One question I get asked a lot as a missionary is "why don't the Mormon's have the cross as their symbol if they believe that Jesus Christ died for us?"....
I decided I wanted to write a little about this today and use this picture that I love so much that I took while visiting the Alamo.
Okay so why? Why don't Mormon's have the cross as their symbol?
First off we are Christian and believe in Jesus Christ and that he died for all God's children. We like to focus more on what happens next:
His Resurrection!
We believe that Jesus Christ lives now and that he will come again. We know with all our hearts that he did Atone for our sins and he did die for us and suffered more that any of us can imagine. BUT he lives too! He is Resurrected and his resurrection sealed his sacrifice for us and broke the bands of death so that we can return to live with our Father in Heaven AGAIN!
So we celebrate his life rather than his death. Just never forget that we do remember his sacrifice for us, it is key and CENTERAL to the Plan of Salvation or Plan of Happiness our Heavenly Father has for us. I want to share my testimony that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is so very really. I know with all my heart that he felt every pain, every sorrow, every sin and every joy we have ever, and will ever feel. He knows everything we go through. I know through very personal experience that we can turn to him for everything and receive the comfort we desire.
I remember while I was in the training center for missionaries in Provo. One of my leaders told me (while I have having an extra hard time) to stay on my knees after I prayed and just "Be Still" and listen. So I did! I had an incredible moments as if I was in the Garden with the Savior. I won't share too much but I saw him suffer there and felt him look into my eyes. The eyes truly are the window to the soul. I know he say everything I was going through and I felt as though his arms were around me and I could overcome anything. I love this moment and I love my Savior!
I also know with all my heart that he lives. He overcame death and he will come again!!! He is my Savior and my best friend and I am honored to serve in his name!
I would like to invite you all to read this proclamation from the leaders of our church some years ago that expresses our love for the Living Christ!
As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our
testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His
great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all
who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.
He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New.
Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things
were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized
to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His
gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His
example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind
to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of
our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential
for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.
He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice.
He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob,
and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins
of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever
live upon the earth.
We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history,
neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of
the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.
He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He
visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other
sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the
modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in
the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).
Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame
of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance
shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the
rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:
“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I
am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).
Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies
which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give
of him: That he lives!
“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice
bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created,
and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).
We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have
been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of . . . apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).
We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings
and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall
speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him
according to our works and the desires of our hearts.
We bear testimony, as His duly ordained
Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the
great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is
the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads
to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked
for the matchless gift of His divine Son.
Hey Sister Egbert!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your blogposts! I think it's great you missionaries write them, and I read them with great interest! :-)
OK, so you gave reasons why the LDS Church doesn't show Crosses. Yep, it's true: all Christians celebrate Jesus' life -- remember that He said that God is for living and not for the dead. But as I come from the Catholic Church, I'd like to offer reasons why other Christians DO have Crosses. And why they are VERY important!
When Christ was born human, the Son of God inherited human nature. As such, Jesus took on himself a nature which was "fallen" due to Original Sin. When Jesus died on the Cross, he took with him to death all of that fallen nature; but having atoned for it, He transformed it and made Human nature pure again -- pure enough that it was worthy of being with Our Heavenly Father.
In other words, the Cross is not a sign of failure, but a sign of victory. It's a victory wrought not through power and strength but by Jesus' humility and obedience to His Father in Heaven. By abandoning himself completely into His Father's hands on the Cross, Jesus showed how Human nature could be completely faithful to Him, and never again yield into temptation from Satan. That new Humanity is forever bound with Christ, which is why we all have to become followers of Christ if we are to be saved.
Above anything else, the Cross is a sign of Love for us. Jesus loved Humanity as much as He loved His Heavenly Father, and that Love lasted right to the end -- to His death.
As for today, the Cross has basically become a window through which we, in our fallen state, look through to our glorious Resurrection on the Day of Judgement. Through Christ's Crucifixion we actually see Christ's Resurrection. And we also see through it a love that shines back on us, never ever giving up, however brutal and painful the world may seem around us.
The Cross is something so mysterious and profound, you will have to ponder it for the rest of your life just to figure it out. Even now, I'm only just beginning to see how amazing it is!
Have a wonderful Sabbath tomorrow!
James.