Question 4th Day Christmas Past: What second purpose did the Christmas hymn “Joy to the World” serve to early Saints? (To be entered into today’s giveaway & FREE tour drawing, Comment & Share your thoughts of story below on Facebook or our blog.) Joy to the World Text: Isaac Watts (1674 -1748); altered by William W. Phelps (1792-1872; LDS) Music: George F. Handel (1685-1759); arranged by Lowell Mason (1792-1872) Tune name: ANTIOCH Ever since Emma Smith included it in her hymnal of 1835, this energetic and dignified hymn has been a favorite among Latter-day Saints. Today we follow the practice of the rest of the Christian world in using it mainly as a Christmas carol. But this hymn has also served a second purpose: it is clear that William W. Phelps’s intention was to adapt it as a millennial hymn. The early Saints loved to sing of the millennium, and with some changes in verb tense—such as “The Lord will come” (rather than is come)—and a few other alterations, William W. Phelps made it suitable for that purpose. It is interesting that Isaac Watts’s original title for the hymn suggests this millennial spirit: “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.” The 1985 hymnal returned to the traditional verb tense in the opening line—”the Lord is come”—preserving the more common Christmas message. Other changes made by William W. Phelps have been retained, however, such as the line popular among members of the Church: “And Saints and angels sing” (rather than “heaven and nature”). George F. Handel and Lowell Mason share credit for the remarkable melody. (Note how the first phrase is nothing more than a descending major scale!) How Lowell Mason arrived at the tune is not perfectly clear, but it is possible that he brought together two melodic suggestions from Handel’s Messiah. First was the opening of “Lift Up Your Heads”. Lowell Mason himself gave principal credit to George F. Handel; when he published “Joy to the World” in Occasional Psalms (1836), he marked it “Arr. from Handel.” We do not know for sure why he named the tune ANTIOCH; he took Bible names almost at random for his tunes. Taken from: Karen Lynn Davidson, Our Latter-day Hymns: The Stories and the Messages [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1988],...
Read MoreAnswer and Winner 3rd Day Christmas Past
Answer 3rd Day Christmas Past: The Prophet Joseph Smith spent a Christmas in Liberty Jail. Because of the revelation and comfort the Lord gave to him while he was imprisoned, it has come to be known as a temple prison. Story still available on yesterday’s 3rd Day Question website blog post. Congrats to 3rd Day drawing winner, Loraine LeFevre, who won a hand carved olive wood nativity scene from...
Read MoreQuestion & Story 3rd Day Christmas Past
Question 3rd Day Christmas Past: Who spent Christmas in a Temple Prison and what was it like? (To be entered into today’s giveaway & FREE tour drawing, Comment & Share your thoughts of story below on Facebook or our blog.) On December 1, 1838, the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and several other brethren were imprisoned in Liberty Jail in Missouri on trumped-up charges of murder and overt acts of treason, none of which was ever proven against them. The Prophet and his companions found themselves in very difficult circumstances. Liberty Jail was a basement dungeon of approximately 14 feet by 14 feet with only a trapdoor entrance from the main floor. The ceiling was so low that the men couldn’t stand fully upright and were forced to sit or lie on the dirty, straw-covered floor, their legs shackled. There was no stove for heating, and when they used an open fire, inadequate venting caused the room to fill with smoke, which made breathing difficult. They had few blankets – certainly not enough to keep them warm in the freezing winter conditions – and the food was so bad they could hardly eat it. It was a difficult time. Joseph endured 5 months under these trying circumstances, including Christmas 1838. The prisoners had suffered a week in the jail when Emma brought her 6-year-old son, Joseph, to visit. Having no means by which to travel, Emma had borrowed a two-seat carriage and a “beautiful span of cream horses” to cover the 40 miles from Far West to Liberty. With her were Phoebe Rigdon and Phoebe’s young son, John. John remembered, “We started rather late in the morn and did not get to the jail til after dark and they would not let us go in till the next morn. After taking breakfast at the hotel we were taken to the jail and there remained for three days.” Emma was able to make a return visit on December 20, just before Christmas. In the midst of such dire circumstances, the prisoners were cheered by the presence of their loved ones. Joseph asked Emma if she could possibly bring some blankets for him. But the request reduced her to tears because the mob had recently attacked her home and destroyed all but two of her blankets. If she brought those to Joseph, then their children would go without. Emma’s visits were the closest the family got to a Christmas celebration that year. Just a week before Christmas, Joseph wrote words of encouragement to the Saints from the dungeon. “Therefore God hath made broad our shoulders for the burden. We glory in our tribulation, because we know that God is with us, that He is our friend, and that He will save our souls.” Because of Joseph’s eventual triumph over these unjust and difficult events and the revelation and comfort the Lord...
Read MoreAnswer and Winner 2nd Day Christmas Past
Answer 2nd Day Christmas Past: After helping to settle California, the Steely family answered a prophet’s call again to leave it behind and return back to Utah setting out on Christmas Eve and excited to have it snow. Story still available on yesterday’s 2nd Day Question website blog post. Congrats to 2nd Day drawing winner, Keli Emerson, who won a beautiful set of 10 cards of watercolor illustrations of Nauvoo...
Read MoreQuestion & Story 2nd Day Christmas Past
Question 2nd Day Christmas Past: What was the Seely family doing on Christmas Eve 1857 & what present did they receive? (To be entered into today’s giveaway & FREE tour drawing, Comment & Share your thoughts of story below on Facebook or our blog.) The Justus Wellington Seely family converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Iowa. They experienced persecution, and were part of the great Mormon exodus West in 1847. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September 1847 by wagon, as part of the John Taylor company with the first three of their eventually eleven children. At last, the young family believed this new land in the shadow of the mountains far away from their enemies they would be able to build a permanent home, raise their children, and plan ahead for the future. Justus worked hard to clear the land for crop planting and Clarissa Jane was proud of her garden that provided fresh vegetables for her family. She even grew enough produce that her seven-year-old son could sell the surplus for calico fabric. Clarissa Jane had discovered a talent for weaving straw hats, which she sold. That income contributed nicely to the family finances. Two more children were born. But the valley was not to be their home for long. In 1851 President Brigham Young issued a calling to five hundred families to assist in the settlement of San Bernardino in Southern California. This California valley is located inland from the Pacific Ocean and is a few miles from the modern-day city of Los Angeles. Justus and his brother David were among those chosen to help colonize. Here was another test of their faith, but they firmly believed that Brigham Young was the prophet on the earth, and that this was a call from God. Thus, they bravely left behind Clarissa’s aging parents, and their beloved Utah home in a wagon with their five young children, and became pioneers of two states – Utah and California. When the family arrived in California, after many struggles and adventures, they had to spend several months living in a grove of trees while title to the land was obtained and a home could be built. One of the favorite family stories is that Justus chose to build camp under a large Sycamore tree. When it would rain, (and sometimes it rained very hard), the water would roll off of the tree branches and neither they nor their belongings ever got wet. This was certainly a tender mercy from the Lord. The Seely’s eventually built a beautiful home. The settlers planted olive trees to provide the church with a fresh supply of consecrated oil, along with planting many other crops that sold well and establishing a thriving farming community. The Seely family began to enjoy peace and wealth and had a comfortable and successful...
Read MoreAnswer and Winner 1st Day Christmas Past
Answer 1st Day Christmas Past: George Albert Smith made a card with the three eastern spires of the Salt Lake Temple beautifully lit at night & a message: “The lights are on again…” The world was once again finally at peace after World War II. Story still available on yesterday’s 1st Day Question website blog post. Congrats to 1st Day drawing winner, Becky Knowlton, who won a hand carved holy family figurine made of olive wood from...
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