… Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments; (Section 81:4c)

Beauty is something that we all understand. It is not something that we have to teach our children. It is woven into our nature. We all know it when we see it. It seems universal. It doesn’t generate argument or debate. It is just appreciated and we feel blessed when we encounter it. You would be hard pressed to find someone that is not moved by the grandeur of the mountains, a sunset on the seashore, or the splendor and array of the autumn colors. But beauty is not limited to what we see in nature. Beauty comes in many forms. Perhaps the most wonderful expressions of beauty are the ones found in our fellowship with each other. We had a wonderful example of that beauty when our friends from the Church of Jesus Christ visited in late October.

I was touched by brother Buffington’s quote and use of Isaiah 52:7 “And then shall they say, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace;  that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation;  that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” Abinadi explained the meaning of this verse in the eighth chapter of Mosiah and made it clear that those in any day that publish peace are beautiful: “… how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and for ever!” Brother Buffington came to our branch to bring good tidings, to publish the peaceable things of the kingdom, to say unto us that God reigneth! … it was touching and beautiful. We were blessed. So what can we learn from our weekend together?

Latter-day revelation tells us that we (Zion) are to put on our beautiful garments. That, of course, is figurative language. There is no special suit of clothes that we are to make and wear. What then are the beautiful garments that we are to put on? Our garments are simply who we are. They are our nature and our character. Beauty is not represented in filth. The sinful nature that we inherit by reason of the fall clothed us in filthy rags. They must be washed clean and that can only be done in a special way. Jesus came and died that our garments may be washed in his blood and made white and beautiful. Oh what a blessing!

But it doesn’t end there. Our garments must be kept clean. Our fleshly nature and selfish desires will spot our garments if we do not actively seek to live righteously. We must save ourselves from this untoward generation and hate garments spotted with the flesh. (see Section 35:2b, Jude 23) Repenting and forgiving are spiritual soap and water.

Righteous living begins with love. There are no formulas for righteous living. Love must reign supreme in our lives. We have all come to a knowledge of the glory of God. We know of His goodness and have tasted His love and experienced great joy in our souls. We must always remember what great things He has done for us, humble ourselves, call on His name daily, and stand steadfast in our faith. If we do we will always rejoice and be filled with His love and we will not have a mind to injure one another but we will want to live peaceably. (See King Benjamin’s great discourse in Mosiah 2.) If we love one another and live peaceably, we demonstrate a beauty that cannot be described … only experienced … much like we did over a special weekend just a short time ago.

All of mankind appreciates and is attracted to beauty. The greatest witness of God and His love that He expressed through the gift of His son is the body of Christ. You and I. If we put on our beautiful garments, the world will see God. So let us arise and bring good tidings to others, let us publish the peaceable things of the kingdom, let us declare that God reigneth!, let us “live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12), let us put on our beautiful garments. Let us display the beauty, splendor and grandeur of God by the very lives that we live.

How beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her groom with His light in her eyes
How beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure lives so that others may live

How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ

(From Twila Paris’ How Beautiful)