One of the things that I love about my church is the opportunities given to lay members to speak in front of the congregation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no paid ministry, so each week after the Sacrament (similar to Communion) portion of the meeting has concluded, the remaining 45 minutes or so of the program includes talks given on assigned topics by selected members of the congregation. We usually have a few weeks to prepare our talks before delivering them in Sacrament Meeting. Each participant is instructed to study the topic and select material and sources with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Such preparation requires significant time, effort, and often struggle as we do our best to present a talk that will be both instructive and inspiring to the members of the congregation.
As I have been a lifelong member of the Church I have had many opportunities to speak in various Sacrament Meetings. I decided recently that I would share a few of the talks that I have delivered over the years with the hope that others might benefit a tiny bit from some of the things I have learned as I have studied these topics more intently.
October 14, 2012
Battle Creek 5th Ward
“Why We Sacrifice”
Since the days of Adam, God’s children have been commanded to offer sacrifices to Him. Anciently, these sacrifices took the form of live animal offerings. They were placed upon an altar, slaughtered, and burnt in precise and ritualistic ways prescribed by law. The general purposes of the Law of Sacrifice as given to Adam and Eve were to allow them to show their obedience and to remind them of the eventual sacrifice of the Savior. (Moses 5:5-8) In addition to obedience and this blanket symbolic foreshadowing, there were other specific purposes as well. The Bible Dictionary explains that under Mosaic Law three specific types of sacrifices were to be made on a regular basis: Sin offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings. Though these types of animal sacrifices have been done away with, the Law of Sacrifice is eternal in nature and is still in force. In his April 2012 Conference address, Elder Oaks said: “The incomprehensible suffering of Jesus Christ ended sacrifice by the shedding of blood, but it did not end the importance of sacrifice in the gospel plan. Our Savior requires us to continue to offer sacrifices, but the sacrifices He now commands are that we ‘offer for a sacrifice unto [Him] a broken heart and a contrite spirit’”. Today, though the subjects of our sacrifices are different, within the context of what we offer through a broken heart and contrite spirit the purposes remain the same. We sacrifice to show obedience and loyalty, to repent and be sanctified, and to show our love and gratitude to God. Today I would like to explore these three purposes further.
#1. To Show Obedience and Loyalty
I have always been struck by the pure obedience of Abraham when reading the story of him being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. We read the words of Adam when he responded to the angel’s inquiry of why he offered sacrifice, “I know not, save the Lord commanded me,” and are in awe of his simple obedience. If asked, this same response could have been uttered by Abraham as well, but the depth of heartache he must have felt makes his willingness all the more moving. Consider this background found in Abraham: “Now, at this time it was the custom of the priest of Pharaoh…to offer up upon the altar which was built in the land of Chaldea, for the offering unto these strange gods, men, women, and children…And it came to pass that the priests laid violence upon me, that they might slay me also…And as they lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard…and immediately unloosed my bands…”
Now, as a priest himself, Abraham is asked to do the very thing he had experienced the horror of as a youth. “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of…And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.” I can only imagine the agony this was for Abraham. The memory of himself being in the position his perfect son now lied, most likely in willing participation, must have tortured him. And yet, “Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” This was the ultimate act of obedience.
What are we willing to sacrifice to show our obedience to Heavenly Father?
Often when I think of this kind of strict obedience, I think of how the orthodox Jewish community observes the Sabbath. From what I understand of their faith, they would be the first to acknowledge that they don’t know exactly why they have the rules they do for the Sabbath, except that they are commandments with biblical roots. They go to great lengths in order to obey these rules. For example, an Orthodox Jew does not operate electricity on Shabbat. So what about lighting, particularly in the winter time when there are few sun lit hours in the day? Many of them simply use what is called a Shabbos clock, a timer that is attached to any number of lights in the house that can go on and off according to a preset determination. This way, they don’t have to flip any electrical switches on the Holy Sabbath.
Now some may view this as extreme and pharisaical, but this is how they demonstrate their obedience to God. Learning about these kinds of details has caused me to reflect upon my own adherence to commandments. To me, their example of complete devotion is inspiring.
Another inspiring example is that of a young man that Elder Oaks talks about in his address. This was a young man from another country who desired to obey the commandment to be baptized. He recounts that as this man was about to return to his native land, President Hinckley asked him what would happen when he returned home as a Christian. He replied that his family would be disappointed and might cast him off as dead and that his future and his career were not likely to be open to much opportunity. When President Hinckley asked him if he was willing to pay that kind of price for the gospel, he responded, “It’s true isn’t it? Then what else matters?( “Sacrifice”, Ensign, May 2012)”
#2. To repent and become sanctified.
A second purpose of sacrifice is to repent and become sanctified. When we review the story of Cain and Abel and their respective sacrifices to the Lord, we recall that Cain’s offering was rejected. As we study this account in Moses, and consider what we know about ancient sacrifices the reason for the Lord’s rejection becomes clear. “And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him saying: Make an offering unto the Lord. And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect.”
Now there is a specific sacrifice in the Mosaic Law (which may or may not apply to Adam’s time) that could fit the description of what Cain offered. It is a sacrifice called Minchah, which was a meal offering usually consisting of corn and wine that could accompany a burnt or peace offering. However, it was never to be used with a sin offering. There are several interpretations that could be applied here. One is that Cain and Abel were presenting a sacrifice at the altar together, Abel bringing the burnt offering, and Cain bringing the Minchah to accompany it. Another interpretation could be that Cain and Abel were each presenting their own sacrifices, not in coordination with one another. In this case, since the Minchah was never offered by itself but always in connection with either the burnt or the peace offering, Cain’s offering would have been an incomplete sacrifice, one that was missing its largest contribution. Yet another explanation could be that neither of these interpretations apply and that Cain was simply bringing a pittance of a sacrifice, a lazy offering, a disrespectful counterfeit. But no matter the explanation, I don’t believe it was the physical offering that offended God. The Lord did not reject Cain’s offering simply because it was the wrong one. It was his intent that mattered to God. “And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him, saying: Make an offering unto the Lord.” What Cain offered was a mockery. It was evil.
Our sacrifices are different now. Instead of ancient altars to place animals upon, we have the Sacrament table to which we are commanded to approach with broken hearts and contrite spirits. I don’t believe any of us are near guilty of the severity of evil that Cain was. But do we ever offer a counterfeit? Do we truly come before the Lord as we partake of the Sacrament with clean hands and pure hearts? Are any of us sanctimoniously partaking of the sacrament on Sunday, only to cower to the siren call of a sordid computer screen on Monday? Is our offering complete, or are we withholding a portion of ourselves? The Lord’s people in Ancient Israel were required to first give a sin or trespass offering which atoned for their sins, and then sacrifice their burnt offering which was meant to sanctify them. Likewise, we are commanded to first cleanse ourselves through repentance before becoming purified by partaking of the sacrament bread and water.
In addition to offering sincere repentance for purposes of partaking of the sacrament worthily, as we cast away sin, we also draw closer to Christ and become more like him. As we humble ourselves, offering that contrite spirit, we are able to recognize what we need to change and improve. And always, the Lord is ready to bless us in return. Elder Russell M. Nelson taught, “Our highest sense of sacrifice is achieved as we make ourselves more sacred or holy. This we do by our obedience to the commandments of God. Thus, the laws of obedience and sacrifice are indelibly intertwined. … As we comply with these and other commandments, something wonderful happens to us. … We become more sacred and holy—[more] like our Lord!” The angel of the Lord’s welcome interruption of Abraham’s intended sacrifice of Isaac included this incredible blessing, “By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
Great blessings await us as we strive to make proper sacrifices in our daily lives. Even small but worthy sacrifices will always be rewarded with blessings that move us closer to becoming sanctified. As we sacrifice pride for peace, pleasure for power, our lives begin to reflect more closely that which Heavenly Father has in mind for us.
#3. To show love and gratitude to God.
Finally, a third purpose of sacrifice is to show love and gratitude to God. The scriptures have several examples of the Lord’s people offering sacrifices to him as a sign of gratitude for His great blessings to them. This seems to be one of the purposes of ancient peace offerings. Lehi’s family offered sacrifices to celebrate the return of Nephi and his brother’s from Jerusalem and the acquisition of the Brass Plates(1 Nephi 5:9).
Returning to the story of Abraham and Isaac, I have always marveled at how willing Abraham was to sacrifice his son. As a child, I never quite understood this story. I was always confused by how the end played out. Why did Heavenly Father tell Abraham to do something He knew would never end up happening? I thought for a long time that Abraham didn’t end up really giving much of a sacrifice, he just demonstrated obedience. As I grew in my understanding of the gospel in general and more of the nuances and symbolism of this story, I felt like I was closer to fully grasping the meaning. However, it wasn’t until I was a mother that I began to more fully understand what exactly it was that Abraham sacrificed.
Now, I had already seen extraordinary daddy qualities emerge from Seth over the last year and half that we’ve been married. But when Emery came to us, to see him transform into a giant papa bear of a father, falling so completely in love with and become so protective of our sweet baby was a joy for me to witness. He was now experiencing all the feelings of a parent, that complete and incomparable love we have for our children. Our children become our entire lives. Studying Genesis 22 from that standpoint helps us discover something beyond the obvious. No, Abraham didn’t sacrifice Isaac. Isaac was never going to be the sacrifice. And the ram in the thicket wasn’t actually the sacrifice either. What Abraham sacrificed that day was the only thing he truly could sacrifice, the only thing that was ever truly his to offer. He sacrificed his heart. That was his offering: his complete and total willingness to give everything to the Lord. As a mother, knowing how willing I would be to protect my children, even if it meant I would lose my own life, I believe Abraham pleaded with the Lord to let him be the sacrifice, to let him be the one killed on the altar. But that wasn’t the plan. And so he gave God his will, his heart, his entire life. Why? Because Abraham loved God more.
To conclude, I would like to share a very personal story. I play the violin. I discovered the violin at age 9 and it immediately became life consuming for me. I loved it. I had a friend in my violin class who apparently wasn’t as into the violin as I was because whenever I suggested practicing violin together when she’d come over to play, she never really like that idea. But I couldn’t get enough of it. I practiced just for fun! My parents noticed my progress, and encouraged it. They paid for private lessons, then better private lessons. I could tell they were pleased with my growing talent, and I wanted to continue to please them more. So I kept practicing and improving. My violin teacher suggested to my parents that in order for me to continue to progress at the rate that I was I needed a better violin than the factory made one that I was using. One day when I was 12 years old, my father took me to Salt Lake City to a violin shop where I played on several different handcrafted violins, all of which cost more money than anything I owned or thought I could ever own. To my surprise, that Christmas my dad gave me the most beautiful violin in the world to me. It was a 19th century French violin, one I had played that day in the violin shop. I remembered that it cost $5000. I was overwhelmed with the gift. I tried to take the best care of it as possible. I only took it to school rehearsals if there was a concert coming up or if I had to play a solo. The rest of the time I took my subpar, factory- made violin.
One day, when I was about 13, for some reason I don’t now recall, I had to bring my good violin to school. In orchestra that day, we were doing rhythm exercises that required us to use both our hands, so our instructor had us place our instruments under our chairs. We were all to stand during the exercise and sit back down when we made a mistake. I was one of the last to sit, but when I did, with the entire class watching, my chair slipped from underneath me, and I landed on my violin. It was crushed to pieces. I felt complete shock. I felt destroyed. My teachers whisked me out of the room and helped me recover. One of them picked up the pieces of my precious violin. Another called my mother. I went home early that day. I just cried and cried. I truly thought my life from that point on was going to be filled with darkness and regret, because surely my father would be too angry to ever let me touch another violin again. But that night something that I considered miraculous happened. I hadn’t seen my father all day. I was too scared to face him. I had been in the library of our home for most of the day where I typically practiced, mourning the loss of my violin and trying to come to grips with the reality of what had happened and the likelihood of not being able to play ever again. I had just picked up my old factory violin, trying my best to make it produce a better quality sound when my dad came to the door. With a penetrating, yet gentle look into my eyes he asked me, “JulieAnn, do you love the violin?” Through sobs I replied, “Yes, dad. I love the violin so much. I’m so sorry I broke it. All I want in the world is to be able to play violin.” And then he quietly responded, “Okay. Then don’t worry. You’ll have a violin.” A few weeks later, I got a new violin. But not just any violin. It was an even better instrument than my previous one.
That was a defining experience for me. I decided then to fully commit myself to music. I doubled my practice time every day, I spent my summers participating in music clinics and ensembles, and I trained rigorously for competitions. I wanted to be the best violinist I possibly could be to show my appreciation for the incredible gift I had been given.
I’d like to think of that experience as one we each proverbially have. Like my violin, we have all been given a precious gift: our life. We go along, doing the best we can with the knowledge and circumstances we’ve been given. This includes the weaknesses inherent to having mortal bodies, both our own weaknesses and others’. We try to be careful, but inevitably, there comes a point when we realize, our lives are shattered. We are broken and crushed. We feel destroyed. There are usually people in our lives who are willing to help us make it through and cope. But ultimately, it is the Savior who saves us. He is so ready to repair our damaged hearts, to not only pick up the pieces, but to replace our gift with new life. He has already paid the price! And if we accept this new life and embrace it, we will find that it is so much better, so much happier than the life we knew before. What greater gift can we ask for? Let us then live this life in pursuit of what will please Him. As we ask ourselves what Elder Holland so passionately expressed this last Sunday, “Do I love Him?” let us then make our lives the answer. For as Elder Oaks said, “Truly, our lives of service and sacrifice are the most appropriate expressions of our commitment to serve the Master and our Fellowmen.”
I pray that as we consider the purposes of sacrifice that we will be more willing to sacrifice to show obedience, to repent and be sanctified, and to show our love and gratitude to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I testify that God lives, that Jesus Christ is His Son, and that this is His true and living church on the earth today.