Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week we celebrated our 3rd anniversary of being called to the Washington Utah Stake Presidency. Remembering back on that day caused me to reflect and inspire me to study some about life’s celebrations. Today I’d like to share some of what I read from a talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry given many years ago yet has significant relevance in our world today. Celebrating events of the past focuses our thoughts on our history. We take the opportunity to review the past. We glean from the experiences of the past as we anticipate the future. Cicero wrote this of history: “Not to know what has been transacted in former times is to be always a child. If no use is made of the labors of past ages, the world must remain always in the infancy of knowledge” There seem to be four purposes for celebrations and traditions of ancient Israel, each of which could be applied as a guide to and an influence on the way we celebrate and the meanings we give to our celebrations. First, the traditions preserved the religious faith and strengthened the spiritual fiber of the people of Israel. Second, Israel’s celebrations and traditions had a political component. These were times of uniting the tribes to form a closer union. Celebrations that commemorate important events in our native lands should receive our support and attention. After all, we declare in the twelfth article of faith, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” We find that this counsel is continually needed in the Church today. All members of the Church should be committed to obeying and honoring the laws of the land in which they live. We should be exemplary in our obedience to the governments that govern us. The Church, to be of service to the nations of the world, must be a wholesome influence in the lives of individuals who embrace it, in temporal as well as spiritual affairs. Third, Israel’s celebrations and traditions had a cultural impact. Their festivals and feasts were times of sharing talents and accomplishments. They were a time of sharing practical knowledge associated with advancements in the arts and sciences. Finally, the celebrations and traditions of ancient Israel had a deep social significance. They were times of building a sense of community, a time of reaffirming a brotherhood and sisterhood shared by everyone, a time of bonding families together. Celebrating important historical events perpetuates traditions, but it does not replace the study of history. Rather, it encourages study. We build bridges between the present and the past and bring relevance and interest to our study of history. When we celebrate, we remember. Sometimes we reenact that which has gone on before. When we honor tradition, we actually do what our ancestors did. I hope as we continue to commemorate historical events and reclaim our traditions that we always celebrate with a purpose. I pray that we will make our celebrations more meaningful by reaffirming our spiritual, political, cultural, and social values. As members of this glorious church, we share a rich heritage. We literally stand on the shoulders of the giants of faith, vision, and spirit who preceded us. When we honor them and their many sacrifices, we preserve their achievements and the principles and values for which they stood. And it provides us a wonderful way in which to praise God! We learn from ancient Israel that there is a place for commemorative events. Let us build in our families, communities, and nations, traditions of a lasting nature that will consistently remind us of the Lord’s eternal truths and of our forebears who preserved them for our day. God grant that we may ever keep alive the rich heritage which is ours, especially by building family traditions as constant reminders of our standards and our values. This is the Lord’s work in which we are engaged. I bear witness of that. He lives. Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. That we may be engaged in His work is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Washington Utah Stake Presidency Joel Beckstrand
Stake Presidency Second Counselor
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