My brethren and sisters, we have just listened to a stirring message sung by the Choir. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bringeth good tidings"  Isa. 52:7

As I stand here, I feel that mankind today needs to be reassured. Atheism is asserting itself as never before. It is being organized to destroy religion, to dethrone God, and to undermine the standards by which progress in the past has been made. The leaders in all activities of life need much strength, much love, much endurance, and an unbounded courage, and certainly greater faith in God.

As a Church we accept without reservation the divine leadership of Jesus Christ the Lord. Faith in him is the foundation of righteous living. He is the cornerstone of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To disregard and to ignore him is to extinguish the brightest light in human history.

A few weeks ago I attended a fast day service in a beautiful ward chapel. I was deeply impressed as I watched and listened to the proceedings. A youthful bishop presided. He made a few preliminary remarks, and the congregation sang a well-known hymn. The prayer that followed was short and to the point. Another hymn was sung, and the bishop arose and told the congregation it was their meeting. He urged the members present to bear their testimonies and briefly to express their feelings regarding their faith and to acknowledge their blessings. There were no prolonged sermons. The speakers, men and women, manifested the usual fear and timidity, but all in all each one had a message, a message that came from the heart, and what comes from the heart goes to the heart. The words spoken were tinctured with deep conviction. In each case it was a declaration of a positive faith. They told about their prayers being answered and the manifestations of God's power in their homes. Some talked about material blessings which had come through the payment of tithing. Others testified as to the divinity of God's work which had been established in this Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. Some spoke of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and others about the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. The closing hymn was sung with considerable feeling. A fervent benediction was offered, and the meeting dismissed, but the worshipers stood there in groups as if reluctant to go. I know the good spirit was present in that gathering. It was the spirit of true worship. All were touched and everyone was strengthened and uplifted for the days and weeks ahead.

What is man without an abiding faith in the true and living God? Colonel Ingersoll answered that question many years ago. "Man," he said, "is a stranger wandering hither and thither in a narrow vale between the barren peaks of two eternities," coming and going without guide, compass, or destination to guide him on his way.

But let me say, my brethren and sisters, those peaks about which Ingersoll spoke are not barren, for a man of faith sees beyond the peaks, and he sees a primeval existence. He also sees a land where there are no shadows and where there will be a glorious reunion with loved ones who have gone on before. Earth life is not the beginning of man, and death is not the end. For three years Jesus walked along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, through the towns, villages, and cities of Palestine, teaching and demonstrating the power of faith. But most of his followers remained cynical and doubtful, and when the crucial and testing moment arrived, they were not there. Without faith man is forever in the shadows of doubt and uncertainty. He has no future. He has no program to follow, and when death comes he leaps into the dark and there is no inclination in his heart to turn to God and worship.

Jesus was the greatest advocate of faith the world has known. He not only taught it but he exemplified it in his entire ministry. For many years I have read books on the life and character of Jesus the Christ. Most of them have been very interesting and well-written. The older I get, however, the more joy and satisfaction I receive from the four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four narratives are a challenge to the world. They are a work of art. They are a strong and irrefutable testimony of the divinity of the Lord Jesus. Whatever is said and done, and whatever is written about him, the fact remains that these writers of his life have pictured for us the greatest figure in universal history. They did not invent him. No one would be capable of doing that, for he was perfect and beyond the creation of man. They recorded what they saw and heard and found nothing to criticize. They accepted him, worshiped him, and some of them died for him. Their testimony is therefore strong, reliable, and trustworthy.

Religious teachers talk about theology, their doctrines of salvation—the resurrection, the virgin birth, and many other things. But without the personal Christ as he appeared among men, their teachings would be meaningless and without purpose, and the urge to worship the Almighty would be lost. He is the voice of authority, the fountain of all grace and truth and the mirror of all perfection for you and me to follow. He made that clear when he said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life"  John 14:6 I believe that deep in the heart of humanity is a desire to believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, for he gives humanity something to hope for, something to live for, and something to strive for.

Jesus lived with the poor. He appeared as one of them. He cast his lot with the lowly and dejected classes of society. You will recall when John the Baptist sent his disciples to be reassured, Jesus said, "Tell John the poor have the gospel preached to them" (see  Luke 7:22 Can you think of any leader aspiring to greatness and recognition who ever thought of beginning with the poor? Please remember that the higher circles were open to him, but he never deserted the meek and the humble. He remained their friend. Was not this a manifestation of his great love?

The meek will someday inherit the earth  Matt. 5:5 The honest and conscientious worker will be rewarded, and the idler and the schemer will have no place in the ideal commonwealth to be established.

Consider the Savior from any standpoint. He was always a leader. He possessed all the qualifications necessary to lead a world torn asunder by conflict, war, disruption, and contention. He looked ahead. He was prepared for eventualities. He knew, for instance that he would be put to death on the cross. He knew also the reception that would be accorded his disciples. He never wavered in the face of a ruthless and determined opposition. In adversity he was still the leader. A combination of forces assailed him. Strong and powerful they were, but he never lost sight of his appointed mission nor succumbed to the fallacies of men. His objective was before him. He never compromised nor did he sidestep his responsibilities. He was firm and immovable before his assailants, most of whom shriveled and withered in his presence. He could not be manipulated nor confused.

He was qualified, my brethren and sisters, to lead the children of men. He made a bid to do so: ". . . other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, that they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd"  John 10:16 Jesus is the shepherd. He will succeed, for regardless of man's rebellion every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ  Philip. 2:10-11 In a world of uncertainty, confusion, and chaos mankind must turn to him. It is inevitable.

And so we worship the Lord and Master. We meet together often to keep alive our faith and to worship him in spirit and in truth. Emerson said, "And what greater calamity can fall upon a nation than the loss of worship. Then all things go to decay. Genius leaves the temple to haunt the senate or the market. Literature becomes frivolous, science is cold."

I testify that Mormonism, so-called, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation  Rom. 1:16 It embraces all truth and proclaims the divinity of Jesus Christ. People everywhere are urged to recognize and accept that truth and to introduce it into their daily lives. The angel whom John saw in vision said, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters"  Rev. 14:7

May we do so, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.