Caring for the Poor and Needy
[Stake Priesthood Meeting, June 2019]
Brethren, I want to talk to you this afternoon about something that is very important. In recent years and months it has been especially weighing on me. Addressing it with you is a component of repentance that I need to go through as a stake president. It’s also part of the repentance we need to go through as a stake. And, to varying degrees, it may be part of a very important repentance process that you (and perhaps your families) need to go through.
The topic is our responsibility for helping the poor. While it is true that the line between spiritual and temporal matters is very blurry—if it even exists at all—and, to God, apparently it doesn’t—I am not speaking today about our responsibility to care for those who are poor in spirit or who are spiritually lost. Those needs, of course, surround us on all fronts and our responsibilities there are sobering. But that is not today’s topic. Today’s topic is our responsibility for helping the materially poor. Those needs are also staggering. Fortunately or unfortunately, they do not confront us as directly in our immediate community as they do others in other parts of the world.
The Lord’s teachings on this topic are very clear. They are also ubiquitous throughout all canonized scripture both ancient and modern.
At the end of the Savior’s life, he taught the parable of the sheep and the goats. The message of this parable is vivid and should grab our attention. Those who feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, house the refugee, clothe the impoverished, and minister to the sick and imprisoned… these will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who don’t… will not.
I am sometimes concerned about our responses to the story of the Savior’s encounter with the rich young ruler. You all know the story. The Savior said to him, “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.”
While I acknowledge that we are not asked to make vows of poverty in our church—or to literally sell everything we have—nor do we have examples of the Brethren doing such things—I sometimes think that we go through great intellectual gymnastics to figure out how little the Savior’s message to the rich young man applies to each of us. We sometimes do that while looking down on this man—who may or may not have ended up applying the Savior’s counsel better than we do.
Let me remind you that the vast majority of us in this room today are very wealthy. Not a little wealthy. Very wealthy. You are the rich young ruler. And so am I. As I have pointed out before, most of us in this room are, in terms of wealth, in the top tenth of one percent of people in the world. Many are well into that one tenth of one percent. That means that if 1,000 random people were selected from all over the globe and put into a room and you were one of them, some among the 999 faces looking at you would be very hungry; some would be not far from death due to hunger, thirst, or preventable disease; and all would be looking at you as the steward of the greatest amount of resources that could help.
I worry about the Savior’s parable about Lazarus (not the one he raised from the dead; this one was fictitious) and the Rich Man. The story is about the rich man, which, again, is you and me. It goes like this:
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: The rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Tormented. The word the Savior chose twice to illustrate the fate of those who live without helping the poor is “tormented.” Brethren, let’s avoid being tormented.
It is true that temporal blessings follow obedience. It is not true that our accumulation of temporal blessings is an indication of our righteousness or of our fitness for the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, the exact opposite may be true.
By show of hands, how many of you know the three things that were referred to in what we used to call “the three-fold mission of the Church”? Some years ago, a fourth item was added to that list. I am very sorry to report—and I apologize to all of you—that from a leadership standpoint, the significance of that fourth item being added was largely lost on me. I ask your and our Heavenly Father’s forgiveness. As a stake presidency, we hope to guide the stake collectively toward repentance in this regard.
Here is the current statement in the Church Handbook of Instructions:
In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exaltation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities. These include helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances.
Caring for the poor and needy is not last in that list. It wasn’t tacked on as an also-ran.
So. Brethren, here is what we have done and what we are going to do:
First. We have long had three high council-led committees providing leadership to the stake for missionary work, gospel teaching, and temple work. We now have a fourth leadership team addressing our “divinely appointed responsibility” to care for the poor and the needy. This team consists of three high councilors and our entire stake RS presidency. Sister Stevens, Stake RS President, chairs this committee. Sister Cyndie Dobson also serves as a specialist on this committee—which has begun organizing and planning.
Second. We have asked every ward to have a Ward Council-led plan involving specific goals for missionary work, gospel teaching, and temple work. The wards have responded well and we are anxious to see those plans and goals come to fruition. By the way, there is good statistical evidence that, as a stake, we are improving in all three areas. And I am one who always looks at data with suspicion. We will also be meeting with Bishops and others to address the question of leadership for caring for the poor and the needy within the wards.
Third. We have communicated to stake members our desire that every individual and family engage in the work of salvation. We have tried to not over-prescribe exactly how individuals and families should participate, knowing that circumstances vary, and that fathers and mothers should lead in their homes. We have, however, promoted three “bulls-eyes,” so to speak for all to consider. Those are: having and pursuing a personal or family plan for missionary work; actively engaging in prayer and scripture study and teaching at home; and taking at least one family name to the temple each year for temple work.
Similarly, we are and will be inviting families and individuals to actively engage in the work of temporal salvation by caring for the poor and needy, whether near us, far from us, or both. Like our missionaryminded.org website which offers dozens of ideas on how individuals and families can participate in missionary work, we will present a wide variety of ways that individuals and families can participate in caring for the poor and the needy and, as with missionary work, we will ask individuals and families to establish their own plans for doing so. Let me give some simple examples of the types of ideas we’ll share:
- People can increase their fast offerings—including teaching our youth and young children to pay fast offerings. I find it pathetic that we don’t teach our children to pay fast offerings—and I am one who failed at that both as a child and, for a long time, as a parent.
- People can engage individually or as families or church groups in service projects found on JustServe.org.
- Families or church or neighborhood groups can gather to put together specific kits and relief packages for distribution to the needy.
- Families who have the time and means can travel out of the country to participate in on-site humanitarian projects.
- Individuals can participate in Self Reliance Groups and help mentor others in the group.
- Families can contribute to the Humanitarian Fund and LDS Charities. Let me add a few comments about this one in particular after we watch the following short video about the origins of LDS Charities…
[video]
There are some things I really like about LDS Charities. One is that all the money we give makes it all the way to the end of the cause. Another is that the Church partners with other charitable organizations and is part of the worldwide community doing good. Another is that the projects it engages in—everything from immunizations to newborn care to water accessibility and emergency response—are the types of products that contribute toward self-reliance and enabling people.
Besides tithing, Church donation slips—whether actual or electronic online—contain only three other categories of giving: Fast Offerings, Humanitarian (which is what funds LDS Charities), and Missionary Work (which is the most important self-reliance program in the world). I would encourage you to counsel with your wives and families, consider the Savior’s teachings, consider what will matter to you when your life is at its end. And give. A lot.
Brethren, in trying to call myself and all of us to repentance on this front, I do not wish to fail to acknowledge the good you are already doing. Please note that while I think we collectively have much work to do in this area, I make no judgments about any individuals. I do not know your personal circumstances. I do not know the extent of anyone’s giving or of their charitable efforts. Those are personal matters between you and the Lord. My interests are in relieving suffering and in keeping us all out of torments!
You are good, faithful men and it is one of the greatest blessings of my life to be befriended and taught and inspired by you. Please take this message home and begin counseling together with your wives and children. We have the birthright with all of its tangible and spiritual blessings. We have a great responsibility and a great work to do. Young men, your importance cannot be overstated. Your own families and many others will be blessed because of you. God has put you in position to do so—no doubt he has done so very intentionally.
The restored gospel is true. Joseph Smith received divine authority. We each bear some of that. Russell M. Nelson is God’s prophet today. Jesus Christ leads him. Jesus heals all who trust Him and submit themselves to Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Nearer to God by Abiding by Its Precepts
[Given by Chris Juchau in the Highland South Stake Conference, October 2017]
Recently—and frequently—we have been encouraged to study the Book of Mormon and to increase our focus on it. President Monson spoke of it in his last talk. Elder Carl B. Cook spoke of it in our Area Conference last month. Brother Callister, the Sunday School General President, spoke of it in General Conference and also when he was here visiting our stake last month.
As recorded in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith taught that a person “would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” Considering that Jesus Christ, himself, said that “life eternal is to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom though hast sent,” we who believe in the Book of Mormon should be particularly eager to abide by its precepts that we might know God and enjoy a more abundant life.
What is a “precept”? And what are these precepts in the Book of Mormon by which, if we abide, we may come nearer to God?
For simplicity’s sake, I will define a “precept” as an instruction, a guideline on how to live. To try to list and explain all the important precepts in the Book of Mormon is a task too large for a brief talk. I would like, though, to mention five specific precepts, or instructions, that the Book of Mormon invites us to follow and to which I add my testimony to the Prophet’s: If you and I abide by them, we will come closer to both our Father in Heaven and to the Savior.
Precept #1: Use your agency to act, rather than to be acted upon.
Agency allows each of us to be self-determining. None of us can entirely control our circumstances, but each of us can control our handling of them and who we will become.
It seems clear from the plan of salvation that agency and the privilege of self-determination are of supreme importance. A war was fought in heaven over agency and a third of our Father in Heaven’s children lost their inheritance because they fought against it. The atonement, itself, happened in the defense of our right to choose, God knowing the inevitability of our choosing incorrectly at moments along our way. Agency is so important, God does not even intervene when his children do horrible things to others of his children.
To not use our agency means to be acted upon, to be blown about and kicked around by the world. To accept a victim mentality which takes us away from faith and striving. A favorite saying of mine says, “Indecision becomes decision with the passing of time.” Where we don’t take charge of ourselves, someone or something else eventually will.
Young men and young women: Who do you want to become? Who will you become? What are you doing right now to ensure you become the type of son or daughter of God who can receive all the blessings that He wants you to enjoy?
For disciples of Christ, the call to act is also a call to lead—a call to lead all others around us to the Savior. It is a call to be self-reliant and self-determining in our spirituality, in our marriages and other relationships, in our finances, in our beliefs and philosophies.
We will come nearer to God by acting and by being less acted upon.
Precept #2: Exercise faith. Exercise it in patience, but exercise it.
To exercise faith means to act upon truth in the absence of perfect knowledge. The most important faith to exercise is faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. We do this by acting upon His teachings and striving to follow His example.
The Book of Mormon very clearly teaches that “faith” and “a perfect knowledge” are mutually exclusive things. The absence of a perfect knowledge means room for some level of uncertainty. What the Book of Mormon invites us to do is to experiment—not merely by thinking or philosophizing, but by acting—that our knowledge may increase and our uncertainty decrease.
Exercising faith requires patience. We know so well the verse in which Nephi says he will “go and do,” knowing that the Lord would provide a way for him. It is fascinating to think of how Nephi’s faith was immediately met by two utter failures to obtain the plates. His exemplary faith was not just found in that bold statement that he would “go and do.” It was found in his patience in waiting on the Lord to reveal a path for him even while his going and doing wasn’t working.
You or I may get frustrated from time to time over the things we do not yet know or over the outcomes we wish for that have not yet happened. Let us exercise faith in patience and allow the Lord to reveal His hand according to His timing and His will.
We will come nearer to God by patiently and persistently exercising faith in Him.
Precept #3: Recognize evil.
Though it may sound unusual, I have a testimony that evil exists and that Satan exists.
The Book of Mormon not only teaches clearly the idea of “opposition in all things,” it teaches that anti-Christ is real, is among us, and is actively ridiculing faith, exploiting uncertainty, mocking the very idea of God, and teaching us that there is no right nor wrong, that whatever is desired by a person is, by definition, OK.
Evil attempts to turn uncertainty into proof against. It attempts to turn tolerance for and acceptance of people into tolerance for and acceptance of wrong. Evil doesn’t always teach that wickedness can become happiness, it often just teaches that there is no such thing as wickedness. Evil mocks legitimate prophets and promotes false philosophies as false prophets and false religions.
Satan is the Father of Lies, the Great Deceiver. He uses subtlety because subtlety works. We know he is there. All the more reason for us to hold very fast to the iron rod of the scriptures and to sit up and pay careful attention when living prophets speak.
We will come nearer to God by acknowledging and avoiding evil.
Precept #4: Share our abundance with the poor.
In the gospels of the New Testament, the Savior warned over and over again of the risks and dangers associated with having wealth. In the Doctrine and Covenants he specified that many are not “chosen” because “their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world.” And in the Book of Mormon, he teaches us with great repetition to support the poor. Satan is good at making us believe that we are not wealthy because we can see others who have more than we do.
But Alma asked, “will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?” Mormon condemned—and note this: he was condemning us in the latter days, not his own people— “ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.”
A year ago, in Stake Conference, I spoke of our responsibility to help the poor. In doing so, I emphasized the fact that we in our stake are rich and that we, in particular, should heed the Savior’s warnings to the rich. I have, since then, sometimes heard that talk referred to as the “we are rich” talk. I would rather it were referred to as the “we should do more for the poor” talk. For our children’s sake, let us break from the past and teach our children from a young age to give Fast Offerings.
We will come nearer to God by increasing our support for the poor.
Precept #5: Finally, and most importantly, recognize the Savior as the only legitimate way to eternal life.
King Benjamin taught, “there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.”
Jesus Christ is the only way and the only means through which we may receive the blessing of living with our Heavenly Parents, of living like them, of living in eternal and loving family relationships.
Let us recognize that the path is, in fact, strait and narrow. Yet it is also clear before us. And, for the most part, we are on it. Let us rely “wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.” Let us “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” and by Him.
We will come nearer to our Heavenly Father and to the Savior by consciously striving to receive and follow the Savior.
Let us renew our commitment to the Book of Mormon. Let us value and follow its precepts and thereby come nearer to God. Of the value of these precepts I bear my witness with love and gratitude for the Savior and for our Heavenly Father and expressing my love for each of you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
A Safe Place for All
[Given by Chris Juchau in the Highland South Stake, March/April 2017]
I have felt impressed with an increasingly strong desire for some time to come speak to you on a certain subject. I could have addressed this at Stake Conference but I know I will find more people in Ward Sacrament Meetings than I will find in a Stake Meeting. My message is not unique to the this ward, though it is needed in here as in other wards in our stake.
That message is that our church must become a safe place for all kinds of people, regardless of their level of faith, their politics, their mental or emotional health, their desires to conform to common LDS cultural norms, their marital status, their race, their ability—their sins, addictions, personal weaknesses, or even criminal history—or many other things we could list. In short, we must not let our Mormonism become exclusivism and thereby get in the way of the fundamentals of our Christianity.
I bring this message because I know too many people, including in every ward in our stake, who do not feel like they fit in or are welcome. Some of whom patiently go on in spite of feeling like outsiders. And some of whom decide it’s not worth the effort to try to fit in at all anymore and, so, leave. We must help others feel comfortable and that they fit.
I am not talking about a lot of people in terms of a large percentage. The vast majority of people in the Highland South Stake are doing well and feel like they fit in. One person feeling left out, unwelcome, or like a poor fit, however, is too many, and I have spoken with many more than one.
When I say that our church must become a safe place, let me make clear what I mean by “our church.” I do mean the collective worldwide LDS Church—and in that sense my message today is consistent with what I hear from our highest leaders.
But I am not just referring to the broad, general church. “Church” is experienced in stakes. It is experienced even more in wards. It is experienced in Melchizedek Priesthood Quorums and Relief Societies, Mia Maid classes and Deacons Quorums. It is experienced in Gospel Doctrine, Primary classes, Activity Days, and Bear Den meetings. At each of these—and many other—places, people of all kinds, backgrounds, and circumstances can be helped to feel comfortable and accepted. Or they can be left out, looked sideways at, or treated judgmentally because they do not fit the mainstream norm of the LDS profile.
When I refer to “our church,” I am also referring to what happens inside our homes. Children who grow up in LDS homes learn most of what they learn about how to treat others by what they see, hear, and experience at home. If my child were to tell another child that he won’t play with him because of the color of his skin or because he attends a different church, then I would need to look in the mirror until I had found sufficient godly sorrow to affect real, genuine, and vitally needed repentance.
Let me comment also on what I mean by a “safe place.” A safe place is a place where people can come without feeling judged or looked down upon; where they are free to progress at their own speed; to contribute in ways that fit their circumstances; to question and learn—and even to express doubts; to think differently; to appear differently; and to be accepted for who they are inside and for where they are on their own path of progress and ability; and to feel welcome when they are somehow different from the majority.
During the Savior’s ministry, he lovingly associated with people who were looked down upon by the pious and self-righteous who led the local majority religion. Those of us who are most in the mainstream of LDS living, beliefs, and culture need to guard against becoming modern day Pharisees. We must not be pious, self-righteous, or judgmental of people we’re not familiar with. We must be extra careful not to teach our children to think in such ways.
With whom did the Savior associate?
- Lepers who were shunned by others. He not only healed them. He went in their homes and ate with them.
- Samaritans who were despised. He not only served among them, he elevated them as examples of goodness.
- Sinners who were openly reviled. He served and socialized with “sinners” of, it seems, the most visible kind.
- He openly loved those who were openly unloved by the religiously intolerant.
- He even associated with and served those religiously intolerant people, themselves. There is a lesson in that, too!
- He also loved and served military “centurions” and the hated Jewish “publicans.”
He also taught about the evils of thinking ourselves better than others.
- To the pious self-righteous, he once began a pointed message with the words, “A certain man had two sons…” And he ended with “Verily I say unto you,… the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.”
- He taught that I should not complain about the mote in the eye of another, for there is a beam in my own eye.
- He taught that my debt of 10,000 talents to God is greater than any man’s debt of 100 pence to me.
- On another occasion, He began, “Two men went up into the temple to pray….” And He ended with this truth: “every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
We must eradicate from our thinking any notion that we are better than anyone else, regardless of their differences to us. We must become respecters of no persons, or perhaps differently said, respecters of all persons. We must find in ourselves no justification for believing that we have a right to look sideways at or to neglect anyone. Such thinking is the antithesis of Christianity.
How do we feel about diversity? How do we feel about people who are different from ourselves? During his discourse on the gifts of the Spirit and the body of the Christ (1 Cor. 13), the apostle Paul had much to say about diversity and unity and we need to be familiar with it. He said:
4 …there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 … there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 … there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God….
7 …the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man [and woman]….
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit….
12 For … the body is one, and hath many [parts], and all the [parts] of that one body, being many, are one body:….
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free;….
14 For the body is not one [part], but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it [really] therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it [really] therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?…
19 And if they were all one member [if we were all the same!], where were the body?…
21 …The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 …Those parts of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour;….
24 …God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
We read in the Pearl of Great Price that in the Zion City of Enoch, there were “no poor among them.”
In our South Highland “Zion,” there are poor among us. Some are financially poor. Some are spiritually poor (and not coming to the Savior at the moment). Some are emotionally or mentally poor. Some are friend poor and fellowship poor. Some are doctrinally poor. Some are poorly understood. Some come from circumstances that leave them feeling like they are a poor fit in our Zion. Some aren’t sure what they believe or what they should believe and struggle to relate to a bunch of people who seem to know so much with so much certainty. Some are divorced, widowed, or never married and feel maritally poor in our “ideal family” culture.
In our stake are high percentages of activity, based on many common church metrics like sacrament meeting attendance and full-tithe payers. Percentages can be useful because they can paint a general picture quickly, but what makes them most valuable is that they are derived from both a numerator and denominator and inside that denominator is every single individual person. Salvation and happiness and all the things that matter most don’t happen in percentages. They happen for and within individual human beings who live and struggle in their search for meaning and happiness.
So, within the high percentages reported by our stake, are these realities:
- There are 231 individual people in our stake above the age of 8, plus non-members, who have not received all the ordinances they need for exaltation. Each one has a name and a story.
- There are 418 individual people in our stake who choose not to be with us for Sacrament Meeting most weeks. (There are even more who avoid Sunday School and the rest of our Sunday meetings.) Each one has a name and story, including a reason not to be here. Many of those stories are not merely about disinterest. And, of course, some people are physically or otherwise unable to come.
- There are 481 (or more) individual members of our stake over the age of 12 who cannot or choose not to correctly utilize a temple recommend. Each one has a name and a story.
Among these hundreds are some who feel like they’ve been mistreated, perhaps from priesthood leaders or perhaps from next-door neighbors. Among those hundreds are many who actually have been mistreated. To those we could add many more who are totally active by all typical outward measures, but who struggle to feel like they fit in because of some difference that is not understood or that feels unwelcome.
In our stake are too many human beings who are too invisible. Some have literally withdrawn to their basements, seeking to seldom, if ever, be seen by us.
Now, is that simply their choice, their problem? To think so would be a good way to absolve ourselves of responsibility, but in most cases, it’s not that easy. And it’s almost always best to assume that we can help improve a situation through better understanding on our parts, by finding meaningful ways to help, or sometimes by simply smiling, talking, accepting, and maybe giving a welcome hug.
My purpose is not to make everyone feel bad. There are many among us who are well sensitized to the needs of others and who actively reach out positively to address those needs and to help others feel welcome. For those sweet kindness, I and many others are grateful. Some, however, are not sensitive to all the things we should be sensitive to—and sometimes that includes me.
Now, who am I talking about that doesn’t feel like they fit in? Here are some types of people. (It’s not an exhaustive list.)
- People with anxiety and social fears who don’t want to speak or teach or perhaps even socialize—who say “no” when asked to speak or pray or who avoid certain classes and teachers and other situations. (By the way, for such people, I am not suggesting that we over-reach-out to them when they simply wish to have their space and time and to not be over-reached-out to. We should allow people their own space and their own speed and definitely not try to compel people to do things.)
- People of a different skin color.
- People with vastly different political views, whether liberal, conservative, or otherwise. Honest political differences can exist among good LDS people.
- Gay and transgender individuals.
- Physically disabled individuals.
- Mentally disabled individuals. This group includes quite a few whose challenges are not understood by others and are prone to be labeled as “weird” or “rude” or even “stupid” by some. Many disabilities and challenges are not publicized by those who endure them. Some are not even identified by those who endure them.
- Members who have serious doubts about the legitimacy of the authority of Joseph Smith and President Monson. (Is there a more important place for such people to find a home than with us?)
- Men (and some women and retired couples, for that matter) who have not served missions.
- Adults who are unmarried.
- People who are embarrassed or burdened with shame and so wish to be unseen.
I am not suggesting a flexible doctrine. I believe that we can be firm believers in the restored gospel with all of its doctrines and at the same time be accommodating in many ways to individuals. I am not suggesting, for example, that marriage between a man and a woman is not the only acceptable marital status for exalted individuals. And I am not suggesting that all forms of behavior are acceptable. Nor am I suggesting that people are not responsible for their own thoughts, perceptions, and choices. I am suggesting that the beam in my eye—which accompanies the 10,000-talent debt I have—should be enough to make me very accepting of my neighbor, who has but a mote in his eye and owes me merely 100 pence (which I surely owe him also, and probably more).
I am promoting a culture that is welcoming to all without personal judgment, criticism, or condescension. Some may quote the Joseph Smith Translation and say that we should “judge righteous judgment” and so we should. But there is no judgment that allows me—with my debt of 10,000 talents and that beam in my eye—to look down upon another human being and to consider anything about that view “righteous.”
None may say, even quietly to themselves, I have no need of another. None may think that one person is, as Paul said, less “comely” than himself or herself.
We Mormons get indignant at the accusations of our Protestant friends who say we are not Christian. But we need to ask ourselves sometimes, “What is Christianity?” And: “Where is mine?” The Savior stood with the outcasts. We can hardly lay claim to being Christian if we do not stand with them also—with acceptance and without judgment. Too often we unintentionally form an impenetrable wall of homogeneous culture—not just within the Church in general, but within a ward, or even within a family—and those who do not easily fit into it are left wondering if they have a place to fit into at all or if it would just be easier to stay out.
For those of you who feel frustrated by the intolerance you perceive from members of the Church, please do not whatever mistakes you see by allowing your frustrations to distance you from the goodness and blessings available to you through the Church! Even if you believe the Church has in the past or does today institutionalize intolerance, be patient and continue to provide an example of tolerance and acceptance.
In addition to these three facts:
1) God administers his Church on the earth through imperfect human beings;
2) our ways are not His ways; and
3) each of us lacks significant perspective and knowledge…
…are these two facts:
1) a perfect Savior does stand at the head of an imperfect church filled with imperfect, struggling people; and
2) the restored Church does include God’s authority to administer ordinances through which we can eternally bind ourselves to our Father in Heaven, to the Savior, and even to each other.
Let me offer a wonderful, true example of the kind of Christian behavior I am suggesting. This is a true story from one of our own wards in this stake. It could easily happen in any of our wards.
This story is about a man in our stake who was arrested for a serious financial crime, felt publicly embarrassed, and whose first instinct (as it might have been with me also) was to withdraw from his ward while he was waiting to begin serving a prison sentence. At the urging of his bishop, however, he and his wife came to Church, quite nervous about what they would encounter there. Now I want to share with you part of an email he sent me recently. I quote him:
I have been thinking about emailing you for the last week or so and then on Sunday [Rob F.] emailed me (he is so amazing; he emails me once a week and is kind in listening to my prison rants) and… what he wrote brought such fond memories of what happened to me. I know that I have shared this with you before… but that first Sunday back walking into those chapel doors was so intimidating. I can’t describe in the right words just how nervous I was. I have never been met, though, with more love from a group of people in my life. I remember that after Sacrament meeting was over, there was a group of people waiting to hug me and offer an encouraging word. I remember during Gospel Doctrine tears pouring out of my eyes and the sweet sister next to me putting her hand on my shoulder and giving me comfort. I remember during opening exercises of Priesthood meeting men asking me to sit by them and also putting a hand on my shoulder. I want to keep giving examples of this (there are so, so many examples of love that ward members gave to me) but my eyes are tearing up typing this and prison isn’t the best place to be seen crying.
The point is that my ward family was such a non-judging shelter from the storm. After that first Sunday, I counted the hours to church and when it was finally there I didn’t want it to end. Because of the people there, church was, a lot of the time, the only time that I felt safe from the storm. That time in my life should have seemed so horrible but it was filled with so many, many blessings. I love our ward family so very much. I can speak from experience as to what feeling loved and not judged can do for someone.
Now listen as he continued and described some of the effect that his loving, nonjudgmental ward was still having on him. He says:
It is funny. I used to daydream of big vacations or going to an amazing restaurant or doing something incredible at work. Now my favorite thing to daydream about is sitting in sacrament meeting with my family surrounding me, and surrounding us is our sweet ward family, and the sacrament is coming my way, and I take it. That will be such an amazing day. I look forward to that day with so much longing.
Brothers and Sisters, let us remember these words from the Book of Mormon:
“…he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”
Let us remember the words of Paul, that we should bestow “more abundant honour to that part which lacked.”
Not all who “come unto Him” will come down the same path to Him in the same way. Some will choose the road less traveled. Some will become confused or disillusioned and lose their way for a time. Some will be mistreated and feel all but chased away.
Everyone deserves our respect of their agency and of their time and space, just as we hope they will extend the same respect to us. Our invitations to people of all kinds—to find peace in the Savior, to trust Him and His plan, and to take advantage of the ordinances of salvation—should respect their agency and appreciate wherever they are on the path at this moment (or at any past moment). We can invite with genuine love and interest that is not conditioned upon their acceptance of such invitations or their responses toward us.
In our LDS culture, we love to embrace the Savior’s invitation, or command, to “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” But it is interesting to consider the two verses that immediately precede and lead to his invitation:
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Can we love all? Can we salute all? Another translation of the word “salute” is to greet. So let’s consider who we can and do greet at church besides our friends and the people who think and act just like ourselves. For example…
- Can you greet an expectant single young mother?
- Can you greet someone with purple hair or with visible tattoos or with gauges in his ears?
- Can you greet an unmarried couple who lives together?
- Can you greet someone who smells of smoke?
- Could you greet a former inmate?
- A Muslim?
- A member with doubts about the Church—and who expresses them and openly questions?
- What about someone who just seems odd.
- A person with an accent or a different skin color?
- Could you greet a woman you formerly knew as a man?
Brothers and Sisters, let us love all. Let us greet all with a sincere smile. Let us welcome all. If I am the right eye of the body, let me value the left hand and be glad that we can work together and that we are together. Let us do our best to never say or do anything that might allow a person to feel that they are not welcome—and not only welcome but embraced as fellow members in the body of Christ.
I pray earnestly for our Father in Heaven’s forgiveness for the times I have fallen short in that regard.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Our Responsibility to the Poor
[Given by Chris Juchau at Stake Conference, April 2016.]
To begin my talk, let me ask you a personal question: Are you rich? I don’t mean in a spiritual sense and this is not a trick question. I’m not talking about being rich in spiritual blessings or rich in the gospel. I’m asking if you are financially “rich” in the usual sense of how people use that word.
In 2013, median household income in the world was a little under $10,000. Median means that half were above the number and half were below the number. If your household income in 2013 was above $10,000, you had higher income than most people in the world.
In 2014, median household income in the U.S. was $52,000 and in the state of Utah it was $56,000.
How much household income do you have to have to be in the top 1% in the world? The number may surprise you. It’s just $34,000.
If your household income is $60,000, you are in the top 5th of the top 1% in the world. Your income is higher than 99.8% of the people on earth.
If your household income is $100,000, you are in the top 10% of the top 1% in the world. Your income is higher than 99.9% of the people on earth.
With some, but few, exceptions, households in the Highland Utah South Stake are, by every reasonable comparative, rich. I think it is important that we accept that fact and that our children understand just how true it is. They may not need to know your exact income, but they need a proper perspective (not a “Highland vs. Alpine” perspective) on where their family sits on the worldwide scale of relative wealth. We should not make the mistake of denying our “rich-ness” simply because we know some people—or know of some people—who have more than we do. About 99% of the world is prepared to be thoroughly disgusted by you and me if we do.
The Savior had a number of things to say to and about rich people. We should not make the mistake of assuming that He is speaking about someone else. We should receive his comments about income and wealth with marked sobriety.
In Luke 16, we read the story of a rich man and a poor man:
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
What is the Savior saying here about rich people? What reason is given for the rich man being in hell? Is there a difference between that rich man and me? I might make up one but the story doesn’t provide one. What is the Lord saying about your and my responsibility toward the poor?
In Luke 12, the Savior speaks about a rich man through a parable, but introduces it with this warning:
15 …Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Then the parable goes like this:
16 …The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
We might hear that parable and excuse or comfort ourselves because of how it ends, thinking that we are, in fact, rich toward God. Hopefully that is true! But we must also ask ourselves what we are doing with our earthly treasures.
We probably all know the story of the widow’s mite. The Savior is in the temple courtyard…
1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, …this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury [“penury” means “destitution”] hath cast in all the living that she had.
When I pay my fast offerings and other donations, I think often of the phrase “all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God.” That describes my situation and I know it. I am left to think seriously about whether I give enough.
What do we do with our earthly riches? Are we really “rich toward God”? Will the Savior one day be able to say to you and me:
35 …I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me:
Lastly, we cannot forget the Savior’s conversation with the Rich Young Man:
18 …a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? [We need to remember when reading this story that that is the question it begins with!]
19 And Jesus said unto him…
20 Thou knowest the commandments…
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 [Then the Savior says to him], Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
All those passages are from the New Testament, but modern-day scripture is consistent with the New Testament. The Book of Mormon reminds us over and over again to care for the poor and warns us against materialism. As one very brief example, Alma asks in Alma, Chapter 5: “Will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, in withholding your substance from them?”
The Doctrine and Covenants gives as the primary reason for “few” being “chosen” (even though many are called) that “their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world.”
The Doctrine and Covenants also teaches that “the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.”
In the Highland South Stake, nearly 90% of members pay a full tithe. We are a devoted and faithful people in many respects.
I want to challenge your thinking today regarding our responsibility to care for the poor. I want to do so because I worry that we too easily overlook this exceptionally fundamental teaching of Christianity. And then there is this quote from Brigham Young. He said:
“The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth.”
What is sobering about those remarks is how consistent they are with the teachings of the Savior who also spoke of rich people going to hell. And how prophetic they are with regard to you and me having become “the richest people on this earth.”
The Savior warned that “it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” We should not try to explain away His point too quickly as not meaning just exactly what He said.
So what to do? Let us be men and women of action. Here are three suggestions:
First, let us be certain that God, His kingdom, and His purposes are the most important things in our lives. You’ll have to be introspective and willing to challenge yourself on this. With regard to materiality, we should ask ourselves whether we are tearing down barns to build greater barns. This would make a great topic for a family council.
Second, let us give of our means, meaning primarily our money, to the poor. It would appear that in our stake, we give, on average, less than 1% of our income to Fast Offerings. That doesn’t account for the financial support we provide to the poor or to humanitarian efforts through things other than Fast Offerings, but it’s an interesting point of reference. What is the right amount to give? Only you may decide that. My life experience teaches me that the more I give, the more I receive.
Third and last, let us teach our children to support the poor. Many youth in the stake have jobs. Many youth and children receive allowances. We are very diligent about teaching them to pay their tithing. Teaching them to pay “of their abundance” to help the poor is perhaps something we could do more of. Statistically speaking, it is very rare for a child or youth to pay fast offerings. That should probably give us pause.
Brothers and Sisters, I believe that where much is given, much is required. I also believe in the law of the harvest. We reap what we sow. We are judged as we judge. God forgives as we forgive. He blesses as we bless. He is generous with us as we are generous. “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”
My Patriarchal Blessing admonishes me to bless others with the “abundance” with which I am blessed. May I and each of us do so I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[Afterward
After giving this talk, I received some requests for copies of my talk, “the one about how we’re all rich.” I also heard references to our being rich. I heard little or nothing about our need to help the poor. It left me worried that the primary message of my talk was not effectively delivered. The main message is not that we’re rich, but that we should be doing more to help the poor. The fact that we are rich is simply intended to support that main point. I shall try to communicate better next time!]
Living "after the manner of happiness" 