Let the glory be thine

Mosiah 2:16

When I was a senior in high school (Hunter Wolverines) I had a seminary teacher named Brother Jones. At the beginning of the year in the standard new people in a seminary/institute class getting to know you exercises we have grown to know and love, Brother Jones wrote a series of lines on the board:

Name
Graduating class
What you are excited to learn about in the New Testament
If you could take anybody, dead or alive, to homecoming who would it be

I was sitting in the back of the room, close to the door. When it came to be my turn I stood up and gave my answers to the lines:

Allison Sabo
2001
I’m most excited to learn about the Book of Revelation
If I could take anybody, dead or alive, to homecoming it would be John Lennon

Everyday, before lesson time, Brother Jones would ask if we had any questions. Without fail, there would be one or two questions. These could be questions from scripture study, from the Young Women’s lesson the night before, from Sunday School, or just questions about how the Church works. He would always take the time to answer our questions in a detailed way using the Spirit, the scriptures and talks from the general authorities. More often than not, question would lead to question would lead to question and question time would take up the whole period. I enjoyed seminary that year. It was I dare say, the only year I felt that I belonged or felt included in the seminary program.

Since we never usually got to our lessons, yet Brother Jones was still testifying of Christ, we didn’t get to learning about the Crucifixion until April (fitting) and only got about half way through the Acts by Memorial Day. Around state swim meet time, in February, I realized that at the rate we were going we weren’t going to get to the Book of Revelation. This disappointed me a little. But my disappointment faded away when later that year he told us that every other class was having scripture chases and watching family friendly movies a little after Easter. He explained that they got through the doctrine, they got through the meat of the scriptures but what about the feeling of the scriptures? What about the testifying power of the Holy Ghost? How do we know that the scriptures are really true? Is it from who can find the scripture the fastest or is it from actually looking at the books, reading them, and allowing the Spirit to dwell within our hearts for a season?

Whenever we would try to thank Brother Jones for answering our questions he would always point up. Well, it wasn’t even when we would try to thank him. He was always pointing up. About six weeks into the year he asked us if we knew why he would point up. Of course, we didn’t know. He explained that he points up because the lessons and the questions and the answers and the revelation and the feelings don’t come from him, they come from Him. Brother Jones didn’t want the glory. He was merely in the service of God. He didn’t want to boast, he wanted to glorify Heavenly Father. He pointed up because he wanted us to glorify Heavenly Father.

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