Gathering

3rd  Nephi Chapter 10

4. . . how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.

5 And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye  . . .  that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.

6 O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.


These verses are some of the words that Christ spoke from the heavens before He descended in the Americas after his resurrection.  They are so indicative of how we are loved by Him.  He has gathered;  He has tried to gather--but at times was rebuffed;  He will keep gathering.

He doesn't want to lose us.  As I read, there was so much imagery--the lilies, the birds, the sheep,  the house upon a rock,  the pearls covered in the muck of a pig sty.  These are the same things He spoke of  in the Sermon on the Mount.  This was the Sermon on the Mount for this group of people.  I think one reason He used so much imagery is because their are so many who need to see to believe.  After centuries, through these images, we can see what He means--what He meant.  The concepts aren't free-floating.  They are concrete.  The photos of real hens and chicks help me see what He was trying to convey.



I want to be scooped up under His wings.  Again and again.