An Offering In Righteousness

In a talk in general conference about 13 years ago, President Nelson spoke about the New FamilySearch system and the Church’s efforts to help us unite generations through the ordinances of the temple. He said, “Temple and family history work is now facilitated by a system known as the ‘new FamilySearch.’ This Internet-based system helps members identify their ancestors, determine what ordinance work needs to be done for them, and prepare their names for the temple. It can be accessed from home, a family history center, or wherever the Internet is available.” But he also suggested that this was just the beginning of the work to create a digital platform for family history work: “While the new FamilySearch is a giant step forward, it is still just a step. There is more work ahead…. Together we are striving to organize the family tree for all of God’s children. This is an enormous endeavor with enormous rewards.” It was two years later that the new Family Tree database would replace New Family Search and it has indeed become that “family tree for all of God’s children” that President Nelson suggested was coming. On its website today it says that it is “the world's largest online family tree—home to information about more than 1.2 billion ancestors.” Millions of users across the world, some members of the Church and others not, continue to add people, information, photos, and documents to this digital tree. It is one of the greatest collaborative efforts on earth today and seeks to “plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers” so that the earth will not be “utterly wasted at his coming” (Doctrine and Covenants 2:2-3). Surely the incredible technology that has enabled unprecedented progress in the work of salvation for our dead was inspired by the Lord primarily for this purpose.

                In his talk President Nelson also said, “We are exalted when we can dwell together with our extended families in the presence of Almighty God. The Prophet Joseph Smith foresaw our duty: ‘The great day of the Lord is at hand … ,’ he said. ‘Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple … a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation. The preparation of that record is our individual and collective responsibility. As we work together, we can make it worthy of all acceptation by the Lord.’” I believe that this book we will present to the Lord is FamilyTree which contains the names, information, stories, pictures and temple ordinance records for 1.2 billion people and counting. Malachi wrote of the coming of the Savior to the earth and the sons of Levi will “offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). All of us who have received the blessings of the priesthood—both women and men—through the ordinances of baptism and the temple surely are part of those “sons of Levi” who are meant to prepare that book for the Lord. Every time we attend the temple and add information to FamilyTree, we are contributing our small part to that great global offering and are helping in a very real way to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior. It was in relation to this effort that the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote these stirring words, “Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:22). Through our efforts to create this book we are helping the prisoners go free through the King Immanuel who has called us to do it. The Prophet had the vision of this work that could be accomplished and surely is laboring on the other side of the veil to move it forward, for, as he also declared, “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.”