Summary Lesson 48: Come Unto Christ
Faith in the Lord
True Faith Is More than Belief: Having faith in the Lord and believing things that are true brings confirmation and His verification and validation. You will know that your belief is true. The word “hope” is also more than a wish. It is a powerful expectation somehow connected with Heaven and redemption. “A fitting symbol of the Jews’ desire for their own land, government and defense is the ‘accepted’ national anthem Ha-Tikvah (‘The Hope’).” “At the Declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, Ha-Tikvah was sung at the opening ceremony . . . however, Ha-Tikvah has never been given official status as a national anthem by a proclamation of the Knesset.”
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Festival of Hope:
The great redemption festival for the Jews is Passover. At the Seder meal, parsley and lettuce or other green vegetables are dipped into salted water. The greens are associated with the hope of spring. Passover is in the spring as a memory of the past redemption and the hope of a future greater deliverance that comes from heaven. Latter-day Saints believe that the fulfillment of hope, the heaven-sent Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, was born in the spring – at Passover. His death, resurrection and subsequent atonement were also at Passover.
Eight Ways of Giving:
“Maimonides lists eight ways of giving Zedakah (Charity) which are progressively more virtuous: to give . . . (1) but sadly; (2) less than is fitting, but in good humor; (3) only after having been asked to; (4) before being asked; (5) in such a manner that the donor does not know who the recipient is, (6) in such a manner that the recipient does not know who the donor is; and (7) in such a way that neither the donor nor the recipient knows the identity of the other. (8) Help the poor to rehabilitate themselves by lending them money, taking them into partnership, employing them, or giving them work, for in this way the purpose is achieved without any loss of self respect at all.”
Jerusalem, Center for Faith, Hope and Charity: In Israel, the centers for charity, hope and faith are usually focused in Jerusalem. Jews pray three times a day for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. One day, it will be the City of The Lord where all faith, hope and charity will emanate from the Lord Himself. “And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.” (Moroni 10:31)