Take Upon the Name of Jesus Christ [1]
Brothers and sisters, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for taking your time to be here. I am grateful for those who are seated behind me for what they contribute to all of our lives. I am grateful for them and for who they are.
I am grateful to be here with my wife, Ruth. Aside from my decision to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, marrying her was the best decision of my life. We met in the same ward, same conventional regular ward. I had been attending a different ward for some time and I came to church one day and she was leading the music and I asked my brother, “Who is that?” And he said, “Well, that is one of those Lybbert girls.” So I was a terrible young single adult, horrid and it took all the courage I had. Over days and days and days to build up my courage to call her up. I called her up and asked her out and she said, "no." She claims that she explained the reason but all I heard was no. Just devastated, and it took months to build up courage again. I am grateful for her and for the example she is in my life.
The first time I met President James E. Faust, a member of the First Presidency and his wife, Ruth Faust. President Faust came up to me and hit me really hard in the shoulder. He said, “You and I have something in common." And I said, “What?” [Elder Faust] said, “When our wives are away, we are both ruthless.” So I am glad she is with us today.
President Kauwe said that I was born in November of 1952, so it is true that just few days ago I celebrated my 72nd birthday. But with diet and exercise, I have the body of a 71-year-old. I’m grateful for the remarkable music that we heard by the choir that was worth traveling here to hear. It was just beautiful, and brought a remarkable spirit into the meeting.
Life as you know does not always turn out the way you expect. In fact, the first reason, Ruth was attracted to me was because of my beautiful blonde hair. You see how that turned out.
What I would like to talk about is the importance of taking Jesus Christ, taking on His Name and becoming a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ that brings power, stability, and direction into our lives. Let me start by talking about role models. Role models can profoundly affect attitudes and behaviors. I would like to share an example of an academic surgeon who found a role model in a pioneering heart surgeon and the effect it had on him. The triggering event was the surgeon’s appointment to an endowed chair.
An endowed chair is a position that is paid for in perpetuity from revenue generated from a fund set up specifically for that purpose. Those for whom the endowed chair is named are honored and the appointed faculty member is also honored. In addition to the prestige afforded the appointee, money that would have been spent on his or her salary can be directed toward research or other professional endeavors.
Several years ago, donations were made to create a fund for an endowed chair at the University of Utah. The chair was named the “Dr. Russell M. Nelson and Dantzel W. Nelson Presidential Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah.” It honors the pioneering contributions of President Nelson and the support he received from his late wife. The appointed faculty member holds the title of “the Nelson chair.”
The investiture ceremony happened in 2018. The ceremony included President Nelson, his current wife, Sister Wendy W. Nelson, the president of the University of Utah, and other dignitaries. The first person selected and appointed to this endowed chair and who thus carried the title “the Nelson chair,” was Dr. Craig H. Selzman. Dr. Selzman is a wonderfully accomplished cardiothoracic surgeon who is not of our faith.
The ceremony honored both President Nelson and Dr. Selzman. Both spoke about what this meant to them. President Nelson spoke modestly of a surgical career that had spanned decades and included pioneering work developing what is commonly known as a heart-lung bypass machine. When Dr. Selzman spoke, he surprised me. I had expected him to say nice things about President Nelson. He did so briefly, stating that what President Nelson had done in performing the first open-heart surgery in the state of Utah in 1955 using a heart-lung machine that he himself had built from scratch was “so bold, so ambitious, [and] so crazy.” Dr. Selzman added, “I think it said a lot about his character.” [2]
But then Dr. Selzman spoke about what it meant to him personally to be appointed to the endowed chair named after President Nelson. He said it gave him pause and planted in him a desire to change his attitudes and behaviors and become more like President Nelson. The two never practiced medicine together, separated by a generation or so, but President Nelson’s reputation and character clearly impacted Dr. Selzman.
Dr. Selzman related that earlier that week, on Monday evening, he went through the surgical intensive care unit after a long day in the operating room. He noticed that one of the patients he had operated on earlier was doing poorly and needed to go back to surgery. Dr. Selzman was disappointed. He was irritated because he would have to spend another long night in the hospital. In the past, he would have showered his frustrations on his surgical team. Everyone around him would have been aware that Dr. Selzman was unhappy because he let it show in his tone of voice, the sharpness in his manner, and in his general grumpiness.
This Monday evening, however, he had a quick but life-changing conversation with himself. In the moment, he thought, “On Friday, I will be appointed to the endowed chair named after Dr. Russell M. Nelson. During his surgical career, Dr. Nelson was known as a gentleman, someone who always kept his emotions in check, treated everyone with dignity and respect, and never lost his temper. He was kind and thoughtful of his team. Now that my name will be linked with Dr. Nelson’s, I need to be more like him.”
Dr. Selzman said he composed himself and intentionally changed his attitude. He went into that late-night surgery more complimentary of his staff and more understanding of their frustrations. His efforts to be more like Dr. Nelson created a different atmosphere in the operating room. His surgical team undoubtedly wondered what had happened to their old boss. Notably, Dr. Selzman liked who he was in the operating room that night.
My appreciation for Dr. Selzman’s remarkable experience was made even more profound five years later. In 2023, I attended another ceremony in which President Nelson’s professional papers were donated to the University of Utah. The donation included more than 7,000 operative reports, along with research papers and other professional writings that were compiled during President Nelson’s extraordinary medical career.
In attendance at this second ceremony were President Nelson, Sister Nelson, the President of the University of Utah, the Vice-President of Health Sciences, the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees, the Dean of the School of Medicine, the head of the Health Sciences Library, the Chairman of Surgery, and Dr. Selzman, the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Several people spoke about the importance of the donation of President Nelson’s papers. The president of the University of Utah referred to President Nelson as its most distinguished alumnus. The last speaker was Dr. Selzman. Again, he surprised me.
Dr. Selzman began by mentioning that “Whenever you start talking about health care with [President Nelson], he gets a little twinkle in his eye.… It’s just amazing to see how energized he [gets] talking about all that stuff.” [3] But then, Dr. Selzman provided a follow-up on the effect of being “the Nelson chair,” not just on him, but also on members of his Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Referring to President Nelson’s initials, RMN, Dr. Selzman said, “There is an ‘RMN’ ethos that now pervades the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah. We know that we can’t live up to it, but it is aspirational.”
For those not familiar with the word ethos, it is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a group. Dr. Selzman mentioned that in frustrating situations, when some choice words come into his mind, he remembers the RMN ethos. He continued, “I do what we now teach our trainees to do—focus, get over it, and do the best you can. This ethos lives in us every day.”
Dr. Selzman observed, “One of the most important things in my office is the medallion I received for the Nelson endowed chair. I remind myself every day of this ethos. We give lapel pins to every member of the division and new trainee. The pin has the University of Utah logo at its center with the words Cardiothoracic Surgery underneath the logo. Around the pin’s exterior are four things, three words ‘Teach,’ ‘Heal,’ and ‘Discover,’ and at the very bottom, the letters, RMN." The ethos that is characteristic of President Nelson’s life, Dr. Selzman said, “is foundational to our approach; we teach it to everyone.”
My wife and I are impressed by the effect President Nelson’s name had on Dr. Selzman. Not only has he tried to emulate President Nelson’s attributes, but he has also encouraged others to do the same. Dr. Selzman is striving to take on President Nelson’s characteristics because his name, Selzman, is now linked to President Nelson’s.
Though these events are interesting and noteworthy, we can each ask ourselves at least two significant questions. First, “What is President Nelson’s ethos?” I believe his ethos is simply a manifestation of his life-long quest to acquire Christlike attributes, such as charity, virtue, integrity, patience, humility, and diligence. Parenthetically, I have seen the "healthcare twinkle" in President Nelson's eyes, but it is nothing compared to the twinkle in his eye that he gets when he talks about Jesus Christ.
The second question is, “When I take on myself the name of Jesus Christ, how inclined am I to take on a Christlike ethos because my name is linked with His?” When we are baptized and as we subsequently partake of the sacrament, we covenant that we are willing to take upon us the name of the Son of God. We thereby link our names with His.
Taking on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ is a process that begins at baptism and likely does not approach completion until we become more like Him. For President Nelson, now 100 years old, the process began decades ago. He would tell you that the quest continues for him.
There are at least five aspects of the process of taking on the name of Jesus Christ that are illustrated in Dr. Selzman’s experience: identification, capability, emulation, purpose, and remembrance.
Identification
The first aspect of the process is identification. When Dr. Selzman linked his name with President Nelson by being appointed to “the Nelson chair,” he identified with President Nelson. When we take on the name of Jesus Christ, we link our name with His. We identify with Him. We gladly become known as Christian. We come to Him, partake of the fruit of His atoning sacrifice, and we certainly do not look about as if we are ashamed. We acknowledge Him and we stand up and are counted as His. Metaphorically, the banner we carry and the jersey we wear identify ourselves with Him. [4]
Capability
The second aspect of the process is capability. Having his name linked to President Nelson provided Dr. Selzman with recognition, money, and the capability to change the culture in his division. When we link our names with the Savior, we get something even better. President Nelson taught, “Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ.” [5] In taking on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we take on His strength
or power. As President Nelson further stated, “The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way.” [6]
God’s power is not an amorphous, cosmic force that is independent of Him. The power He grants is not like a magic lamp that gives you wishes, or a holy grail that purports to be itself the source of healing power. Even the garment of the holy priesthood is not itself powerful. No, God’s power is necessarily connected with Him and His purposes. Those who do not put their trust in Him, who are unsteady in their discipleship, who harden their hearts, or who trample under their feet the Holy One of Israel cannot receive or exercise His power. [7]
Emulation
The third aspect of the process is emulation. When Dr. Selzman became the recipient of the “Nelson chair,” he began to emulate President Nelson’s attributes. When we take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we emulate Him. In this emulation, we attempt to develop the attributes He has. As stated in the Young Women Theme, “As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him.” [8] As we do, we progressively become more and more as He is. We develop the kind of love He has. True followers of Jesus Christ seek this love. If we don’t have it, we “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love.” [9] When we have this love, we show His love to others. We additionally work to acquire the Christlike attributes of virtue, integrity, patience, humility, diligence, and steadfast, unwavering obedience. [10]
Acceptance of a Common Purpose
The fourth element of the process is the acceptance of a common purpose. As a surgeon, Dr. Nelson had been a teacher, a healer, and a researcher. Dr. Selzman joined in those endeavors in his role as “the Nelson chair.” This is manifest in the three words on the lapel pin, “Teach,’ ‘Heal,’ and 'Discover.”
When we take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we willingly join the Savior in His work. Early in His mortal ministry, the Savior told us His purpose by quoting from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, [and] to set at liberty them that are bruised.” [11] We join the Savior in His work when we share His gospel, when we minister to those who have been wounded, shattered or crushed by their experiences in mortality, and when we help the vulnerable. We can boldly declare as the children's choir did at general conference in October, "we are children holding hands around the world, like an army with the gospel flag unfurled. We are led by His light, and we love truth and right. We are building the Kingdom of God." [12]
Remembrance
The fifth aspect of the process is remembrance. Dr. Selzman said that when he goes into his office, his eyes are drawn to the medallion he received at his investiture as the Nelson chair. This medallion reminds him of the way he used to behave and increases his resolve to strive to do better. For us, as we partake of the sacrament, we covenant to always remember Jesus Christ. Even when we are occupied with other matters, we remain mindful of Him, just as we are always mindful of our own names, regardless of what we focus on.
Blessings are promised if we “remember, and always retain in remembrance, [His] greatness … and his goodness and long-suffering towards [us].” [13] We become more spiritually receptive. We have more courage when confronted with seemingly impossible circumstances. We are strengthened in our resolve to keep the covenants we have made to follow Him. We are filled with His love. We help those in need without being judgmental. We retain a remission of our sins, and we are promised that we will always rejoice. [14]
What can we do to always remember? Among the most important is partaking of the sacrament each week. The Savior told us, “And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock. But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall.” [15]
I am not going to tell anyone in Hawaii about rain, wind, and floods. But the Savior promised that if we conscientiously prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament, we derive the benefits of remembering. That includes being able to withstand the metaphorical rain, wind, and floods that come into our lives.
We take on the name of Jesus Christ when we identify with Him, when we access His strength and power, when we emulate Him, when we join Him in His work, and when we always remember Him. We become our better selves when we focus on Christ, more so than when we focus on ourselves.
The great truth for us is that by taking on ourselves the name of Christ we come unto Him. Moroni promised, “I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, … to no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father … may be fulfilled. Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; … and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.” [16]
My invitation to you is that you willingly and wholeheartedly take upon you the name of Jesus Christ. You will be blessed with His power, stability, and direction in your lives. If you don't take on yourselves the name of Jesus Christ with real intent, you won't have these blessings. Mormon described what happened to his people when Christ was not involved in their lives. His people "were once a delightsome people and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea they were led even by God the Father. But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they." [17] Without sail means they were without power. Without anchor means they didn't have stability. Without anything to steer with means they had no direction. Hence, my invitation to take on yourselves the name of Jesus Christ and all that that entails. As you do so, I promise you power, stability, and direction.
We all face metaphorical rain, wind and floods in our lives by taking on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. We receive power, stability and direction to help us through those difficult times. I know, I absolutely know that Jesus Christ lives. I absolutely know it. I know that He is your Savior and my Savior. He’s your Redeemer and my Redeemer. He is your kind, wise, [and] heavenly friend.
I know that the resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father appeared to the Prophet Joseph in 1820 just as Joseph said they did. I know that Jesus Christ has restored His church to the earth that priesthood keys are on the earth that enable saving and exalting ordinances in sacred places that help us receive His power, stability and direction in our lives. I absolutely know that this is true. I pray that God’s riches blessings will be on you in your lives that you’ll be watched over and protected. That you’ll be guided and helped, that you’ll have the health necessary to fulfill your mission here in mortality. That you will find your path is along a pathway of discipleship to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray these blessings on you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes:
[1] Doctrine and Covenants 20:77
[2] Sydney Walker, “As President Nelson turns 100, his family and associates reflect on his life and legacy,” Church News, September 7, 2024, 7.
[3] Sydney Walker, “As President Nelson turns 100, his family and associates reflect on his life and legacy,” Church News, September 7, 2024, 7.
[4] Dale G. Renlund, “Accessing God’s Power through Covenants,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2023.
[5] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2022, 96.
[6] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2022. 96.
[7] Helaman 12:1-2
[8] “Young Women Theme,” Gospel Library
[9] Moroni 7:47-48
[10] Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ [2019], 123
[11] Luke 4:18
[12] Children's Choir from Northern Utah. Holding Hands Around the World. October 2024 general conference, Saturday afternoon session, October 5 2024, Conference Center, Utah.
[13] Mosiah 4:11; Alma 36:2, 28-29; Ether 7:27; 10:2; Moroni 9:25
[14] Dale G. Renlund. “Consider the Goodness and Greatness of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 43.
[15] 3 Nephi 18:12-13
[16] Moroni 10:30-33
[17] Mormon 5:17-18