So, what would the Lord talk about in General Conference?

Who knows.  We only know what he will say in the day of judgment.  Easy enough to look at what he said before.  You can imagine him saying what he had to say to this group.  You can start with his early words:

Matthew 7:21

21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

As to what that means, it seems that Christ was pretty clear about what he meant when he talked about the day of judgment when he returned in glory.  He laid it out in detail

Matthew 25: 31-46

31. When the Son of man
shall come in his glory, and all
the holy angels with him, then
shall he sit upon the throne of
his glory:

32. And before him shall be
gathered all nations: and he
shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats:

33. And he shall set the sheep
on his right hand, but the goats
on the left.

34. Then shall the King say
unto them on his right hand,
Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of
the world:

35. For I was an hungred ,and
you gave me meat: I was thirsty
and ye gave me drink: I was a
stranger, and ye took me in:

36. Naked, and ye clothed me:
I was sick and ye visited me:
I was in prison and ye came
unto me.

37. Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, Lord, when
saw we thee an hungred, and fed
thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38. When saw we thee a stranger,
and took the in? or naked, and
clothed thee?

39. Or when saw we thee sick,
or in prison, and came unto thee?

40. And the King shall answer
and say unto them, Verily I say
unto you, Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41. Then shall he say also unto
them on the left hand, Depart from
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels:

42. For I was an hungred, and ye
gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and
ye gave me no drink:

43. I was a stranger and ye took
me not in: naked and ye clothed
me not: sick, and in prison, and
ye visited me not.

44. Then shall they also answer
him, saying Lord, when saw we
thee an hungred, or athirst, or a
stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto
thee?

45. Then shall he answer them,
saying, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye did it not to one
of the least of these, ye did it
not to me.

46. And then these shall go away
unto everlasting punishment,
but the righteous into life eternal.

I got to thinking about that scripture as the news about Draper was juxtaposed with this year’s April General Conference. It relates to the response that occurred in Draper when the City was supposed to have a homeless shelter considered (not actually built, just considered as a possible site). A good discussion is at Utah Policy (in an editorial by the owner and editor).

While Draper is one of the wealthiest areas in Utah, and while the homeless shelter sites proposed were far away from the residential and business areas, there was a resounding response to the Mayor’s proposal of two sites in Draper.

For comparison, the Salt Lake City Liberty Stake has over forty institutions serving the homeless.  “homeless shelters serving more than 1,000 people, major housing institutions for people with serious mental health issues, two large housing facilities for the chronically homeless, several drug treatment and detoxification centers, women’s shelters, halfway houses, food banks, soup kitchens, medical facilities, several low-income senior housing facilities, dozens of low-income apartment complexes … ”

So, looking at it, the City of Draper: 0.  One stake in Salt Lake City, over forty institutions.

On the other hand, the actual Draper mess appears to be as much poorly managed politics as it was any hard heartedness.  As one person explained:

I would like to remind everyone that the mob scene in Draper was started by a genuine act of kindness by our Mayor. That act is the Draper I know and love. It was unfortunate that due to the deadline, there was no time to either seek consensus or educate the public on what was being asked of them. I noticed that the reactions have been similar in each of the other sites that had been proposed​ as well. I was completely supportive of the proposal, albeit the infrastructure would need to be developed, but I also completely understand the reactions given the 24 hour timeframe and the lack of communication (and the deliberate miscommunication by some) to the public. PLEASE, stop pointing the finger at the Draper Mormons and with relief and smugness feel you’re more righteous than us. I am disappointed in the reactions of people, but given the circumstances, it was understandable. I coordinate service in my area. Believe me, the need is there and these people rise to occasion.

As a result, it may not be fair to do more than use Draper as a lead in to the concept. Obviously many citizens of Draper supported the shelter, and much of the opposition was stirred up by the short deadlines, a well organized phone tree and politics as usual.  But still, in the face of all of that, what do you think Christ would have talked about if he were speaking at General Conference right after this happened?

Might he have reprised himself?

For more on the Draper story:

• The Salt Lake Tribune Story. “Draper pulls homeless shelter after hundreds protest, boo homeless man”
• “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” Ezekiel 16:49
• Facebook discussion and original Facebook discussion.
• US News and World Report (Draper still being considered for a homeless shelter).
• Fox News Story on the Mayor’s Reflections.

Question:

What do you think Christ would have to say if he were speaking at the LDS April General Conference?