We have a dog. Not a very smart dog – but at least we have a dog, and for our kids who spent years begging [my wife] Ruth for one, it’s enough. His name is Oakley.
Now Oakley is lovable, but not bright. In fact, he comprehensively, diligently, predictably and somewhat endearingly dim. He’d last about 30 minutes in the wild. I walk out the door to the car and walk back in the house 30 seconds later, and he’ll bark at me like a wild animal. But he can stare forever out the back window, completely oblivious to the coyote wandering in the backyard. When he take him out for a walk, he strains at the leash, straining to break free and to attack anything that moves; he plays the terrible hunter. But last year, in our yard, a tiny baby bunny was caught in some string near a bush. Oakley spotted the baby bunny – and was terrified. Every time that baby bunny moved, Oakley would turn and run away. He still won’t go near that bush. He also takes a long time to learn a new trick. He’s not a bright animal.
There is one thing he does that makes it especially difficult to train or help him. Sometimes, if you’re playing with him, he’ll lose track of a ball he’s chasing or lose a treat you’ve thrown him. And if you point at the ball or treat and try to show him where it is, he’ll just look directly at your finger. The more energetically I point to something and tell him to go get it, the more intently he stares at my finger.
I know this is perfectly normal for a dog – even for a baby – but it’s a problem for him. I’m trying to show him something that he’ll want or that he’s searching for and needs, but he misses the whole point. He just stares at my finger – and he’s very hard to help as a result.1 Unfortunately, I’m like my dog Oakley.
Heaven points and I stare at the finger.
I think in many ways, heaven has laid out elaborate, detailed messages for me – pointing me in important directions – I stare at the sign, missing the goal and not moving toward or even seeing the direction the signs should point me in. This is particularly true when it comes to understanding the Restoration – the topic I’ve been assigned to address today. I want to talk about missing the point of the restoration.
1 I can learn from dogs however. In a poem by Billy Collins, the spirit of his dog returns from the dead to visit. The dog tells him that he never really liked him either and shares some unexpected news about the afterlife.
Now I am free of the collar, the yellow raincoat, monogrammed sweater, the absurdity of your lawn, and that is all you need to know about this place
except what you already supposed and are glad it did not happen sooner‐‐ that everyone here can read and write, the dogs in poetry, the cats and all the others in prose.” I do not think Oakley will speak in poetry. Limericks maybe, puns perhaps, or more likely quote memes. But not verse. I can however learn from him and my talk today is about what Oakley can teach me about the point of the Restoration and maybe even about the afterlife.
So, here’s my goal today: I want to ask two questions, and if time, share maybe three quick things I’ve learned from scripture study this summer
Let’s start with the questions. Suppose you were asked to talk about the restoration. What would you say? What was the point of the Restoration? Really, there are two questions: (1) What did Joseph think he was doing? And (2) What’s the point of studying it today? Take 20 seconds right now and decide. These are key questions – and it’ll inoculate you against boredom and give you something to do later when you’re bored with this.2
Let’s start with the first: what’s the point of the Restoration? Or at least of studying it?
1. We need a Personal Restoration
Some of us know a lot about the history of the restoration and remember and understand the historical developments. Others may not know much about the restoration – but maybe the general outlines. We think of the restoration as a series of historical events:
The First Vision occurs in 1820 Joseph then translates the Book of Mormon The church was organized in 1830 Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood are restored Temples build in Kirtland in 1830s and then later in Illinois Doctrines and church organization are gradually fleshed out
These are the basic bones of the Restoration. These are important events that are the basic outline, but they are also pointers – they are not the thing itself; they point to something else. They’re like my finger to Oakley pointing to something bigger. To what do they point?
We don’t study the Restoration just to learn about Joseph Smith the person. He’s the finger. We don’t focus primarily on who he was, or his strengths and weaknesses, or his character or his dog’s name (it was “Major” by the way. I don’t whether he was stupid.). Let’s look where heaven is pointing as we consider Joseph and the events of the Restoration.
To put it differently, Joseph Smith and the events of the restoration are like a window pane – we are supposed to see through them to something else. But what? What’s the view? What are we supposed to see there and get from it?
2 Before I do: let’s talk about what to do during boring sacrament meeting talks. Want to inoculate you against my own (Ruth’s regular advice is don’t bore us to death). Number one answer of what to do during boring talks is: sleep. Better answer: Pres. Eyring told a story about sitting through boring talks. Afterwards his Father gave some advice: think about what you would have said. Compose your own message – after that, never had a boring meeting.
Here’s one answer – at least for today. I think these events of the restoration of the church are trying to teach us about our own life and about how we connect with God. They model our individual connection to God.
We sometimes become conscious that we are far from God, that we aren’t sure who God is or who we are or what direction we should go it. We’re not sure we believe and want to know more directly. Or we believe in God and want to learn more and become more closely tied to God, to be more like Him and to participate in His work, but don’t see how or know what will work or what to do.
In this way, we are all personally like the institutional church. At some point in our life, more likely at many points, we each feel acutely the need to return to God and connect again with God, to be taught by Him, to be forgiven for wandering, to feel His influence and power more directly in our lives, to be guided by Him and learn who He is.
It’s a bit like finding ourselves in a kind of personal apostasy: it doesn’t mean we’re selling indulgences or writing our own creeds or building our monuments, but we all realize that we have wandered and need to turn our lives to Him and feel and see His power in our lives.
The restoration isn’t just something for the institutional church – it’s a process that we have to walk in our own lives. And in this sense, the Restoration is a Elder Uchtdorf has taught, the restoration is ongoing.
So, one reason we study the Restoration is that we all need a personal restoration, we need same process personally that the institutional church and Joseph Smith needed. We study the Restoration because its events show us about our own restoration – about how can we come again to see God and be part of His work. The events of the restoration teach us about how to do that – and lay out the personal steps we need to progress through and something of the opposition and challenges we will face. We see examples of people doing just those things – trying, succeeding or struggling, usually both – to hold to revealed truth and figure out how to realize Jesus’s will in a different time and place.
Joseph models this process – particularly for me, in his willingness to repent, to return and keep working and striving even when facing impossible odds. But he’s the finger. We don’t focus primarily on who he was and on his mistakes or character or his dog’s name.
To see what I mean, let’s just look at the one event of the Restoration to see how this perspective – trying to avoid looking at the finger – changes how we understand. Most of us would say that the first dramatic opening moment of the Restoration for Joseph Smith is his vision of the Father and Son in the Sacred Grove. Let’s start there.
Let’s consider the first major event of the Restoration and ask if it's pointing to something else. Let’s not read the account of the First Vision and look at the pointing finger; we won’t focus on Joseph Smith the person – we’ll see where it's pointing.
Well what’s the very first thing Joseph is taught and hears in this vision?
1. Heavenly Father speaks to Joseph 2. Joseph learns that Jesus Christ is divine, God’s own Son. The Father points to Jesus Christ and says, “This is my beloved Son, hear Him.” 3. Joseph feels forgiven of his sins. In his first account of this vision, the only one we have written in his own hand, he focuses entirely on this forgiveness – the question of which church to join doesn’t really figure much at all, it’s more a question of his personal shortcomings, and Jesus’s love and forgiveness. That’s the fundamental experience in his first account.
That is, the message of the first vision is:
1. God speaks to man 2. Jesus is His Son and our Savior 3. Joseph feels forgiven.
This experience of coming to Jesus, seeking God and seeking forgiveness must be the first part of the restoration in our lives: we need to come to know and trust Jesus Christ. We have to experience that in some way, just like Joseph Smith did.
The restoration doesn’t really start for us until we kneel down before Jesus. If we don’t experience that, we are in some sense sleeping through the restoration. Or we will try to go through the religious motions with white‐knuckle dedication and determination that will, I fear, wear out in time.
So the First Vision points to another truth. It’s a sign: nothing happens until Joseph Smith comes personally to God and Jesus, contritely, humbling, convicted of his shortcomings, opens himself up to God and seeking forgiveness and being willing to follow Him.3
And it’s not just the First Vision because it came first – but because in many ways it’s the most important thing – for Joseph and us.
I used to think that the First Vision was something of the starter’s gun of the restoration – after it goes off, the race begins and then we’re off to the Restoration and the important things that follow: the translation of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the Priesthood, teaching true doctrines about baptism, temples, the word of wisdom, eternal families and so on.
3 RB Convocation talk.
But the First Vision is not only first in time. It’s not just the initial vision. It’s in first place. It comes in first, it’s the most important. It’s absolutely central to our connection to God (the personal restoration) – our search for and attempt to love and connect to God is fundamental and first in importance.
This sounds obvious, but sometimes we do start somewhere else: we latch on to another principle or person and you can be busy – very active – without it. For instance, I am a convert. I belonged to several other churches before finally joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints. Perhaps you have been a member of some of these other churches?
Church of Word of Wisdom Church of the Law of Chasity Church of My Favorite Prophet Church of the We’re the Chosen People Church of Modesty Church of the Proclamation on Family Or even, Church of Social Justice
Our personal restoration and path to God must remain based on Jesus Christ foremost.
Elder Holland gave a talk once entitled “Come and See” and years ago, listening to part of this, I felt indicted and encouraged to seek for more. Perhaps it can help you.
"My desire for you is to have more straightforward experience with the Savior’s life and teachings. Perhaps sometimes we come to Christ too obliquely, focusing on structure or methods or elements of Church administration. Those are important, but not – first and foremost we need a personal spiritual relationship with Deity, including the Savior whose kingdom this is.
"I don’t know what things may be troubling you personally, but even knowing how terrific you are and how faithfully you are living, I would be surprised if someone somewhere isn’t troubled by a transgression or the temptation of transgression.
"To you I say come unto him and lay down your burden. Let him lift the load. Let him give peace to your soul. Nothing in this world is more burdensome than sin. It is the heaviest cross men and women ever bear.
"I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior when he finds his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments."4
4 https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/04/come‐unto‐me?lang=eng
This love of God and personal return to Jesus Christ is the core of religion. It is the first and greatest commandment. Without it, the lessons of the plan of Salvation and commandments of God look more like the rules of personal advancement and appeal to prudence, self interest and ambition – but just with a longer time‐horizon.
We may focus on the long‐term payoffs and differential rewards for the righteous and wicked, we may strive to excel, but without the love of God and a personal experience connection to Jesus Christ, our experience in life is just like high schoolers trying to burnish their resume for college admission. We can earnestly and even persistently try to do well, learn our lessons, pass our tests, so we can secure our admission to heaven. We may even collect lots of community service hours along the way and fill our time with extra‐curricular activities so that we can be admitted to the best possible kingdom. Sunday School and scripture study take on aspect of nothing so much as a Kaplan SAT review course – studying and practicing the rules of the test. The scriptures are a description of the long‐term payoffs of different behavior: who gets into each kingdom.
In this sense, other beliefs and activity are not religious if they do not have this love of God at their heart.
Years ago I worked at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. My introduction to the business was a firm‐wide orientation where the respected former chairman told the new recruits: Be greedy, but be long‐term greedy. He meant that if you wanted to be rich in the long run, the best strategy was to serve the clients interest. Work hard for others and you’ll be rich in the end. Though the scriptures promise us rewards for a life of service, I don’t think the promise of payoffs is the core of religion. Or even very religious.
We can feel this love for God when we understand His love for us. These truths about God and His Divine Son ‐ that they love us, speak to us, and that their whole purpose is to love and save us – is not just an important point of the First Vision, but also the main point of the Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Christ). And just so we don’t miss the point, they are also the main point of the first (and most frequently read chapter) of the Book of Mormon (1st Nephi, Chapter One). Go back and read chapter one sometime, and you’ll see, at its center, that it centers on the Son of God coming to deliver those who come to Him.
So, to summarize: the lessons of the restoration:
1. We have to personally go through this process of the restoration – to put ourselves under the God’s sheltering power and direction. Studying the Restoration can teach us how. 2. This starts with Jesus. In fact, it continues and ends with Jesus. The single most important thing for us is that we – contrite and trusting and aware of our shortcomings – come to Jesus and experience his love and forgiveness. No lasting good will come of any life or work that isn’t based on Jesus and a decision to walk in His way.
5 CS Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms.
2. Zion: The Holy City
Finally, I want to mention a second thing I take from studying the Restoration. Something else it points us to. What did Joseph Smith focus on? Where was he headed? Wayne Gretsky, the great hockey player, famously said that he tried to skate to where the puck is going, not to where it had been. Well, after the First Vision, where was Joseph Smith headed? It doesn’t stop with the First Vision.
He’s not finished after he comes personally to Jesus, experiences forgiveness and see God. He’s told ultimately, it’s not enough to confess sins and feel forgiveness yourself. In my world at the law school, we would say that is essential but not sufficient.
More is required of Joseph – shortly after the publication of the Book of Mormon, he is commanded to organize a church. This must have been something of a surprise. There’s no sign that he really saw this coming – but this command forced a transition from his relatively solitary role of translating and seeking revelation, to a role as leader of a church – of a group of people and a new organization that would need to be cared for and tended.6
He learns gradually that his experience with Christ lead directly to bonds with others. Even after he simply creates the legal organization and assigns roles and signs documents, he seems to think he’s done most of it! There’s no sign that he anticipates what’s coming next either – that he has to lead these people through enormous tasks, to change, to move and to build. After the organization of the church and baptism of his father, he is totally overcome with the accomplishment and seems to feel its fulfilled.
But of course, as leader and member of church, he is required to do things with other people, to be a part a group. He has to teach and coax and get along with others who are not like him – people with different backgrounds, some of whom are skeptical or cynical or opinionated and hard to get along with. And what is more difficult – he has to get them to get along with each other and pulling in the same direction. This a rough and raw group of independent souls. Some people are faithful and some are superstitious. Some are seeking God and generous, some struggle with depression or mental illness, some are bright and proud. Few have any real wealth or refinement. It’s an unwieldy flock for a new shepherd with little leadership or managerial experience.
But something happens that makes him realize what he’s supposed to spend the rest of his life doing – and that the bar is in fact way higher than just getting along and working together. He learns that he has way more to do and that the restoration is supposed to accomplish something truly extraordinary: WHAT?
The answer came shortly after the church was organized, while Joseph and Sydney Rigdon were translating or produced an inspired version of the Bible. They were reading Genesis and came across a few short lines about the prophet Enoch, this triggered a revelation about Enoch. The story of Enoch and his city is found in the Book of Moses. In the vision, Joseph learns that Enoch was a young, uneducated, shy prophet who didn’t like to speak in public. He must have recognized himself in this. But, Enoch rises above his natural reticence and becomes a powerful builder – he builds a holy city, a group of people so righteous, so unified and equal and pure, that there are no economic differences between the people, and they are ultimately taken up to heaven.
And that’s not all. I think Joseph is riveted by the additional prophecy that, in the last days, another holy city would be built –a new version of Enoch’s city – and that city would live so righteously, treat each other so well, share so well and be pure followers of God, that Enoch, and his people, and even God himself would descend from heaven and embrace the inhabitants of this holy city. Their righteousness would beckon the heavens – and Enoch’s city would descend, and God would stay with them and live in this Holy City.
Joseph became totally obsessed with this idea – and it drives everything he does for the rest of his life and shaped the restoration, development and growth of the early church.7 Joseph never built or planned a church building all his life. But he built city after city – and in each city – built a temple – a house for God to come and dwell in. He wasn’t aiming for lots of church meetings and perfect home teaching, he wanted a Holy City of people worthy to dwell with God.
Joseph Smith was captured by this vision. Within 6 months of the church’s organization, Joseph sends missionaries to scout out a location for his own Holy City. Six months later?! Build a Holy City? That’s incredibly audacious.
When I was growing up, every time I had to choose a number for basket jersey, I tried to get 22 (Danny Ainge’s number when he played at BYU). As I got older, I tried for 23; everybody wants 23 (and we all know that’s for MJ, not that other guy chasing his ghost down in LA). Those were my heroes. Well, Enoch was the equivalent of #23 for Joseph Smith. When security concerns required Joseph to take on a codename or password (even then these were required it turns out). The church’s enemies would read the church’s publications or revelations or instructions in order to find out their plans, find out where Joseph was, so they could disturb the plans or organize opposition ‐ like a very early version of Russian hacking. So, Joseph and other leaders had to use fake names (or code names) in their letters so that their identities and plans were concealed. And what pseudonym does Joseph take for himself? He picks the name Enoch.
7 http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/articles/joseph‐smith‐and‐his‐papers‐an‐introduction
8 TG, http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Enoch; https://scottwoodward.org/doctrine_covenants_codenames.html
Enoch’s Holy City becomes the standard for Joseph Smith and his life is dedicated to building such a city.
At each of the church’s key physical moves and relocations – from New York to Kirtland, Ohio – from Kirtland to Independence Missouri, from there to Far West, 9 to Nauvoo – at each critical juncture, Joseph invokes the dream and image of Enoch and His Holy City (Zion), with a temple in middle. They move in order to build such a city.
Zion and the Unique Doctrines of the Restoration
Enoch and Zion show up at key doctrinal revelations as well. In fact, it’s easy to argue that many of the unique and most powerful doctrines of the Restoration grow out of, and are tied to, this vision of creating a Holy City of Zion.10 Zion is requires or is invoked in the introduction of the priesthood, temples, missionary work and many other essential doctrines.
For example, Joseph Smith’s vision of the hereafter, now contained in Section 76, describes a more varied eternal future and more kingdoms of glory than was commonly taught in Christianity at the time; the revelation was called “The Vision” by early Saints, who often found it disturbing. Joseph’s vision identifies the City of Zion with the highest goal of the entire plan of salvation – the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. (76:6-7,11)
Another unique doctrine of the restoration is the doctrine of the priesthood. A grand revelation, Section 84, reveals that the priesthood manifests the power of Godliness to man. And the revelation begins by invoking this new Holy City and by giving detailed descriptions where to actually start building the city (84:2,3). Of course, this goal and the Holy Priesthood both go through Enoch (84:15).12 The Vision even describes Melchizedek as “after the order of Enoch” (76: 57). As does Joseph’s translation of Genesis, which describes Mechizedek being ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch.
9 Section 113, the first revelation given in Far West, MO after Joseph Smith moves there from Kirtland, has as its stirring conclusion, a description that God would give men the priesthood power to “bring again Zion” which would have God’s authority and strength and would serve as a gather place for scattered Israel (who is promised redemption and revelation in Zion if they return). Followed by 115, when, barely catching his breath in mud settlements of Far West, revelation speaks to the church in “Zion, for thus [Far West] shall be called” (3) and tells the saints that they should now gather “together upon the Land of Zion..for a defense and for a refuge from the storm..Let the city, far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me; and it shall be called most holy.” (115:7) 10 Much of what makes the Doctrine and Covenants in fact a little hard for many of us to read (the frequent missionary calls, the talk of impending doom and destruction) comes from the fact that it is focused on how they will build Zion 11 These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection; 65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just; 66 These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all; 67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. 12 This same connection is emphasized in the other great revelation on the priesthood, section 107, which states that the power and authority of the MP is to have the heavens opened and to commune with the general assembly and the church of the Firstborn, and enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father” This sounds like Enoch. For example, see 76: 67 (“they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn) who will come down to the earth with Christ (76:63); ST, Genesis 9: “21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself. 22 And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy; 23 And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch. And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch).
So the priesthood isn’t just an independent doctrine about authority, it is part of God’s project to prepare us to receive Him and all that He has – and to help others get there too. That is the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.
The needs of such a project dictated much of the church’s doctrinal and organization development in fact. To create a city worthy of God, they had to change everything. For instance, they would have to change the way they did business and owned property. The City of God could not bear the social alienation that came with inequality of wealth. So they would own property together. And they had to take care of the people who were coming to the city but who showed up without money. To take care of the new arrivals, the Law of Consecration was implemented.
And the law of consecration meant that people were to donate money and property, but someone had to take care of and distribute the property – and so the office of the bishop was formed. Bishops weren’t created because they fit nicely in the organization chart, somewhere between Stake President and Elder’s Quorum President – no, bishops were created in order to solve the practical problem of building a holy city and because someone had to take care of the new move ins who didn’t have money. Once there were more than one of these cities, they needed two bishops.
A Holy City would need a town council and the best efforts of the group of dedicated souls – not just one person. So a high council was created.
People would need to know about the City and you’d want to attract new people and tell them about the Holy City, so missionary work is necessary – and missionary work actually starts in earnest when they realize they are to build a city, Zion. The early mission of Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer has the dual mission of scouting out a location to actually build the city. Missionary work arises in part from the need to tell people about this new project.
The idea of Zion is also tied to the pervasive idea of impending destruction and doom that so possessed the early members. The City of Zion was to serve as a defense and refuge against the coming terrors.
Even the temple is part of this idea of a Holy City: if God is coming to live in the city, He’ll need a place to live. The Holy City is central to the Temple. The central physical image of our faith – a temple ‐‐ invokes Enoch’s dream of a Holy City that would call down God from His heaven to live on the earth. When we see or visit the temple, we should think of our goal of building a city and people dedicated to God; it’s an expression of our faith that we will ultimately succeed in this ambitious task of city building.13
And the temple is also more than a house for God. It’s the way we learn to build the City of Zion. And its built so that servants can leave, armed with power, to gather people to “build a holy city” (109:58).
In short, the temple is not just another independent doctrine, but a solution to the problem of building Zion – the key to building a Holy City and approaching Him. Temples and the priesthood flow from the same goal of connecting people to God, to preparing us to dwell with Him. If you’re going to see God, you need to be prepared and ready – that is why we have the priesthood ordinances and temples. Without these, you cannot see God and live.
This lesson is powerfully taught in Section 105, received after the Saints are driven from Independence, when it appears that they have failed to build Zion. Section 105 bracingly rebukes the suffering saints by making it clear that the reason for their persecution is that they had not taken care of the poor; their own selfishness and pride brought them down because Zion could not be built if they did not live Zion principles.
But 105 also shows them the way out: he would teach them how to build Zion and give them the power to do it in the temple. They couldn’t become Zion unless they’d been endowed.
This places temples right at the center of Zion: it’s a house for God to live in, but it also was the key to learning how to build it, to creating the permanent bonds that tied them together, and giving them the gifts, the power, the endowment, necessary to do it. In the temples they were taught that we don’t get to see and approach Him until after we have learned to worship and seek him together, as unified group without unkind feelings towards each other and after we have learned to consecrate ourselves to serve God and His children.
13 “What was the object of gathering the ... people of God in any age of the world? ... The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose...It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings, etc. (https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings‐joseph‐smith/chapter‐36?lang=eng
Guess when tithing was instituted? Tithing isn’t just one more teaching on a list Joseph found of old doctrines that had been forgotten since Malachi. Tithing was revealed as answer to a very practical problem that arose from building the city of Zion, with a temple in the middle. When Joseph Smith and the Saints collected in Far West, they were commanded to build Zion with a temple in center (115:7). However, they were told to avoid the crippling debt that created such problems in Kirtland (115:13). How then could they pay for the temple? The answer was tithing. All who came to Zion were to give their surplus properties and 10% of their interest. (Doc and Cov. 119 and 120). Its even right there in the text: the first word in the sentence on about tithing is: “Answer” to the question how they would pay for it. Tithing was simply the way to finance Zion; its not simply an independent principal of gratitude, sharing, or recognition of our dependence on God. After receiving the revelation, Joseph sent Brigham to find out what the saints would pay “with which to forward the building of the temple we were commencing.”14
In short, much of what is unique about the church – the law of consecration, the office of bishops, missionary work, priesthood, temples, are all tied to and logically derive from Josephs’ desire to build a Holy City.
We sometimes think of the restoration as the Lord telling us the right answers again: the right age for baptism, the right organization of the church (apostles, seventies), correcting the idea that revelation and scripture were now closed, the accurate understanding of the plan of salvation, the correct authority on earth. We think of these as independent truths.
It’s as if these doctrines were individual plants in our Gospel Garden, that have been planted again on the earth, God restored them again, and we admire them each, organize them into rows, and appreciate or enjoy their fruits in turn.
But I now think of these doctrines as fruits from a common tree. Each of these doctrines grow out of the trunk, which is Jesus Christ. Each fruit flourishes because they bring us His power and connect us to Him. And each have the purpose of tying us to God and each other, the creation of a little piece of heaven, a holy city, Zion.
Bishops, the Law of Consecration, Missionary Work, Temples, Priesthood all grow out of, and are all necessary to build, a Holy City that can receive God. They are not independent doctrines but share the same trunk and source.
The desire to actually build Zion was the great consuming passion of Joseph and it directed his life and work for the rest of his life – and he wanted to actually build it; building Zion wasn’t just as a metaphor for being nice to each other. It was about building a City of God, a temple to welcome him and in which to make eternal covenants and family bonds that would outlast this earth.
If that’s true for Joseph and it’s what the Restoration is about ‐‐ this means our main task is to do the same – to build Zion, to build a holy city (or ward) so unified and pure that we can call down Heaven and God’s peace.
14 Revelations in Context, The Tithing of my People.
The goal of Zion is not a checklist of what we believe, the scriptures we memorize, our jobs or church callings or clothes or money or status or even our carbon footprint or GPA – but whether we’ve helped to build a community of believers. The test for us is whether we are builders: builders of a holy city and people.
I want to leave you with two images about Zion and the Restoration.
The Final Judgment
The first is an image that has struck me recently and that has stayed with me. It’s an image of judgment day, and what it’ll look like.
What if on judgment day, we stand alone before our creator and Jesus Christ? And behind us, there is no wall that lists our accomplishments, no screen that plays a movie reviewing our lives in fast forward, no list of honors and prizes, there’s not a resume or framed graduation certificates, there is no Facebook‐like wall with pictures of our vacations or friends or the high points of our life. There is no list of the scriptures we’ve memorized or the callings we held.
Instead, I imagine a final judgment where we stand, alone before our Maker, but behind us are the people that we have blessed and lifted. Behind us are the people who have thanked God for us in their prayers; people we have built and encouraged and visited in a tough time of illness or imprisonment or despair or failure; the friends you have fed and for whom you have tended so they wouldn’t strangle their kids on a tough afternoon. Behind us are the people who we built (the other word for building is edified) and the people we lifted closer to Christ.
These people stand to defend us and to bear witness to our deeds.
This is the judgment I imagine.
Who will be there? How many will say you have blessed and lifted them? Many of you will be backed by a large crowd of grateful people, who are stronger for your efforts and grateful for your hands, and faith, and blessings, and the times you lifted and taught and built them. Our bishopric and the relief society leaders and youth leaders I have seen in this ward are amazing at this – and I will be behind them in their crowd, witnessing to the times they have built me and my family and helped us connect to God.
I do not think anything else I can do will in the end, make up for or distract from an otherwise empty room at that point. I cannot stand there, exposed and self‐conscious, look around uncomfortably at a relatively vacant room and, in the echoey silence, clear my throat and say: “Would it help if I mentioned that I read my scriptures? What if I told you that I never skipped church? Did I tell you I was really good at picking investments?”
I like to read the scriptures. I like to study the Gospel. Ruth likes to live it. Both things are important, but if my reading does not lead me to live it, she’ll have a much, much bigger crowd of witnesses behind her. Now, I’ll stop talking about Ruth here because she’ll kill me if I don’t – and martyrdom is not part of the restoration I’m not looking to repeat today.
Build Zion and fill the room behind you. Lift and encourage, tutor and tend, serve and study with and write thank you notes; forgive and share and sacrifice and say you’re sorry. Sit with those in sorrow or at least bake them brownies. Listen to people who don’t have others to talk to. Lift up the hands that hang down and the eyes that cannot see heaven’s hand. Be there for people who cannot feel God in their life.
Fill the room behind you by building others. Callings are opportunities to add to the crowd.
Grandpa Lundgren
Finally, I want to tell you about my Grandpa Lundgren. I was lucky to know and admire four wonderful grandparents, and come judgment day, the room behind them will be standing room only. But let me tell you a little bit about one of these – Fritz Lundgren.
Grandpa Lundgren was a Swedish immigrant. He came from Sweden in the depression years, sent by his family to the States in order to earn money and sent it back to support the family. They lived in the North of Sweden, where winters were long and hard and the growing season short, and – at that time – jobs impossible to find. The family worked hard, but barely scraped by. They often went hungry and, hearing stories of plenty in the promised land, together decided that my Grandpa would get a boat for America and head to the Northwest to work as a lumberjack.
Grandpa never had much formal school and never held a fancy title or earned much money. He met and married my Grandma working in kitchen at the lumber camp. Together they scraped by, owning a second-hand store and later a plumbing supply store in eastern Oregon. He joined the church and never served in a fancy leadership position. But he was as involved in God’s work of restoration as anybody I know. At judgment day, his will be backed by throngs of grateful people
Near the end of his life, I visited him. He was a big, incredible strong man, hardened by years of hard physical labor. But now he lay dying of cancer, his body wasting from the disease and its treatment and his days numbered. We sat there talking when he, with real power and clarity, turned to me and said: “Robby, I regret every day that I didn’t help someone.”
I don’t think there were many of those days. Do you know what he did on his vacations? He went to the local hospital to visit people there – walking up and down the halls, looking for people to talk to. On his vacation! He’d talk to and laugh with anybody. He’d cheer up the room with his un-self-conscious humor and grace – he was comfortable with others I think because he didn’t think about himself, or what impression he was making, he was thinking about them.
When I was young, he’d come to visit us at Christmastime and stay for weeks, his version of vacation. He’d go to church on Sunday in our ward and take note of the people who looked lonely, and then he’d visit them later during the week. He’d just walk up and knock on their door and introduce himself and sit down. This led to repeat visits and friendships that lasted for years. Someone later told me that they’d lived in the ward for decades and that the only person that ever came to their home was my Grandpa Lundgren, a visitor to the ward. He lived for others.
My brother David was traveling somewhere in the Northwest years ago. He was passing through some town and since it was Sunday, he found a church to attend. The speaker that day told a story of his family’s activity in the church. At some point, they’d stopped coming to church and had gone inactive for years, for decades, and essentially fallen off the map. But through it all, one man from the ward, came to visit them every month, for a decade, laughed with them, tried to help them, remembered birthdays and swapped stories and invited them gently but consistently to come back to church. That man’s name, you won’t be surprised to hear, was Fritz Lundgren.
He did that for many people. One man, inactive for years, finally agreed to come to church with his friend Fritz. But when that Sunday came, he decided to stay home and fix a leak in his roof. He was up there, hammering away on the roof, when he heard something behind him and turned around. He saw my Grandpa, dressed in work clothes, climbing the ladder and carrying tools. Grandpa said to him: “If this roof is more important to you today than is church, then that’s more important to me too.” This man, turned around, climbed back down the ladder, changed his clothes and together they went back to church. And he and his kids kept coming – they joined the Holy City Grandpa Lundgren was trying to build in LaGrande, Oregon.
Grandpa lived the motto: “Have I done any good in the world today? If not, I have failed indeed.”
When the judgment comes, there will be an enormous crowd behind him and I will be there with them.
Conclusion
So, that’s my message today:
1. The Restoration is personal – it's not just a story about institutions and history. Don’t just look at Joseph and the early leaders, their character, qualities or flaws. They are the finger. The restoration is a map for how we connect to God and feel His power and return to Him. The events of the restoration point us to a more profound relationship with God. 2. Jesus is the start, the heart, the center of this. 3. Our goal is to build others – to build a holy city of individuals by caring for each other. I think we’ll be judged by whether we’ve helped build. We are to be builders.
Of course, the last two are related: if we have done anything to the “very least of these,” we have done it to the Savior. What we do for the marginalized and troubled, we do for Christ. This is not just an encouraging metaphor. It’s a profound truth.
Here’s another: do you know another word for builder? Look up synonyms for the verb building and you will find these: to create; to make, to form, fashion or model; to create. Do those words point to something? Do these words tell you something of our goal and destination?
The point of the Restoration is not to end up with the right answers on doctrinal issues and right beliefs: baptism, trinity, etc. 15 The events of the restoration are the signs – the pointers. The point of the Restoration is that we come to know that God and covenant with Him. We are coeternal with him and headed into a future we cannot imagine.
15 What I used to think: Jesus had correct organization and doctrine, apostles killed, those changed, and he restarted with the correct organization and doctrines: apostles, bishops, age of baptism, priesthood, immersion, continuing revelation, 3 kingdoms. That is missing the forest for the trees a little (story line a little boring)
The way to get there is to turn to His Son, Jesus Christ and learn to trust and believe him, and by building a community, a holy city. The community is built on covenants that bind us as brothers and sisters of one family; we are all on the same team. In this, we are not primarily Tongan or Hispanic or black or Asian or white – or lawyers or construction workers or stay at home Moms ‐ but members of the same family of God. We are trying to build Zion in our local ward units, little holy cities that can call down Heaven’s help and be ready for Christ’s return. Those we build, and maybe our dogs, stand behind and speak for us at the end.
Robert Daines
Palo Alto, California
August 2018
Now Oakley is lovable, but not bright. In fact, he comprehensively, diligently, predictably and somewhat endearingly dim. He’d last about 30 minutes in the wild. I walk out the door to the car and walk back in the house 30 seconds later, and he’ll bark at me like a wild animal. But he can stare forever out the back window, completely oblivious to the coyote wandering in the backyard. When he take him out for a walk, he strains at the leash, straining to break free and to attack anything that moves; he plays the terrible hunter. But last year, in our yard, a tiny baby bunny was caught in some string near a bush. Oakley spotted the baby bunny – and was terrified. Every time that baby bunny moved, Oakley would turn and run away. He still won’t go near that bush. He also takes a long time to learn a new trick. He’s not a bright animal.
There is one thing he does that makes it especially difficult to train or help him. Sometimes, if you’re playing with him, he’ll lose track of a ball he’s chasing or lose a treat you’ve thrown him. And if you point at the ball or treat and try to show him where it is, he’ll just look directly at your finger. The more energetically I point to something and tell him to go get it, the more intently he stares at my finger.
I know this is perfectly normal for a dog – even for a baby – but it’s a problem for him. I’m trying to show him something that he’ll want or that he’s searching for and needs, but he misses the whole point. He just stares at my finger – and he’s very hard to help as a result.1 Unfortunately, I’m like my dog Oakley.
Heaven points and I stare at the finger.
I think in many ways, heaven has laid out elaborate, detailed messages for me – pointing me in important directions – I stare at the sign, missing the goal and not moving toward or even seeing the direction the signs should point me in. This is particularly true when it comes to understanding the Restoration – the topic I’ve been assigned to address today. I want to talk about missing the point of the restoration.
1 I can learn from dogs however. In a poem by Billy Collins, the spirit of his dog returns from the dead to visit. The dog tells him that he never really liked him either and shares some unexpected news about the afterlife.
Now I am free of the collar, the yellow raincoat, monogrammed sweater, the absurdity of your lawn, and that is all you need to know about this place
except what you already supposed and are glad it did not happen sooner‐‐ that everyone here can read and write, the dogs in poetry, the cats and all the others in prose.” I do not think Oakley will speak in poetry. Limericks maybe, puns perhaps, or more likely quote memes. But not verse. I can however learn from him and my talk today is about what Oakley can teach me about the point of the Restoration and maybe even about the afterlife.
So, here’s my goal today: I want to ask two questions, and if time, share maybe three quick things I’ve learned from scripture study this summer
Let’s start with the questions. Suppose you were asked to talk about the restoration. What would you say? What was the point of the Restoration? Really, there are two questions: (1) What did Joseph think he was doing? And (2) What’s the point of studying it today? Take 20 seconds right now and decide. These are key questions – and it’ll inoculate you against boredom and give you something to do later when you’re bored with this.2
Let’s start with the first: what’s the point of the Restoration? Or at least of studying it?
1. We need a Personal Restoration
Some of us know a lot about the history of the restoration and remember and understand the historical developments. Others may not know much about the restoration – but maybe the general outlines. We think of the restoration as a series of historical events:
The First Vision occurs in 1820 Joseph then translates the Book of Mormon The church was organized in 1830 Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood are restored Temples build in Kirtland in 1830s and then later in Illinois Doctrines and church organization are gradually fleshed out
These are the basic bones of the Restoration. These are important events that are the basic outline, but they are also pointers – they are not the thing itself; they point to something else. They’re like my finger to Oakley pointing to something bigger. To what do they point?
We don’t study the Restoration just to learn about Joseph Smith the person. He’s the finger. We don’t focus primarily on who he was, or his strengths and weaknesses, or his character or his dog’s name (it was “Major” by the way. I don’t whether he was stupid.). Let’s look where heaven is pointing as we consider Joseph and the events of the Restoration.
To put it differently, Joseph Smith and the events of the restoration are like a window pane – we are supposed to see through them to something else. But what? What’s the view? What are we supposed to see there and get from it?
2 Before I do: let’s talk about what to do during boring sacrament meeting talks. Want to inoculate you against my own (Ruth’s regular advice is don’t bore us to death). Number one answer of what to do during boring talks is: sleep. Better answer: Pres. Eyring told a story about sitting through boring talks. Afterwards his Father gave some advice: think about what you would have said. Compose your own message – after that, never had a boring meeting.
Here’s one answer – at least for today. I think these events of the restoration of the church are trying to teach us about our own life and about how we connect with God. They model our individual connection to God.
We sometimes become conscious that we are far from God, that we aren’t sure who God is or who we are or what direction we should go it. We’re not sure we believe and want to know more directly. Or we believe in God and want to learn more and become more closely tied to God, to be more like Him and to participate in His work, but don’t see how or know what will work or what to do.
In this way, we are all personally like the institutional church. At some point in our life, more likely at many points, we each feel acutely the need to return to God and connect again with God, to be taught by Him, to be forgiven for wandering, to feel His influence and power more directly in our lives, to be guided by Him and learn who He is.
It’s a bit like finding ourselves in a kind of personal apostasy: it doesn’t mean we’re selling indulgences or writing our own creeds or building our monuments, but we all realize that we have wandered and need to turn our lives to Him and feel and see His power in our lives.
The restoration isn’t just something for the institutional church – it’s a process that we have to walk in our own lives. And in this sense, the Restoration is a Elder Uchtdorf has taught, the restoration is ongoing.
So, one reason we study the Restoration is that we all need a personal restoration, we need same process personally that the institutional church and Joseph Smith needed. We study the Restoration because its events show us about our own restoration – about how can we come again to see God and be part of His work. The events of the restoration teach us about how to do that – and lay out the personal steps we need to progress through and something of the opposition and challenges we will face. We see examples of people doing just those things – trying, succeeding or struggling, usually both – to hold to revealed truth and figure out how to realize Jesus’s will in a different time and place.
Joseph models this process – particularly for me, in his willingness to repent, to return and keep working and striving even when facing impossible odds. But he’s the finger. We don’t focus primarily on who he was and on his mistakes or character or his dog’s name.
To see what I mean, let’s just look at the one event of the Restoration to see how this perspective – trying to avoid looking at the finger – changes how we understand. Most of us would say that the first dramatic opening moment of the Restoration for Joseph Smith is his vision of the Father and Son in the Sacred Grove. Let’s start there.
Let’s consider the first major event of the Restoration and ask if it's pointing to something else. Let’s not read the account of the First Vision and look at the pointing finger; we won’t focus on Joseph Smith the person – we’ll see where it's pointing.
Well what’s the very first thing Joseph is taught and hears in this vision?
1. Heavenly Father speaks to Joseph 2. Joseph learns that Jesus Christ is divine, God’s own Son. The Father points to Jesus Christ and says, “This is my beloved Son, hear Him.” 3. Joseph feels forgiven of his sins. In his first account of this vision, the only one we have written in his own hand, he focuses entirely on this forgiveness – the question of which church to join doesn’t really figure much at all, it’s more a question of his personal shortcomings, and Jesus’s love and forgiveness. That’s the fundamental experience in his first account.
That is, the message of the first vision is:
1. God speaks to man 2. Jesus is His Son and our Savior 3. Joseph feels forgiven.
This experience of coming to Jesus, seeking God and seeking forgiveness must be the first part of the restoration in our lives: we need to come to know and trust Jesus Christ. We have to experience that in some way, just like Joseph Smith did.
The restoration doesn’t really start for us until we kneel down before Jesus. If we don’t experience that, we are in some sense sleeping through the restoration. Or we will try to go through the religious motions with white‐knuckle dedication and determination that will, I fear, wear out in time.
So the First Vision points to another truth. It’s a sign: nothing happens until Joseph Smith comes personally to God and Jesus, contritely, humbling, convicted of his shortcomings, opens himself up to God and seeking forgiveness and being willing to follow Him.3
And it’s not just the First Vision because it came first – but because in many ways it’s the most important thing – for Joseph and us.
I used to think that the First Vision was something of the starter’s gun of the restoration – after it goes off, the race begins and then we’re off to the Restoration and the important things that follow: the translation of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the Priesthood, teaching true doctrines about baptism, temples, the word of wisdom, eternal families and so on.
3 RB Convocation talk.
But the First Vision is not only first in time. It’s not just the initial vision. It’s in first place. It comes in first, it’s the most important. It’s absolutely central to our connection to God (the personal restoration) – our search for and attempt to love and connect to God is fundamental and first in importance.
This sounds obvious, but sometimes we do start somewhere else: we latch on to another principle or person and you can be busy – very active – without it. For instance, I am a convert. I belonged to several other churches before finally joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints. Perhaps you have been a member of some of these other churches?
Church of Word of Wisdom Church of the Law of Chasity Church of My Favorite Prophet Church of the We’re the Chosen People Church of Modesty Church of the Proclamation on Family Or even, Church of Social Justice
Our personal restoration and path to God must remain based on Jesus Christ foremost.
Elder Holland gave a talk once entitled “Come and See” and years ago, listening to part of this, I felt indicted and encouraged to seek for more. Perhaps it can help you.
"My desire for you is to have more straightforward experience with the Savior’s life and teachings. Perhaps sometimes we come to Christ too obliquely, focusing on structure or methods or elements of Church administration. Those are important, but not – first and foremost we need a personal spiritual relationship with Deity, including the Savior whose kingdom this is.
"I don’t know what things may be troubling you personally, but even knowing how terrific you are and how faithfully you are living, I would be surprised if someone somewhere isn’t troubled by a transgression or the temptation of transgression.
"To you I say come unto him and lay down your burden. Let him lift the load. Let him give peace to your soul. Nothing in this world is more burdensome than sin. It is the heaviest cross men and women ever bear.
"I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior when he finds his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments."4
4 https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/04/come‐unto‐me?lang=eng
This love of God and personal return to Jesus Christ is the core of religion. It is the first and greatest commandment. Without it, the lessons of the plan of Salvation and commandments of God look more like the rules of personal advancement and appeal to prudence, self interest and ambition – but just with a longer time‐horizon.
We may focus on the long‐term payoffs and differential rewards for the righteous and wicked, we may strive to excel, but without the love of God and a personal experience connection to Jesus Christ, our experience in life is just like high schoolers trying to burnish their resume for college admission. We can earnestly and even persistently try to do well, learn our lessons, pass our tests, so we can secure our admission to heaven. We may even collect lots of community service hours along the way and fill our time with extra‐curricular activities so that we can be admitted to the best possible kingdom. Sunday School and scripture study take on aspect of nothing so much as a Kaplan SAT review course – studying and practicing the rules of the test. The scriptures are a description of the long‐term payoffs of different behavior: who gets into each kingdom.
In this sense, other beliefs and activity are not religious if they do not have this love of God at their heart.
Years ago I worked at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. My introduction to the business was a firm‐wide orientation where the respected former chairman told the new recruits: Be greedy, but be long‐term greedy. He meant that if you wanted to be rich in the long run, the best strategy was to serve the clients interest. Work hard for others and you’ll be rich in the end. Though the scriptures promise us rewards for a life of service, I don’t think the promise of payoffs is the core of religion. Or even very religious.
We can feel this love for God when we understand His love for us. These truths about God and His Divine Son ‐ that they love us, speak to us, and that their whole purpose is to love and save us – is not just an important point of the First Vision, but also the main point of the Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Christ). And just so we don’t miss the point, they are also the main point of the first (and most frequently read chapter) of the Book of Mormon (1st Nephi, Chapter One). Go back and read chapter one sometime, and you’ll see, at its center, that it centers on the Son of God coming to deliver those who come to Him.
So, to summarize: the lessons of the restoration:
1. We have to personally go through this process of the restoration – to put ourselves under the God’s sheltering power and direction. Studying the Restoration can teach us how. 2. This starts with Jesus. In fact, it continues and ends with Jesus. The single most important thing for us is that we – contrite and trusting and aware of our shortcomings – come to Jesus and experience his love and forgiveness. No lasting good will come of any life or work that isn’t based on Jesus and a decision to walk in His way.
5 CS Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms.
2. Zion: The Holy City
Finally, I want to mention a second thing I take from studying the Restoration. Something else it points us to. What did Joseph Smith focus on? Where was he headed? Wayne Gretsky, the great hockey player, famously said that he tried to skate to where the puck is going, not to where it had been. Well, after the First Vision, where was Joseph Smith headed? It doesn’t stop with the First Vision.
He’s not finished after he comes personally to Jesus, experiences forgiveness and see God. He’s told ultimately, it’s not enough to confess sins and feel forgiveness yourself. In my world at the law school, we would say that is essential but not sufficient.
More is required of Joseph – shortly after the publication of the Book of Mormon, he is commanded to organize a church. This must have been something of a surprise. There’s no sign that he really saw this coming – but this command forced a transition from his relatively solitary role of translating and seeking revelation, to a role as leader of a church – of a group of people and a new organization that would need to be cared for and tended.6
He learns gradually that his experience with Christ lead directly to bonds with others. Even after he simply creates the legal organization and assigns roles and signs documents, he seems to think he’s done most of it! There’s no sign that he anticipates what’s coming next either – that he has to lead these people through enormous tasks, to change, to move and to build. After the organization of the church and baptism of his father, he is totally overcome with the accomplishment and seems to feel its fulfilled.
But of course, as leader and member of church, he is required to do things with other people, to be a part a group. He has to teach and coax and get along with others who are not like him – people with different backgrounds, some of whom are skeptical or cynical or opinionated and hard to get along with. And what is more difficult – he has to get them to get along with each other and pulling in the same direction. This a rough and raw group of independent souls. Some people are faithful and some are superstitious. Some are seeking God and generous, some struggle with depression or mental illness, some are bright and proud. Few have any real wealth or refinement. It’s an unwieldy flock for a new shepherd with little leadership or managerial experience.
But something happens that makes him realize what he’s supposed to spend the rest of his life doing – and that the bar is in fact way higher than just getting along and working together. He learns that he has way more to do and that the restoration is supposed to accomplish something truly extraordinary: WHAT?
The answer came shortly after the church was organized, while Joseph and Sydney Rigdon were translating or produced an inspired version of the Bible. They were reading Genesis and came across a few short lines about the prophet Enoch, this triggered a revelation about Enoch. The story of Enoch and his city is found in the Book of Moses. In the vision, Joseph learns that Enoch was a young, uneducated, shy prophet who didn’t like to speak in public. He must have recognized himself in this. But, Enoch rises above his natural reticence and becomes a powerful builder – he builds a holy city, a group of people so righteous, so unified and equal and pure, that there are no economic differences between the people, and they are ultimately taken up to heaven.
And that’s not all. I think Joseph is riveted by the additional prophecy that, in the last days, another holy city would be built –a new version of Enoch’s city – and that city would live so righteously, treat each other so well, share so well and be pure followers of God, that Enoch, and his people, and even God himself would descend from heaven and embrace the inhabitants of this holy city. Their righteousness would beckon the heavens – and Enoch’s city would descend, and God would stay with them and live in this Holy City.
Joseph became totally obsessed with this idea – and it drives everything he does for the rest of his life and shaped the restoration, development and growth of the early church.7 Joseph never built or planned a church building all his life. But he built city after city – and in each city – built a temple – a house for God to come and dwell in. He wasn’t aiming for lots of church meetings and perfect home teaching, he wanted a Holy City of people worthy to dwell with God.
Joseph Smith was captured by this vision. Within 6 months of the church’s organization, Joseph sends missionaries to scout out a location for his own Holy City. Six months later?! Build a Holy City? That’s incredibly audacious.
When I was growing up, every time I had to choose a number for basket jersey, I tried to get 22 (Danny Ainge’s number when he played at BYU). As I got older, I tried for 23; everybody wants 23 (and we all know that’s for MJ, not that other guy chasing his ghost down in LA). Those were my heroes. Well, Enoch was the equivalent of #23 for Joseph Smith. When security concerns required Joseph to take on a codename or password (even then these were required it turns out). The church’s enemies would read the church’s publications or revelations or instructions in order to find out their plans, find out where Joseph was, so they could disturb the plans or organize opposition ‐ like a very early version of Russian hacking. So, Joseph and other leaders had to use fake names (or code names) in their letters so that their identities and plans were concealed. And what pseudonym does Joseph take for himself? He picks the name Enoch.
7 http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/articles/joseph‐smith‐and‐his‐papers‐an‐introduction
8 TG, http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Enoch; https://scottwoodward.org/doctrine_covenants_codenames.html
Enoch’s Holy City becomes the standard for Joseph Smith and his life is dedicated to building such a city.
At each of the church’s key physical moves and relocations – from New York to Kirtland, Ohio – from Kirtland to Independence Missouri, from there to Far West, 9 to Nauvoo – at each critical juncture, Joseph invokes the dream and image of Enoch and His Holy City (Zion), with a temple in middle. They move in order to build such a city.
Zion and the Unique Doctrines of the Restoration
Enoch and Zion show up at key doctrinal revelations as well. In fact, it’s easy to argue that many of the unique and most powerful doctrines of the Restoration grow out of, and are tied to, this vision of creating a Holy City of Zion.10 Zion is requires or is invoked in the introduction of the priesthood, temples, missionary work and many other essential doctrines.
For example, Joseph Smith’s vision of the hereafter, now contained in Section 76, describes a more varied eternal future and more kingdoms of glory than was commonly taught in Christianity at the time; the revelation was called “The Vision” by early Saints, who often found it disturbing. Joseph’s vision identifies the City of Zion with the highest goal of the entire plan of salvation – the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. (76:6-7,11)
Another unique doctrine of the restoration is the doctrine of the priesthood. A grand revelation, Section 84, reveals that the priesthood manifests the power of Godliness to man. And the revelation begins by invoking this new Holy City and by giving detailed descriptions where to actually start building the city (84:2,3). Of course, this goal and the Holy Priesthood both go through Enoch (84:15).12 The Vision even describes Melchizedek as “after the order of Enoch” (76: 57). As does Joseph’s translation of Genesis, which describes Mechizedek being ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch.
9 Section 113, the first revelation given in Far West, MO after Joseph Smith moves there from Kirtland, has as its stirring conclusion, a description that God would give men the priesthood power to “bring again Zion” which would have God’s authority and strength and would serve as a gather place for scattered Israel (who is promised redemption and revelation in Zion if they return). Followed by 115, when, barely catching his breath in mud settlements of Far West, revelation speaks to the church in “Zion, for thus [Far West] shall be called” (3) and tells the saints that they should now gather “together upon the Land of Zion..for a defense and for a refuge from the storm..Let the city, far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me; and it shall be called most holy.” (115:7) 10 Much of what makes the Doctrine and Covenants in fact a little hard for many of us to read (the frequent missionary calls, the talk of impending doom and destruction) comes from the fact that it is focused on how they will build Zion 11 These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection; 65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just; 66 These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all; 67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. 12 This same connection is emphasized in the other great revelation on the priesthood, section 107, which states that the power and authority of the MP is to have the heavens opened and to commune with the general assembly and the church of the Firstborn, and enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father” This sounds like Enoch. For example, see 76: 67 (“they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn) who will come down to the earth with Christ (76:63); ST, Genesis 9: “21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself. 22 And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy; 23 And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch. And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch).
So the priesthood isn’t just an independent doctrine about authority, it is part of God’s project to prepare us to receive Him and all that He has – and to help others get there too. That is the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.
The needs of such a project dictated much of the church’s doctrinal and organization development in fact. To create a city worthy of God, they had to change everything. For instance, they would have to change the way they did business and owned property. The City of God could not bear the social alienation that came with inequality of wealth. So they would own property together. And they had to take care of the people who were coming to the city but who showed up without money. To take care of the new arrivals, the Law of Consecration was implemented.
And the law of consecration meant that people were to donate money and property, but someone had to take care of and distribute the property – and so the office of the bishop was formed. Bishops weren’t created because they fit nicely in the organization chart, somewhere between Stake President and Elder’s Quorum President – no, bishops were created in order to solve the practical problem of building a holy city and because someone had to take care of the new move ins who didn’t have money. Once there were more than one of these cities, they needed two bishops.
A Holy City would need a town council and the best efforts of the group of dedicated souls – not just one person. So a high council was created.
People would need to know about the City and you’d want to attract new people and tell them about the Holy City, so missionary work is necessary – and missionary work actually starts in earnest when they realize they are to build a city, Zion. The early mission of Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer has the dual mission of scouting out a location to actually build the city. Missionary work arises in part from the need to tell people about this new project.
The idea of Zion is also tied to the pervasive idea of impending destruction and doom that so possessed the early members. The City of Zion was to serve as a defense and refuge against the coming terrors.
Even the temple is part of this idea of a Holy City: if God is coming to live in the city, He’ll need a place to live. The Holy City is central to the Temple. The central physical image of our faith – a temple ‐‐ invokes Enoch’s dream of a Holy City that would call down God from His heaven to live on the earth. When we see or visit the temple, we should think of our goal of building a city and people dedicated to God; it’s an expression of our faith that we will ultimately succeed in this ambitious task of city building.13
And the temple is also more than a house for God. It’s the way we learn to build the City of Zion. And its built so that servants can leave, armed with power, to gather people to “build a holy city” (109:58).
In short, the temple is not just another independent doctrine, but a solution to the problem of building Zion – the key to building a Holy City and approaching Him. Temples and the priesthood flow from the same goal of connecting people to God, to preparing us to dwell with Him. If you’re going to see God, you need to be prepared and ready – that is why we have the priesthood ordinances and temples. Without these, you cannot see God and live.
This lesson is powerfully taught in Section 105, received after the Saints are driven from Independence, when it appears that they have failed to build Zion. Section 105 bracingly rebukes the suffering saints by making it clear that the reason for their persecution is that they had not taken care of the poor; their own selfishness and pride brought them down because Zion could not be built if they did not live Zion principles.
But 105 also shows them the way out: he would teach them how to build Zion and give them the power to do it in the temple. They couldn’t become Zion unless they’d been endowed.
This places temples right at the center of Zion: it’s a house for God to live in, but it also was the key to learning how to build it, to creating the permanent bonds that tied them together, and giving them the gifts, the power, the endowment, necessary to do it. In the temples they were taught that we don’t get to see and approach Him until after we have learned to worship and seek him together, as unified group without unkind feelings towards each other and after we have learned to consecrate ourselves to serve God and His children.
13 “What was the object of gathering the ... people of God in any age of the world? ... The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose...It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings, etc. (https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings‐joseph‐smith/chapter‐36?lang=eng
Guess when tithing was instituted? Tithing isn’t just one more teaching on a list Joseph found of old doctrines that had been forgotten since Malachi. Tithing was revealed as answer to a very practical problem that arose from building the city of Zion, with a temple in the middle. When Joseph Smith and the Saints collected in Far West, they were commanded to build Zion with a temple in center (115:7). However, they were told to avoid the crippling debt that created such problems in Kirtland (115:13). How then could they pay for the temple? The answer was tithing. All who came to Zion were to give their surplus properties and 10% of their interest. (Doc and Cov. 119 and 120). Its even right there in the text: the first word in the sentence on about tithing is: “Answer” to the question how they would pay for it. Tithing was simply the way to finance Zion; its not simply an independent principal of gratitude, sharing, or recognition of our dependence on God. After receiving the revelation, Joseph sent Brigham to find out what the saints would pay “with which to forward the building of the temple we were commencing.”14
In short, much of what is unique about the church – the law of consecration, the office of bishops, missionary work, priesthood, temples, are all tied to and logically derive from Josephs’ desire to build a Holy City.
We sometimes think of the restoration as the Lord telling us the right answers again: the right age for baptism, the right organization of the church (apostles, seventies), correcting the idea that revelation and scripture were now closed, the accurate understanding of the plan of salvation, the correct authority on earth. We think of these as independent truths.
It’s as if these doctrines were individual plants in our Gospel Garden, that have been planted again on the earth, God restored them again, and we admire them each, organize them into rows, and appreciate or enjoy their fruits in turn.
But I now think of these doctrines as fruits from a common tree. Each of these doctrines grow out of the trunk, which is Jesus Christ. Each fruit flourishes because they bring us His power and connect us to Him. And each have the purpose of tying us to God and each other, the creation of a little piece of heaven, a holy city, Zion.
Bishops, the Law of Consecration, Missionary Work, Temples, Priesthood all grow out of, and are all necessary to build, a Holy City that can receive God. They are not independent doctrines but share the same trunk and source.
The desire to actually build Zion was the great consuming passion of Joseph and it directed his life and work for the rest of his life – and he wanted to actually build it; building Zion wasn’t just as a metaphor for being nice to each other. It was about building a City of God, a temple to welcome him and in which to make eternal covenants and family bonds that would outlast this earth.
If that’s true for Joseph and it’s what the Restoration is about ‐‐ this means our main task is to do the same – to build Zion, to build a holy city (or ward) so unified and pure that we can call down Heaven and God’s peace.
14 Revelations in Context, The Tithing of my People.
The goal of Zion is not a checklist of what we believe, the scriptures we memorize, our jobs or church callings or clothes or money or status or even our carbon footprint or GPA – but whether we’ve helped to build a community of believers. The test for us is whether we are builders: builders of a holy city and people.
I want to leave you with two images about Zion and the Restoration.
The Final Judgment
The first is an image that has struck me recently and that has stayed with me. It’s an image of judgment day, and what it’ll look like.
What if on judgment day, we stand alone before our creator and Jesus Christ? And behind us, there is no wall that lists our accomplishments, no screen that plays a movie reviewing our lives in fast forward, no list of honors and prizes, there’s not a resume or framed graduation certificates, there is no Facebook‐like wall with pictures of our vacations or friends or the high points of our life. There is no list of the scriptures we’ve memorized or the callings we held.
Instead, I imagine a final judgment where we stand, alone before our Maker, but behind us are the people that we have blessed and lifted. Behind us are the people who have thanked God for us in their prayers; people we have built and encouraged and visited in a tough time of illness or imprisonment or despair or failure; the friends you have fed and for whom you have tended so they wouldn’t strangle their kids on a tough afternoon. Behind us are the people who we built (the other word for building is edified) and the people we lifted closer to Christ.
These people stand to defend us and to bear witness to our deeds.
This is the judgment I imagine.
Who will be there? How many will say you have blessed and lifted them? Many of you will be backed by a large crowd of grateful people, who are stronger for your efforts and grateful for your hands, and faith, and blessings, and the times you lifted and taught and built them. Our bishopric and the relief society leaders and youth leaders I have seen in this ward are amazing at this – and I will be behind them in their crowd, witnessing to the times they have built me and my family and helped us connect to God.
I do not think anything else I can do will in the end, make up for or distract from an otherwise empty room at that point. I cannot stand there, exposed and self‐conscious, look around uncomfortably at a relatively vacant room and, in the echoey silence, clear my throat and say: “Would it help if I mentioned that I read my scriptures? What if I told you that I never skipped church? Did I tell you I was really good at picking investments?”
I like to read the scriptures. I like to study the Gospel. Ruth likes to live it. Both things are important, but if my reading does not lead me to live it, she’ll have a much, much bigger crowd of witnesses behind her. Now, I’ll stop talking about Ruth here because she’ll kill me if I don’t – and martyrdom is not part of the restoration I’m not looking to repeat today.
Build Zion and fill the room behind you. Lift and encourage, tutor and tend, serve and study with and write thank you notes; forgive and share and sacrifice and say you’re sorry. Sit with those in sorrow or at least bake them brownies. Listen to people who don’t have others to talk to. Lift up the hands that hang down and the eyes that cannot see heaven’s hand. Be there for people who cannot feel God in their life.
Fill the room behind you by building others. Callings are opportunities to add to the crowd.
Grandpa Lundgren
Finally, I want to tell you about my Grandpa Lundgren. I was lucky to know and admire four wonderful grandparents, and come judgment day, the room behind them will be standing room only. But let me tell you a little bit about one of these – Fritz Lundgren.
Grandpa Lundgren was a Swedish immigrant. He came from Sweden in the depression years, sent by his family to the States in order to earn money and sent it back to support the family. They lived in the North of Sweden, where winters were long and hard and the growing season short, and – at that time – jobs impossible to find. The family worked hard, but barely scraped by. They often went hungry and, hearing stories of plenty in the promised land, together decided that my Grandpa would get a boat for America and head to the Northwest to work as a lumberjack.
Grandpa never had much formal school and never held a fancy title or earned much money. He met and married my Grandma working in kitchen at the lumber camp. Together they scraped by, owning a second-hand store and later a plumbing supply store in eastern Oregon. He joined the church and never served in a fancy leadership position. But he was as involved in God’s work of restoration as anybody I know. At judgment day, his will be backed by throngs of grateful people
Near the end of his life, I visited him. He was a big, incredible strong man, hardened by years of hard physical labor. But now he lay dying of cancer, his body wasting from the disease and its treatment and his days numbered. We sat there talking when he, with real power and clarity, turned to me and said: “Robby, I regret every day that I didn’t help someone.”
I don’t think there were many of those days. Do you know what he did on his vacations? He went to the local hospital to visit people there – walking up and down the halls, looking for people to talk to. On his vacation! He’d talk to and laugh with anybody. He’d cheer up the room with his un-self-conscious humor and grace – he was comfortable with others I think because he didn’t think about himself, or what impression he was making, he was thinking about them.
When I was young, he’d come to visit us at Christmastime and stay for weeks, his version of vacation. He’d go to church on Sunday in our ward and take note of the people who looked lonely, and then he’d visit them later during the week. He’d just walk up and knock on their door and introduce himself and sit down. This led to repeat visits and friendships that lasted for years. Someone later told me that they’d lived in the ward for decades and that the only person that ever came to their home was my Grandpa Lundgren, a visitor to the ward. He lived for others.
My brother David was traveling somewhere in the Northwest years ago. He was passing through some town and since it was Sunday, he found a church to attend. The speaker that day told a story of his family’s activity in the church. At some point, they’d stopped coming to church and had gone inactive for years, for decades, and essentially fallen off the map. But through it all, one man from the ward, came to visit them every month, for a decade, laughed with them, tried to help them, remembered birthdays and swapped stories and invited them gently but consistently to come back to church. That man’s name, you won’t be surprised to hear, was Fritz Lundgren.
He did that for many people. One man, inactive for years, finally agreed to come to church with his friend Fritz. But when that Sunday came, he decided to stay home and fix a leak in his roof. He was up there, hammering away on the roof, when he heard something behind him and turned around. He saw my Grandpa, dressed in work clothes, climbing the ladder and carrying tools. Grandpa said to him: “If this roof is more important to you today than is church, then that’s more important to me too.” This man, turned around, climbed back down the ladder, changed his clothes and together they went back to church. And he and his kids kept coming – they joined the Holy City Grandpa Lundgren was trying to build in LaGrande, Oregon.
Grandpa lived the motto: “Have I done any good in the world today? If not, I have failed indeed.”
When the judgment comes, there will be an enormous crowd behind him and I will be there with them.
Conclusion
So, that’s my message today:
1. The Restoration is personal – it's not just a story about institutions and history. Don’t just look at Joseph and the early leaders, their character, qualities or flaws. They are the finger. The restoration is a map for how we connect to God and feel His power and return to Him. The events of the restoration point us to a more profound relationship with God. 2. Jesus is the start, the heart, the center of this. 3. Our goal is to build others – to build a holy city of individuals by caring for each other. I think we’ll be judged by whether we’ve helped build. We are to be builders.
Of course, the last two are related: if we have done anything to the “very least of these,” we have done it to the Savior. What we do for the marginalized and troubled, we do for Christ. This is not just an encouraging metaphor. It’s a profound truth.
Here’s another: do you know another word for builder? Look up synonyms for the verb building and you will find these: to create; to make, to form, fashion or model; to create. Do those words point to something? Do these words tell you something of our goal and destination?
The point of the Restoration is not to end up with the right answers on doctrinal issues and right beliefs: baptism, trinity, etc. 15 The events of the restoration are the signs – the pointers. The point of the Restoration is that we come to know that God and covenant with Him. We are coeternal with him and headed into a future we cannot imagine.
15 What I used to think: Jesus had correct organization and doctrine, apostles killed, those changed, and he restarted with the correct organization and doctrines: apostles, bishops, age of baptism, priesthood, immersion, continuing revelation, 3 kingdoms. That is missing the forest for the trees a little (story line a little boring)
Robert Daines
Palo Alto, California
August 2018
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