It was a lovely experience to prepare for this message which I delivered today, Easter Sunday. I chose my clothing carefully today for an extra boost of confidence since my body gets nervous/excited when I speak: a white blouse and yellow jacket given to me by Mom; a grey and blue scarf given to me on my 22nd birthday while I was a missionary in Nantes, France; the skirt I wore home from my wedding reception; and a pair of grey ankle boots, another gift from Mom. Axie was my fashion consultant, Michael gave me a blessing to help me be calm and to prepare well, and at church, Scott played organ for the congregation, while Ethan played piano for the choir. I was clothed in love, literally and figuratively.
Happy Easter! We are here to commemorate the life, the teachings, and the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane and on the cross, and to celebrate his Resurrection. He is risen! He lives and loves us!
Christ came as the embodiment of love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoso believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). On the last night of his mortal life, Christ washed the feet of his disciples and gave them a new commandment, “That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:11-13).
Despite our understanding and belief that He loves us, we are not always full of joy. Sometimes we feel alone, anxious, hurt, angry, or disappointed. We sorrow. We feel regret. We suffer, sometimes as a consequence of our own behavior and choices, sometimes because of the words and actions of others, and sometimes simply because we are mortal beings in a mortal world. We are wounded.
Have you ever felt alone in a crowd? Last Saturday, my girls and I went to participate in a 5k. Waiting for the race to begin, with 2000 other race participants, I stood by myself. Emily had gone to the very front of the race, and Axie was running with a friend. I looked around and felt like I was the only person standing alone. I wasn’t upset -because I like to run - but I did feel like I was missing out as I saw people laughing and taking selfies together.
Soon the race started, and I was in motion. After a little while, I could see Axie and her friend ahead and decided to try to catch up. Suddenly, on my right, I noticed a little girl. She was walking and tears were rolling down her cheeks. I slowed down to walk with her: “What’s wrong?” “I want my mommy!” We walked together for a few minutes. I knew that we could find her mom. The race route doubled back, so that there were people ahead of us in the race going past us in the other direction. “Keep your eyes on this side and tell me if you see your mom, “ I instructed her. After a few minutes, she ran to a woman running towards us who was waving and smiling. It was her mom, and they went off together in the other direction. I was alone again in the race, but I didn’t feel alone any more.
1st John 3 records: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Years ago, my friend Henry cared for his mom in her last hours. They were alone at home when she died, around midnight, but his friends were aware of the situation. One friend in particular texted him about every 20 minutes all night until his mom’s body was collected, around 5 am. “You doing ok? Do you need anything?” Henry was grateful for that support, and years later, he learned from another friend, that the friend texting him had driven 40 minutes to park outside Henry’s house, just in case he needed more tangible support. This is love in deed.
In a beautiful minor aria sung by an alto voice, accompanied by intertwining oboe voices and continuo, Bach sets to music St. John’s Passion. (You may have to wait a few seconds before the aria starts. I seem to only get it to start in the middle of the recitative.)
In Christ’s appearances to his disciples after his resurrection, his wounds are very important. My favorite account is from the Book of Mormon, telling of Christ’s appearance on the American continent:
“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me... Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world” (3 Nephi 11:10-11,14).
We recognize him by his wounds. They are a tangible representation of his love for us. What then should we make of our own wounds? To answer that, let’s revisit the New Testament.
Mark 15 tells us that present at the crucifixion: “There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome... and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.” They watched him suffer and die, their friend, teacher, and healer. There is very little worse than watching someone you love who is in pain and knowing you are unable to do anything about it. These women clearly had their own wounds. But, Mark tells us in the next chapter:
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
They came to the tomb because they saw a need; they wanted to further care for the body of Jesus. In other words, they were hoping to care for the wounds of another, and in doing so, they became the first witnesses of the resurrection.
Likewise, we must learn to see each other’s wounds. We have to look away from ourselves, and look with love rather than judgment, in order to see another person’s wounds. We slowly become like the Savior as we learn to see as he sees, for “when our Savior, Jesus Christ, looks upon us, He sees and understands the pain and burden of our sins. He sees our addictions and challenges. He sees our struggles and afflictions of any kind—and He is filled with compassion toward us” (Elder Peter Meurs, He Could Heal Me, April 2023 General Conference).
Christ sees our wounds, and he can heal each one of us.
Elder Meurs continues:
The Savior’s healing and redeeming power applies to accidental mistakes, poor decisions, challenges, and trials of every kind—as well as to our sins. President Russell M. Nelson taught: “When the Savior atoned for all mankind, He opened a way that those who follow Him can have access to His healing, strengthening, and redeeming power. These spiritual privileges are available to all who seek to hear Him and follow Him.”
...whether [we] are carrying the burden of unresolved sin, suffering because of an offense committed against [us] long ago, or struggling to forgive [ourselves] for an accidental mistake, [we] have access to the healing and redeeming power of the Savior Jesus Christ."
We can participate in healing the wounds of the people around us, and as we do this, we are doing the work of Christ and slowly becoming like Him. Elder Garrett W. Gong taught us last week:
We become more like Jesus Christ when we do “unto … the least of these” as we would unto Him, when we love our neighbor as ourselves, when we “love one another; as I have loved you,” and when “whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.”
Jesus Christ ministers. Angels minister. Followers of Jesus Christ “minister one to another,” “rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep,” “watch over [and] … nourish [the people] with things pertaining to righteousness,” “remember … the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted,” let His name be known through our ministry. As we minister as He would, we witness His miracles, His blessings.
Sometimes, the wounds which are slowest to heal are wounds which we have inflicted ourselves. I remember the words of my Stake President, Richard Robb, who has since passed to the other side. He told me, as I was leaving on my mission, “When you remember your sins, allow that memory to turn you to the miracle of Christ and to fill you with gratitude and love.”
I close with a quote from our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson:
"When He suffered for our sins and weaknesses, died on the cross, and rose again, the Savior rewrote humanity’s story. Because of Him, we do not have to deal with our frailties, sins, and fears alone. Because of Him, death is not the end. Resurrection will come to all who have ever lived. Because of Him, families can be together forever. Because of Him, guilt becomes peace, regret becomes relief, and despair becomes hope. We are given second chances, clean slates, and new beginnings. Because of Jesus Christ, we celebrate Easter. And Easter is all about peace and hope."
May you feel peace and hope today and share that peace and hope all your days is my prayer.
1 comment:
Erin this is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it, and for the profound message that is with me as this Easter Day draws to a close and Easter week begins.💕
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