Talk Of Him - EP 26 - Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 25; John 19

on today's episode of talk of him we'll talk about two of the most profound symbols of Christianity and how those symbols can help us deepen our faith in an appreciation for Jesus Christ we also all sing over our trauma our pain and our loneliness to the Savior and how that turning over to the Savior can enable us and Empower us to go forward in our own healing Journey all that and more this week on talk of him foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] of talk of him I'm here with gainalynn Conde the inimitable gainalen Conde I wanted to use that word somewhere it means I just can't you there's no one like you can't mimic you can't imitate you're inimitable it's a great word it is a GRE hit list I remember for my graduate days okay well we're coming out that's a good thing inimitable yeah yeah absolutely you're unique you're above and beyond your own class okay so we're coming to you today from our studio here in American Fork Utah sorry they wanted to pull the car out we want to go we wanted to show you a little bit uh a little bit about our talk of him team because it's not just gainalyn and me up here we we couldn't do what we do without all of our uh friends here at covenant Communications and on the talk of him team so today we're going to introduce two just two specifically Ron the director and Sawyer the camera guy editor they're going to come in and say hi hello look how good looking Ron and Sawyer Ron here Sawyer there so if you're not watching you're going to want to tune in on YouTube or something to see their beautiful faces because Ron just shared with us how long he's been at covenant yes over 20 years now it's beautiful right yes so anyway we just want to make sure we recognize all the contributions from everybody behind the scenes that make the show possible we're so grateful to Covenant Communications and our top of him team yeah tune in next month for more behind the scenes we'll introduce some more people that are a little bit more reluctant yes we're gonna get them on camera for you see it's one thing to to watch us do it every week yes on this side of the camera it's a little so stay tuned yeah well on today's episode we're studying Matthew 27 Mark 15 Luke 23 John 19. those are the chapters in the come follow me reading uh who knows what the spirit direct you to discover but we're going to share with you just a couple things we that hit us and I'll start today by going to John 19. and in our readings and in in Matthew 27 we are introduced Daniel into two of the most powerful symbols in Christianity and I'll bet you could guess him but no spoilers here it is all right John 19 and he bearing his cross went forth into a place called Golgotha where they crucified him symbol number one the cross right Matthew 27 and when Joseph had taken the body this is Joseph of Arimathea he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the Rock and he rolled a great Stone to the door of the Sepulcher and departed symbol number two the tomb in our find him Journal study journal for this week we note that the now empty cross and then now vacant tomb are two of the most powerful symbols in Christianity and I'd like to just sort of focus for a moment on why the cross is so meaningful in its symbolism um specifically I'd like to draw from the words of Jesus about what he's talking to Nicodemus here and he's telling Nicodemus sort of the significance of the Cross and I think this is important because of course we get commentary from Paul in the New Testament about the cross and its symbolism we get commentary from Jesus again and third Nephi when he visits the people in The Book of Mormon about the symbolism of the Cross and here in John 3 verses 14 and 15 Jesus says this he says Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life and so you'll remember the story of Moses in the wilderness he has this stick this staff and he puts he's can he's instructed to put a Brazen serpent on it and anyone that looks to the serpent on the stick on the staff is healed that's the symbolism for Jesus on the cross look to the cross and remember through Jesus we are healed and also the symbol for doctors and medical for the healing that is offered there beautiful and so in Jesus's own words those that's one of the central symbolic meanings behind the cross Elder Holland in a recent conference talk uh peeled back even more layers of beautiful symbolism for the cross he says we generally don't use the iconography of the Cross and what he means there specifically is we don't use the cross as a um direct or or sort of official symbol of our religion right like um many Christians do he says I I even though we don't use it in our official iconography I wish to make abundantly clear our deep respect and profound admiration for the faith-filled motives and devoted lives of those who do and then in a footnote in that same talk Elder Holland says when Paul speaks of the Cross he is using doctrinal shorthand to speak of the Majesty of the atonement so he uses the cross as a symbol to remember Jesus in a sacrifice an arena where Latter-Day Saints readily join him and quote him so yes we love the symbol of the Cross no we don't use it in any of our official iconography but it's still beautiful and it's profound he goes on to say this the crosses we bear rather than the ones we wear are solemn reminders that there is a cost to discipleship it is one of the most powerful paradoxes of the crucifixion and this again this to me is one of the most beautiful symbols of the cross that I I don't think I'd ever heard until Elder Holland I agree when you see the cross what do you remember this is one of the things Elder Holland apparently remembers he says uh the crucifixion shows the arms of the Savior were stretched wide open and then nailed there unwittingly but accurately portraying that every man woman and child in the entire Human family is not only welcome but invited into his redeeming exalting embrace so powerful I was like that is amazing that is beautiful and if anyone is still on the fence about those that choose within our faith to wear crosses yeah um as I do as your wife Sarah does as many others if you want to refer to a great deeper dive into this we've referenced this um a talk of him when it was formally real talk we had John Hilton on he's written an amazing book called considering the cross and where it really does show that why the symbolism is powerful but specifically why the Savior loved to speak of himself and the cross so if the savior is willing to speak of it I think and if you want to have if you want to if you want to maybe expose yourself to some even more interpretations or or sort of beautiful symbols of what the the cross means ask someone who's wearing a cross what does it mean for you exactly man I tell you I've I've heard so many beautiful sacred things when I ask people and John features some of those kind of sad moments where people are criticized for it yeah yeah yeah but also some of the reasons behind I I've been asked many times why I've chosen and and even on the show you'll see me touch it sometimes and and for me it's a very personal I I love that Elder Holland allows us to show more respect for those that choose it he gives more historical background about why it isn't the iconography of the church um but and and we will say great explanation by the way that he gives about why we don't use the cross as our official symbol but now I want to move to the tomb which we do use now as our official symbol we did it before think about the Gospel Library app that you all probably have on your phone it used to have an angel Moroni on it right now it's so beautiful it depicts Jesus coming out of an empty tomb so that is used as part of artificial iconography both symbols beautiful I love how president Nelson and the Brethren were directed by God to use Jesus coming out of the empty tomb Elder Holland uh sorry president Nelson explains why we use the tomb he says we are pleased to introduce a symbol that will signify the central place of Jesus Christ in his church at the center of the symbol is a representation of the resurrected Living Lord reaching out to embrace all who will come unto him symbolically Jesus is standing under an arch the arch reminds us of the resurrected savior emerging from the tomb on the third day following his crucifixion and so there are some official iconography of the church but I do want to make the point that both of these symbols give meaning to each other because the empty cross really doesn't mean anything unless the tomb is you see how they give each other meaning which I think Elder Holland said in the Quorum of The Twelve in their room where they meet both the pictures of the Cross and the two savior on the cross on the tomb are there for that complete yes representation to each other and so um I don't know maybe just an invitation this week to consider some of the beautiful symbolism behind the cross and the tomb love that I'd like to jump over to Mark 15 and and touch on a couple verses there and then uh we'll see where we go with some additional thoughts from Luke 23. Mark 15 34 and at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice my God my God why hast Thou forsaken me so perfect connection to the discussion we've already had right on the cross and the tomb and here in verse 35 and some of them that stood by when they heard it said behold he called Elias and one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a read and gave him the drink saying let alone let us see whether Elias will come down to take him down and Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up The Ghost and the veil of the temple was written Twain From the top to the bottom so here we have that moment right where the savior's being mocked he's hanging on the cross and we see ultimately that um because of what he suffered and did it alone we don't have to be alone I love what Elder Holland said in 1989 the year I graduated high school because he must ultimately tread this wine press of redemption unaided can he endure the darkest moment of them all the shock of the greatest pain this comes not with thorns and with nails but with the terror of feeling utterly alone can he Bear all of our sins and our fear and loneliness too he did and he does and he will we do not have we do not know how such great sorrow can be born but it is no wonder the sun hid its face in shame no wonder the veil of the temple was rent no wonder the very Earth convulsed at the plight of this perfect child and at least one Roman Centurion who saw all of this sent something of what it had meant in awe he uttered the Declaration for all eternity truly this was the son of God and that to me is such a powerful I feel like Elder Holland is such a beautiful Wordsmith and his ability to to put into words those feelings of tenderness and and that awareness what I like to invite our our audience and what I considered as I read these verses which is what come follow me program is all about yeah right where do these few verses take you yeah and in my own loneliness and sense of being alone can I use those moments to draw closer in a connection with the Savior that's awesome and as Elder Holland said he did and he does and he will help us in our sin in our fear and in our loneliness and so as you Ponder this week some of the most sacred verses as we discuss the tomb right the cross like these are the these are the core parts of our faith as Christians that we we sometimes if you grow up with these verses of scripture it becomes normal to just Ponder on that Ponder on how you can draw from this week's study in a more personal relationship and connection in receiving from the Savior do you have any thoughts on unliness no you know I actually did just have something that just happened today in one of our classrooms um a student just this is a teenage boy probably a junior raises his hand we asked them to share sort of their feelings about the Savior and what blessings uh have come into their lives the most uh through their relationship with the Savior and he said these this very thing he said um I never feel lonely because of him he says and whenever I do you know experience you know what he's saying he says whenever I do feel alone I just know he's with me I've just always sensed him with me and he's my my best friend in that regard at that and I was just so impressed at this intense sort of like intimate connection with the Savior and awareness that I may be alone but it doesn't mean I have to feel lonely because he's always with me and he knows what it's like and he just found tremendous comfort in this reality thank you that's exactly what my hope in sharing that thought and that quote from elderhan it is that we can remember that the savior is always there and then one other thing that I want to share from now the Luke reading Luke 23 34 then said Jesus father forgive them for they know not what they do and they parted his raiment in cast lots and I think as they take his clothes right and they like this most sacred The Ultimate Gift given in all of eternity right right and and they're casting lots for his clothes I just think of what other or no president Worthen said as BYU president he said that God can make good come not just from our successes but also from our failures and the failures of others that cause us pain God is that good and that powerful and I just love that phrase but right here the savior is once again teaching us just like he did on the last night of his life as he washed the feet of those that were going to betray him he's inviting us to forgive some of the most hurtful and painful experiences sometimes only God knows about them right right and I feel like for the Savior to teach us this is an invitation for me to consider my own trauma my own pain my own loneliness how willing am I to give that pain over to God yeah how willing am I to I think sister Johnson President Johnson taught this like am I just going to carry the rocks in my backpack right and instead like I don't need to be because of his sacrifice and his gift to me I don't have to be lonely I don't have to carry trauma I don't have to carry pain I'm not trying to minimize the fact that trauma and pain can take time for sure and years and lots of effort to try to I sometimes I feel like John honestly I've already addressed that wait why is that trauma still showing up I I've been to therapy about that I've had priesthood blessings for that I fasted over that I've prayed about that and the next layer of the pain shows up it's just the invitation then to hand that pain over again we do not have to carry our crosses alone because the Savior carried his alone and the reality is whatever your cross is to Bear whether it's mental physical emotional spiritual Financial all the things the Savior can meet us in those spaces and because of that we can ultimately have any of those stewardships that are difficult be the gateway to a greater connection of Love With God consecrated for our gain that's it yeah and that's all that is for I I am not trained oversimplify but I have been praying that when we were going to have this conversation that the spirit would fill in the gaps of our words that it would meet our viewers right where they're at in their loneliness in the failures of others where the people you should be able to count on right we're talking parents and spouses and right I know in our audience that that is the real experience of mortality for so many savior can meet you there he felt it for you in the garden he felt it for you on the cross and because of him and because the tomb is empty those trauma pain and wounds can be healed through him yeah and he can help you carry it and like you said sometimes we still feel the weight of that for sure I mean that's but that's part of life that's how we develop the strength and the and the the capacity that he has but he helps us every step of the way before we give our invitation I just want to say this you know since this is the episode we had the behind the scenes people come on camera yeah we have shared many I have now been doing this show over four years I have shared so many vulnerable and very personal experiences you have done so as well Scott did when he was hosting the show with me and I am so grateful for the safety and the generosity of our audience for sure because the reality is it is really vulnerable to talk about some of the things that we have talked about but I guess I just want to say that on any of the episodes in the future and in the past where we have shared some of those feelings it all comes back to this conversation for me it comes back to the Savior and if anything that I've ever shared on camera hasn't more specifically pointed back to the Savior I ask for forgiveness because ultimately for me when I share pain when I share trauma it is ultimately to testify and witness of the Savior and that's always that's always my intent and and the intent of our show is to talk of him and those very personal ways so that he can meet you in those places we hope this week that as you go throughout the week you'll pay attention to how many times maybe you encounter the symbol of the cross each time you do think about how the Savior has suffered for you so that you can learn from your sins without being condemned by them and maybe you can see those symbols take your trauma and your pain also to those places and connect more fully in love with the Savior this week thank you for joining us and we'll see you again next week on talk of him [Music] talk of him is brought to you by Covenant Communications make sure you follow us on social media and pick up a copy of find him study guide at Seagull Book or online [Music] foreign

Channel: Seagull Book

Views: 7,601

Keywords: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS, Seagull Book, Covenant Communications

Id: HqNKmFvvFrk

Length: 20min 17sec (1217 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 15 2023