12-22-11

Just a quick post...

Last Sunday night we attended a concert in the Visitor's Center West Theater featuring a bell choir from Wisconsin. The concert was great. They are a very talented group. As I sat there, I looked around at who was attending and the theater was filled with missionaries, local people from the community and others who had come to visit. I also noticed some friends from other faiths. In particular, I noticed those from the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS). These folks have become good friends of mine over the past few months. I was overcome with the thought that the prophet Joseph was pleased that we were all sitting in that room together. Our history and the Community of Christ history is the same history up to and including Nauvoo. They revere the prophet Joseph just as we do. The closing number of the concert was a song that was written to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith in 2005. It was sung as if Emma Smith were singing. It was beautiful. Both Emma and Joseph play a significant part in the lives of the members of both faiths. It was always the intent of Joesph that people be allowed to worship according to their conscience. In fact, if you come to Nauvoo or have been here, you know that there is a Catholic church just down the street from the temple whose spire is almost as tall as the temple. Although Nauvoo holds the significance that it does for the LDS people, I think it is fitting that diversity and ironically, unity, can be found in this sacred place.