Sunday Lesson, Jan 1st

The Life and Ministry of Gordon B. Hinckley

The text for 2017 features the teachings of President Gordon B. Hinckley, who served 20 years as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He then served 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency. When he became President of the Church at age 84, he led it through nearly 13 years of dynamic growth.

Please read, “The Life and Ministry of Gordon B. Hinckley” found at the beginning of this text. The life stories he tells contain themes that will be taught this year. President Hinckley learned and grew from his experiences. Knowing these stories help us to know this beloved prophet.

The following are just a few stories from his early years:
President Hinkley grew up with 12 siblings. His parents were optimistic, diligent parents who created opportunities for their children to grow and succeed. They held family home evening and shared bedtime stories, often from the scriptures. At the age of twelve, while attending a stake priesthood session, he stood and sang, “Praise to the Man” with three or four hundred men. He recalled, “Something happened within me as I heard those men of faith sing. There came into my boyish heart a knowledge, placed there by the Holy Spirit, that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of the Almighty”

Attending the University of Utah during the Great Depression was a challenge financially and emotionally. There was a cynicism about faith and the future. While Gordon also questioned, his faith was not shaken. He said, “Although in our youth we had trouble understanding many things, there was in our hearts something of a love for God and his great work that carried us above any doubts and fears, We loved the Lord and we loved good and honorable friends. From such love we drew strength.”

After graduating in English and just before his 23rd birthday, Gordon was asked to serve a mission in Preston, England. “When he left for his mission,” Gordon later said, “my good father handed me a card on which were written five words….’Be not afraid, only believe’ (Mark 5:36) As he became homesick, and feeling he was wasting his time and his family’s money, he wrote an unhappy letter to his Father. His father replied with advice his son would follow throughout his life. “Dear Gordon,” he wrote, “I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion. Forget yourself and go to work.” This counsel echoed a scripture passage Elder Hinkley had read earlier that day: “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35). With his father’s letter in his hand, the young Elder Hinkley got on his knees and made a pledge the he would give himself to the Lord. The effect was almost immediate. “The whole world changed,” he said. “The fog lifted. The sun began to shine in my life. I had a new interest. I saw the beauty of this land. I saw the greatness of the people. I began to feel at home in this wonderful land.”

“I am an optimist!” President Hinkley often declared. “My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.”

President Hinckley told a congregation. “If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us.”

- Marty