why did the Lord call the people out from Egypt?

It was as simple as that. God called them out, the seed, the descendants of the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And with these descendants the Lord established His covenant, and they would be, indeed, “a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5). This relationship was central to the covenant.

This idea of a “special treasure” (segullah), however, could be (and it was, in fact) easily miSunderstood. Their specialness came not from anything inherently holy and righteous in and of themselves. Instead, it was because of God’s grace given to them and because of the wonderful truths that He had bestowed upon them — truths that they were to follow and, as a “kingdom of priests,” eventually spread to the world.

God then gave them some of the stipulations of the covenant, too (their end of the deal, so to speak), the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), and then this covenant was ratified. Having sprinkled a newly constructed altar with the blood of the offerings, Moses “took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people” (Exodus 24:7). The people again declared that they would obey.

“For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.” (Hebrews 9:19). What does the blood signify, and why is it so important, even to us today?

[becauseihavebeengivenmuch]

Holding my breath.

Yesterday I put in a bid for an editing position with an LDS women's magazine/blog. It's not a paid position (It's a nonprofit) but I would LOVE to get to do it. (Plus, it would look awesome on my resume and my BYU application.) I'm really excited about it. So far there hasn't been a ton of interest in the position and I actually seem to stack up fairly well against the competition. Cross your fingers for me?