President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, began with a recent joy: he and his wife attended the baptism of two of their great-grandchildren, who made sacred covenants to take upon themselves the Savior’s name, keep God’s commandments, and serve him. In entering the water, they followed not only the Savior’s example but also the example of siblings, cousins, parents, and many trusted friends.
He recalled his own baptism at age eight in an impressive indoor public swimming pool, where his mind was preoccupied with one thought: “The pool is getting deeper and deeper, and I can’t swim!” “Spiritual growth is rarely dramatic at the beginning.” Like an exponential curve, it often starts gradually with loving parents, simple prayers and small acts of faith. As we progress on the covenant path, the temple endowment, missionary service, celestial marriage, and ongoing service do not merely add to our discipleship. They multiply greatly our potential for divine understanding and blessings.
Baptism is the gate to the strait and narrow path, and we enter it one by one. “Baptism is an individual ordinance. However, it is also a unifying one. It joins us to a worldwide community of Saints.” Through baptism we become not only covenant individuals, but also part of a covenant people. We declare that we do not want to live only for ourselves but to bear one another’s burdens, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort (Mosiah 18:8–9). “In other words, when we join the Church of Jesus Christ, we say—humbly, gratefully, and with quiet confidence—that we want to follow our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. And we want to walk that path together.”
Scripture shows how much of the Savior’s work is about bringing people peacefully together. In His day, Jews and Samaritans avoided each other, Gentiles were considered unclean, and Pharisees and Sadducees agreed on little except their dislike of publicans and sinners. “When you think about it, it wasn’t so different from our world today.” But the Son of God transcended worldly boundaries; as Paul said, He broke down “[broke] down the middle wall of partition between us” (Ephesians 2:14). “He touched lepers. He praised Gentiles for their faith. He used a Samaritan as an example of compassion.” He gathered people from different walks of life to serve together, ministered to rich and poor, and still invites all to come unto Him.
Meanwhile, Satan seeks to divide us. He aims to weaken God’s children by isolating us from each other. He emphasizes our differences, making them feel like impassable barriers. We see the fruits in contention, mistrust, and hatred. “And yet the Savior’s work of gathering continues, undaunted. In fact, it is accelerating.” People unite over many things: social causes, political ideas, cultural heritage, hobbies, even a favorite soccer team or brand of soft drink. But “In the Savior’s Church, it is not our political views, culture, or personal interests that unite us. It is our love for God and neighbor, God’s children. It is our commitment to our covenants with Jesus Christ and to His restored gospel. We are ‘one in Christ.’”
The Nephites and Lamanites were locked in one of the longest-running sibling rivalries in the world until Jesus Christ appeared, taught His gospel, and established His Church. For 200 years the love of God replaced contention and bitter enemies became one. They became the children of Christ (4 Nephi 1:15–17). “The catalyst for this change was Jesus Christ and His doctrine. It always has been, and it always will be.” He has power to change, purify, and unite us: “The closer we come to Him, the closer we will come to each other—and the closer we will come to the unity He wants for us.” And, echoing the Lord’s words, “If we are not one, we are not His” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27).
When our attention is riveted on Christ, superficial things fade; we learn to look on the heart, and when our eye is single to His glory, we are filled with His light. As we become a little more patient, kinder, more forgiving, and more neighborly, there will be less room for pride or judgmental attitudes or contention. Does that sound too lofty? The Savior always urges us beyond what seems possible, because with God all things are possible. We may not achieve perfect unity in this life, but the spiritual momentum we build here will carry us into eternity. “Unity won’t magically happen in the next life if we haven’t earnestly tried to learn it here.”
He pointed to the unifying power of the sacrament, which can become a fresh starting point for our personal relationship with God. It is the only ordinance we receive during which we are not addressed by name; the only names used are those of the Father and the Son. We partake individually but also as a group, and there is something empowering about renewing covenants while surrounded by brothers and sisters who have made or are considering making the same covenants. It is a sacred reminder that we are not alone. We have the Savior and we have each other.
He closed with an open invitation: “Wherever you are, I invite you to join the Christ-centered unity we are trying to build. It would be incomplete without you. Please, come and see, come and help, and come and belong.” Jesus promised, “Where two or three are gathered … in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). The more united in Christ we are, and the more we build bridges instead of walls, the more our lives, families, communities, and nations will experience God’s presence and blessings.
