December 30–January 5: “The Promised Restoration Goes Forward”
The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
How do you commemorate the 200th anniversary of an event that changed the world? That’s the question the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pondered as April 2020 approached, marking 200 years since Joseph Smith’s First Vision. “We wondered if a monument should be erected,” President Russell M. Nelson recalled. “But as we considered the unique historic and international impact of that First Vision, we felt impressed to create a monument not of granite or stone but of words … , not to be carved in ‘tables of stone’ but rather to be etched in the ‘fleshy tables’ of our hearts [2 Corinthians 3:3]” (“Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 90).
The monument of words they created is titled “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World.” It’s a monument not just to the First Vision but also to everything Jesus Christ has done—and is still doing—since then. The Restoration of His gospel started when one person turned to God and heard Him. It continues that same way: one heart, one sacred experience at a time—including yours.