Autumn Invitation
By Evelyn Richardson of Nauvoo, IL, USA
Listen, O people of the Restoration—you who would become a prophetic people, embodying in your life together the ministries of the Temple. Listen to the Voice that speaks from beyond the farthest hills, from the infinite heavens above, and the vast seas below.
Listen to the Voice that echoes across the eons of time and yet speaks anew in this moment. Listen to the Voice, for it cannot be stilled, and it calls you once again to the great and marvelous work of building the peaceable kingdom, even Zion, on behalf of the One whose name you claim.
Listen carefully to your own journey as a people, for it is a sacred journey and it has taught you many things you must know for the journey yet to come. —Doctrine and Covenants 162:1, 2a
The rush of the summer season is over. Autumn is oddly quiet here in Old Nauvoo. I sit alone in the Red Brick Store and imagine what it would have been like living here in the 1830s and ‘40s.
Our faith movement was relatively young then. We looked to our prophet, Joseph Smith Jr., to bring us guidance and direction from our Divine Parent. We were hard-working pioneers, supporting each other on our faith journeys. It was no different than it is now. We didn’t always agree, but the hardships of our experiences in Kirtland, Haun’s Mill, and other Missouri settlements drew us close together and closer to God.
We knew sorrow and joy, hunger and feast, loneliness and companionship, life and death. Our community grew to over 12,000 members during that period.
Today, life goes on here by the rolling Mississippi River, and we still face hardships and joys. Those who have gone before have made this a sacred place by living here.
Know your history. Come and hear the stories. Come and feel the spirit of Nauvoo for yourself.
Prayer for Peace
God of all time, help us remember those on whose shoulders we stand. Help us appreciate the sacrifices made for us. May we follow through on their work for peace.
Spiritual Practice: Continuing Revelation
One Enduring Principle of Community of Christ is Continuing Revelation. We are a people always “becoming,” always changing as God shapes us. In prayer, listen deeply to the name, “Community of Christ.” Write or say a prayer asking God to continue to form us through our name. Listen deeply to what it would mean to live in community, following and sharing the way of Christ.
Peace Covenant
Today, God, I will plan a trip to a historical site and learn about the history that helped shape me.
