Saint George and the Dragon

Perhaps it should be Saint Michael and the Dragon? Or, better still, Saint [your name] and the Dragon.

JST Revelation 12:
4  And there appeared another sign in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman which was delivered, ready to devour her child after it was born.
5  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore years.
6  And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought against Michael;
7  And the dragon prevailed not against Michael, neither the child, nor the woman which was the church of God, who had been delivered of her pains, and brought forth the kingdom of our God and his Christ.
8  Neither was there place found in heaven for the great dragon, who was cast out; that old serpent called the devil, and also called Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth; and his angels were cast out with him.

D&C 76:

25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

 26 And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning.

 27 And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!

 28 And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—

 29 Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.

Each of us has our dragon to fight. A verse that has always given me great comfort has been 1 Corinthians 10:13:

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I typically focus on the second part. It gives such great comfort and reassurance. There is no dragon that I or you will be asked to face that we cannot defeat it, through the Grace of Christ. This statement gives such hope and confidence and determination to do what is right, knowing that I can succeed, that no situation is hopeless.

Today, however, I was struck by the first half of the verse. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. There is no dragon I am asked to fight that has not been slain countless times by countless saints throughout the ages, and, almost certainly, by my own friends and family. I cannot rely on Saint George to slay my dragons for me, but I can ask him what he did. What tactics he employed. Ask him to encourage and cheer me as I assail my own, real dragon. All of us have one or more Saint Georges in our lives, whether we know it or not. There are people all around who are willing and happy to help us in our fights. In fact, members of the church have covenanted to assist in just this way.

Mosiah 18:

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Isaiah 35:

3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.

Hebrews 12:

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

D&C 81:

5 Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.

Before your feeble knees give way and the dragon claim you his, please accept the loving assistance of your friends and family. If you have lost a round, a battle, do not give up. None of us get everything right the first time. We all have need of the Savior. Desperate need.

1 John 1:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Lord is faithful. He will forgive the humble seeker of truth and lift us to a more joyous life.

What's in a name?

Sometimes, quite a lot.
Shakespeare (Juliet) famously declared that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And while that may be true (I don't really know - I have never smelled a non-rose rose), it turned out that Romeo being a Montague in name only was actually rather significant. Mortally so.
In the Gospel, we see that the names given to things are not happenstance, but are meaningful and faith-inspiring. Consider, for a moment, some of the many, many names of the Christ: Christ, Messiah, The Lamb of God, Savior, Redeemer, Only Begotten of the Father, Firstborn of the Father, Creator, Eternal Father, Son (and many more). Each of His names teaches us something meaningful about His life, His character, His role in God's plan, and our relationship to Him.
We are taught repeatedly throughout the scriptures (go and see which you can find!) that there are but two powers in play in the world: God's and the devil's. We can choose which we will subject ourselves to, but there is no third option, there is no abstaining vote.
Given that there are but these two powers, how is it that we read of so many different powers in the scriptures?
Priesthood power
Power of faith
Power of the Atonement
Power of righteousness
Powers of heaven
Power of creation/procreation
The power of God
and others, I am sure; what can you add to the list? Sometimes, power is used nearly synonymously with ability, capacity, or capability, but that is not what I have in mind this evening.
Just as Christ's various names and titles teach us about Him and build our faith in Him, so, too, the various names of His power teach us about that power and allow us to develop faith in His power.
Here, then, are a few thoughts I have had on each of these facets of God's power, and what it has taught me about His power. But don't take my word for it; go and learn for yourself.
"Priesthood" highlights the importance of having authority from God to exercise (or claim to exercise) power or authority in His name. Without that authority, without the priesthood, the power being wielded may be an imitation of His true power. God's house is a house of order, and the priesthood order is the organization He has established for delegating authority.
"Faith" teaches us how we may access God's power. His power becomes active in our lives in response to our faith; as we exercise our agency in faith, He will fill our lives with His power.
"Atonement" reminds us that it is only in, through, and because of the Atonement that we are permitted to experience God's power in our life. Because of the redeeming and sanctifying power of the Atonement, we become worthy vessels, worthy of being filled with power.
"Righteousness" teaches us both about God's nature (He is perfectly righteous and so is perfectly powerful) and about our responsibility: to follow God's commands that we, too, may become righteous. And when we are living in accordance with the guidelines God has given us, His power will flow into us without compulsory means.
"Heaven" differentiates this power from that of the adversary and clearly indicates that this power may only be given to those who are of a heavenly nature.
"Creation/Procreation" is one of the most discernible and tangible facets of God's power. Satan is not a builder or a creator. He is a destroyer. God builds worlds and lives. He builds saints.
The power of God is the power whereby He created the heavens and the earth, and the power which He employs to strengthen and enable us to do His will (also called Grace in that application). This power is available to all who will humbly call upon Christ and do His will. Elder Uchtdorf asks if the priesthood holders are living beneath their privileges. What great privileges are available to all of us who have received the gospel and are willing to walk according to God's law! I believe we are all living well beneath our privileges when it comes to the constant companionship, guidance, and strengthening power of the Holy Ghost. It is a quest of a lifetime to rise to those privileges and claim the blessings the Father eagerly waits to bestow upon those who love and keep His word. John 14:23

The Calling and Office of Bishop

Bishop Leder recently shared some thoughts he had, which were wonderful, of course, on this talk from Elder Cardon of the Seventy: The Savior Wants to Forgive. His thoughts reminded me that I have a few thoughts on the office and calling of Bishop that I would like to share.

I once had need to speak with a Bishop to ask his assistance in securing the Lord's forgiveness for my sins. I admit I was reluctant to make that first appointment and visit with him. Part of my reluctance was shame (a tool of the devil), part was fear (a tool of the devil), and part was a lack of understanding. I didn't understand why I should need his help. Couldn't I work it out on my own with the Savior? I suspect others may have similar thoughts and feelings. I can tell you that there is no need to feel shame; we are all imperfect and no one expects you to emerge from life without any mistakes. I can tell you that there is nothing to fear; your Bishop, whoever he is, is a kind, loving servant of God, honestly striving his best to help and assist you. I can tell you that, but it may not make much difference. You will have to receive those same witnesses for yourself, through the Spirit.

What I can do is perhaps share with you some things I have learned about why the Bishop plays a critical and central role in our efforts to access the atoning blood of Christ.

What I knew of the Bishop's role ever since I was a youth is that he is a judge in Israel (e. g. here). We have probably all heard that. Sadly, it probably helps foster that fear we all feel; none of us want to be judged. Interestingly, something I learned a couple of years ago while teaching Old Testament in seminary is that "judge" and "judgement" in the Old Testament has a different connotation than we use today.

Consider these verses from Psalms 10:17-18:

17 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
We don't typically think of the Lord coming out in righteous indignation against the fatherless and the oppressed, right? We expect him to come out in mercy and love to protect and defend the fatherless and the oppressed. Somehow, the meaning was switched from what He would do for the the oppressed to what He would do for the oppressor somewhere along the line. I believe that often in the scriptures, the meaning the Lord has in mind when he says "judge" is that implied here - to come out in great power and mercy in defense of those that have no defense. The Bishop, then, is a judge in Israel - the Lord's appointed servant to come out in power and mercy in defense of you, who are oppressed by sin. Consider also Isaiah 1:17, 23; Psalm 68:5; Psalm 7:11; Isaiah 11:4; Jeremiah 5:28). Clearly, not all instances of "judge" are to be read this way, though I think the vast majority can be.
What I learned while working with my Bishop was that some sins are violations of covenants we have made with God and with the Church and so the Bishop acts as an agent of the Lord and of the Church to receive our confession and apology. While I found that interesting, it was not exactly inspiring or the answer I was looking for when I asked him what his role is in the process.
Several years after I had finished meeting with the Bishop and left those particular troubles behind, I learned of a role the Bishop plays in the process, which, for me, was eye-opening.
We are all, to one extent or another, familiar with these words of John the Baptist in the 13th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants:
1 Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
I don't know how many times I have read that or similar scriptures without catching the role of the Bishop. The Bishop is the President of the Aaronic Priesthood in his ward (D&C 107:87-88). The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys for "...the gospel of repentance...". The Bishop, in each ward, holds the keys for the ministration of the gospel of repentance within that ward. He has the authority, responsibility, and privilege to exercise those keys on behalf of the members of his ward, to open the windows of heaven, to assist the repentant in his or her quest to access the power of the atonement, and to guide the humble follower of Christ back to Him.
The Bishop is not a cold authority figure placed at the head of the ward, waiting to come down in condemnation of those who are found to be sinners. Rather, the Bishop is a loving steward, called of God, to minister to His sheep and call down the powers of heaven on their behalf that they may feel of the peace and joy and love that the Savior gives to those who seek him with humble hearts.
I have had the privilege now to work with Bishop Leder for a little over 3 months. I know him to be filled with Charity, a gift bestowed upon him by the Spirit, which gift is given him that he might serve in the Lord's stead to succor the weak, lift up the down trodden, strengthen the feeble knees, and bring the sinners to repentance. Though a man, he is a servant of God and can be your friend as you seek to come unto the Savior.