Who were the Shepherds in the Christmas Story?

December 18, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 16 Comments

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Abraham Hondius, 1663, oil on panel. Note the cherubim forming circular ring dances (ancient temple prayer circle) in the heavens, praising God.

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Abraham Hondius, 1663, oil on panel. (Click image for a larger view)

The Christmas story from Luke 2 reads in part:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (Luke 2:8-20)

Most of us are very familiar with these scriptures, as it is tradition in many families to read this story at Christmastime every year to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

But who were the shepherds? Have you, like me, considered the angelophany to the shepherds in their fields something that was completely random? Were the angels announcing the birth of the Savior abroad in the land, and this was just one of the accounts that was recorded in scripture? Or was there a greater purpose to the angelic revelation specific to these shepherds? [Read more…]

FollowTheProphet.net website launches!

November 24, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 3 Comments

FollowTheProphet.net logo, a portrait by LDS artist Ken Corbett of President Thomas S. Monson. Used with permission. KenCorbettArt.com

My brother and I are pleased to announce the launch of our latest project—the FollowTheProphet.net website! This new website has been in design and development for the past month, and we are happy to finally be able to announce today that it is available.

FollowTheProphet.net is a website that allows members of the Church to follow the living prophet more closely. We go from General Conference to General Conference often not hearing or knowing what the prophet is doing, saying, or teaching. Not long ago, the activities of the prophet were much more well known among the membership of the Church. The prophet and members lived very close geographically, and members could even meet personally with the prophet. Today, with over 13 million members scattered worldwide, the activities of the prophet are much lesser known. Members who don’t live in Utah may only know what the prophet is doing every six months at General Conference.

FollowTheProphet.net helps to fill that gap of knowledge. With advances in search technology, we are able to aggregate all public information we find about where the prophet is, what he is doing, saying, teaching, visiting, etc., and post it all in one central place at FollowTheProphet.net. Any talks or speeches he gives, we will post links to his words. Any trips he goes on, we will post information about his visits. Any temples he dedicates, we will inform you about the events. Hopefully this will help you feel a closer connection with God’s living prophet, and stay up-to-date about his activities and his counsel. We believe that in these turbulent times, we will be safe if we stay close to the living prophet of God and heed his word.

More information about the new website can be found on the About page at FollowTheProphet.net, such as the ability to “follow the prophet” via Twitter, RSS, email, or Facebook.

We are excited to bring you this new service, and hope you will enjoy it! Please give us any tips, suggestions, or feedback that you may have that would help us improve the site.

The Promises Made to the Fathers

November 19, 2009 by Guest Blogger 3 Comments

Elijah Appearing In The Kirtland Temple, by Dan Lewis.

My father is on the High Council in the Riverton Utah Stake, and this past Sunday he was asked to speak in a ward about the temple and family history work. He sent me his talk, and I thought it was good and thought provoking. I thought you might like it too. -Bryce

By Mark Haymond
November 15, 2009
Riverton 11th Ward

At the first of October, just last month, I had the privilege of traveling with other members of our stake and even President and Sister Higbee back to the important sites in early Church history. We visited the birthplace of Joseph in Sharon, Vermont. We visited Harmony, Pennsylvania, where the Prophet Joseph and Emma first lived after they were married. In the home in Harmony most of the Book of Mormon was translated and revelations were received. Just behind that home, not fifty yards, are the banks of the Susquehanna River where John the Baptist laid his hands on Joseph and Oliver’s heads and the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood was bestowed upon them. While Joseph and Emma lived in Harmony, the Apostles Peter, James and John came to the earth and laid their hands on the heads of Joseph and Oliver and bestowed upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood and the holy Apostleship. [Read more…]

Temple Worship by Elder John A. Widtsoe

November 9, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 12 Comments

Elder John A. Widtsoe (1872-1952)

Occasionally you encounter a talk or book or article that is a classic. Elder John A. Widtsoe‘s talk on “Temple Worship” given at a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Utah at the Assembly Hall in Salt Lake on October 12, 1920, is one of those talks. There are portions of this talk that many will recognize that are still frequently quoted today in connection with the temple. His treatment of the temple is fairly basic, yet it is powerful in its plainness and insight. Elder Widtsoe has given us a lot to ponder here.

Thank you, Steve, for sharing this talk with us! – Bryce

Temple Worship

My brethren and sisters, when those in charge of this work were planning the program, I urged upon them that they do not call this meeting for the Assembly Hall. I felt sure the congregation would be so small that we would all be unhappy. I am happily disappointed; and I am quite sure that neither the drawing power of Joseph Fielding Smith nor myself is the cause of this large attendance, but that the conviction in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints that all that pertains to temples and to temple work, to the salvation for the dead, is of tremendous worth. I regret, of course, that Elder Joseph Fielding Smith is not here tonight. I am sorry for those of you who came to hear him speak, for you will have to come again, because he speaks tomorrow. He is filling an important engagement, and we simply exchanged evenings. I regret, however, for my own sake, that he is not here, because what I have to say needs as a background the splendid talk that he has for us. He will deal with the spirit and the mission of Elijah. I was asked to speak about temple worship. He was to take up the great generalization, the great body of principles upon which this work rests; and I was to take one small part of the application of the work, for my theme. I feel just a little embarrassed to speak on temple worship without the background of Elder Smith’s discourse. I am embarrassed also because I realize how utterly impossible it is to deal with so vast and comprehensive a subject in the few moments that I can take tonight, especially in the presence of so many of you who have spent your lives in temple service and who understand the subject so well. But, like you I am willing to obey orders and to do the best I can; and with the assistance of your faith and your prayers, I shall try to discuss with you some of the high points pertaining to temple worship which all should understand, whether we have received the blessings of the temple or whether we are candidates for temple blessings. It is to be an elementary, non-technical discussion. [Read more…]

Anointing Rite in the Orthodox Church

November 6, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 2 Comments

The Anointing of David

David Larsen at Heavenly Ascents continues to provide excellent notes from his attendance at the Temple Studies Group Symposium in London last weekend. Recently he posted his notes on Archimandrite Ephrem‘s presentation about the Holy Oil in the Orthodox Church. Father Ephrem gave out a handout which included detailed notes on the anointing rite in the Orthodox Church, which includes this portion:

The one to be baptized is brought forward. The Priest takes some of the oil and makes the sign of the Cross on the forehead, breast and back of the candidate, saying: The servant of God, N., is anointed with the oil of gladness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As he signs their breast and back he says: For healing of soul and body. On the ears: For the hearing of faith. On the feet: For your feet to walk. On the hands: Your hands made me and fashioned me. And when the whole body has been anointed the Priest baptizes the person, holding them upright and facing East, as he says: The servant of God N. is baptized, in the name of the Father. Amen. And of the Son. Amen. And of the Holy Spirit. Amen. At each invocation the Priest immerses them and raises them again [three-fold immersion]. ((Handout from Archimandrite Ephrem in notes on Heavenly Ascents blog. Notes in brackets are mine.))

Check out David Larsen’s Heavenly Ascents blog for more details from Father Ephrem’s presentation.

Temple Study

Sustaining and Defending the LDS Temple