Chapter II.
Scene: The Utah Chic Preacher
A preacher in âUtah chicââsharp suit, banker haircut, voice like a vintage NPR host from „The World in 1840.”
A lazy ceiling fan spins above; on the pulpit, Smile #6 from the „American Friendliness” catalog.
The audience: a handful of aunts, some young folks, a few old-timers, and one wise-ass sceptic with a glint in his eye (yeah, we know whoâthatâs Gabryjel).
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Weâre gathered here to bear witness to an extraordinary man, through whomâso they sayâGod relit the lamp on Earth after centuries of darkness.
Today, I want to tell you the story of Johnâexcuse me, Joseph Smith, a prophet for our times.
A man brave enough to ask God for the truth, back when the world was lost in a mess of false doctrines and divisions.
Joseph Smith Jr., prophet, was born December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont, USA.
Picture America in the 19th century.
A kid out in the sticks of upstate New York, lost in the noise of bickering preachers: one camp yelling âweâve got the truth!â, another screaming âno salvation without us!â
And Joseph? No ChatGPT. Not even a Bible app on his phone.
But he had one thing: a question.
Does God even hear people anymore? Does he still speak, or did he retire centuries ago?
And as our doctrine tells it, in the spring of 1820
fourteen-year-old Joseph Smith heads into the woodsânot to steal apples, but to pray and ask which church he should join.
There, for the first time in ages, the heavens open:
God the Father and Jesus Christ appear.
Hereâs how Joseph told it:
„I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defied all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spoke to me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other: âThis is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!â
And Jesus Christ said: âJoin none of those sects, for they have all gone astray. The truth will be restored to you.â”
The Story of Angel Moroni
Brothers and Sisters,
One nightâSeptember 21, 1823âyoung Joseph Smith, not yet a prophet, just a kid with worries, lies in bed trying not to think about bills, whenâbam!âlight fills the room!
An angel appears.
He introduces himself, classic American style: âIâm Moroni, son of Mormon.â
(In this church, even the angels are named after their dad.)
Moroni is the last of the great prophets of ancient America. In the 4th century AD, watching his people get wiped out, he buries golden plates with their whole story on a hill called Cumorah (upstate New York).
After he diesânow an angelâMoroni comes back as a celestial courier and tells Joseph Smith where to find the plates, and how to prep for âtranslatingâ them.
And Joseph hears:
âGo to Cumorah Hill. There youâll find golden plates containing the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But donât think youâll get them right awayâfor four years youâll have to come back, pray, and prove youâre ready. Only when Godâs sure you wonât screw it up, youâll get the key to the mystery.â
Moroni instructs, warns, coaches.
When Joseph finally shapes up, the angel lets him take the platesânot forever, just long enough to translate.
And so, Brothers and Sisters, the Book of Mormon is bornâthe second book, the second witness of Jesus Christ.
Joseph Smith wasnât perfectâhe had enemies, jail time, even his own church didnât always listen, and his life ended violently in Carthage Jail.
But his legacy? Today, over 17 million followers worldwide.
If not for that kid in the woods, thereâd be no Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints today.
We wouldnât know that God really does listen to everyone.
At least⊠thatâs the official story.
(And how it all really went downâand why angels are flying around at night visiting farmers in upstate New York? Well, thatâs a story for after the preacherâs smile fades.)