Come To Zion

(Based on Elder D. Todd Christofferson's 2008 Semi-annual Conference Talk)

I recently heard the story of a man in the hospital – 86 years old – sick, dying, and his wife was with him. He said, “Ethel, I remember when we got married; I lost my job and you stayed with me. Then I went into the service and you joined the nurse’s core so you could be with me. You were right there with me when I was wounded. Then I went into business – 4 times – and they all failed – but you were always with me. Here I am in the hospital – 86 years old – sick, dying – and you’re still with me. I want you to know I’ve come to the conclusion: You’re bad luck!

Today I am going to talk to you about something that has nothing to do with luck – good or bad. It seems its human nature to blame or attribute things to some sort of luck - and many things are frequently someone else’s fault. Not today. Not with the principles I will be speaking about.

The State of the World

I don’t think I’m going to shock anyone by observing that our world has a few problems!

Whatever it was we were hoping to collectively create down here on earth and whatever life we were thinking we wanted for ourselves and our posterity, it seems like we are witnessing it crashing down around us in spite of a lot of good works.

How many “once-or-twice-in-a-century” unpleasant events have occurred or are currently occurring in just the 8 years of the 21st Century?

Right before our very eyes, played out, day-in and day-out on the news, in the papers, on the Internet, and in the lives and behaviors of those around us, we are seeing something that has been prophesied and predicted by many finally happening.

After years and years of speculation and philosophy and debate, some things are finally working themselves out and taking on definite form and shape. If you are like me, you’ve suspected “it” might be coming – though you hoped “it” would not. If you are like me, you sensed “something” was just around the corner but we just didn’t know what it would exactly look like and in what form it would take shape and manifest “itself.”

Many thought on 9/11 that was “it.” That “it” had finally arrived. But that wasn’t “it” was it? On 9/12 most of us thought as a country and a world we had finally arrived at the low point; at the point that will finally test us as a nation and as people and as individuals and families and it looked like maybe we’d pass the test, improve things, and avoid something much worse. But shortly everyone got back to business and now it’s just a footnote in the history books for most. There are some important changes in our collective mentality as a nation but they aren’t very positive.

For a long time, we have heard about the “big one” and how we need to be prepared for “it” because “it” is going to be the big thing that will test us and see what we are make of. We’re still waiting and hopefully preparing but by and large we remain very unprepared.
And now, seemingly almost without much fanfare, and seemingly from out of nowhere, a different “big one” seems to have hit. It’s taking a little while longer to reach us here in Utah; down into our individual lives and affect our lifestyle and our security and test us as people. But everyone seems to know “it” is just around the corner and is coming and we need to get prepared for it as much as we can.

What is the “it?” What is “it” that is just around the corner that’s coming to our neighborhood and to our families and to our personal lives shortly – if “it” hasn’t already arrived?
At the risk of being far too clever by half, “It’s” not exactly what you think.
If you’re thinking of the collapse of many of our financial institutions in our country and around the world, you’re partly right.

If you’re thinking about the collapse of the housing market and the enormity of those who are losing homes in this country and that is hitting our state and is projected to hit even harder in the days to come, you’re partly right.

If you think it’s the rising rate of unemployment and the daily news that tens of thousands and maybe even millions more are losing their jobs, you’re partly right.

If you think it’s the wickedness of the world or the divisiveness of people in general in solving our problems or the seemingly imminent changes in the core nature of government and family – sacred institutions that have eternal meanings to each of us - you’re partly correct.

Babylon

But you’re not exactly correct in any of one of these things. The “it” was given to us in the October General Conference by the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles – Elder D. Todd Christofferson. And what he told us about “it” is that what we are seeing before our very eyes is something he and others for centuries have called Babylon.

Babylon was the ancient City of Babel, of the Tower of Babel fame. It was the capital of the Babylonian Empire where a temple was built to worship the idol-god Baal. This idol and the worship in the temple were referred to by Old Testament Prophets as “The Shame” because of the sexual perversions that were associated with their worship. Since then Babylon has come to represent worldliness in all its forms as well as the worship of evil and the mistreatment of the righteous and their principles.

Said Elder Christofferson:
It is with this backdrop that the Lord said to the members of His Church, D&C 133:7 "Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other".

Whenever I hear the term Babylon I think of the great Priesthood song: Ye Elders of Israel (Hymn 319). We sang it last week in the leadership session of Stake Conference so it is fresh on my mind. The words are instructive in regards to this Babylon and the Lord’s instruction in D&C 133:7, so as you listen to the words, try and pick out the things we are encouraged to do as Latter-day Saints:

Ye elders of Israel, come join now with me
And seek out the righteous, where'er they may be
In desert, on mountain, on land, or on sea
And bring them to Zion, the pure and the free.

O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell;
We're going to the mountains of Ephraim to dwell.

The harvest is great, and the lab'rers are few;
But if we're united, we all things can do.
We'll gather the wheat from the midst of the tares
And bring them from bondage, from sorrows and snares.

O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell;
We're going to the mountains of Ephraim to dwell.

We'll go to the poor, like our Captain of old,
And visit the weary, the hungry, and cold;
We'll cheer up their hearts with the news that he bore
And point them to Zion and life evermore.

O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell;
We're going to the mountains of Ephraim to dwell.

When I hear these words sung I often think the upbeat nature of the music masks the true feelings of actually leaving Babylon and when we sing, “O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell” there ought to be some dissonant chords played on the organ or some booing and hissing from the bass part, rather than just: “We bid thee farewell.”

It reminds me of what Elder Maxwell said when speaking immediately after this song was sung. He expressed the thought that one of the challenges of bidding Babylon farewell is that many of us like to keep a summer cottage there. (Neal Maxwell Quote Book, page 25.)

What do you make of the actions we need to take to get out of Babylon and to assist others in doing so, as the song said?

Seek out the righteous
Bring them to Zion
If we're united
Bring them from bondage,
from sorrows and snares
Visit the weary, the hungry, and cold
Point them to Zion

In addition to these great action statements and maybe because of the blessings of fulfilling them, there are several references in the song to Zion as the place where we are to go.
Elder Christofferson reminded us that Zion is the exact opposite of Babylon. He reminded us of what Joseph Smith said about Zion – the “it” that we should be creating and seeing come about and not the “it” we are seeing.

Listen to the great descriptive words the Prophet Joseph used in talking about Zion:

"The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society course of study, 2007], 186).

Does the thought of Zion give you peculiar delight?
Do you look forward to Zion with joyful anticipation?
Are you fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations about building up the cause of Zion?

Of course we know that Zion is both a place and a state of being but Elder Christofferson made it crystal-clear that the state of being needs to occur - in our lives - and in our hearts - and in our Wards - and in our Stake - before the place of Zion can be a reality.

Said he:

Zion is Zion because of the character, attributes, and faithfulness of her citizens. Remember, Moses 7:18 The Lord called his people Zion, because they were of [1] one heart and one mind, and [2] dwelt in righteousness; and there was [3] no poor among them.

Remember these 3 things:

[1] One heart and one mind
[2] Dwelt in righteousness
[3] No poor among them

So … what can we do – what is our duty - as Latter-day Saints to establish Zion?

A key to our role we heard in the words of “Ye Elders of Israel”:
Seek out the righteous
Bring them to Zion
Point them to Zion

Seek! - Bring! - Point!

Elder Christofferson uses a term that sums it all up and perfectly describes our unique role as Latter-day Saints in establishing Zion.

Said he:
The Lord calls upon us to be beacons of righteousness to guide those who seek the safety and blessings of Zion:

We are guides! I’d never seriously thought of my role in this great work as a guide but that really and truly gives a wonderful perspective to what we ought to be about.
Of course as guides, we have to know where to bring people to, where it is we need to point others to; and what they need to do to be a seeker of righteousness.

Thankfully, Elder Chrisofferson tells us that there are 3 things we absolutely have to do to establish Zion in our hearts and in our lives which will then qualify us to guide others to it.

1. Unity

The first thing we need to do is – remember Moses 7:18 - (1) to become unified in one heart and one mind.

Elder Christofferson elaborated thusly:
We will become of one heart and one mind as we individually place the Savior at the center of our lives and follow those He has commissioned to lead us.

He then told a simple story that illustrates the Zion characteristic of unity.

Young adult from several countries in Europe met in Budapest, Hungary for a conference.
Among the group were 20 young men from Moldova. (mahl DOH va)
They had spent days getting passports/visas and then travelled 30 hours by bus to get there.
The conference provided 15 workshops and each person could only attend 2 or 3 of them.

Rather than selfishly picking the workshops that most interested these 20 young men and hanging out in the safety of their own group and travelling in a pack, they got together and laid out a plan where at least one person in each group would be in each workshop where they would take good notes that they would then share with the rest of the group.

And then further they could take the notes and messages from each workshop back to the young adults in Moldova who were not able to attend.

Elder Christofferson’s summed up the this way:

In its simplest form, this exemplifies the unity and love for one another that, multiplied thousands of times in different ways, will "bring again Zion" (Isaiah 52:8).
Do we have that same attitude of putting others ahead of our own desires and wants even in simple things like this conference?

I imagine if we all took the time, in everything we did, to think about whom else might benefit from whatever it is we are going to do, and think of how we might share it with someone else, we’d all be better “Zion guides” for doing it.

2. Holiness

The second defining characteristic of Zion is – remember Moses 7:18 said they “dwelt in righteousness” – Elder Christofferson phrased it (2) to become, individually and collectively, a holy people.

Said he:
The Savior was critical of some of the early Saints for their "lustful . . . desires" (D&C 101:6; see also D&C 88:121). These were people who lived in a non-television, non-film, non-Internet, non-iPod world. In a world now awash in sexualized images and music, are we free from lustful desires and their attendant evils? Far from pushing the limits of modest dress or indulging in the vicarious immorality of pornography, we are to hunger and thirst after righteousness.
To come to Zion, it is not enough for you or me to be somewhat less wicked than others. We are to become not only good but holy men and women.

And let me add from Joseph Smith that we do it with peculiar delight and joyful anticipation. We are happy and thrilled to avoid Babylon and to guide others to the holiness of Zion even though it is never going to be a popular thing to do.

A month ago at your Ward Conference, the choir sang the song: “Take Time To Be Holy.” I enjoyed it very much and thought the message was so powerful I looked up the words so I could remember them.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.Make friends of God’s children [one heart and one mind], help those who are weak,Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see [righteousness – holiness].

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide [the concept of guiding again];And run not before Him, whatever betide.In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,Each thought and each motive beneath His control.Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
What a great message. It encompasses all of the characteristics Elder Christofferson said we needed to have to be a “Zion Guide”. Plus …

I think maybe it is the best key in our day and age to creating the Zion society – simply taking the time. So many things take us away from the important things. They are distractions because they keep us even from knowing or being aware of what needs to be done or where we could help or where we are even at in become Zionlike. They also keep us from ever having to think about the deep things of the kingdom or study it out in our minds and our hearts.

3. Caring For The Poor

The previous song hinted at the third thing we need to do when it mentioned we should take time to “help those who are weak” – remember again, Moses 7:18 when it stated, “there was no poor among them.” – Elder Christofferson stated it this way: (3) to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us.

Elder Christofferson then told us by what means the Lord measures our worthiness to establish Zion.

Said he:
Throughout history, the Lord has measured societies and individuals by how well they cared for the poor.

Then this scripture:
D&C 104:17
For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.

Elder Christofferon summed up our need to provide for the poor by asking this question:
We might ask ourselves, living as many of us do in societies that worship possessions and pleasures, whether we are remaining aloof from covetousness and the lust to acquire more and more of this world's goods. Materialism is just one more manifestation of the idolatry and pride that characterize Babylon. Perhaps we can learn to be content with what is sufficient for our needs.

The Stake President, independent of Elder Christofferson’s talk, has been inspired to council us in this Stake to put aside everything that is not a necessity at this time as the effects of our economic system – wrecked by Babylonian greed and selfishness - turns around and improves.
One reason for sacrificing our personal wants is so that we may be self sufficient and independent in case tough times hit us or our family. But another reason, a Zion reason, is so that we may learn to live within our means so that if we have additional, we may feel inspired to give liberally to assist the poor and those who stand in need.

It’s not complicated to provide for the poor. It just requires us to sacrifice, be more self-disciplined, bump up our fast offerings, and participate in welfare assignments when they come our way. Remember, it’s how the Lord measures us.

It is my prayer that we may all with peculiar delight and with joyful anticipation take time to do our part in bringing about Zion and guiding others from Babylon to Zion by our unity, our holiness, and our charity, in the name …