Christ Conquers

Three years ago I shared an Easter Hymn here and mentioned that I had used it as the basis for a church talk. This has been on my mind a great deal lately, and I'm feeling impressed to share a larger portion of the talk I gave at that time. Lucky for you, I keep the word documents of all my talks. ☺


As I read through the hymn, I felt prompted to focus on the final line of each verse—the lines about conquering. So I will be speaking about how the atonement helps us conquer these three things: pain, death, and fear.

That Easter morn, a grave that burst
Proclaimed to man that “Last and First”
Had ris’n again
And conquered pain.
The atonement covers several types of pain. The first, and I think the easiest to understand, is the pain of sin. When we commit sins, we feel guilt and separation from Christ. The atonement gives us the ability to repent, and therefore the ability to conquer the pain of sin.
But the healing effects of the atonement are not limited to sins. Isaiah taught “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Christ’s sufferings in Gethsamane cover our sins, and the guilt and pain associated with them, but they also cover our grief and sorrows. When we truly understand the atonement, we realize that we can give our sorrows to Christ in the same way we can give Him our sins. Children seem to know this innately—they can be so sad and yet comforted so easily. Adults struggle with this, but it is something we can learn too, and with practice, it becomes easier.
This is not to say that it is wrong to grieve sometimes, over the death of a loved one for example, but to wallow in sorrows and depression is not the Lord’s way, and the atonement can help us to rise above those pains.

This morn renews for us that day
When Jesus cast the bonds away,
Took living breath
And conquered death.

There are two kinds of death—physical and spiritual. Christ’s atonement overcame both. Physical death is separation of the body and spirit. Spiritual death is separation from God. If these two kinds of death had not been overcome by Jesus’ atonement, two consequences would have resulted: our bodies and our spirits would have been separated forever, and we could not have lived again with our Heavenly Father.
I have already talked about the gift of repentance, and how it overcomes pain and spiritual death. We know the doctrine about physical death, and that through Christ we can all be resurrected. But I want to share a personal experience about when I came to understand that principle.
One morning, when I was 8 years old, my parents called us kids into their room. I was the oldest, and had four siblings—ages 6, 5, 3, and 9 months. Mom was crying, and Dad gathered us all onto their bed and explained that our baby sister had died in the night. I still had the innocence and pure faith of childhood, and my recent baptismal covenants were fresh on my mind, so I took it for granted that Amy had returned to Jesus and everything was ok. I missed her, but I did not really grieve. I was even confused by my parents tears, and brought my dad my new bible and pointed out a verse we had read together just days earlier, from the chapter about Jarius’ daughter: “why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.” My parents printed that verse in Amy’s funeral program. And so it is that the atonement brings us comfort with the knowledge that death is not a permanent loss, but just a resting time—a waiting for the resurrection.


Thus we in gratitude recall
And give our love and pledge our all,
Shed grateful tear
And conquer fear.
The gospel is full of symbols. When we take the sacrament, the bread and water are symbols of Christ’s body and blood—we all know that part. But the actual act of partaking of them is a symbol of our commitment back to Him—to keep His spirit within us, to remember him, and to live as He taught. We “give our love and pledge our all” As we do so, we are able to conquer fear.

I find the progression of the song interesting—first to conquer pain, then death, then fear. As though fear were the biggest of the three. Actually, I think fear IS the hardest one to conquer. There are many kinds of pain—physical pain can be remedied with proper attention or medicine; guilt can be cured with repentance, grief is relieved with time and the comforting knowledge of eternal life. There are two kinds of death, temporal and spiritual, both relieved by the atonement. But fear is difficult to pin down, and creeps in when least expected.
We have been taught that fear is the opposite of faith, and since faith is the basis of the rest of religion, then fear would be religion’s greatest adversary. The scriptures teach us that faith casts out fear. Without the atonement, we would have no eternal life to look forward to or have faith in: The atonement is the basis of hope and faith, therefore the atonement conquers fear—nothing else could do so. Jeffrey R Holland states that “the Atonement of the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh is the crucial foundation upon which all Christian doctrine rests and the greatest expression of divine love this world has ever been given. Its importance in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cannot be overstated. Every other principle, commandment, and virtue of the restored gospel draws its significance from this pivotal event.”
Christ says “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” Looking to Christ, following His commandments, and accepting His atonement, will bring in faith and cast out fear.

A metaphor occurred to me that I wanted to share.
When I was expecting my first baby I read a lot of childbirth books. One concept I came across many times was called the “Fear-tension-pain cycle” The idea is that when the laboring woman is scared of what her body is doing, then she gets tense, and being tense makes it harder for her body to labor, so she feels pain...the pain makes her scared, so she becomes more tense, and so the cycle continues. The books then go on to suggest ways to release fear and tension, which, in turn, alleviates the pain of childbirth. To bring it back to the atonement—when we are afraid to turn to Christ, and to give him our sins and sorrows, we end up stumbling around on our own, causing ourselves even greater pain. If we will learn to release our fears, to replace them with faith, then we will find that the pain also fades away.

Music Monday: Shakira Waka Waka (world cup official video)

Such a catchy song, so upbeat and fun, and it makes everybody want to just get up and dance.

"One Day" by the Maccabeats

I enjoyed The Maccabeats' Hanukkah song Candlelight a great deal (obviously, since I shared it here!), so I went searching for other songs they had done. I love a cappella (or, perhaps I should say, I love good a cappella!) and I love that these guys are not only skilled singers, but passionately religious as well (if you pay attention, every boy keeps his head covered with a kippah, and several of them have the strings of their prayer shawls visible). How often is it that you find a music group that's composed of good, upstanding folks, you know?
Anyway, this song touches me, and I thought I'd share it today. It seems like a good way to start off a new year.


(When Eagle is upset, or having a hard time getting to sleep, I let him watch this 2-3 times and he settles right down. ☺)

Candlelight - The Maccabeats

Happy Hannukah

I love this--some nice, cleancut, Jewish boys making darn good music, complete with harmony, cultural literacy, and a catchy beat!

On Fear and Faith

He who fears something gives it power over him.
~Moorish Proverb

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
Doctrine & Covenants 6:36

‎Perfect love casteth out fear
1 John 4:18

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind
2 Timothy 1:7

"Brethren and sisters, we have nothing to fear if we stay on the Lord’s side. If we will look to the Lord in all our thoughts and deeds, we will have nothing to fear concerning our lives."
~Gordon B Hinckley "Fear Not to Do Good"

For we walk by faith, not by sight
2 Corinthians 5:7

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do.
Psalm 56

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27

(this is a musical version of Psalm 27, and one of my favorites)

Exactly

Somehow I had never heard this before, but it was a good thing for me to hear right now:

I am exactly where I need to be
I need to be exactly where I am
I am a blessing manifest
and I can undress the moment
Naked time unwinds beneath my mind
and from within I find the kind of beauty
only I can find

I am exactly where I need to be
I need to be exactly where I am
I am surrendering so willingly
To be the perfect me inside this now
and truly how else could it be
Destiny she blesses me
Destiny she blesses me [and you, and you]

When I try to fight or run
I only end up back at square one
When I think I know what's best for me
Jesus takes me back
to exactly where I need to be

I am exactly where I need to be
I need to be exactly where I am
I am divinely timed and shining brightly
Yes I believe that there’s a purpose just for me
Yes I believe that we are light
and we shine infinitely

I am exactly where I need to be
I need to be exactly where I am
I am not aimlessly existing see
I am in perfect harmony with universal energy
and I am truly free when I accept my own divinity
...
and when I am alone and full of fear
I just remember the rising sun always appears
Everyday miracles, miracles that I see
Well they take me back
They take me back
They take me back
To exactly where I need to be



you can also see it in a live concert version here

Eight Days of Hanukkah

(read the NYT article first, it makes it all make sense)

A Senator’s Gift to the Jews, Nonreturnable
By MARK LEIBOVICH
Published: December 8, 2009

WASHINGTON — The canon of Hanukkah songs written by Mormon senators from Utah just got a little bigger.
Senator Orrin G. Hatch, a solemn-faced Republican with a soft spot for Jews and a love of Barbra Streisand, has penned a catchy holiday tune, “Eight Days of Hanukkah.”
The video was posted Tuesday night on Tablet, an online magazine of Jewish lifestyle and culture, just in time for Hanukkah.
Known around the Senate as a prolific writer of Christian hymns and patriotic melodies, Mr. Hatch, 75, said this was his first venture into Jewish music. It will not be his last.
“Anything I can do for the Jewish people, I will do,” Mr. Hatch said in an interview before heading to the Senate floor to debate an abortion amendment. “Mormons believe the Jewish people are the chosen people, just like the Old Testament says.”
In short, he loves the Jews. And based on an early sampling of listeners, the feeling could be mutual.
“Watching Orrin Hatch in the studio, I said to myself that nothing this great will ever happen to me again,” said Alana Newhouse, the editor-in-chief of Tablet.
Set against a bouncy synthesizer beat, the song begins:
“Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah,
The festival of light/
In Jerusalem,
The oil burned bright.”
Adding to the project’s only-in-America mishmash is that the song is performed by Rasheeda Azar, a Syrian-American vocalist from Indiana. But Mr. Hatch is the song’s unquestioned prime mover, or macher. He is featured in the video, sitting stoic in the studio, head bobbing slightly, donning earphones and contributing backup vocals.
The song’s contagious refrain goes:
“Eight days of Hanukkah,
Come let’s celebrate.
Eight days of Hanukkah,
Let’s celebrate tonight, Hey!”
At one point, Mr. Hatch unbuttons his white dress shirt to expose the golden mezuzah necklace he wears every day. Mezuzahs also adorn the doorways of his homes in Washington and Utah. Mr. Hatch keeps a Torah in his Senate office.
“Not a real Torah, but sort of a mock Torah,” he said. “I feel sorry I’m not Jewish sometimes.”
The genesis of “Eight Days of Hanukkah” came a decade ago. Mr. Hatch was considering a run for the presidency in the campaign eventually won by George W. Bush (Mr. Hatch wound up writing a song for Mr. Bush’s second inaugural, titled “Heal Our Land”). He was discussing his love of songwriting with the writer Jeffrey Goldberg, a well-known mensch-about-town in Washington with a longtime grievance against “the general lameness of Hanukkah music.” (As a columnist for The Jerusalem Post years earlier, Mr. Goldberg had organized a “write-a-new-song-for-Hanukkah contest” that attracted 200 entries, most of them — in his estimation — “dreck.”)
He asked Mr. Hatch if he would write a Hanukkah song. The senator said he would, but never did.
Mr. Goldberg, who now writes for The Atlantic, mentioned the decade-old promise in his blog last year a few days before Christmas. A day later, Mr. Hatch sent him an apologetic e-mail message that included the first five stanzas of “Eight Days of Hanukkah.”
“I am willing to serve as a Semitic song muse for any United States senator,” Mr. Goldberg said. “God forbid any of the Jewish senators write a Hanukkah song.”
Mr. Hatch enlisted his collaborator, Madeline Stone, a Jewish songwriter from the Upper West Side of Manhattan who specializes in Christian music. “I’m a pretty liberal Democrat,” Ms. Stone said. “But it became more about the music and the friendship for me and Orrin.”
The song was recorded in October at a studio in Manhattan.
Mr. Hatch speaks of “Eight Days of Hanukkah” as a gift to the Jewish people. “This song means more to me than most of the songs I have ever written,” he said. “People need to know the story of Hanukkah. It was a miracle.”
He said his ultimate goal would be for his idol, Ms. Streisand, to perform one of his songs. “It would be good for her and good for me,” Mr. Hatch said, while acknowledging that given her outspoken liberalism, that union might require another miracle.

Happy Resurrection Day

I love this Easter song (appropriately titled "Easter Song"). It's written by 2nd Chapter of Acts, and here performed by one of my favorite acapella groups, Glad.



(for those who can't see it embedded, here is the direct link to see it at youtube)

Silent Night
Holy Night
Son of God
Love's Pure Light
☺

Merry Christmas

(see other reflections on Christ at Internet Cafe Devotions)


(This is not my favorite vocal version of the song, but it is an awesome and moving video compilation)

By the way, if you'd like to see a nice little collection of nativities, I posted a treasury of them here. ☺

Still Her Little Child

One of my favorite Christmas songs...

OK, so, I actually like this musician better but the graphics on it were not as good...so maybe listen to the other one while watching this one. ☺

Christmas Songs

Not all Christmas songs are created equal. Some are glorious carols, some are silly, and some are just plain bad. I've always known that I like some better than others, but this year I've been thinking about which ones I like, and why... and you know, it's almost exclusively the sacred carols that I love.
I don't care for the love songs that masquerade as Christmas songs (like Blue Christmas or Winter Wonderland). I don't like the depressing ones (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas has got to be the worst song ever, did you know that the original lyrics were? They are BAD! But I won't post them here to taint you in case you like the song.) I don't mind Frosty and Rudolph, but given the choice I'll play something a little more grown up like Silver Bells or Bring a Torch Janette Isabella. I don't like the naughty ones (like I'm Getting Nuttin or Santa Baby). I don't like the ones that don't make sense to me (I Saw Three Ships being the classic example). I actually am very tired of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and I have never liked The Christmas Song. How sad am I?!
I guess I am like Mae, who can't turn on the radio at this time of year...

What do I love?
O Holy Night (The chord on "Fall" at the beginning of the chorus gives me chills every time!)
Silent Night (partly because I can sign it...I need to learn it in German though)
What Child is This (which used to bug me because it's not an AABB rhyme scheme, and I was too young to pick up on the ABCBDD pattern, so I thought it was a lame song for not rhyming...but now I get it and I love it)
The Wexford Carol
Carol of the Bells
One King
O Come O Come Emmanuel (I don't know why, since the minor key always feels a little depressing...but I just think it's beautiful)
Still Her Little Child (Ray Boltz)
Mary Did You Know
Mary's Lullabye (Tonight You Are Mine) (a lullabye from Mary, singing that He is a king, and will do and be amazing things...but for tonight he is her little baby)

What are some of your favorites?

Mannheim Steamroller brings Joy to the World

To keep up the something-holidayish-every-day-this-month...

I grew up with this Christmas music, and it has always been some of my favorite.
Hubby and I went to the live concert for our first anniversary date (thus sharing it today!)...yeah, it's a bunch of old hippies acting half their age, but you know, it was really a lot of fun. And the music is awesome.

Christmas Canon (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)

I love these guys, and this is beautiful.

One King

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. It's by Point of Grace, but I wasn't able to find a youtube of them that I could embed here. (I have their album "A Christmas Story" which is where the song is from, and I heartily recommend it.)
Anyway, this is a rendition done by some sisters in a church...I don't know who they are or where they're from, but they do the song justice.

One king held the frankincense
One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold...
and
One King held the hope of the world

Emmanuel

Yesterday I shared Handel's version of Isaiah 9:6...today I share Michael W Smith's (which I admit I prefer).

Michael W Smith and Amy Grant

Music Moment #1

In honor of the little Bear, who feels music like August Rush did, I have decided to start Music Moments (something I'd been considering for a while anyway...because we all know I need one more series on this blog!) So now and then I'll share a song I particularly like. Lucky you!

Bear hums along with the buzz of my sewing machine. He dances to any and all music. He steals daddy's headphones and puts the on and runs up and down the hall in glee. He bops his head along with the beat. If I say 'ooo' to him, he will change his pitch to match mine. He is an extraordinarily musical child.
I typically don't like music on webpages or blogs (because I usually have multiple windows open so they all moosh together and sound terrible) so I usually keep the sound turned off on my computer. But this morning I happened to notice the song that was queued up on a blog, so I let it play...Bear danced and I sang along to him. I know this song is intended as a romantic song between adults, but really all but one line are beautifully applicable to mothers and children. So keep that in mind as you listen.

By the way, the music video is kinda goofy, Hubby doesn't like it at all; I think it's cute. Regardless, this isn't it.

The Impossible Dream

This song has moved me ever since I first heard it.
You can see/hear it here (but of course it's better live--all musical theatre is).

Lyrics by Joe Darion
Music by Mitch Leigh
from "The Man of La Mancha"

To dream the impossible dream,
to fight the unbeatable foe,
to bear with unbearable sorrow,
to run where the brave dare not go.

To right the unrightable wrong,
to love pure and chaste from afar,
to try when your arms are too weary,
to reach the unreachable star.

This is my quest, to follow that star --
no matter how hopeless, no matter how far.

To fight for the right without question or pause,
to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
that my heart will be peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest.

And the world will be better for this,
that one man scorned and covered with scars
still strove with his last ounce of courage.
To reach the unreachable stars.

I find it very inspiring...and very motivating.

Easter Morn

This week I was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting today (Easter Sunday). I felt prompted to use this hymn as my starting point. I had heard it many times, but this week the real depth of it has moved me. (click the title to hear it)

That Easter Morn
hymn 198
To be sung with dignity

1. That Easter morn, a grave that burst
Proclaimed to man that “Last and First”
Had ris’n again
And conquered pain.

2. This morn renews for us that day
When Jesus cast the bonds away,
Took living breath
And conquered death.

3. Thus we in gratitude recall
And give our love and pledge our all,
Shed grateful tear
And conquer fear.

Text: Marion D. Hanks, b. 1921. © 1975 IRI
Music: Robert Cundick, b. 1926. © 1975 IRI


I believe that we as Christians spend a lot of time focused on how Christ conquered death, but we should remember that He conquered the pains and fears of life as well. I am forever grateful for His sacrifice for us.