Speaking in Church

Hello Brothers and Sisters. On Sunday, August 17, I received a phone call from Kurtis Spackman, the first counselor of the bishopric. He asked if I would be interested in speaking in church the following week. "Absolutely," I said. The topic of the month was the Atonement as the root of Christian Doctrine, and he wanted me to talk about how we can access the power of the Atonement through (sacred) music. He sent me two articles that gave some useful background on the general topic. I found several Ensign articles that talked about the role of singing hymns in general and as part of the sacrament service, specifically. I read the articles throughout the week and spent most of the day on Saturday writing my talk. That's right, I wrote out my talk. This was my chance to put some of academic training to good use. Of course, a religious sermon is much different than an academic article or a professional conference presentation, but I believe inspiration occurs during the process of preparation. Extemporaneous discourses, even with good notes, tend to meander unless the orator has years of experience. Since some of you have expressed interest in reading it, you can download the entire talk. I offer the introduction as a teaser:

I have a vivid memory as a boy, sitting on the floor in front of my parents’ bookcase, with a hymn book open in my lap. I was singing the hymns of Zion, pouring my heart and soul into this deeply spiritual music. My mother, privy to this private concert, listened quietly through the door. When I reached a lull in my performance, she entered with a look of compassion upon her face. “James, you have so many other talents. Maybe you should focus on them.” I was puzzled. “What do mean?” “Well, it seems that you may have inherited your grandfather’s tin ear…and his tin voice.” I swallowed hard, holding back the tears forming around my eyes. My mother, my own mother, was my first critic. My dreams of being a song and dance man were dashed.

You see, I come from a family of performers. My grandmother was a professional actress, appearing on both stage and screen. Even my mother and her sisters appeared in plays and several Church films (Does anybody remember that classic “Pioneers in Petticoats?”) But my desires to sing went far beyond any boyish dreams of seeing my name in lights; I simply wanted to sing to God. And here my mother was telling me that my gift of song was not mellifluous and melodious, as I had thought; rather, it was off-key caterwauling. I wiped away the stinging tears of defeat, I swallowed the bitter pill of criticism, and I vowed that I would learn how to sing and prove my mother wrong. Without a doubt, she was the toughest fan to win over.

Over the years, I have participated in high school choirs and college bands. Now, Mom enjoys my singing. However, as a young boy I felt close to my Heavenly Father as I sang those hymns. Even though my ability to sing has improved over the years, I wonder if my desire to worship God through song is as pure and heartfelt as it once was. This afternoon I would like to share a few thoughts on worshipping Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, through song, particularly in our homes and in sacrament meeting.