Thomas, Testifying and Teaching
As will be our custom for the next seventeen months, we attended 2 wards. The first one we attended is the 2nd Ward, and the second one we attended is the Oxford 1st Ward. Is that just slightly confusing?
The 2nd Ward is the smaller of the two, and today was their Primary program. There were an even dozen children on the stand, and each one gave a short talk and all participated in the singing. One of the teachers on the stand is a former bishop and now also a member of the stake high council. The Primary President gave the introduction and bore a powerful testimony about the Savior's love for each of His children. She remembered her sister's journal of long ago, when the sister was six years old. Every Sunday she documented everything that happened in Primary - who said the prayers, what songs they sang, the title of the lesson. And, she concluded, on every page of the journal came through clearly the love of her teachers and leaders and the love of the Savior.
Once again, I was struck with the love these leaders and teachers have for this upcoming generation. They plan and prepare and tenderly teach, all the while praying for nothing more than assisting the Holy Ghost to instill faith and testimony in the minds and hearts of these children.
They sang all of the primary favorites, including "Gethsemane," one of my new favorites. How incredible for the words of this beautiful little song to be playing in their heads?
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2018-03-0020-gethsemane?lang=eng
"Gethsemane, Jesus loves me."
In the First Ward, the Sacrament Meeting was incredible, as was Sunday School. In Sacrament Meeting, a young couple spoke. She has a Phd in Speech Therapy, and he is working on his MBA at Oxford. They have a one-year-old.
She spoke about the Savior's grace, that it is sufficient enough to cover us, to heal us, to help us. She said that this life is all about learning about Heaven, and practicing to live there. She then quoted, "God's strength is perfect in our weakness."
I was thinking that was such a great talk, we could just conclude the meeting there and then, but her husband got up and also scored a homerun. He was cute as he talked about how they met. Then he spoke about the Apostle Thomas, aka "The Doubting Thomas." There are three times he is mentioned in the scriptures, one- when he is called to be an apostle, two - when he is seen as "the doubting Thomas," and three when (John 11) the Savior has taught that He is the Son of God, and it so enrages people that they try to stone him. He and his disciples leave.
He hears that his good friend is dying (who lives in the same place where the people just tried to stone Jesus), and tells his disciples that they will go back. The disciples think it unwise to return lest he be killed, but Thomas says "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Is that heroic?
Yet, we don't remember him as Thomas the Loyal, or Thomas the Courageous, but as Thomas the Doubter. He drew several marvelous parallels to us, but I won't list them. It was positively inspiring!
Another very inspiring thing is that the Reverend Teal, a Chaplain, fellow and Lecturer at Oxford was in Sacrament Meeting today. He and Elder Holland are good friends. Reverend Teal just returned from Utah where he attended General Conference. You'll enjoy this article/video
https://www.mormonnewsroom.org.uk/article/oxford-university-invites-elder-jeffrey-r-holland-to-meet-with-theologians-and-religious-leaders
This week, he will host Elder Cook, who will be speaking Wednesday evening. We are excited to attend that.
Next Sunday evening, a lady from our ward will give the sermon in his church at Oxford followed buy a dinner. We are also invited to that. She is very dynamic, and taught Priesthood meeting last Sunday. She is a wonderful musician, which I can attest to, but I didn't know that she is also an excellent teacher and lecturer.
Her husband, who is a professor at Oxford taught Sunday School, and I won't give you details. But I will tell you that it was one of the best Sunday School classes I have attended, and apparently that is a typical Sunday here.
It has been a beautiful and inspiring day.
The 2nd Ward is the smaller of the two, and today was their Primary program. There were an even dozen children on the stand, and each one gave a short talk and all participated in the singing. One of the teachers on the stand is a former bishop and now also a member of the stake high council. The Primary President gave the introduction and bore a powerful testimony about the Savior's love for each of His children. She remembered her sister's journal of long ago, when the sister was six years old. Every Sunday she documented everything that happened in Primary - who said the prayers, what songs they sang, the title of the lesson. And, she concluded, on every page of the journal came through clearly the love of her teachers and leaders and the love of the Savior.
Once again, I was struck with the love these leaders and teachers have for this upcoming generation. They plan and prepare and tenderly teach, all the while praying for nothing more than assisting the Holy Ghost to instill faith and testimony in the minds and hearts of these children.
They sang all of the primary favorites, including "Gethsemane," one of my new favorites. How incredible for the words of this beautiful little song to be playing in their heads?
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2018-03-0020-gethsemane?lang=eng
"Gethsemane, Jesus loves me."
In the First Ward, the Sacrament Meeting was incredible, as was Sunday School. In Sacrament Meeting, a young couple spoke. She has a Phd in Speech Therapy, and he is working on his MBA at Oxford. They have a one-year-old.
She spoke about the Savior's grace, that it is sufficient enough to cover us, to heal us, to help us. She said that this life is all about learning about Heaven, and practicing to live there. She then quoted, "God's strength is perfect in our weakness."
I was thinking that was such a great talk, we could just conclude the meeting there and then, but her husband got up and also scored a homerun. He was cute as he talked about how they met. Then he spoke about the Apostle Thomas, aka "The Doubting Thomas." There are three times he is mentioned in the scriptures, one- when he is called to be an apostle, two - when he is seen as "the doubting Thomas," and three when (John 11) the Savior has taught that He is the Son of God, and it so enrages people that they try to stone him. He and his disciples leave.
He hears that his good friend is dying (who lives in the same place where the people just tried to stone Jesus), and tells his disciples that they will go back. The disciples think it unwise to return lest he be killed, but Thomas says "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Is that heroic?
Yet, we don't remember him as Thomas the Loyal, or Thomas the Courageous, but as Thomas the Doubter. He drew several marvelous parallels to us, but I won't list them. It was positively inspiring!
Another very inspiring thing is that the Reverend Teal, a Chaplain, fellow and Lecturer at Oxford was in Sacrament Meeting today. He and Elder Holland are good friends. Reverend Teal just returned from Utah where he attended General Conference. You'll enjoy this article/video
https://www.mormonnewsroom.org.uk/article/oxford-university-invites-elder-jeffrey-r-holland-to-meet-with-theologians-and-religious-leaders
This week, he will host Elder Cook, who will be speaking Wednesday evening. We are excited to attend that.
Next Sunday evening, a lady from our ward will give the sermon in his church at Oxford followed buy a dinner. We are also invited to that. She is very dynamic, and taught Priesthood meeting last Sunday. She is a wonderful musician, which I can attest to, but I didn't know that she is also an excellent teacher and lecturer.
Her husband, who is a professor at Oxford taught Sunday School, and I won't give you details. But I will tell you that it was one of the best Sunday School classes I have attended, and apparently that is a typical Sunday here.
It has been a beautiful and inspiring day.
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