Ancestors and the Atonement

Two weeks ago our Bishop asked me to speak in Sacrament Meeting on Pioneer day. He told me that the topic of the sacrament meeting was the Atonement, but he wanted my specific topic to be "The Atonement blessed our ancestors and can be a blessing for us too." Writing this talk was an interesting experience. I felt like it almost wrote itself. I was drawn to histories from specific ancestors, and quotations from John Taylor. I was blessed to make some marvelous connections and to think about things I have known in a different way than ever before. And even though I had known many of the stories of my ancestors, reading them again gave me different perspective. Preparing this talked has enriched my personal celebration of this Pioneer Day. 

Here is my talk. This is what I had all written and typed out. When I actually gave my talk it was not word for word, but it followed this outline and these ideas. 

Talk from July 24, 2016

I am grateful for the topic of the Atonement today. In the spirit of Pioneer day I have been given the specific topic "The Atonement blessed our ancestors and can be a blessing for us."

We often hear about the events that make up the Atonement; Christ suffering in Gethsemane, dying on the cross and rising on the third day. But the Atonement encompasses far more than just the events that occurred and this is why the Atonement mattered so much to our ancestors and why it should matter to us.

I would like to first share some principles of the Atonement taught by John Taylor, the third latter day prophet.

First, he teaches that through the Atonement we can live again as resurrected beings. He said, "If it were not for the atonement of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice he made, all the human family would have to lie in the grave throughout eternity without any hope. ... By and by the tombs will be opened and the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and they shall come forth."

In John 11:25 the Savior himself teaches, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

We learn that each of us, everyone who lives on the earth will be resurrected.

Next John Taylor teaches us that Christ took upon him the sins of the world. " The suffering of the Son of God was not simply the suffering of personal death; for in assuming the position that He did in making an atonement for the sins of the world He bore the weight, the responsibility, and the burden of the sins of all men, which, to us, is incomprehensible."

Isaiah reminds us that we all have sinned, that we all need this cleansing power of the Atonement in our lives. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)

We must each choose to exercise faith in Christ's Atonement and repent of our sins and mistakes and be obedient to God's commandments. Then, because of the Atonement, we can be clean.

A third blessing of the Atonement is taught by Alma. In Alma 7:11 we read, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people."

Speaking of Jesus Christ, John Taylor taught, "He, having been placed in the same position as we are, knows how to bear with our weaknesses and infirmities, and can fully comprehend the depth, power, and strength of the afflictions and trials that men have to cope with in this world. And thus understandingly and by experience, he can bear with them.' To me, this is one of the most beautiful parts of the Atonement, that there is someone who understands everything we go through. No matter the situation, there is someone who has felt exactly what we are feeling. He understands it all, and he can give us the strength to bear.

I know that I often have difficulty comprehending the magnitude of the Lord's sacrifice for us, but we come to understand it better as we apply the Atonement in our lives.

As I considered the topic of ancestors and the Atonement I have read and reread many accounts from my family history looking for their testimonies of the Savior's atonement. I would like to share just a few of the things I read today. As I share stories from my ancestors I invite you to think also about your ancestors and their lives and challenges.

Anson Call (3rd great grandfather) - Born in Vermont in 1810. Traveled with his family to Ohio to join with the Methodists, but Anson call was dissatisfied with all denominations, and he considered the preaching of LDS missionaries to be an annoyance. In an effort to prove the missionaries wrong, he underwent an intense study of the Book of Mormon and Bible. After six months of diligent praying and searching, he finished the two books. He found, however, that the more he had studied, the more he became convinced that the missionaries were right. Throughout the process of his conversion he struggled over what it would be like to be classified as "Mormon". He even wrote, “I was proud and haughty, and to obey the gospel was worse than death. … To be called a Mormon, I thought, was more than I could endure. … I at last covenanted before the Lord that if He would give me confidence to face the world in Mormonism I would be baptized.” After he covenanted with the Lord, his mind was cleared and his fear left him. From the time of his baptism he was bold in declaring what he knew. He soon joined the Saints in Kirtland.

            In the next few years, as persecution for the saints grew,  Anson lost property and was attacked by mobs. He was in Nauvoo at the time that the Prophet Joseph Smith died, and assisted in preparations for the Saints to move west. He received his temple ordinances in the Nauvoo temple, just months before starting the trek west. Anson and his wife lost two of their young children before even reaching Winter Quarters. They made the difficult journey west and settled their family about 10 miles north of Salt Lake.  In the years from 1850 to 1864 Anson was called to leave his home and go on missions to create settlements in Parowan Valley, Millard County, Box Elder County and two settlements along the Colorado River near modern day Las Vegas. He also joined in the rescue of the Martin and Willie handcart pioneers in 1856.

Eliza Briggs (3rd great grandmother) - Eliza Briggs was born in England in 1836. She was fifteen when she and her family were baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Briggs family sailed to the United States and joined the Martin Handcart Company. They longed to reach the Great Salt Lake.

            Eliza's family had lost her younger brother early on the trail. Eliza did all she could to support her mother. Eliza was like a second mother to her younger siblings. She shared her rations with them and even carried her baby sister under her clothing to keep her warm. Eliza's father, John, gave most of his rations to his wife and children. He became weaker and weaker and passed away near Devil's Gate. Eliza and her family reached the Salt Lake Valley, but her baby sister died shortly after their arrival, and her mother was in bed most of the winter, and died only three years after reaching Salt Lake.

            Eliza was taken in by a family in Salt Lake and later married. She and her husband were called on the "Muddy Mission" to settle in Southern Utah. It was a long way, and was a difficult and hot journey with her seven children. Sometimes when they would stop to rest Eliza would tell her children about her journeys in the cold winter weather. Many called to this mission suffered from fevers and malaria because of the marshy conditions.

            A few months before her eighth child was born, Eliza's husband wanted to take her back to Provo so she could have better care, but she refused say, "No, The president of the Church called us here on a mission to build homes and cultivate the soil for other settlers and we will stay until he calls us back." Eliza passed away two days after her baby was born.

Jesse Bigler Martin (3rd great grandfather) - Born in 1825 in West Virginia. His parents joined the Church in the 1830's and taught Jesse the teachings of the gospel. The Martins  moved to Caldwell county Missouri to join with the Saints. His mother hid him in the brush to keep him out of the hands of the mob. Jesse heard an elder preach and gained a testimony that "Joseph Smith was a true prophet of the Lord." After the death of the prophet Joseph his parents fell away from the church and decided to not travel west with the Saints. They wanted Jesse to stay with them, but Jesse had a burning testimony of the divinity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and he was blessed with a testimony that Brigham Young was called as the second prophet in this dispensation. He traveled west with his Uncle George A. Smith and his aunt Bathseheba and joined the Mormon Battalion.  Jesse put his trust in God and went to serve his country. The Battalion endured exhausting heat, deep sand, a water shortage and inadequate medical care, and poor food as well as a longing for home and family, but there were blessed to return to Utah after the Battalion's mission was finished, without ever experiencing bloodshed.

            In 1853 Jesse was called to serve a mission. He left his wife and three children for four years. He returned to the United States with many saints from Europe and was captain for a company crossing the plains.

Margaretta Unwin Clark (3rd great grandmother) -Born in England in 1828. She grew up learning about hard work. It was on her way home from work at a factory that she was drawn to a street meeting, touched by the message in the hymns that were being sung. She grew more and more interested in the message of the missionaries and loved the message so much that her mother and sisters also accepted the religion. Margaretta was baptized in 1848. She was eager to study and her knowledge of the gospel grew quickly. She could not ignore the growing desire to join with the Saints in Utah, but knew that this would mean leaving her country, her surroundings and her family forever. For eight years she struggled with the desire to immigrate. She also worked hard and saved all she could.

            Margaretta left her home and family in May 1856. Early in the journey across the ocean she was lashed to the brow of the ship so she could feel the full rise and dip of the waves and overcome seasickness. Her hope was to be able to help nurse others in the company who were ill. Once in the US, Margaretta and the group she had traveled with joined a handcart company. She was assigned to the Martin Handcart Company. The challenges of this company are familiar to many of us. They suffered from lack of food and supplies and the early winter snows. Even once the rescuers had arrived they still had a ways to go to reach the valley. She was able to ride in the wagon of one of the rescuers (Anson Call). He recognized that she was freezing to death and pulled her out of the wagon. With the help of another man, he ran her up and down to induce circulation, which likely saved her life.

            Margeretta was taken in by a family in Salt Lake Valley. She began work, and after a few months received her endowment and was married to Anson Call. She dealt with homesickness and missing her family, as she transformed from factory girl to farmers wife.

As I searched these accounts for references to the Atonement, I realized that the Atonement was never specifically mentioned. But I also came to realize that there was evidence of the atonement in every account. I came to understand that these ancestors lived their testimonies of Jesus Christ.

It was because of their belief in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and his gospel, they were willing to do the countless hard things that were asked of them.

But it was because of the blessings of the Atonement, the promises and enabling power that come through Christ's sacrifice, that they were able to accomplish what was asked of them. Because of the Atonement, they knew that the death of their loved ones was not the end. Though they lost property and were driven from their homes, or were abandoned by their family members, they knew that "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." They were given the strength to leave comfort of home and family to travel far away to gather with the saints. The Atonement made it possible for them to change their desires, to have confidence, and to feel peace rather than fear.

One of the most amazing things about the Atonement is that it wasn't just for our ancestors and their trials. It was for everyone. It is for us. When we see a weakness in ourselves and seek the Lord's help, we can overcome it. When we feel discouraged or alone, we can turn to our Savior. When the events of the world cause us to despair, we can regain hope because of the Atonement. When we mess up, we can be made clean. When we lose loved ones, we can know that we will see them again.

Shortly before his death, John Taylor wrote the following to his family members, sharing his feelings about the Atonement. John Taylor is my third great grandfather and as I read these words I felt that he was talking to me. “I pray God the Eternal Father that when we have all finished our probation here, we may be presented to the Lord without spot or blemish, as pure and honorable representatives of the Church and kingdom of God on the earth, and then inherit a celestial glory in the kingdom of our God, and enjoy everlasting felicity with the pure and just in the realms of eternal day, through the merits and atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, in worlds without end.”

I know that Jesus Christ lived. I know that he suffered in Gethsemane, died on the cross and rose again. I know he lives today. And because of this we can overcome all of the challenges we face in this life, we can be clean and we can return to live with our Father in Heaven again. I know that His gospel has been restored, that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I am grateful that we know the truth.