A beautiful Sabbath

When I was a senior in high school, a year or twenty-seven ago, I had the opportunity to serve on what is called a seminary council. A group of youth that helped organize and run the activities associated with the church class that many high schoolers choose to take, in order to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s love for each one of us.

I worked with the most amazing group of youth (most of whom I still keep in contact with to this day) and we had three incredible adult advisors (two of which I still connect with all these years later). I just feel so honored to continue to know so many tremendous people who blessed my life then and now.

And today, I had the privilege of attending church to hear one of those advisors, and his beautiful wife, speak, before leaving for eighteen months on a mission for our church. Their talks, their spirit and just the incredible people that they are, touched me deeply this afternoon. I’m so honored to know them and to be called their friend.

And as if they wasn’t enough, as I sat in that meeting today, waiting to hear from my friends, the congregation sung a sacrament hymn, as we do every Sunday before partaking of the holy sacrament. And as that hymn began, tears filled my eyes. Because the hymn that was chosen, was a hymn that I have always associated with my year on seminary council. Even when I don’t hear that hymn for months and even years (we have hundreds of hymns after all), the second I do, that time during my senior year comes rushing back and I feel overwhelmed with love from my Savior.

Now friends, what do you think the odds are that on the day I was sitting in a different church building than normal, waiting to hear from friends I have never heard speak in church, that exact hymn would be the song chosen by whomever was in charge of the music that day? Actually, pretty high when my God is involved, I’d say.

Just feeling so grateful for a beautiful Sabbath, a sweet reminder of my Father’s love, friends that have influenced my life deeply and profoundly and the reminder of Christ’s atonement through a favorite hymn I haven’t heard in some time.

It was a good Sunday indeed.