#45 "The Family is Ordained of God"

The Family-A Proclamation to the World

Every year I have 1 more week than I do assigned lessons so I prepare a Christmas lesson, well it just so happens that this time I have just enough lessons for the year, but it is Christmas Sunday and I want to still to a Christ-centered lesson, therefore we are still going to go through the proclamation but we are going to do it surrounding Christ, I have asked 7 individuals to help me through this by giving stories and examples that pertain to the proclamation, but have a Christ-centered focus.
My Testimony
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
We all belong to a family and this is proclaiming that it is the most important element of the whole plan. The brethren are going to spell out how it is a crucial point in the plan.
#1 All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.
We were born the gender we were supposed to be. That is essestial! We each have come to this earth with a purpose, we discover that purpose by following our Savior, walk as He walked on the earth.
Jake and Wayne are going to tell us their favorite stories of Christ as He walked on the earth and how following Christ’s pattern, have helped them to walk that path themselves.
#2 The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
Hart is going to talk to us about 1 or 2 traditions that they have which is Christ-centered and strengthens his marriage and family.
#3 The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.
Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
Lara is going to talk of some Christ-centered traditions they have in the family she grew up in that strengthen them and bring them closer to Christ.
Kristy is going to tell us how raising or working with kids brings her close to the Savior.
#4 The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
Jackie is going to talk about how Christ nurtures and provides for her through her life so that she can nurture and provide for her family and her spouse.
Whittnie is going to talk about how she has brought Christ into her marriage and how doing that can strengthen it.
We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
We have been warned, we need to center our families, marriages, and individual lives on Christ, make it the top priority; I realize we are all doing the best we can and have been raised to do but this document was created so that we could get fired up and do just a little better about bringing the Savior into our homes and lives. I add my testimony to theirs that the Savior was born specifically so that he could live and die thereby creating a pattern that we should follow, a pattern that will bring us closer to His feet daily, in all our acts and thoughts in the name of Jesus Christ amen.