Our Eternal Father and Mother: Prototypes for Living Better in the World

A Mother's Love by Lynde Mott,
First Place, A Mother Here Art and Poetry Contest

The last Sunday of March this year, I delivered a sacrament meeting sermon to our Pocatello congregation (the last one I would give there before we moved back to Utah). When I was asked to speak, I was told that I would have ten minutes or so to speak and was asked to address this topic: "In the world, but not of the world." Because the topic is pretty general (and frankly a bit cliched), I wanted to take a different approach to it than those I've heard before. And because I was speaking as part of my ward's Young Men Presidency, I wanted to say something in relation to the power and authority available to those who honor their covenants. As I prepared, my thoughts kept gravitating toward the expanding discourse on women and the priesthood and I felt compelled to address the presence of Heavenly Mother in Mormon theology. I couldn't, of course, address much in my ten minutes at the rostrum, so my sermon touches upon her presence only briefly and is intended as an overview to open the way to further discussions about the implications of the Gods' presence in our lives.

After I finished speaking, my wife observed that everything I had said was common sense; I'm not sure if that's because we've discussed these things at home before or something else. Even so, I know nothing I said was groundbreaking, but I hope my effort to break the supposed silence surrounding Heavenly Mother had some influence on those who heard my words that day. I share my sermon here to add it to the expanding discourse I mentioned above.

I welcome your response in the comments.