The Music & the Spoken Word broadcast airs live via TV, radio, and internet stream on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. mountain time. For information on other airtimes, visit “Airing Schedules” at musicandthespokenword.org.

This live performance of Music & the Spoken Word is produced with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square continuing to practice COVID protocols.

Music

Conductor:  Mack Wilberg
Organist: Richard Elliott
Announcer: Lloyd Newell

“Come, Ye Children of the Lord”
Music: Spanish melody
Lyrics: James H. Wallis 
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“If the Savior Stood Beside Me”¹
Music and Lyrics: Sally DeFord
Arrangement: Sam Cardon

“The Ash Grove” (organ solo)
Music: Welsh melody
Arrangement: John Longhurst

“Give Glory to His Honored Name” from Athalia
Music: George Frideric Handel
Lyrics: Samuel Humphreys

“For the Beauty of the Earth”²
Music: Conrad Kocher
Lyrics: Folliott S. Pierpont
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Look to the Day”³
Music and Lyrics: John Rutter
“Press Forward, Saints”
Music: Vanja Y. Watkins
Lyrics: Marvin Gardner
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

1. On the album Teach Me to Walk In the Light.
2. On the album Love Is Spoken Here.
3. On the album Glory! Music of Rejoicing!

The Spoken Word

The Focus of Our Lives

For two years, the pandemic has given us something this world has rarely faced—a common hardship. While everyone’s experience has been different, no person, no corner of the world, has been left untouched by this modern-day plague. The world feels different now; jobs and schools and so many other things have been forced to adapt. And yet, in the midst of all this change and instability, we’ve also rediscovered some things that never change—everlasting things that we value, now more than ever before.

For one, we have rediscovered the value of connection, of contact, and of love. We need each other. While video calls and online streaming are miraculous innovations, the pandemic has taught us that nothing can take the place of a face-to-face conversation with a dear friend or a warm hug from a family member. There’s just something irreplaceable about being together.

We have also rediscovered how much we need kindness, compassion, and patience. One sad consequence of so much social distancing is the distance it too often puts between hearts and minds. The result is that people are more likely to use sarcasm, anger, and criticism to express disagreement, especially online. At the same time, we’re more inspired than ever when someone resists those trends with kindness, gratitude, and respect. The power of kindness is never more apparent than when it takes us by surprise.

Of course, we’ve always known that closeness and kindness are important. These true principles have brought hope and joy to humanity during every trial and tragedy we’ve ever faced. But sometimes, in the midst of our troubles, we focus on the wrong things.

A beloved religious leader, Russell M. Nelson, has said, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”¹ God doesn’t always spare us from difficult circumstances, but He does give us true principles to keep us focused. If we focus on our most treasured relationships, on connecting with people we love, we’ll find strength to endure. If we focus on helping and caring about others, we’ll find that our own problems become smaller. Most of all, if we focus on the Lord and His goodness, we’ll find joy. It has always been available—we just need to know where to look.

1. Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 82.