This is Nauvoo, Illinois.
A City Beautiful.
For me it is a sacred place, a holy place.
Here ordinary men and women exhibited extraordinary faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus always taught that we
must not only learn of God, but that we must come to
actually know Him.
"This is life eternal," He prayed to His Father, "that
they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom Thou hast sent."
Deep spiritual truths do not come to us without us
replacing the glitter and temptations of the world with
more meaningful thoughts and purposes.
They do not come without sacrifice.
Jesus said, "Whosoever will come after me let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me.
He that taketh not his cross and followeth not after me is
not worthy of me."
To truly know God we must put Him first, trust in Him, and
keep His commandments.
The Savior said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
Here in Nauvoo the faith of every man and woman was put to
the test.
In 1839, fleeing an extermination order by the
governor of Missouri, thousands crossed the
Mississippi River to this place where they hoped to find
safety and freedom.
They drained the swamp, built homes of brick, nurtured the
land, organized schools, and constructed what was then the
largest city in the state of Illinois.
Their crowning work of sacrifice would be building a
magnificent temple to their God.
Only seven years later, more than 10,000 men, women, and
children traveled down this street, sadly leaving the city
they loved.
Their prophet had been martyred and their own lives
threatened if they did not leave. They worked night and
day to finish the temple before departing.
Then, at this very location, loading the few possessions
they could take with them onto wagons, they were ferried
across the Mississippi, uncertain of their future home
and destination.
How their hearts must have ached as they looked back for
what would be their final glimpse of the temple.
How were they able to do it?
How could they continue firm and true too a cause
ridiculed and threatened by so many around them?
These were farmers, merchants, teachers,
families with children.
They were men and women of prayer and devotion, honest
and hardworking.
How did they do it?
One who followed them across the plain, seven years later,
said it well, "In our extremities," he said, "we
came to know God."
How thankful I am for their unselfishness, for their love
of God above all else, and for their willingness to prepare
the way for their posterity, and for all of
us who would follow.
We find ourselves on this earth at an important time in
the history of the world.
The Savior has restored His Church and
priesthood to earth.
The Book of Mormon stands with the Bible showing the path to
happiness and helping us better prepare ourselves and
our families for eternal life.
Through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
the kingdom of God will be established in every nation,
on every continent, in anticipation of His glorious
return to earth.
I have not sacrificed nor suffered as the latter-day
Christians driven from Nauvoo.
But I have understood the Savior's clear instruction
that we are to offer as our sacrifice a broken heart and a
contrite spirit.
I too have come to know Him as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I testify with absolute certainty that He
lives today. He is resurrected.
Because of Him, we too will live again.
His life and mission is central to all human history.
He has given us the perfect pattern for our own lives.
He holds the power to heal us from our sins and the wounds
of the heart.
His arms are outstretched to each one of us.
He is my Savior and my friend.
I share these truths with you in love and reverence, with a
certain witness born of the Spirit, in the holy name of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.