Today marks the birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was born on December 23, 1805. You may have heard before how his birthday was on winter solstice, the time in winter when the days starting getting longer (more light fills the earth). And then he died during summer solstice, the time in summer when the days start getting shorter. I love the symbolism of this, but was unable to verify online if it was true or not (the solstice days are not always on the same day every year).In the January 2009 Ensign there are testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency. This one is my favorites, from President Thomas S. Monson:
"Step by step, facing opposition at nearly every turn and yet always guided by the hand of the Lord, Joseph organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He proved courageous in all that he did.
"Toward the end of his life, as he was led away with his brother Hyrum to Carthage Jail, he bravely faced what he undoubtedly knew lay ahead for him, and he sealed his testimony with his blood.
"As we face life's tests, may we ever emulate the undaunted courage epitomized by the Prophet Joseph Smith."
Happy Birthday Brother Joseph!
Scripture of the Day: 1 Nephi 1:7-8
I forget his birthday every year, thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteI'd never thought of the solstices in relation to him before. Even if the dates aren't exactly on, they're close enough for the thought to be pretty cool. Thanks for the birthday reminder!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Joseph! Thank You for this post! Hope you have a blessed and very Merry Christmas! ♥ Hugs :) Shauna
ReplyDeleteWe were just watching a show about him on BYU tv. I had to leave the room. Ever since I visited Nauvoo for the first time this summer, it is all too real for me and I just can't listen to anyone talk about how he died, etc. An ancestor of mine was there in Liberty with him (Caleb Baldwin--one of the mannequins in the display) and another was there with him up until the day he died--he left to go get some legal documents, as this ancestor was his legal advisor. It really brings it all home to me, that his history is, in part, my history, too. But, I was glad to see this today. Thanks! And have a very Merry Christmas! My virtual gift to you is that more and more people will come to read your fun blog for itself and not just because it comes up when they are looking for a scripture. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder. I forgot. I will tell my kids. You are terrific Beck!
ReplyDeleteHi again, Becky! Hey, your book is terrific! My husband teaches the Big Guy and one other special needs young adult every Sunday and this book will be a great help to him! yay! Thanks so much! Merry Christmas!
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