Recognize Faith, Wherever It Is Found

May 29th, 2016

Good morning!  Welcome once again to this sacred place, and it is my hope that this House of God will always be a spiritual home to you, a home of grace, hope, and faith.

Several years ago, I was on staff at our church Senior High Camp at Camp Noronto.  And every day we had something called Theme Class.  And on one occasion, the facilitator divided us all up into groups, and gave us a bunch of fake money.

Then on a flip chart, he showed us a bunch of words. There were a couple of dozen or more.  I don’t remember what they all were, but the words were various virtues such as

Charity, Compassion, Forgiveness, Grace, Hope, Humility, Joy, Justice, Love, Mercy, Patience, Peace, Piety, Reconciliation, Temperance, Trust, and so on.

I’m sure you get the idea.  And each virtue was assigned a price.  And our groups had to decide which concepts we would purchase with our fake money.  And the prices were different, depending on the value in question. 

I remember it was interesting to listen to the members of my group talk about which virtues they felt were the most important, which ones they were willing to spend money on in order to purchase them from the board.

Now some of you know Alfredo Zelaya, and he happened to be in my group.  And we both felt that the most important item from the list was Faith.  It is very easy to understand why some of the other words were more popular.  Compassion, charity, and of course, love, seemed to be the words that most people wanted to invest in.  And we should invest in those concepts.  But Alfredo and I were stubborn.  We kept insisting that we had to put our money on faith.

Unsurprisingly, I have always felt that faith is very important.  In fact, I feel that if we invest in faith – in true faith – then we will also be investing in all those other wonderful virtues. 

In the end I think we were overruled and our group purchased something like love or compassion. 

Faith is the foundation of our church, and of our religion.  Our entire tradition began with an act of faith.  Not knowing what church to join, a 14 year old kid went into the woods and prayed.  You see, he had read these words from James:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” –James 1:5

Joseph believed that if he did as James said, he would be given the answer that he was seeking. 

Do you recognize faith in that conviction? 

Clearly, Joseph not only believed in God, but he also believed that God would respond; he believed God would somehow reveal to him which church he should join.  His prayer was definitely a prayer of faith.

We all seek illumination in our lives.  Joseph desired the illumination of knowledge.  In the Book of Ether, the Brother of Jared desired actual illumination – the illumination of light to see by.

As I’m sure you’ll recall, the Lord had commanded the Brother of Jared to build eight barges.  At some point, he realized that they would be travelling across the ocean in complete darkness, based on the design God had given him for their construction.

So, he took some time to pray, and he asked God to provide them with way of having light.  The Lord’s response was interesting.  He said (paraphrased) “you can’t have windows, and you can’t have fire, so what would you have me do?”

So the Brother of Jared had to contemplate this dilemma.  Eventually, he found 16 small clear stones, and he asked God to touch each one, to make them glow.

Do you recognize his faith?

The Lord not only touched each stone, but he appeared as a man before the Brother of Jared, and he said to him:

“Because of your faith you have seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as you have” –Ether 1:72 (adapted)

Now what about the Lamanite prophet Samuel?  He went to the city of Zarahemla, and preached to them, calling them to repent.  But the people of Zarahemla did not like that message, and the drove him out of the city.

But God told Samuel to go back to Zarahemla, and preach to them again.  Now having already been driven out of the city, and having failed in his preaching, he must have been both fearful and doubtful about returning.  But, he went, and did as God directed him to do.

We know from the story that God protected Samuel from harm.  He was not permitted to enter the city, so he climbed the city walls, and preached to the people from the top.  The soldiers had bows and arrows, and they shot at him.  But God’s grace was a barrier to their arrows, and they could not harm him.

But Samuel was not told about this protection before he went to the city. 

Do you recognize his faith?

Noah was told by God to build a giant boat.  And to fill it with a whole bunch of animals. What an undertaken that must have been.  How foolish he must have felt.  Imagine building a boat where there is no water.   Imagine preparing for a rainstorm where no rains were expected.  Imagine having to deal with the logistics of building such a ship, and then filling it with dozens of animals, along with food, and all manner of supplies. 

Would you do what Noah did?   Do you recognize his faith?

What of the woman who touched the robe of Christ?  She was very sick, but she believed that if she would simply just touch Christ’s robe, that would be enough for her to be cured.  And she was!

Do you recognize her faith?

In the New Testament, the Lord asked “who do you say that I am?”

Peter replied: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” –Matthew 16:17 (IV)

In response to this, Jesus said:

“Blessed art thou..for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” –Matthew 16:18 (IV) (adapted)

Do you recognize his faith?

Back in 2012 and again in 2015, I had the great pleasure of getting to visit the Kirtland Temple.  In 2012, we watched the movie introduction in the Community of Christ Visitor’s Center.  In 2015, we went to vist our LDS cousins, and watched their movie.  Both really help to convey a sense of how much the early church members truly believed in what they were doing.

But as much as I enjoyed watching those films, I of course enjoy actually being in the temple even more.  To be in that very sacred space, to know what had to be sacrificed in order to complete it; to imagine 19th century people moving about, singing, and preaching, always fills me with awe when I sit in quiet mediation in that holy place.

I can’t even do justice to explaining what the people who built it went through.  Cutting rock in a quarry, smashing china in order to make the plaster glitter, stitching together work clothing for the men, feeding everyone, securing financial loans.  It was a tremendous undertaking, taking three years to complete. 

Do you recognize their faith?

You know, we have our own Kirtland Temple type of story here in Ontario.   As most of you know, I have a long history of attending our Northern Ontario church reunion, at Camp Noronto, which is located on the shores of Lake Nippising, up by highways 69 and 64.

A while ago I came across a document that Kerry Withrow wrote about the history of the campgrounds and I want to share some experts with you now.

I won’t get into how the property was discovered, but the first work camp was held Oct. 10th to the 18th, 1959.  We are told:

“The work camp day arrived and work parties were formed. While some workers were transported to the site by water from Sucker Creek, others waded across the water filled causeway with their pants rolled up. They began clearing the very dense brush and several thousand feet of timber was cut and transported to the Fryer mill to be sawed and dressed.

A road would have to be built and quick, as our sailors were getting tired of their water travel and proper clearing machinery could not be taken by water to the grounds. A road, crossing a marshy area full of bulrushes, would be the only possible means of accessing the area.

The road brushing began and a chipper was obtained.  The road crew chipped a road through the woods in one day and the way was cleared for the development of the access road. To help with the road, sand was obtained from local sand pits and loaded by hand onto the trucks.

By June 24th 1960 work on the dining hall was ready to begin. Clearing of the dining hall site began with blasting rock The footings for the dining hall were poured as well as for the first washroom building.

Wood for the dining hall was brought out from Harold Fryer’s forest and was sawed into boards at his sawmill. A lot of work, and especially equipment, was supplied by the Fryer family for which we are greatly appreciative. Calculations for this work camp was 190 man-days.

With the footings and some partial walls in place for these two buildings, another date was set for the next work camp. It was planned for the Thanksgiving weekend in the Fall of 1960 and they hoped that they would be able to get the buildings closed in before the winter set in.

On the Thanksgiving weekend the work began again. It is recalled that there were some 40 workers at this camp at one time and the walls were raised very quickly followed by the roof.  As soon as the dining hall was closed in, it became the sleeping quarters for our weary workers.

Another work camp was planned for June 16th 1961. When the date of this work camp arrived, many finishing touches were added to the shells of buildings left from the year before. Windows and doors were installed in the dining hall and washroom; and the cement floor was poured in the dining hall. As well, water and hydro were hooked up, & cooking equipment, toilets, wash basins and a septic tank were installed.

Harvey Wagg said that “During the early period of construction, there was a fine spirit of fellowship which was enjoyed by many through dedication and sometimes sacrifice. This proved to be the deciding factor in the success of the building and development program.

On July lst, 1961, the first ON-GROUNDS youth camp began.

From September 2nd – 4th, 1961 the first reunion experience took place. 

The first week-long reunion was held in the summer of 1962. Each facility was used for their normal function but the dining hall doubled as the chapel as well. Services that week were held in the end of the dining hall where the fireplace now stands.

In the Fall of 1962, construction began on the chapel. Clearing of the area became the responsibility of everyone and as Dave Pessah put it, “We all became specialists. We knew everything about everything then.” All of the workers took turns at blasting stumps out of the ground.

The footings were prepared by some, while Harold Fryer, assisted by Morley Shepherdson walked many hours through the bush looking for straight, tall and uniform trees that would make up the 50 foot rafters.

Many fine people stood or sat in the lake for a whole week and peeled the bark off the logs. After they had peeled the bark, they treated the logs with a stain before they were suitable for the interior and exposed rafters of the chapel. While all of this was happening at the lake, others poured the footings and formed and poured the pallisters for the tree rafters to stand on.

Slowly the A-Frame section rose from the ground higher and higher until it reached the place where it should stand. A few positional taps with sledge hammers and the A-Frame ‘Thumped’ into place. What a sense of accomplishment they must have felt as this sacred building began to take shape.

While the crews worked long hard hours on site, much loving support and help was given to them by the ladies who prepared food at the Fryer’s cottage and brought it around to Fryer’s Point for the men to eat.

We would find it next to impossible to name all the ladies and families who were involved in the building of the campgrounds but several families were there continuously. Harold and Elena Fryer made their Sucker Creek cottage available for cooking and sleeping. Hugh and Helen Grieve opened their home for cooks to sleep in and Helen made many trips to where the cooking was being done and to the grounds with food and baking.

Needless to say, the women played an important role in the constructing of these grounds. At each and every work camp mentioned above, the women were there as well, cooking meals and delivering it to the workers on site.

The Monetville congregation let us use their church, the women cooking in the basement and the men sleeping upstairs.

The women worked at many other jobs around the grounds as well from peeling the logs as mentioned earlier, to yard work, painting, making curtains and cleaning buildings in preparation for camps and reunions.

It was estimated that the total cost of the original 3 buildings was in the $20,000.00 range. The vast majority of the work was completed by volunteers.

What has been accomplished by these men and women for our benefit is certainly amazing and without a doubt beautiful!  How it was accomplished is no less than fantastic and unbelievable!” –Excerpts and adapted from http://www.noronto.ca/Noronto/History.html

Do you recognize their faith?

All these stories are stories of tremendous faith.  What they all have in common is of course that their faith is faith in God.

But did you recognize that each story expressed faith in a different form? 

Joseph Smith’s story is an example of trusting in God.

The Brother of Jared’s story reminds us that we can count on God.

Samuel the Lamanite’s story is one of assurance.

Noah’s story is of acceptance.

Peter’s story is about discernment.

The story of the people who built the Kirtland Temple is a story of willingness to sacrifice. 

The story of the people who built Camp Noronto is one of dedication & joy.

And the sick woman’s story is one of understanding grace, hope, and conviction.

There is of course overlap in all of these stories, and each is also an expression of faith in a variety of ways.

Why is faith important?  As we struggle with various things in our lives, we are at risk of losing touch with what is important in life.  And we run the risk of losing ourselves along the way. 

Sometimes, we lose a large number of those virtues I mentioned earlier.  We lose our own sense of inner peace.  We lose our sense of justice.  We lose patience, kindness, charity, compassion, and possibly even love. 

Often, for many people there can even  be a risk of losing hope.  We’ve all heard the expression “there is always hope”.  I believe that to be the case.  But, for some people, hope is the last thing they have left, and without faith, they can lose even hope, and once hope is gone, they have nothing left.  Or so it may seem.

But for others, faith remains, even when hope is utterly spent.  Faith can be a form of hope unto itself.  Or, faith can be that which can restore hope in what is otherwise a hopeless situation.  Faith restores hope, and hope can build faith.

Faith transforms lives.  Our temple in Independence, Missouri, was dedicated to the pursuit of peace.  But it was also built for the purpose of reconciliation and healing of the spirit.  And when the spirit is healed, there is potential for the mind and body to also be healed, and so, again, faith yields hope.

Faith and hope are intertwined.  The stories I shared this morning help me to believe that there is always hope, and they also remind me that through God, all things are possible.  God gives light, God sustains us, God empowers us to achieve great things. God redeems our souls.  God heals us.

God does all of these things for us freely.  Even when we turn away from God.  Even when we never knew God. This is the third element that goes along with faith and hope: We call it grace.  Even when we have no hope; even if we have lack faith, we still have God’s grace – because that comes from outside, that is what God offers to all of us. 

The stories I shared earlier reveal God’s grace.  They reveal the power of hope.  They reveal the power of faith.  They reveal that all things are possible.   I am reminded of, and recognize, hope, faith, and God’s grace in the prayer of Alma:

109 O Lord, will you give me strength, that I may cope with my infirmities? For I am infirm, and such wickedness among this people pains my soul.
110 O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; will you comfort my soul in Christ?
111 O Lord, will you grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions…
112 O Lord, will you comfort my soul, and give me success, and also my fellow laborers who are with me…even all these will you comfort, O Lord? Will you comfort their souls in Christ?
113 Will you grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come upon them?
114 O Lord, will you grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee, in Christ?
115 Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our near brethren, therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom, that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.
116 Now it came to pass, that when Alma had said these words…
117 …they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
118 And after that…
119 …the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions.
120 Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith. –Alma 16 (adapted)

Amen.

Christ is Risen! (2016)

March 27th, 2016

Good morning and welcome to this House of the Lord.  Today is the holiest day of the Christian calendar, for on this day, we celebrate the miracle of Easter: Christ’s conquest over death.

All over the world, Christians are gathered in church services to celebrate that Christ is Risen.  But as we remember the various stories and meanings concerning Easter, I would ask this question:

What do we learn from Easter?  What do we learn about God and Christ?

To help us explore these questions, I want you to visualize something.  Please ensure that you are comfortable, and feel free to close your eyes.  But stay awake! 

Now … imagine yourself sitting in a chair on a tropical beach.  Its hot and sunny, and the ocean is the clearest blue.  The sand is white and flecked with dazzling shells.

You sip some ice cold water, feeling very refreshed, and also very relaxed. Beside you is another person, who is also sitting in a chair, also looking very relaxed, staring at the ocean.  Between the two of you is a table, and on that table is a platter full of cheese, dates, figs, grapes, and freshly baked bread.

There is a gentle breeze, and you notice pleasant scents in the air: that of the ocean, that of spring flowers, and of course, the mouth watering aroma of cooking meat.

You can hear nice music playing, and as you look around, you see many other people who are also cheerfully sitting on the beach, enjoying the view.

You have never felt so at peace, so tranquil, so relaxed.  You are, truly, in Paradise.

Everything is perfect, and you are totally content. And you’ve earned it. 

And you’ve earned it because just a few hours ago, you were found guilty of crimes that you were innocent of, you were beaten, scourged, and eventually crucified, dying a slow, and agonizing death.

You think back on the last three years.  When you knew that the time had arrived for you to begin your public ministry, you asked your cousin John to baptize you.  Then, you began to preach, and to teach. 

Your message was simple.  Love everyone.  Understand, and accept that you are a person of worth, and that God loves you.  So love yourself, and love everyone else. Everyone.  Love your family, love your friends, even love your enemies.

Be compassionate.  Show mercy.  Forgive each other.  Be generous and charitable.  Look after those who have less than you.  Never resort to violence.  Do not judge unrighteously. 

Understand that a place is prepared for you in the Kingdom of God.  Understand that life does not end.  Be true to God, and expect to live forever in God’s domain. 

You also taught by example.  When the Pharisees brought a sinner to you to be judged, you confounded them by saying “let he among you who is without sin, cast the first stone”.  You forgave many people of their sins.  You healed the sick.  You restored sight to the blind.  You even raised the dead.  You performed many miracles to help people understand that you were truly sent from God.

And people listened to you.  They heard your message, and it resonated with them.  It was a message that was relevant to them.  It was a message that brought forth redemption. 

Your followers grew in number, until there were thousands of them. Some of them became your disciples, traveling with you, and supporting you in your ministry.

And it was ministry that you were performing.  You helped people encounter God, to have their lives transformed, to be freed of sin, and to set their lives in order, living for the sake of others, not just themselves.

Eventually, you traveled to the city of Jerusalem.  You entered the city riding on a donkey, in fulfillment of messianic prophecy.

You preached in the temple, and you gave thanks to God for the opportunity to worship Him. 

And then Passover came.  All throughout the city, Jews would recite the familiar words “why is this night different from all other nights?”

Why indeed?  You share a final meal with your closest friends, your followers and disciples, your apostles.  And one of them gets up and leaves, to run an errand of shadows.

Later, you and your apostles rest in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Eventually Judas returns, and betrays you with a kiss.  You are surrounded by temple guards, and arrested.

You are taken before a late night gathering of the Sanhedrin, where you are tried for blasphemy.  You are found guilty, and dragged before Pontius Pilot.  He finds no guilt in you, and has you sent to King Herod, who also finds no guilt in you, sending you back to Pilot.

Under the pressure of the Sanhedrin, Pilot is manoeuvred into sentencing you to die.

You are tortured, and crowned with thorns, and forced to carry your own cross to Calvary, where your feet and hands are impaled with spikes, as you are nailed to your cross, and crucified.  You hang on your cross for several hours before finally, dying, and passing into Paradise.

And now again, you see the ocean, and the white sand, and you feel the peace and bliss of utter contentment.  You hear someone talking to you, and you turn to look at the person sitting beside you.  It is a man that you met just a few hours ago, while you were still dying on the cross.  It is the repentant thief, who you promised would be with you this day, in Paradise.

He says to you “Lord, thank you for your love and mercy.  I am humbled to be here with you.” He looks in several directions, and takes a piece of bread, chewing it thoughtfully.  He again looks at you and says “Lord, I have been so blessed.  Truly, I am content to dwell here with you and God in Paradise forever.”

You smile.  And then you say “I will not be here forever.  I have to go back”

The man looks stunned, and he says “Go back?  But Lord, I don’t understand, why would you leave this place?   Why would you forsake Paradise, and go back?”

You reply “My mission is not yet complete”

“But lord” the man says “I don’t  understand.  Your people rejected you!  I was there, even before the crucifixion.  Pontius Pilot gave them a choice, and they begged for mercy, they cried for freedom, they yelled, and the screamed, as they called for….Barabbas!  Give us Barabbas they demanded!

Why would you go back?  You were forsaken by your own people.  Only a week ago, they received you into Jerusalem like a prince, draping the road with palm leaves, and shouting Hosanna!  And then they conspired against you!

All because you preached love, mercy, compassion, hope. 

Lord, your own disciples abandoned you!  One of them betrayed you, delivering you into the hands of your enemies.  Another denied you.  Three times he denied you! 

Lord, why – why would you go back?”

***

Why indeed?  Why did Jesus go back?  Why did he rise form his tomb?  His death on the cross paved the way for our salvation, but why did Jesus have to go back?

Well, there is the obvious factor that by rising from the dead, Christ proved to his followers that he really was what he claimed to be: the Son of God.  Or, more specifically, God Himself.

Christ had performed many miracles when he was alive.  He had even brought at least two people back form the dead.  But he was the only person to bring himself back from the dead.  This was the final proof, the final demonstration to his followers, the final revelation concerning who he was.

He was not just a prophet, he was not just a holy man.  He was not even just the son of God.  He was both the Son and the Father.  Or the mother.  The parent.  The creator.

For three years, several people ate with him, they travelled with him, they were ministered to by him.  They were taught by him.  But I suspect few of them truly grasped who or what he really was.  I suspect that few of them could comprehend that the person sitting opposite them, on the other side of the campfire, was God Himself.

Christ’s resurrection was validation for everything that the disciples and followers of Jesus believed in.  

It of course was also confirmation that people can be saved from death – through his resurrection, Christ conquered death, and opened the doors of eternal life to his children.

But let’s be honest.  We already know all of this – so my original question remains – what do we learn from the story of Easter?

Well, we learn about the nature of Christ the man.  While it is true that Christ was God, fully divine, Jesus was also a human being, fully man.  And despite everything he went through, he was willing to go back.

He was no longer at risk of being harmed.  But he had been rejected by his own people.  He was betrayed.  He was discarded.   Yet, he still went back, to complete his mission.

To me, this demonstrates how much Jesus loved everyone.  Going to the cross, and being crucified in the first place, was the greatest selfless act that anyone could ever do.  But then, having experienced it, having lived through it, and dying as a result of it, he might have had a different opinion about going back to the people who inflicted that suffering upon him. 

But he went back.  That is how much he loved all of mankind.  Would you have gone back?  Would you have left the Paradise I described earlier?  Would you have left whatever your own version of Paradise might be?  Knowing what Christ taught, knowing how the people ultimately responded, knowing what he went through.  Would you have gone back?

Jesus Christ faced that reality, and he went back.  He rose from the dead for the sake of his mother, and for his family, and for his apostles, and his other disciples, and his other followers, and all those who need to know, then and now, that we are not ever alone, that God is with us, and loves us, unconditionally.

This is another lesson we learn from the Easter story.  Despite all we do, God loves us.  We are never unworthy.   What have you done in your life that compares to the betrayal, trial, torture, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ?  What sins are you guilty of that God will turn away from you?

God loves us, and he understands our faults and failings.  Three weeks ago, I read a prayer that President Emeritus Wallace B. Smith gave in 2005.  And although some of you heard it recently, I feel it is appropriate to read it again.  His prayer went like this:

“Gracious and loving God, how wonderful is your Name.  We stand in awe of the great faithfulness you have shown to us: the children of your creation through all the generations of time.  Just as the most loving parent, you have ever nurtured and guided us; and just as wayward children we have sometimes ignored or rebelled against that guidance.  For these wilful lapses and times of weakness, we now ask for your forgiveness, even as we rejoice in the constancy of your love.”

I love that prayer.  Listen again to these key words: “Just as the most loving parent, you have ever nurtured and guided us; and just as wayward children we have sometimes ignored or rebelled against that guidance.  For these wilful lapses and times of weakness, we now ask for your forgiveness, even as we rejoice in the constancy of your love.”

Through the miracle of Easter, we are reminded of how vast God’s love is for each of us. It truly is constant. 

One of the things Jesus said to his disciples is this:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” –John 13:34 (IV, adapted)

Another thing that Christ said was:

“You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that persecute you; For if you love only those who love you, what reward have you?  And if you salute your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” –Matthew 5:45-46, 48-49 (IV, adapted)

Jesus Christ is the ultimate model and example of love, and the Easter message confirms that.  But we seem to have such low capacity to love other neighbours.

How can we be more like Christ?  How can we be an Easter people?  I’ve spoken of this before, and my answer is still the same.  Quite simply, we need to grow our capacity to love others. 

And to do that, we must allow ourselves to be loved.  Again, I’ve spoken of this before, but its something I really want people to take to heart.   Allow yourselves to be loved, so that you in turn, can grow in your capacity to love others.

One final thing we learn from the story of Easter is that there is always hope.  Christ’s resurrection reminds us that, through God, through our covenant with Jesus Christ, all things are possible.  If Christ can conquer death, if he can bring himself back to life, there is nothing that God cannot do.

Therefore, we must never give up hope.  We must always remember to turn our burdens over to God.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead because of his love for all people, and to bring hope to the world.

Meanwhile, back in Paradise. 

The repentant thief looks at you with understanding.  He now knows why you have to go back.  You both stand up, and he looks at you with concern perhaps even shame, as he lowers his head, and he says to you:

“Lord, I don’t have to go back, do I?”

You smile warmly, and embrace him, and then you look into his face, and you say:

“No my son, your place is here.  You shall remain in Paradise.  Only I have to go back. 

But if you had to go back, would you? 

If I needed your help, would you give it freely? 

If I asked you to prepare the way, would you go? 

If I needed you to be my voice, to bring others to my table, would you do so? 

If I called you, would you answer the call? 

Will you teach people to never give up hope?  Will you teach people to allow themselves to be loved, so that they can grow in their own capacity to love everyone?

I rose for you.   Will you rise up now, for the sake of all others?”