Busy week? Me too. LDS Living is here to catch you up and get you ready for discussions on Sunday. Here’s a nugget of wisdom from this week’s Come, Follow Me study of the introductory pages of the Book of Mormon.
A new year brings new resolutions, new motivations, and for the team at the Sunday on Monday podcast, a new Come, Follow Me curriculum. So now that we are almost a week into January, let me, as the podcast producer, be the last to wish you a Happy New Year and the first to welcome you into our 2024 study of the Book of Mormon, starting with the introductory pages.
Testify of Him
Before diving into the heroic stories of Nephi, Alma, King Benjamin, and all the rest that this year’s study of the Book of Mormon will bring, our first Come, Follow Me lesson of 2024 puts the focus on exactly what the Book of Mormon is and how it came to be. And before we even get to the title page, we have all we need to know printed right on the outside cover: the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.
President Dallin H. Oaks has taught, “Witnesses and witnessing are vital in God’s plan for the salvation of His children. In the Godhead, the function of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son. The Father has borne witness of the Son, and the Son has borne witness of the Father. The Lord has commanded His servants to testify of Him, and all of the prophets have borne witness of Jesus Christ.”
After the title page and introduction to the Book of Mormon are three declarations of the reality of the translation and the divinity of the book’s message—the Testimony of Three Witnesses, the Testimony of Eight Witnesses, and the Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
With these words, 12 men from different walks of life bore their testimonies, setting an example that we are a testifying Church. Once a month, we devote almost an hour of our weekly church services to giving people an opportunity to verbally share their testimonies of Christ.
The Come, Follow Me manual this year gives specific directions to ask at home or in Sunday School what the Holy Ghost taught you during the week. And we will be embracing that call on the Sunday on Monday podcast, too: The first segment of every episode this year will be an opportunity for Tammy and her guests to bear testimony of what they read and which points of doctrine stood out to them.
The testimony shared on this week’s kick-off episode was moving. Tammy spoke with her longtime friend Hilary Weeks, who brought samples from music that she has written through the years, giving us a chance to hear her beautiful testimony of Christ in song. The message shared in her song, “He Hears Me,” is especially touching—it’s an anthem for those who feel forgotten that God is there and He will always listen to you.
I encourage you to share your own witness. Write it down or share it at the pulpit this Sunday. Like the witnesses written at the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the witnesses of Christ shared throughout its pages, and the witnesses shared in churches and homes every week around the world, we can lift each other by sharing our testimony of Christ.
To hear more insights from other Latter-day Saints on the Book of Mormon readings all year, join our study group on Facebook and Instagram.
Sunday on Monday is a Come, Follow Me podcast hosted by Tammy Uzelac Hall that is released every Monday to guide you through the scripture readings for the week. This week covers the title page, introduction, and witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Our podcast guest for the first episode of the year was Hilary Weeks, and you can hear her music on her YouTube channel here. You can listen to full episodes of Sunday on Monday on Deseret Bookshelf+ and find out more at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday.
