"When We Obtain Any Blessing from God, It Is by Obedience"

Sue Hansen (American, born 1964)
Saint on the 1 Train (2020)
Encaustic collage, 12 x 12 inches
Collection of the artist
Used with permission of the artist

This week’s study curriculum includes the idea of society and sociality.

The artist Sue Hansen writes about these themes, “This work, entitled Saint on the 1 Train was created from one of the many faces that I collected while living in New York City.

“In this piece, I portray a woman who is both my sister and a stranger. She is a reminder of the larger family, Zion, of which I am a part. I imagine Zion as a state free from contention and social class, where no one is spiritually or physically poor, where differences don’t separate us.

“Like me, this woman on the train is imperfect, complicated, and worthy because she is present. And so, I have made her a saint, a person who is sacred and worthy of my reverence, adorned with a nimbus. The nimbus reflects my first religious culture, Catholicism. The concept of Zion reflects my adopted religious culture as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“In this work I combine these two concepts: the visual markings of sainthood and the creation of Zion. I want to find a place in my work where I can integrate all of the cultural influences that have a home in my personal history while making room for the individual histories of those around me.”

**Salt Lake Temple Square Coloring Pages**

Dive into the final chapters of Church History our last edition of Our History: Color On! pages.

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1. Section 129 speaks of heavenly angels (see also D&C 130:5-7). Elder Holland also spoke of angels in his October 2008 General Conference address, The Ministry of Angels. He said: "[A]ngels [are] dispatched [from heaven] to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us... Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind." When have you felt the love of God through the kindness of an angel?

2. Joseph Smith teaches us that "that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy" (D&C 130:2). What about "sociality" do you enjoy now that you look forward to eternally? What can you do to improve your relationships here to make them feel more heavenly in anticipation of eternity? "The salutation prescribed for greeting the elders attending the School of the Prophets in Kirtland expresses the spirit of friendship that might well serve as a creed for each of us: 'I receive you in fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend ... through the grace of God in the bonds of love' (D&C 88:133)." Marlin K. Jensen, "Friendship: A Gospel Principle," April 1999 General Conference.

3. Joseph Smith explains that "whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come" (D&C 130:18-19). What are you doing now to improve your mind?

For Children

Hi. When you look at someone, what do you see? You see their physical features: what color hair they have, what the shape of their face is, how tall they are. But what else? You might think to yourself, “How is this person like me or different from me?” Now imagine how your Heavenly Father sees the person. Is the individual just a collection of physical features, or is there more to “see”?

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