Wedding Feast

Wedding Feast

I have previously shared (see here) my story of a spiritual drought I experienced and my awakening therefrom. Part of this time when I was going through the motions and not feeling the power of God in my life was due to the fact that I was very focused on prospering financially. It started with a burning desire to pay of my student loans as I had learned that debt was bad. Even though I knew that student loan debt was a better debt, I was motivated to pay it off within a short time. 

Then I went through some rocky times as I started out my career that led me to stress more about providing and I made a switch to work where I could get student loan repayment, which caused us to move to Southern Oregon. I got into the idea of working to retire early (or at least get to the point where I didn’t have to work). Some of the things I was focused on were things that caused my spirit to go hungry. My focus wasn’t on hungering and thirsting after righteousness. 

I think of Elder Bednar’s parable of the wedding feast from last conference. Some were too busy with life that they were unwilling to attend the feast. Are we too busy? Are we too caught up in wanting to retire and live a normal life that we are unwilling to accept that the most longed for and anticipated event in history may be about to unfold?

President Nelson has invited us to be “preparing a people who are able, ready, and worthy to receive the Lord” and to be that people. Are we making time for that? That is what the wedding feast represents. If you follow the footnotes (#8) in Elder Bednar’s talk you find the story of the wedding feast in the book Jesus the Christ which details that “the marriage feast is symbolical of the glorious consummation of the Messiah’s mission.”

James E. Talmage in his book states:

The turning away by one man to his farm and by another to his merchandise is in part an evidence of their engrossment in material pursuits to the utter disregard of their sovereign’s will; but it signifies further an effort to deaden their troubled consciences by some absorbing occupation; and possibly also a premeditated demonstration of the fact that they placed their personal affairs above the call of their king.

President Nelson, who speaks as the Lord’s mouthpiece, has asked and invited us to be able, ready and worthy. Let us not be so engrossed in material pursuits that we are neglecting the will of the Lord, our king, as communicated to us through His prophet. 

Let us consider the parable of the wise virgins. Five had oil in their lamps. We assume being a member of the church is being a wise virgin and having oil in our lamps. That actually just makes us a virgin (representative of purity in Biblical times). But that doesn’t mean we are ready with oil in our lamps. Some members of the restored church will be ready and others won’t be (note: this isn’t my original thought, in fact I've heard it in several places). The prophets and scriptures warn us that times of famine will come. When they come, will we be too preoccupied with things we should have already done? By the time it is obvious the bridegroom is coming it will be too late. Don’t wait until it is obvious. 

If President Nelson got up and said in conference, “you need to have your food storage by next fall” can you imagine how crazy it would be at Utah grocery stores? What would happen to food prices and emergency supplies? As you ponder on this, ask yourself the question, “will President Nelson ever say this?” Or is it up to me to recognize the signs? He that hath eyes to see and ears to hear. As President Nelson says, “Hear Him.”