Saturday we went to see Al at the bike shop and I told him about it, so I was half-expecting him to be there, and so we weren't that surprised to see him...however Andrew surprised us all, we (Nikki, me, Scott and Al) had sat in the front row. I looked back and saw him there! It was awesome to have my brothers there, I think it made me less nervous too.
I tried to pawn it off for $50, Scott would have really done it for me if I let him. But my conscious wouldn't let me. I had to do it myself.
My talk was on the Hymns. I'll post it here (as a comment for this post) , but I didn't exactly stick to it 100%, so for the full affect you would have had to be there. But I did a pretty good job considering how long it's been.
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Intro about myself...
When Brother Klegg found me to ask me to give a talk, he knew I hadn't given one in “a long time.” What he didn't know is that I've actually managed to keep off the radar since I've come to college!! It was only a matter of time, I guess.
They say the way it goes in the church is that we need good music and MORE of it, and good speaking, and LESS of it. So please excuse me as i violate the last part of the rule for the next few minutes...
My talk comes from Elder Jay Jensen's conference address, The Nourishing Power of Hymns and also Worshiping through Music by Elder Oaks. I'm glad I got a topic that I can relate to. I love to sing, and I love the hymns. It's one of my favorite things about coming to church each week. There's such a strong spirit and feeling of peace when we sing the hymns. They can be such a source of strength for us.
Modern revelation proves the importance of sacred music. In one of the earliest revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord appointed Emma Smith “to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church.
“For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” (D&C 25:11–12).
In a revelation given through another prophet a generation later, the Lord commanded his people to “praise the Lord with singing, [and] with music” (D&C 136:28).
It's clear---The lord wants us to sing the hymns he inspired the words we sing and wants us to use the hymns to worship him.
The First Presidency has said “ we hope...
[intro to the hymnbook]: to see an increase of hymn singing in our congregations. We encourage all members, whether musically inclined or not, to join with us in singing the hymns. We hope leaders, teachers, and members who are called on to speak will turn often to the hymnbook to find sermons presented powerfully and beautifully in verse.
Music is an essential part of our church meetings. [ensign]: how incomplete and empty sacrament meetings would be without hymns of worship. Sacred among all hymns are those that capture the sacrifice and the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement.
The First Presidency has said:
The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord.
“Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end” (Hymns, 1985, p. ix).
We are reminded to arrive early to meetings and to reverently listen to prelude music and also to exit our meetings more reverently allowing the postlude music to extend the spirit of the meeting as well.
I think many of us come to church more reverently and listen to the prelude music, but we could do better to remember to be more reverent when we are going to our other classes, so like Elder Jensen said, the spirit of the meeting may extend throughout all our meetings.
There's no question that Hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord. They often do this quicker than anything else we may do. Have you ever noticed this? In the midst of something fast paced or chaotic, with a simple song, a humble quiet peace can come into our lives in seconds.
President Reuben Clark Jr said, “we get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.”
They create a feeling of reverence. The words reverence and revelation go hand in hand. We may receive certain revelation when we ponder and listen to the music.
If we will listen carefully to the lyrics of the hymns, we will see that they are teaching the gospel—and doctrinal truths.
Elder Stephen D. Nadauld captured this unique strength in some lines he wrote and shared in a General Authority meeting:
If I would teach with power
The doctrine and the plan,
I’d wish for gentle music
To prepare the soul of man.
And then to press forever
These truths upon his mind,
We’d sing the hymns of Zion,
With their messages sublime.
In the scriptures, we're taught that we should use hymns and singing to teach one another and worship the Lord. The Apostle Paul advised the Colossians that they should be “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16; see also Alma 26:8).
Elder Jensen speaks of Hymns “converting power”
Our beloved prophet, President Hinckley, gained a personal testimony through a hymn. As a deacon he attended a stake priesthood meeting with his father. They sang “Praise to the Man” Later he would say, “I had an impression that has never left that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God”
Elder Jensen says that he believes that many Saints experience conversion power like this again and again, and the hymns play an essential role in spirituality, revelation, and conversion.
I know i personally have gained much of my testimony through singing of hymns and other sacred music. I've learned a lot about the gospel this way. Understand things more clearly
One that has impacted my own testimony, is one we actaully sang in choir last year. It's hymn #120 Lean on my Ample Arm. We don't sing it in church meetings probabaly because it is one of the more difficult hymns to sing, but it's message is simple and one of comfort.
Lean on my ample arm / O thou depressed ! And i will bid the storm / Cease in thy breast. Whate'er thy lot may be / On life's complaining sea, If thous wilt come to me, thou shalt have rest.
Lift up thy tearful eyes, Sad heart, to me; I am the sacrifice/ offered for thee. In me thy pain shall cease, In me is thy release. In me thou shalt have peace, eternally.
This is based of the scripture in 3rd Nephi 9:14 which basically has the same message. This hymn brings comfort, and peace and assurance that if we have the faith, we can be comforted and have eternally life through any trial if we will but come to him and lean on Him for support.
(cut out if necessary) There are many hymns that I love to sing, many that have impacted my testimonty. But then there are some hymns that speak to me in ways so that I always struggle singing them. IT seems whenever we are to sing God Be With you Til we Meet again, there's events in my life where singing this hymn is difficult....A couple weeks ago, the sunday before finals, My roommates and I were all sitting in one row in relief society. We were hit with a sudden overwhelming stream of emotion when we began to sing the hymn, God be with you Til we meet again. For some of us, we couldn't even sing through the first line because of the emotion we felt. At that time, we knew that we would soon be separating for an unkown period of time because of each of our life's circumstances. After being inseparable for 3 years, it's really hard to say goodbye. The words “God be with you til we meet again” are sometimes hard for me to even say. They bring such uncertainty, but the hymn encourages to have faith and know that God is looking out for us until we may reunite again somewhere down the road.
Conclusion:
Sacred music has a unique capacity to communicate our feelings of love for the Lord. This kind of communication is a wonderful aid to our worship. Many have difficulty expressing worshipful feelings in words, but all can join in communicating such feelings through the inspired words of our hymns.
We need to make more use of our hymns to put us in tune with the Spirit of the Lord, to unify us, and to help us teach and learn our doctrine. We need to make better use of our hymns in missionary teaching, in gospel classes, in quorum meetings, in home evenings, and in home teaching visits. Music is an effective way to worship our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. We should use hymns when we need spiritual strength and inspiration.
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