I don’t believe it was a coincidence that the events of the world in the last few weeks have coincided with the Come Follow Me lessons covering Doctrine and Covenants sections 98-105.
These sections cover the persecution and turmoil the saints were experiencing during their attempt to establish Zion in Missouri.
I want to touch on two key components of these sections that are very applicable to us today and what is happening in our world. Both commandments are mentioned in verse 16 of section 98.
Verse sixteen says: “Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children.”
The first part commands us to proclaim peace, even under the possibility of war. Our world is getting more tense and aggressive every day. The media we consume is changing. We see less and less long form newscasts and more clips and cuts. Each clip is made to be more sensational than the next; not only by what they say but also by the titles and thumbnails they use to try to entice you to click. The idea is to invoke an emotional response and more often that emotion is anger. Anger sells. Anger motivates more than any other emotion.
The result is that we are all being conditioned to respond to life in a more emotional way. Little offenses have become big offenses. Little differences have become big differences. We are, collectively, more on edge with each other than any other time. We are starting to see it turn to violence.
It is time for us to remember this commandment to renounce war and proclaim peace. It is time for us to collectively take a step back and a deep breath. We need to offer more grace to our fellowman and try to treat others with more compassion. This is what the Lord was asking of the saints in Missouri and of us today. We need to set an example for the world.
The second part of verse 16 is a familiar phrase to us in the church. It is a call for temple attendance. Section 101 gives a parable about the temple that has caused me to ponder a great deal this last week.
In verses 43-62, the Lord gives a parable to the saints. It is important, though, to understand the context of section 101. The Lord explains at the beginning of the section that these trials are happening because the saints failed to keep His commandments. Remember, the saints were asked to establish Zion by establishing a consecrated life through the United Order and by building a temple. They had procrastinated building the temple and many were struggling to live the law of consecration.
With that background, The Lord gives this parable. In the parable the Lord of the Vineyard commands his servants to plant a vineyard, a hedge round about it, and a watchtower so that they could see the enemy coming from far off. The servants planted the vineyard and the hedge and then became complacent and didn’t want to build the watchtower. They figured it was a time of peace, and they didn’t need a watchtower. The enemy then comes, and they are unprepared and ultimately defeated.
The parallels to the saints at the time seem obvious. The saints did not build the temple in Zion when they were commanded. The temple is the watchtower. So, how is the temple the watchtower? How does it help us see the enemy from a distance?
I believe regular temple attendance helps us to see the tricks of the adversary more easily. It helps us live in the world but not be persuaded to be of the world.
There are so many subtle ways the adversary is using to beguile us but one of the most aggressive tactics is what I mentioned before. He is making us more agitated and angrier with one another. Temple attendance brings peace into our lives. It helps us see everyone as children of God, worthy of our respect and love. It helps us to be more selfless and to live a more elevated life.
Our prophet and apostles have been encouraging us, repeatedly, to increase our temple attendance. The events of the last couple of weeks have taught me that part of the reason why is that the Lord needs more people on the watchtower. He needs more people who can plainly see the subtleties of the adversary and be peacemakers in the world.