I have entitled my discussion with you today
“But for Joseph,” which is appropriate
since on this day, the 27th of June, we commemorate
each year the end of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s
earthly mission. However, let me preface my
remarks with a little background information.
First, I must say that I’ll never again
complain about being given an assigned topic
for a talk. Any restrictiveness is far outweighed
by the overwhelming feeling of having the
entire universe of gospel subjects laid out
before you. When I heard the date of this
devotional, I knew that the Prophet Joseph
would be a part of what I would address today,
most likely as an excellent illustration of
qualities we should cultivate in our lives.
However, since I am not a Church historian,
I didn’t plan to have Joseph be the topic.
But I am a convert to the religion Joseph
Smith restored, and today I will be speaking
unabashedly about that conversion. If you
are not a Latter-day Saint, I invite you to
listen with an open mind and heart.
It is that firsthand journey from the Prophet
being an example to the entire focus of this
talk that I will try to describe to you today.
As I researched and read, interviewed and
soul searched, my testimony of the Prophet
Joseph moved from the factual to the very
personal. So instead of discussing in a general
way “But for Joseph, how different would
the world be?” I have asked myself and I
am asking you to consider now, “But for
Joseph, how different would my life be?”
I first heard the name Joseph Smith during
the summer after my sophomore year in high
school. I had attended a conference with a
group of teenage girls, and we were returning
from Galveston to our homes in El Paso, Texas.
It was a long bus ride, and I think more to
preserve our chaperones’ sanity than to
give us an educational experience, we stopped
in San Antonio, where the HemisFair, an event
akin to the world’s fair, was being held.
The adults turned us loose for several hours
to visit the various pavilions, and my group
of six soon found its way to one entitled
“Man’s Search for Happiness.” When we
discovered we had accidentally stumbled into
a religious presentation, we tried to exit
the side door—but those clever missionaries
had locked it! We were stuck, so we feigned
attention until the audience moved into the
next room and we could escape through some
unlocked doors. When we boarded the bus later
that afternoon for what was still a long ride
home, I noticed that the only piece of reading
material I had managed to hold onto—not
coincidentally, I believe now—during our
dash through the fair was a pamphlet with
Joseph Smith’s picture on the front. I read
through it, motivated only by a need to pass
the time, and mentally categorized it as “curious.”
The following spring, in my American history
class, I was searching for an engaging topic
for a term paper. It was a time when newspaper
headlines spoke of civil rights and of legally
atoning for past injustices. I would have
preferred to do a paper on current events
and discrimination against groups the majority
labeled as “different,” but it was a history
class. As I looked at a time line of the 1800s
in one of the reference books, the persecutions
against the Mormons captured my attention.
I chose to take an objective (which turned
out to be far more sympathetic) look back
at the events that forced this peculiar religious
group westward. The name Joseph Smith turned
up again as I researched the topic in history
books and encyclopedias.
Over the years when someone has asked about
my conversion, I have not typically included
these previous two experiences. My story usually
began with the events that immediately preceded
my hearing the missionary lessons. I think
I had discounted these two experiences because
of my resistance to the message in the first
instance and my factual, even sterile, approach
in the second. I feel differently today. I
am convinced that these incidents provided
background for my later acceptance of the
gospel. They were an introduction to the concept
of a recent prophet and a factual placement
of events in time. Without this context I
feel I would not have been sufficiently primed
to accept, relatively quickly, the missionaries’
message about what God revealed to a 14-year-old
boy in the spring of 1820. I believe these
were preparatory steps, and the Lord, knowing
me, was customizing my instruction.
For about two years prior to that evening
when I sat in my living room and listened
to the missionaries present the first discussion,
I had been on a “spiritual quest.” I had
grown up in a family that valued Christian
ideals such as honesty, fair treatment of
others, and kindness, but I did not have a
spiritual dimension in my life, and I longed
for one. I felt a growing need, an urgency,
really, to fix my mind and heart on the divine,
so I began to study about and visit different
churches. I approached each new introduction
to the members of a congregation and the denomination’s
beliefs and doctrine optimistically. I didn’t
understand it completely at the time, but
I had a two-part screening system in place:
First I would try to take a spiritual reading,
a check of how I was feeling, early in the
visit; then I would turn to the doctrinal
aspects and ask questions about the true purpose
of life, the hereafter, and how these affected
the way one lived now. None of the churches
I visited passed even the first part of my
test, and I was getting discouraged.
Now back to that evening in 1970: After a
brief discussion of the Apostasy, the missionaries
reverently explained the Restoration brought
about through the Prophet Joseph Smith. They
presented in some detail that curious story
I had quickly read about in the pamphlet two
years earlier. I felt my initial optimism
that this church could be my spiritual destination
slip away, and doubts crowded into my mind.
Did they actually believe that God had appeared
to someone just last century? And to a boy
younger than I was rather than to a wise,
aged prophet? While I formed my questions,
the missionaries moved on to a flannel-board
presentation with circles and lines that depicted
the plan of salvation. Before long I felt
that their explanation was somehow familiar
to me, and they had my full attention. I was
certain that they were speaking the truth
in this part of their presentation, and I
felt some hope return. As the missionaries
were leaving, they scheduled our next appointment,
handed me a copy of The Joseph Smith Story,
and asked me to commit to read it carefully
and pray about it. I agreed to do so.
Later that night, my roller coaster of emotions
hit a low point. As I thought back on all
I had heard and felt during the evening and
weighed the positives and negatives in my
mind, I believed that I would cancel the next
appointment I had set. But first I decided
to keep my promise to the missionaries. After
I had read the Prophet’s narrative of the
First Vision and beyond, I offered up an awkward,
short prayer. Sleep came quickly, so I was
not left to ponder the message for long. The
next morning, as I knelt again in prayer,
I found that the Spirit had eased my doubts
about Joseph Smith’s account and confirmed
the truths of which he testified. I kept the
appointment with the sister missionaries,
and that decision has made all the difference
in my life. But for Joseph, I would not have
found my spiritual home in the restored gospel
of Jesus Christ.
At the time, that level of understanding and
testimony was sufficient for me to go forth
with my study, baptism, and confirmation.
When the Lord told the members of his newly
formed church, “For his word ye shall receive,
as if from mine own mouth, in all patience
and faith," He most likely was admonishing
some whose faith was at such an early stage
as mine was then. Patience and faith are essential
elements in the development of our testimonies,
but our progression must be accelerated in
these latter days. After visiting the Sacred
Grove on one occasion, President Gordon B.
Hinckley wrote in his journal that he felt
an “ever-growing compulsion to bear testimony
of the divinity of the Lord and of the mission
of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I think this
world needs this more than any other thing.
Preparing this talk has forced me to assess
the testimony I began to build 30 years ago
of the Prophet Joseph and the eternal truths
he restored. I know that this initial and
essential conviction has been strengthened
by study, prayer, and life’s experience;
but I needed to draw closer, to look deeper
at his mission. The Prophet Joseph served
as a divine conduit in bringing to light marvelous
and precious truths. In his eyewitness account
of the Martyrdom, President John Taylor summed
up Joseph’s contribution:
In a space of approximately 24 years, the
Prophet Joseph accomplished much that has
eternal, historical, and personal implications
for each of us. As I attempt to list the following
four of his contributions and the ways each
has particular meaning in my life, I encourage
you to make your own list.
Because he was willing to ask God directly,
the Prophet Joseph—and each of us through
him—learned eternal truths about the nature
of God and the current status of God’s kingdom
on earth. He learned that the forces of the
adversary are real and combat all that is
righteous and pure. Joseph also learned that
the Father and the resurrected Lord are separate
beings who knew him and spoke to him by way
of instruction. He learned that none of the
churches on the earth at that time had the
truth and that he should join none of them.
In his book Here We Stand, Joseph Fielding
McConkie underscored the personal implications
the First Vision holds for each of us:
The way we answer questions about our faith
ought to be by finding the quickest and most
direct route to the Sacred Grove. That is
our ground. It is sacred ground. It is where
the heavens are opened and the God of heaven
speaks. It is where testimonies are born and
the greatest truths of heaven are unveiled.
But for the Prophet Joseph’s experience
in the Sacred Grove, I would not have an understanding
of the loving nature of God and my literal
claim to divine heritage, described in Doctrine
and Covenants 25:1: “All those who receive
my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.”
The God I had learned about before I accepted
the gospel was removed, ever-judging, and
powerful. However, I had an experience as
a young child that was not consistent with
this unapproachable image of deity. At that
time I was living in rural Arkansas. Because
I had no brothers or sisters, I had adopted
an agreeable farm dog as my constant companion.
One afternoon as we were walking home along
a single-lane road, she was struck and killed
by a truck as I looked on. That night, as
I tried to fall asleep, my grief overwhelmed
me. Before long that grief turned into fear
that I, too, might die suddenly. No one was
near enough in the house to console me, so
I offered up a prayer, and my pleading was
heard. I felt encircled by warm, loving arms
and instinctively knew I was being comforted
by my Father. As the missionaries explained
the nature of a loving Heavenly Father who
answered young Joseph Smith’s prayer, my
experience 13 years earlier came immediately
to my mind and validated their words.
With the assistance of his scribes, Joseph’s
unceasing efforts resulted in the translation
of the Book of Mormon, another testament of
Jesus Christ; the Pearl of Great Price; and
the publication of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Can you imagine your life without the precepts,
the images, and the understanding that the
Book of Mormon lends? We know that “the
Book of Mormon [is] the most correct of any
book on earth, and the keystone of our religion,
and a man [can] get nearer to God by abiding
by its precepts, than by any other book. But
for Joseph, we would not have this book of
scripture. Think how limited our understanding
would be if we did not have Father Lehi’s
vision of the tree of life. What a loss if
we did not have the opportunity to know Nephi,
Alma, Moroni, and others through their own
words. How incomplete our view of the Savior’s
ministry would be if we did not have at our
fingertips the tender account in 3 Nephi of
Him with His “other sheep” in America.
And how lacking our understanding of the creation
would be without the accounts recorded in
the books of Moses and Abraham. Without the
intensive instruction in Church history and
covenant-making and -keeping in the Doctrine
and Covenants, would we be able to truly appreciate
the legacy of our faith’s past and be prepared
to serve in the kingdom?
In this dispensation the Prophet Joseph literally
brought heaven closer to earth as he lifted
the darkness of apostasy, banished it, and
brought to light the Savior’s plain and
precious doctrine. He was the chosen instrument
of the Lord who was called both to distinguish
the true, restored church from other denominations
and to bring forth the power and purity of
Christ’s true doctrines. Joseph F. Smith
stated in Gospel Doctrine:
Thus the Prophet Joseph provided the needed
linkage to the Savior who, as the Great Mediator,
connects us to the Father. Indeed, Joseph
taught that
the fundamental principles of our religion
are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets,
concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was
buried, and rose again the third day, and
ascended into heaven; and all other things
which pertain to our religion are only appendages
to it.
But for Joseph, my understanding of the Atonement
still would be theoretical and abstract. I
would not have the information that tells
me that the Savior’s sacrifice was, yes,
infinite and all-encompassing, but also very
specifically for me. Understanding the personal
nature and application of the Atonement allows
me to know that, after all I can do, my Savior
and Redeemer in His mercy can complete my
circle of repentance and growth and lift my
soul. He can and has changed my heart when
no amount of study, willpower, or well-intended
advice could affect my need. I am thankful
to know that this greatest of gifts can make
me, in spite of my weaknesses, more fit for
His service.
Under divine tutelage, the Prophet Joseph
organized the Church. He directed the construction
of the Kirtland and Nauvoo Temples and restored
the ordinances of the house of the Lord for
the benefit of individuals and families. He
was ordained to the holy priesthood, and,
through him, its powers and blessings were
restored to the earth. Joseph saw that missionaries
were sent forth to take the gospel not only
to surrounding areas but also to Europe and
the isles of the sea. He established the Relief
Society for the sisters that they might have
opportunities to extend charity to those in
need and to save souls.
But for Joseph, I could not be a participant
in the building of the kingdom of God today.
Without the fellowship of my brothers and
sisters in the gospel, I would not be strengthened
and sustained. Since my baptism I have had
only a few times when I was unable to associate
with the Saints, and then it was for only
a short period of time. But how I missed their
kind counsel and that communication from spirit
to spirit.
I can’t imagine my life without the refuge
and perspective of the temple. If the sacred
ordinances that are performed therein were
not on the earth today, I would not have the
understanding of eternal marriage that stands
firm in the face of trials and challenges.
I am so grateful that our son, Brandt, and
his wife, Lori, currently have the privilege
of serving in the Washington D.C. Temple.
Brandt recently wrote in an e-mail:
Last night was our night to work in the temple,
and while I was officiating, I heard myself
speaking the incredible blessings that are
promised, and was overwhelmed by the great
mercy and love that our Father shows us by
extending those blessings to us and giving
me the opportunity to help pronounce those
blessings upon others who are anxiously waiting
for them on both sides of the veil.
What a wonderful blessing it is to live when
the fullness of the gospel, the fullness of
the priesthood, and the fullness of the blessings
of our Savior’s Atonement are here and waiting
for all!
I, too, marvel at the blessings that are ours
because temples are now among us. In a little
over a month, our son Micah will be sealed
for time and all eternity to a beautiful daughter
of God in the Lord’s house. All of our sons,
the two daughters they have added to our family,
and other loved ones will witness that all-important
moment in eternity. Today my heart nearly
bursts with gratitude just thinking about
the occasion. But for Joseph, those priesthood
keys could not be exercised in our behalf.
And without the priesthood, and a husband
worthy and willing to call down blessings
of comfort, healing, and strength upon our
family, the world’s “three Ds’—distraction,
discouragement, and despair—would never
be far away from our door. And without the
selfless sacrifice of missionary work, I literally
would not be with you today. In addition,
my husband and sons would never have had the
privilege of seeking out and bringing into
the fold people who at first appeared so different
in language and custom but soon became quite
literally their brothers and sisters.
Recently our oldest son Travis traveled to
Florida to be at Miami International Airport
when Elder Franklyn Tavarez returned from
his mission in Michigan. When he was serving
in the Fort Lauderdale Mission, Travis had
the privilege of baptizing Frankie when he
was a young teenager. How I wish I could have
witnessed the embrace that they shared as
brothers and fellow missionaries upon his
arrival!
Our missionary son, Taylor, who is completing
his mission in Chile next month, recently
shared his testimony with us in a letter:
I know this work is true. I know that the
standard of truth has been erected. I feel
the power of the priesthood when I humbly
use it. I know that Jesus is our Savior. I
will forever be grateful for the gospel in
my life and will forever defend the truth
and this, the Lord’s Church.
Having the privilege to serve full-time and
never-ending missions that bring souls unto
Christ through the gospel that Joseph restored
is the sweetest work to which we can devote
ourselves.
But for Joseph, the Relief Society would not
have been divinely organized. I love this
organization and the privilege it affords
me to serve with the exceptional sisters of
the Church. That is another talk for another
day, but let me just say that when Joseph
told his beloved Emma and the sisters gathered
in 1842 that he “turn[ed] the key” in
their behalf, under the direction of the priesthood
of God, Heavenly Father provided a structure
for his daughters to have firsthand experience
with both extending and receiving Christlike
service.
Thus we are all eternally indebted to the
Prophet Joseph Smith. How do we demonstrate
that gratitude? Let me suggest three ways.
1. We can seek to love and honor the Prophet
Joseph as we learn more of his life and his
mission.
After spending this time researching the Prophet,
I realized that I did not know enough about
him as an individual. The first quality that
comes to my mind now when I think of him is
humility. From his earnest plea in the Sacred
Grove to his nobility in Liberty Jail and
at Carthage, Joseph set aside all pride and
sublimated his will to the Father and His
work. In his book Mere Christianity, C. S.
Lewis described a humble man not as someone
with downcast eyes who is always underrepresenting
his worth and contribution. Rather, he said,
if you were to meet a humble man,
probably all you will think about him is that
he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who
took a real interest in what you said to him.
If you do dislike him it will be because you
feel a little envious of anyone who seems
to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking
about humility: he will not be thinking about
himself at all.
This was the Prophet Joseph.
And the Prophet did enjoy life. President
Joseph F. Smith described Joseph:
O, he was full of joy; he was full of gladness;
he was full of love. . . . And while he could
play with children and amuse himself at simple,
innocent games among men, he also communed
with the Father and the Son and spoke with
angels, and they visited him, and conferred
blessings and gifts and keys of power upon
him.
Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to spend
time with this man, this prophet? I believe
that we would each have loved him in a very
personal way. President Brigham Young expressed
his feelings for Joseph with great enthusiasm:
The Prophet inspired love in those who knew
him best. The Prophet’s nephew, President
Joseph F. Smith, also stated, “Where [Joseph
Smith’s name] is spoken of for good, . . . they
revere him, and they love him, as they love
no other man” (GD, 481). At the dedication
of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, President
Gordon B. Hinckley summed up his feelings
for the Prophet by simply exclaiming , “I
love the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love the
Prophet Joseph Smith! Brothers and sisters,
I can now join these brethren and say I love
this man, this prophet.
The Prophet reminded all members of the Church,
“When you joined this Church you enlisted
to serve God. When you did that you left the
neutral ground, and you never can get back
on to it." Our testimonies cannot be generic;
they cannot be neutral on the subject of the
life and mission of the Prophet. We are instructed
in Doctrine and Covenants 31:4, “You shall
declare the things which have been revealed
to my servant, Joseph Smith.” And we should
never testify of revelations without acknowledging
the revelator. Brigham Young’s logic on
this point was direct and profound:
If Jesus lives, and is the Saviour of the
world, Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, and
lives in the bosom of his father Abraham.
Though they have killed his body, yet he lives
and beholds the face of his Father in heaven;
and his garments are pure as the angels that
surround the throne of God; and no man on
the earth can say that Jesus lives, and deny
at the same time my assertion about the Prophet
Joseph.
In section 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants,
the Lord told Joseph:
The ends of the earth shall inquire after
thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision,
and hell shall rage against thee;
While the pure in heart, and the wise, and
the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel,
and authority, and blessings constantly from
under thy hand.
And in section 6 the Lord admonished us, “Therefore
be diligent; stand by my servant Joseph, faithfully,
in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may
be for the word’s sake” (D&C 6:18). May
we demonstrate by the testimonies we bear
that we are diligently standing by him and
can be counted among those who revere Joseph’s
name and essential role.
In the Lectures on Faith, Joseph charged us
to live as he had:
In the Church we experience different seasons
of service. In each calling we have the opportunity
to sacrifice more of ourselves than we ever
have before. We honor Joseph by serving well,
literally consecrating our efforts in doing
that which no one else can accomplish at that
time and in that place to serve the Master.
As I close today, I want to thank those two
sister missionaries and their stake counterparts
who, 30 years ago, challenged me to read and
pray about the Prophet Joseph’s story. I
also am immensely grateful to those who, in
recent months, have helped me know Joseph
better as a man and a foreordained prophet.
My family and friends have expressed unwavering
support and encouragement. At a moment of
despair when a significant part of my text
for this talk had somehow “evaporated”
into cyberspace, Heidi Swinton, who wrote
last year’s amazing PBS production An American
Prophet, took time she didn’t have to lend
me perspective. I also appreciate Liz Lemon
Swindle, the gifted artist, who has brought
Joseph closer to our hearts through her paintings
and has allowed me to share some of them with
you today.
On this occasion we are gathered here as Saints
in a building that bears the Prophet’s name
because of what happened in that Sacred Grove.
And on this anniversary of the Martyrdom,
I join with President Hinckley in reminding
us that the accomplishments of the life of
the Prophet Joseph Smith will never be blurred.
The testimony of Joseph lives on.
Now, my brothers and sisters, most of you
will not be asked to make such sacrifices
or to respond to such calls. But what you
do with your lives as you live them from day
to day is no less important.
Whatever our present calling or opportunity,
may we carry on his work. By so doing, we
honor Joseph’s memory and bring glory to
our Savior and our Father.
Brothers and sisters, I challenge all of us,
at whatever level—even if we are at a very
early stage in our journey of faith—to deepen
our understanding of the Prophet Joseph and
his divine mission, to acknowledge before
our Father and all who will listen that, but
for the Prophet’s role in this dispensation,
our lives would be barren and our hope would
fail us. I speak from personal experience
when I say to you that seeking this new level
of testimony will not come easily; the adversary
will attempt to block your progress. It will
require a letting go of pride and the things
of this world that confuse and distract you.
You will need to make a higher level of commitment
to the work that the Prophet Joseph died to
further. But all the effort is worth it, and
it is essential that you commit yourself to
it. For me, the strengthening of my testimony
of the Prophet Joseph seemed to come together
in a single moment. All of the historical
and spiritual pieces fell into place as I
read the simple, direct statement of the Lord
to his beloved servant Joseph—and to each
of us—in Doctrine and Covenants 5:10: “But
this generation shall have my word through
you.”
I have glimpsed his earnest desire, unstoppable
faith, the discouragement he made productive,
and his feelings of enveloping joy, and I
can now testify, with a conviction born of
love for the Prophet Joseph and inexpressible
gratitude for his mission, that he is a prophet
of God. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
