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I live in Michigan. Our ward still limits in-person sacrament meetings to under 50, socially distances, wears masks, has no singing or musical numbers, wipes down the pulpit between speakers, and Zooms in the remainder of the ward. I applaud the leaders for doing what they can...
It should be noted that not every ward in my area is as restrictive. Our bishop has a health condition that puts him at higher risk of illness. Also secular views that support greater caution, and (lest we forget) the keys & spiritual intuition for our specific ward’s needs.
I don’t doubt there are ppl sitting in my ward building today feeling despair about what they’re witnessing, maybe singing quietly behind their masks, looking for who to blame, trying to focus on the Lord’s hand in it instead of their own misgivings. It’s very hard to endure.
I’m also sure the bishopric is tired of wearing masks, tired of wiping down the pulpit, tired of listening to recorded hymns while they sit silent, & that they too fight not to blame. Some are inclined to blame those who create mandates, & some blame those who don’t comply.
We’ve had our year to feel reactionary. We’ve learned a lot abt ourselves & others by watching reactions under pressure. Some surprised us with their resilience, others with how quickly they came undone. It’s a new year now. Time to stop reacting & start responding with intent.
It’s hard to draw out real relevance from so many other valid priorities. Does God care what principles we hold regarding mortal affairs like culture & politics? Of course he does. Are there matters of infinitely greater importance than culture or politics? Yes! Yes there are.
What made it possible for Christ’s own tribe to convict & murder their Savior? Politics & culture. They sought a different kind of savior. They wanted rescue from their Roman overlords. He not only refused to provide it but stood as a testament against their small-minded desires.
Love God. Love one another. Suffer long, show mercy, forgive repeatedly, be meek, cease to find fault, love even your enemy, bless them that curse you, offer your other cheek for a second blow, give up your coat and your cloak—what politically volatile society will hear that?
How would Jesus fare on Twitter today, or in front of Congress? Would Hollywood, media, celebrities, sports stars, the intelligentsias of sciences & universities, billionaires, or world leaders embrace him? Could they even resist killing him, any better than Jerusalem did?
If he came among us, as one of us, as he did in the meridian of time among his own, he would be (say it with me) *cancelled.* The most important man in human history, the only one who could redeem each and all and EVERYthing on earth, would be as willfully devoured now as then.
He—the Son of God—would still have to surrender himself to our insipid mortal issues because as a whole, we CANNOT rise above it. But there is an “above it.” So much up there, so much higher than politics & culture. Getting our heads up *there* is the whole point of existence.
This life is a test. We just had a huge level-up moment: 2020, the year of reaction. 2021 must be the year of calculated response. Love God. Love one another. Suffer long, show mercy, forgive repeatedly...
Will I beg Christ to liberate me from government & forget he came to liberate me from sin? Will I ask him to “call down fire from heaven” to burn the wicked when he came w/mercy to call them to repentance? Will I “cancel” him if his methods don’t change my mortal circumstance?
There are people you love who are mad at you for your political & cultural positions. You too resist hating those who condemn your choices & those whose choices conflict with your own. We don’t win by getting our way. We win by getting through this Christ’s way. This is a test.
When the veil lifts, we will ask “How did I do?” We will not wonder who won an election or which of us was right about mask-wearing. These conditions, this corruption, this treacherous terrain—it was made to make *us*. It was made to reveal our nature. This is a test.
We can’t change everything. God gives us exactly the conditions we need to become the mightiest versions of ourselves, the finest offspring of his eternal species. We must focus on changing ourselves, becoming fire-refined gold, being a force for good in our sphere of influence.
Be not as the pharisees or mobs, the Caesars, the hypocrites. Disciples of Christ have greater goals. Seek righteousness, be holy, show mercy. Open your mouth in testimony, not to revile. Raise your hands in praise, not anger. Seek your brother’s redemption, not his demise.
We’ve all been thrown to the ground many times this past year. Get up. Wash it off you. Christ will bind your wounds. Devote yourself entirely to his will & his methods, leaving no room for cankering pride. You don’t yet know how powerful you are under his guidance. But you will.
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