Monday, July 11, 2011

"Priesthood Power" -- President Thomas S. Monson

I love the talks given by Thomas S. Monson. Instead of maintaining a constant theme, his talks usually consist of nuggets of truth -- almost as if he did not write a talk at all, but is simply guided by the Holy Spirit in what to say.

President Monson implores:

"Should there be anything amiss in your life, there is open to you a way out."

and then he quotes Exodus 20:7 and Isaiah 1:18:

"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow," "and I, the Lord, remember them no more."

Every time I read those verses, it reminds me of the time I visited Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, England. My study abroad group made a very quick stop there on our way to Stratford Upon Avon.

Coventry Cathedral was a very very old cathedral, but was completely bombed by the Germans during World War II. leaving up only a few walls -- a very hollow shell of a church remaining.


But years later, the town of Coventry rebuilt a new cathedral adjacent to the old one. Instead of copying the original design, they rebuilt a beautiful and modern structure covered in stained glass windows to let in a lot of natural light.


While we were there, there was some kind of exhibit of quilted strips of cloth. They were absolutely gorgeous. My favorite one -- the one I will never forget -- started out a very deep red at the top of the quilt, and gradually got lighter and lighter until the bottom of the quilt was pure white. The words of the scripture trickled down --

Though your sins be
as Scarlet

They shall be as
white as
Snow

The words also changed color with the quilt.

I am not sure why that display hit be so hard when it did. I began crying right there in that cathedral.

Perhaps it was a visualization of such an "abstract" concept. How can Christ do it? How can He be so loving and forgiving to take that deep red fabric of our lives and dip it into the bleach of His atonement? How does He not think twice? It is pure love.

Coventry Cathedral itself is a symbol of this miracle. They were bombed to the lowest of the low, but they rebuilt a brand new cathedral without blemish and without spot.

I know Christ can and does take away our sins. He suffered our sins in order to do so. May we just follow His instructions to repent and the blessings of scarlet sins turned snow white can be ours.

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