Alone We are Weak, Together We Are Strong

There is no question that this past year has been unlike any other. I am one who thought pandemics were something we read about in history books and not something that would so dramatically alter the way we work, educate, and worship. But as winter turns to spring there is reason to be hopeful that we will soon be gathering in greater numbers for Sunday meetings and activities. We’re not quite there yet; I am not announcing additional directions from Church/Area leaders, but the finish line seems close, so let’s hang in there together just a little longer.

While we continue to pray that we can all gather at church, that our temples will open, that summer activities move forward and more, I have wondered: How can we take the best of what we have learned into a new normal? It has been a blessing to focus on home and be able to take the sacrament and study the gospel as families with greater intensity. The disruptions to our “normal” forced us to think more deeply about Sabbath worship in a home-centered way. Hopefully, we have improved.

When we return to full participation in our Sunday block of meetings, I hope we will allow that change to jolt us into an appreciation of being able to “meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls. And they did meet together oft to partake of the bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.” (Moroni 6:5-6). We should not lose sight of the importance of community and our uniting together to serve and help one another. This is at the root of the very covenant made at baptism we renew each week as we partake of the sacrament.

Christ’s work, which we participate in as part of our covenant, is to bring to pass the eternal life and immortality of man (Moses 1:39). This vision statement has been repeated in our day by President Nelson where he has called the Gathering of Israel, or bringing others to Christ, the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth today. While this church is family-centered and church-supported at its core, we cannot participate in the greatest work of all completely from within the walls of our own homes.

Mosiah 18:8-9 is the clearest scriptural outline of our baptism and sacrament covenant and explains how we participate with the Savior in this greatest of all work. We are taught to make light the burdens of others, mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as a witness of Christ. While there certainly is much that we do in our homes to both teach and exemplify this, we must unite as covenant members of Christ’s church to heal, lift, and support those around us.

I meet regularly with the bishops in our stake. They are wonderful men, who together with their companions and amazing ward leaders, personify what it means to participate in the gathering of Israel. They are imperfect, but they stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ as they tirelessly lift the weary hands and strengthen the feeble knees of ward members who are burdened, mourning, and in need of comfort. They need the help of every member, and the Lord needs us fully enlisted. We are as His hands, reaching to those who are wounded and in need of healing and strengthening.

In his October 2018 general conference address on gathering together all things in Christ, Elder Bednar compared all the elements of the gospel to individual strands that by themselves are weak, but when gathered together, with a focus on Jesus Christ, form a powerful rope. This could be interpreted as bringing together the powerful strands of home-centered learning with church-supported strands of ministering activities. We might also think of the strands as us as individuals or as individual families. Gathering together at times might not be as uplifting as it should be because we may be focusing on ourselves or our family as a single limited strand, compared to the collective strength of the combined ward strands around us. However, please know that though limited alone, each person or family has something of immense value to offer when combined with the many other strands as a powerful “ward” or “stake” rope. The more we can do to help gather strands to the rope, the stronger we become collectively. Similarly, the more we are able to follow the individual gospel strands in our lives, focused on Christ, the more powerful are the blessings that we receive.

I hope our individual strands have been strengthened through the disruptions of this past year that have brought great opportunities for spiritual growth, especially in the way that we have made our homes and families the center of gospel worship in our lives. In the coming days I hope we’ll bring that strengthened strand and join with others in worshipping together and ministering to one another in order to form a strong rope that can reach and save each one.

May God bless you to feel Christ’s love during this holy week. May that love provide peace and reassurance as you move forward bearing the crosses and celebrating the victories of your life and contemplating those of the Savior’s. May you also be fit, having taken your “spiritual vitamins,” so that you are prepared to hear the word of God through his ordained prophet and apostles this coming weekend.

Love,
President Nelson