Washed Clean

I'm always amazed and delighted at the talent and inspiration of our general authorities and felt President Boyd K. Packer's poem was very appropriate to share at this time of year as a blog post. In ancient times the cry "Unclean! would warn of lepers near. "Unclean! Unclean!" the words rang out; Then all drew back in fear. Lest by the touch of lepers' hands They, too, would lepers be. There was no cure in ancient times, Just hopeless agony. No soap, no balm, no medicine could stay disease or pain. There was no salve, no cleansing bath to make them well again. But there was One, the record shows, Whose touch could make them pure; Could ease their awful suffering, Their rotting flesh restore. His coming long had been foretold. Signs would precede His birth. A Son of God to Woman born, With power to cleanse the earth. The day He made ten lepers whole, The day He made them clean, Well symbolized His ministry And what His life would mean. However great that miracle, This was not why He came. He came to rescue every soul from death, from sin, from shame. For greater miracles, He said, His servants yet would do, To rescue every living soul, Not just heal up the few. Though we're redeemed from mortal death, We still can't enter in, Unless we're clean, cleansed every whit, From every mortal sin. What must be done to make us clean, We cannot do alone. The law, to be a law, requires A pure one must atone. He taught that justice will be stayed till mercy's claim be heard. If we repent and are baptized and live by every word. That is the never-ending gift that came that Christmas Day When Mary first held close her son and shepherds came to pray. If we could only understand all we have heard and seen, We'd know there is no great gift that those two words - "Washed clean!" President Boyd. K. Packer Merry Christmas!