Our ward got to hear from another member of our family this week. It was my turn this time. The hardest part about writing this talk was in trying not to compare my talk to Bryan's amazing talk from last week. Here's my offering:
In Matthew chapter 22, one of the Pharisees came to Jesus with a question:
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Before moving to Pennsylvania, we lived in Illinois. Shortly after arriving in the Land of Lincoln, the Bishop asked to meet with me. He asked me to serve as the second counselor in the Relief Society presidency. This calling surprised me. We were new to the ward. I hadn’t served in a presidency since my days in Young Women. I had four active, busy kids and my youngest wasn’t even two. And Bryan had an hour and a half commute to and from Chicago each day, so he would rarely be home to take over parenting duties so I could fulfill this role. I felt overwhelmed at the thought. I said all of these things out loud to the Bishop as he sat in my living room. He told me he believed I could do it. Aware of all those concerns, I said yes.
In his April 2026 General Conference talk, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve shared his own experience receiving a calling shortly after joining the church as a young adult. He said, “I was invited to meet with the bishop. He had taken time to get to know me when I was being taught by the missionaries. He rocked back in his chair, thwacking a ruler into his palm, and told me that we were meeting because he had a calling for me. He had prayed—about me—and he told me the calling would be of benefit to me and my future service to the Lord in His Church. He extended the calling of assistant ward clerk. The reaction in my mind was, “Assistant ward clerk? Well, that is not me!” Fortunately, a little grace intervened, and I responded with a “thank you” and that I would endeavour to learn what was involved. I did not have a clue.”
My own role in the Relief Society presidency was difficult. I hoped that I would be in charge of the teachers. Teaching is a calling that makes my heart sing; I felt like I could do a good job there. Instead I was put in charge of the monthly activities. This was definitely outside of my comfort zone. There was a sharp learning curve and there were assignments that I didn’t always fulfill to the level I wanted. I could have ended my time in this calling grumpy and bitter. What made the difference for me was the woman who served as the Relief Society president. Julie was a recent empty nester, a successful corporate lawyer, and a wonderfully nurturing and empowering leader. This was her second time serving in this capacity and she had already been serving for a few years. She trained me and encouraged me. She was supportive and flexible. And when I called her in tears over a major service activity with a community impact that had hit a significant roadblock, she gave comfort and gentle correction over a mistake I had made. She embodied the command to love God and her neighbor through the way she led.
Going back to his talk from April, Elder Kearon said, “I came to understand why everyone serves one another in a ward or branch: it affords us all the opportunity to pursue Christ and His virtues—such as charity, humility, meekness, forgiveness, and love—with people who may be very different to us. I clearly saw how faith is fortified and the body of Christ bonded together.”
We only lived in Illinois for a year. When we left, the whole presidency was released. Julie went from serving as the Relief Society president to being a nursery leader. And she was thrilled.
Elder Kearon said, “Some callings are highly stretching, while others may leave us wondering, “Isn’t there more I could be asked to do?” You might serve in a very visible role for a time, only later to be called to quiet, unseen service—or to support those with less experience. When callings change in ways that deeply impact you or your family, it can require great faith and trust in the Lord while you adjust.”
I’ve had many opportunities over the years to love God and my neighbors through serving in callings at church. Some of those have fed my soul. I loved teaching youth Sunday School, doing singing time in Primary, and directing the ward choir. Others have been really hard. I was never very good at calling women to get their Visiting Teaching reports, nor was I a standout secretary. Cub scouts tapped into my creativity which I enjoyed, but it also drained my energy. But I learned from each of those responsibilities, even the ones I didn’t particularly enjoy.
From Elder Kearon said, “Our service is a choice, an offering to God, and a blessing. We all know that prayer, study of scripture, and worship at church and in the temple are critical to the development of our faith. Have we also come to see our callings as having a foundational role in the expansion of our faith? Callings from the Lord are tailor-made for our growth, as we humble ourselves, look outward, and learn that, indeed, when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are in fact in the service of our God. It really isn’t where we serve but how that matters to the Lord.”
So, if the how of service is more important than the where, how should we serve? Mother Thereas taught, “I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. Just one, one, one.” I saw an example of this last Sunday. Our family was sitting in the Relief Society room after church, waiting for the baptism to start. I was tired, sitting in the back, kind of in my own head. While the prelude music was playing, my daughter Sophie turned to me and said, “We need to go help Sister Gerber.” I looked over and saw her sitting at the piano, playing the music I was listening to and trying to patiently wrangle her two boys at the same time. Sophie had noticed and felt inspired to act. I responded, “Oh, yes we do.” I followed her lead and we crossed the room and each entertained one of the boys so their mom could play the piano. Now, I’ve been talking about serving in callings in the church, this story might feel like a departure from that. But it’s not. It’s at the heart of every calling we have. Service in the church is about seeing the needs of those around us, and acting through inspiration.
This is how the Savior operated. His life was dedicated to seeing needs and then meeting them. He turned water into wine when His mother asked him to. He healed the son of the man who plead “Help thou mine unbelief.” He comforted Mary and Martha and raised Lazarus from the tomb. He washed the feet of his disciples, knowing that His time in the Garden and on the cross was imminent. He served, even when He was tired, even when He was weary. Remember, He was the one that taught “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” And then He lived what He taught.
We’ve talked about how to serve when we’re called to, but what if we’re not the one called? Many Sundays we sit in these pews and listen while the name of someone in the congregation is called to a new role in the ward or stake. Then we’re invited to raise our arms, showing that we agree to support this person in their service. What does that mean? To support them in their service? And what if we don’t like the way they serve? What if we feel someone else could do a better job?
In April 2013 President Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “Be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work. As one gifted writer has suggested, when the infinite fulness is poured forth, it is not the oil’s fault if there is some loss because finite vessels can’t quite contain it all. Those finite vessels include you and me, so be patient and kind and forgiving“ (“Lord, I Believe,” Liahona, May 2013, 94).
I chatted with my parents about this topic during our weekly call a few days ago. My dad shared that when he served in the Bishopric when I was a teenager he would often look out at the congregation from his seat on the stand and feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for those members that were serving in callings. He was very aware that the ward wouldn’t function without all of those people who said yes when they were asked to serve and then showed up on a regular basis to fulfill their responsibilities. I feel the same way about everyone who serves in primary. Whenever someone says yes to serving in primary, my heart feels like it’s going to explode with joy.
After the Savior’s atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples. He gave them instructions while they were fishing, then they gathered with Him on the beach to eat. John chapter 21 tells us about the conversation that followed. Starting with verse 15:
15 ¶ So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
This year in primary we learned a song called Choose to Serve the Lord. Listen to the words of the chorus: “I will choose to serve the Lord like my scripture heroes of old. I will learn and grow in faith. God will be my strength with every step I take, I will choose to serve the Lord.” The scriptures that we study are full of people who said yes to doing hard things to serve God and their neighbors. Nephi said he would “go and do” when asked to get the brass plates. Abinadi and Samuel the Lamanite said yes to teaching groups of people that wanted to cause them great harm. Noah built an ark. Moses stood up to a Pharaoh. Esther spoke on behalf of her people and saved a nation. The Savior Himself said “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” in Gethsemane, before the greatest act of love that we know of.
This is a church built largely on the service of its members. Our wards and stakes could not function without the people that have been willing to say yes to organizing, teaching, supporting, and showing up. At the heart of every calling in the church is the admonition to love God and love our neighbors. Callings are love in action. Pope Francis said, “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them.” We can feed them literally, and we can feed them figuratively through our love and attention and service. We have not been asked to build an ark or face a horde with bows and arrows. But we have been asked to love God and our neighbors. We can follow the example of the Savior and love and serve those around us.
What will you do this week to love God and your neighbor?
I bear my testimony that what I’ve said today is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
