Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in April 2021 general conference:
. . . . my father and I visited the great cathedral at Chartres (France).
. . . .Like Adam and Eve, we come into a world of thorns and thistles.3On our dusty roads to Jericho, we are beset upon, wounded, and left in pain.4
Though we should help each other, too often we pass to the other side of the road, for whatever reason. However, with compassion, the Good Samaritan stops and binds our wounds with wine and oil. Symbols of the sacrament and other ordinances, the wine and oil point us to the spiritual healing in Jesus Christ.5 The Good Samaritan puts us on His own donkey or, in some stained-glass accounts, carries us on His shoulders. He brings us to the inn, which can represent His Church. At the Inn, the Good Samaritan says, “Take care of him; … when I come again, I will repay thee.”6 The Good Samaritan, a symbol of our Savior, promises to return, this time in majesty and glory.
. . . . Jesus Christ invites us to become, like Him, a good Samaritan, to make His Inn (His Church) a refuge for all from life’s bruises and storms.7 We prepare for His promised Second Coming as each day we do unto “the least of these”8 as we would unto Him. “The least of these” is each of us.
. . . . As we come with the Good Samaritan to the Inn, we learn five things about Jesus Christ and ourselves.
First, we come to the Inn as we are, with the foibles and imperfections we each have. Yet we all have something needed to contribute. Our journey to God is often found together. We belong as united community—whether confronting pandemics, storms, wildfires, droughts or quietly meeting daily needs. We receive inspiration as we counsel together, listening to each person, including each sister, and the Spirit.
As our hearts change and we receive His image in our countenance,9 we see Him and ourselves in His Church. In Him, we find clarity, not dissonance. In Him, we find cause to do good, reason to be good, and increasing capacity to become better. In Him, we discover abiding faith, liberating selflessness, caring change, and trust in God. In His Inn, we find and deepen our personal relationship with God, our Father, and Jesus Christ.
He trusts us to help make the Inn the place He needs it to be. As we offer our talents and best efforts, His spiritual gifts also strengthen and bless.10
. . . . Second, He entreats us to make His Inn a place of grace and space, where each can gather, with room for all. As disciples of Jesus Christ, all are equal, with no second-class groups.
All are welcome to attend sacrament meetings, other Sunday meetings, and social events.11 We reverently worship our Savior, thoughtful and considerate of each other. We see and acknowledge each person. We smile, sit with those sitting alone, learn names, including of new converts, returning brothers and sisters, young women and young men, each dear Primary child.
. . . . Third, in His Inn we learn perfection is in Jesus Christ, not in the perfectionism of the world. Unreal and unrealistic, the world’s “insta-perfect” filtered perfectionism can make us feel inadequate, captive to swipes, likes, or double taps. In contrast, our Savior, Jesus Christ, knows everything about us we don’t want anyone else to know, and He still loves us. His is a gospel of second and third chances, made possible by His atoning sacrifice.12 ~For Elder Gong’s complete talk, click . . . . Room in the Inn.
