Sacrament Meeting Talks Worth Rereading

Editor's Note: Not all sacrament meeting speakers write out their talks verbatim. I did not want to overlook the value of the talks given by speakers who want to speak somewhat from the heart, so I will occasionally post really substantial outlines of talks worth re-reading, like this one. This talk is presented with its speaker's original formatting. I grew up outside Seattle, raised by a prof of English Accounts for love of Victorian poetry, obsession w/ grammar, lumps on head (“dude”) Father had (and taught) appreciation for power of words used well Theme of sacrament meeting is Christ-like communication Doctrinal principle – Joseph Smith’s Lectures on Faith : “It is by words … [that] every being works when he works by faith. God said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’ Joshua spake, and the great lights which God had created stood still. Elijah commanded, and the heavens were stayed… All this was done by faith. … Faith, then, works by words;...

We’d only been in our new ward a few weeks when a flustered Primary counselor tapped me on the shoulder in Sunday school. She whispered that they were missing a primary teacher and asked if I would please be a last-minute substitute for the four-year-old class. I told her I would and asked when it started. She said, “Five minutes ago.” The counselor showed me to the classroom and handed me a manual. She told me the lesson number and that someone would tap on the door five minutes before the end of class. Then with a quick, “Okay children, be good for Sister Lewis,” she hurried out the door. Six little faces watched the door close behind her and then turned curiously to me. I smiled and told them my name and a little about myself and then, as I had them introduce themselves to me, I skimmed the lesson. The opening said to first review last week’s lesson, which was on the Resurrection. By the time we had had our opening prayer I had a rough lesson plan in my head. I’d go over the main po...