Welcome and Introduction
I am so pleased to be gathered to worship with you today for your weekly campus devotional in this beautiful BYU-Idaho Center. It is remarkably reminiscent of the Conference Center at Church headquarters in Salt Lake City.
I always enjoy coming to Rexburg. My father is an alumnus of this institution. In fact, driving through Rexburg on Highway 20 with our boys over the years seemed to trigger excitement in them--sweaty palms, flared nostrils, and an elevated heart rate! You see, with its proximity to Island Park and Grand Targhee, it was a marker for the family that we were getting close to our snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, or fly-fishing destinations.
Lesa and I are particularly grateful to be with President and Sister Henry J. Eyring. My association with President Eyring goes back many years, mixed with both professional and ecclesiastical associations. President and Sister Eyring had been serving in Tokyo for a year as mission president and companion when Lesa and I arrived in Nagoya, Japan, in a similar assignment. I quickly realized that there was much to be learned from them.
President Eyring was always kind enough to take my phone calls as I sought to learn successful practices that were in place in his mission under his leadership that ultimately benefited our mission so deeply as well. He is such a capable leader, demonstrating exemplary Christlike attributes. You should observe these traits closely and model what you learn from both him and Sister Eyring. I am confident that it will be of great benefit for you throughout your life. I would love to share a dinner of miso soup and yaki soba with them when we finish our devotional.
Well, brothers and sisters, it is a tender time, isn't it? I seek the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts and have prayed that my expressions will be in accordance with what the Lord would have me say to you today. I am also hopeful that you will receive impressions of the Spirit in your heart and mind to know of the truthfulness of the expressions that will be made today.
President Thomas S. Monson
A new year is upon us, one that is already particularly noteworthy. Literally within hours of the new year, we lost one of earth's grandest inhabitants. On January 2, at 10:01 p.m., Thomas S. Monson, the prophet of the world, slipped from mortality to immortality. Many have speculated on the joyful heavenly reunion of President Monson and his dear wife, Sister Frances Monson. Let's reflect on other heavenly reunions which likely followed theirs--for example, the 85 widows of the 67th Ward in Salt Lake City over which President Monson presided as bishop so many years ago at the young age of 22, just 18 months after he married!
With rejoicing hearts, each of these widows, along with grateful husbands by their sides, were likely part of a grand heavenly "welcoming party." Perhaps countless others, once scattered throughout the nations of the earth, each touched one by one through the ministry of President Thomas S. Monson, offered their personal welcome as well. This could have created quite a commotion if such reunions take place in heaven!
Here on earth, over 31,000 Latter-day Saints of all ages paid tribute to President Monson the day before his funeral for his viewing. He lay in state in the Hall of the Prophets in the Conference Center, with windows that look peacefully over Temple Square. In addition, the highest-ranking government, education, and professional officials expressed their formal condolences to the office of the First Presidency by letter and email. His funeral, held in the Conference Center, was attended by thousands and viewed by hundreds of thousands.
Reflecting for just a moment on the life of President Monson, I remember him as one of only a few men who has so clearly defined his ministry by his daily practice. I remember President Monson describing--more than once--the account of "the rescue," which inspired the painting by J. M. W. Turner which became familiar to many of us through him. It was natural to equate the ministry of President Monson with the rescue of souls in need and is only fitting that To the Rescue became the title of his biography. His counselors both described this particular attribute of his in social media posts following the funeral. We read, "The hallmark of his life, like the Savior's, will be his individual concern in reaching out to the poor, the sick--even all individuals--worldwide,"[1] posted President Eyring. As described by President Uchtdorf, "He grasped the complexities of a worldwide church and cared personally about the well-being of the individual."[2]
I last visited President Monson when I was invited with a colleague in the Quorum of the Twelve to his apartment to offer 90th-birthday wishes. The conversation was not long but sweet and enjoyable. President Monson was anxious to hear about our recent assignments, asked where we had been and how the members were doing where we visited. Through the course of the visit, I was blessed to feel a distinct impression that even in a weakened state, this was the prophet of the Lord, through whom He could speak if and when needful. Just moments later, walking back to the office, my companion turned to me and described the distinct impression he received during our visit, which was the same as mine: that President Monson was indeed the prophet of God and, even in his aged state, was capable of communicating the will of the Lord to His children. I consider this special experience a tender mercy from the Lord.
I was touched by the words of President Henry B. Eyring, noble First Counselor to President Monson, as he described at the funeral his tender feelings and the testimony he received while in the presence of President Monson just hours before his passing. Later that night, upon the last heartbeat of President Monson, the mantle of apostolic leadership passed to President Russell M. Nelson, now the senior living Apostle of God on the earth.
Apostolic Interregnum
Our dear prophet Thomas S. Monson has now entered a state of peace and rest, having passed through the veil. The words of President Spencer W. Kimball following the passing of President David O. McKay seem most appropriate for our time and this circumstance:
Our heads are bowed, our hearts are hurting, but there will be a happy reunion when this inspired prophet joins the hosts of his peers--the Josephs, the Brighams, and the Wilfords.
In our feeling of emptiness, it hardly seems that we could go on without him; but as one star sinks behind the horizon, another comes into the picture, and death spawns life. The work of the Lord is endless. Even when a powerful leader dies, not for a single instant is the Church without leadership, thanks to the kind Providence who gave his kingdom continuity and perpetuity. As it already happened ... [sixteen times] before in this dispensation, a people reverently close a grave, dry their tears, and turn their faces to the future.[3]
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught, "When the president of the Church passes on, the First Presidency is disorganized, and the mantle of leadership--the reins of presidency--go to the senior man left and to the Council of the Twelve as a body; in effect the Council of the Twelve then becomes the First Presidency of the Church and so continues unless and until a formal reorganization takes place."[4]
President Spencer W. Kimball observed:
When the first succession took place, the restored church was an infant only 14 years old. There had been no prophet nor "open vision" for numerous centuries. Little wonder, then, that the people should be full of questions when the bullets at Carthage terminated the life of the one in whom all these priceless blessings--the church, revelation, prophets--seemed to be centered. When the apostles returned from their missions, had buried their dead prophet, and considered the future, all doubt was dissipated when the senior apostle, already holding all the keys, stood forth like Moses and led the way.[5]
Of course, we know that this "Moses" was the next prophet in succession, even Brigham Young.
On this particular succession of prophets, The Times and Seasons editorial of September 2, 1844 stated: "Great excitement prevails throughout...to know 'who shall be the successor of Joseph Smith?'..At present, we can say that a special conference of the church was held in Nauvoo on the 8th...and it was carried without a dissenting voice, that the 'Twelve' should preside over the whole church."[6]
The period of time between the death of a standing prophet and the reorganization of the First Presidency is referred to as an apostolic interregnum. Following the deaths of the first three Presidents of the Church, this in-between period was approximately two to three years, respectively. However, from Lorenzo Snow until the present day, the apostolic interregnum period has been 12 days or less.
Speaking about this, President Joseph F. Smith said:
"There is always a head in the Church, and if the presidency of the Church are removed by death or [another] cause, then the next head of the Church is the twelve apostles until a presidency is again organized of three presiding high priests who have the right to hold the office of first presidency over the Church;...if the president should die, his counselors are then released from that presidency, and it is the duty of the twelve apostles to proceed at once, in the manner that has been pointed out, to see that the First presidency is reorganized, so that there may be no deficiency in the working and order of the priesthood in the Church [of God]".[7]
A practical example of this precept was demonstrated during the 12 days between the death of President Monson and the sustaining of President Nelson as President of the Church. In order not to delay mission calls with the dissolution of the First Presidency, who sign the call letter, these letters were sent out under proper authority, on Quorum of the Twelve letterhead, under the signature of President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Succession
In the message from President Nelson to the members of the Church just one week ago, on Tuesday, January 16, 2018, speaking of succession of the President of the Church, he stated: "I invite you to think about the majestic manner by which the Lord governs His Church. When a President of the Church passes away, there is no mystery about who is next called to serve in that capacity. There is no electioneering [and] no campaigning, but only the quiet workings of a divine plan of succession put in place by the Lord Himself. Each day of an Apostle's service is a day of learning and preparing for more responsibility in the future."[8]
At the end of the most recent interregnum period, on Sunday morning, January 14, 2018, the Council of the Twelve met in the upper room of the Salt Lake Temple in a spirit of fasting and prayer, under the presiding direction of President Russell M. Nelson, acting as the senior Apostle and President of the Quorum of the Twelve.
In this sacred and memorable meeting, seated by seniority in a semicircle of 13 chairs, following a well-established precedent in unity and unanimity, hands were raised to first sustain the organization of a First Presidency and then sustain President Russell Marion Nelson as the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This followed with the Council of the Twelve gathered in a circle with hands placed upon the head of President Nelson to ordain and set him apart, with the next most senior Apostle acting as voice. President Nelson then named his counselors, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Acting President of the Twelve. Following similar sustaining votes, President Dallin Harris Oaks, President Henry Bennion Eyring, and President Melvin Russell Ballard were each set apart to their respective offices by President Nelson. This was a deeply sacred and special experience, with an abundance of the Spirit in attendance. I offer to you my absolute witness that the will of the Lord, for which we fervently prayed, was powerfully manifest in the activities and events which took place that day.
President Russell M. Nelson
Just as President Monson was one of the grandest inhabitants to grace this earth, so is President Nelson. He has been profoundly prepared and specifically tutored by the Lord to lead us at this critical time in the world's history. What a great blessing is ours to now have dear President Russell M. Nelson as our loving and devoted prophet--the 17th President of the Church in this the final dispensation.
President Nelson is truly a remarkable man. I have had the privilege of serving in the Quorum of the Twelve with him as my quorum president for almost 2½ years. I have traveled with him and marvel at his energy level. One must move quickly to keep up with his pace. Even to ski down a hill with him! It seems that he knows everyone and is particularly gifted at remembering their names. He has visited 133 countries in his lifetime. In 2017 alone, he has visited 16 countries and 11 states. One of his long-time assignments has been over the expansive Europe East Area. He has traveled there often in his ministry. In November last year, he traveled to 7 countries--to include Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, and Georgia--in just 12 days! His outreach is to all, young and old. In the same way that each of his 10 children, 57 grandchildren, and 116 great-grandchildren feel that they are his favorite, so it is with each of us. I think this is because of the genuine love and concern he has for everyone.
I have had the opportunity to watch firsthand his leadership style. When I envision what Christlike leadership should look like in daily practice, I find it in President Nelson. I have not met anyone who exemplifies this at a higher level than President Nelson. It has been a remarkable tutelage for me to be in the position to observe this firsthand. Although my association with President Nelson has been in ecclesiastical roles, I have also become quite familiar with the professional life that President Nelson led before he was called as a General Authority. As many of you may know, President Nelson was a world-renowned heart surgeon. However, you may not know that President Nelson performed heart surgery on President Spencer W. Kimball when he was the prophet. There are many others on whom he performed surgeries whose names you would recognize as well. After a meeting last week, I heard President Nelson ask President Eyring, "Now, how many times did I operate on your mother?"--to which President Eyring replied, "I think nine times." Isn't that incredible?
Shortly following my call to the Twelve in October 2015, I had the opportunity to get an up-close glimpse of the professional life of President Nelson before he was called to the Twelve in 1984. I was invited to attend an event sponsored by University of Utah Health Sciences Department, where President Nelson received the Cardiothoracic Surgery Award, and a chair was later named in his honor just a few months ago. One may consider this unusual as President Nelson has not practiced as a surgeon for 34 years. I was stunned when I entered the hall for this event to see the large number of professionals who had traveled from throughout the United States to honor and recognize the work that President Nelson had done in the cardiothoracic-surgery realm.
Over the course of that evening, numerous professionals stood and expressed their respect and admiration for the outstanding contribution President Nelson had made in his medical specialty. I was surprised to learn that President Nelson was a pioneer developer of the heart-lung machine. This took place at the University of Minnesota, where he pursued joint surgical training and doctoral studies. This technology--which we take for granted today--was in its infancy when President Nelson began his studies and practice there. If you remember, a heart-lung machine, more formally termed cardiopulmonary bypass, is a technique that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery, maintaining the circulation of blood and the oxygen content of the patient's body.[9] The pump is often referred to as a heart-lung machine. Much of the important development of this technology came at the very capable hands and brilliant mind of President Nelson and his colleagues in Minnesota early in his medical career. Not only was President Nelson a member of the team that developed the concept; they actually fabricated the initial prototypes! Can you believe that? President Nelson worked on the research team responsible for developing the heart-lung machine that supported the first open-heart operation on a human being in 1951, at the University of Minnesota Hospital. This is absolutely astounding! At the event which honored and awarded President Nelson in 2015, this history was described by current and past medical practitioners who knew or knew of President Nelson.
As impressive as each of the presenters was that night, describing the various accomplishments of President Nelson, I was even more spellbound by a conversation I struck up with a man seated next to me in the audience. He didn't know who I was, but he knew President Nelson, then Dr. Nelson, director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency Program of the University of Utah Medical School in 1955.
This man described to me how he was a student of President Nelson's at the time. He shared with me many memories, affirming what I was hearing from the lectern. Most interesting to me was his description of the teaching style of President Nelson, which he said brought with it a large measure of notoriety. He explained that much of the teaching of residents who were to become heart surgeons was conducted by faculty members in the operating room. Here they observed and performed surgery under faculty supervision--which served as a laboratory classroom. He shared that the operating room environment under certain faculty surgeons was chaotic, competitive, filled with ego--a pressure cooker where resident surgeons felt their career was on the line each and every moment. He described how it was very difficult, sometimes even demeaning. He then explained the unique environment found in President Nelson's operating room. It was a peaceful, calm, and dignified atmosphere. Residents were treated with deep respect. However, following the demonstration of a procedure, Dr. Nelson expected the highest standard of performance from each of the residents. This man described how the best patient outcomes and the best surgeons came out of Dr. Nelson's operating room. This doesn't surprise me at all. This is the exact leadership style that I have experienced and observed firsthand and have been the recipient of in the Quorum of the Twelve. I feel that I have been, in a sense, one of his "residents in training."
President Nelson has an exceptional way of teaching others and offering correction in a positive, respectful, and uplifting manner. He is the embodiment of Christlike leadership. My young brothers and sisters, this exemplifies that even in the most difficult professions and circumstances where you may find yourself, you can conduct yourselves and lead in accordance with the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no reason or need for you to stoop to the practices and standards of the world. President Nelson is a living example of this in every situation.
What a great blessing it is for us to now sustain President Russel M. Nelson, who in magnifying his numerous roles throughout his life--student, father, professor, husband, doctor, priesthood leader, grandfather, apostle--did so then and continues to do so in such a Christlike way.
Summary and Close
Our time is drawing to a close. What we have witnessed these past weeks has only occurred 17 times in this dispensation. We have recently observed again a divine, sacred, solemn, and orderly transfer of authority to exercise all priesthood keys from one prophet to another--a clear and continual legacy of succession.
I have been blessed not only to participate in this but to have received a special witness that Russell Marion Nelson is our prophet and the Lord's mouthpiece for His children on earth today. I offer my expression of that testimony and add to it my testimony of Heavenly Father, and of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, and of the Restoration of the gospel in these, the latter days.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Henry B. Eyring, Facebook, Jan. 11, 2018, https://www.facebook.com/lds.henry.b.eyring
[2] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Facebook, Jan. 12, 2018, https://www.facebook.com/lds.dieter.f.uchtdorf
[3] Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 118; emphasis added
[4] Bruce R. McConkie, "Succession in the Presidency," BYU devotional, Jan. 8, 1974
[5] Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 119. [6] Times and Seasons, Sept. 2, 1844, 632
[7] Joseph F. Smith, in Conference Report, Apr. 1913, 4-5
[8] "Russell M. Nelson Named 17th Church President," Newsroom (website), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/russell-m-nelson-17th-church-president
[9] "Cardiopulmonary bypass," Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, last modified January 16, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_bypass