Sunday, March 27, 2016
Today is Easter and Michelle and I get the opportunity to
speak in our Sacrament Meeting. Sunday, April 10, the day we thought we would
speak, is Fast and testimony Meeting since next week is general conference. But
it is always a good day when we can talk about the Savior, and his atonement.
We had wonderful support from family and friends. Those who came included Jim
and Carol, Cheri and Clinton, Malia Peck who just returned from her mission in Thailand,
Becky, Kanika, Corgan and Meena, Mike and Bonnie Meyerson, Rob and Teresa Cruz
(from work), the Wheats, Petersons and grandpa Thomas. President Allen and
President Jensen, those who I served in the Harrisville Stake Presidency were
also there. Brad Allen had just had surgery on Thursday. He was hurting
terribly and made it through the meeting, at least until I was done with my
talk. Then slowly went home.
Michelle’s talk:
Elder BruceE McConkie in
1984
Two thousand years ago, outside
Jerusalem’s walls, there was a pleasant garden spot, Gethsemane by name, where
Jesus and his intimate friends were wont to retire for pondering and prayer.
There Jesus taught his disciples the
doctrines of the kingdom, and all of them communed with Him who is the Father
of us all, in whose ministry they were engaged, and on whose errand they
served.
This sacred spot, this holy ground is
where the Sinless Son of the Everlasting Father took upon himself the sins of
all men on condition of repentance.
We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal
mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane.
We know he sweat great drops of blood from
every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him.
We know he suffered, both body and spirit,
more than it is possible for man to suffer, except it be unto death.
We know that in some way, incomprehensible
to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls
from the pains and penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who
believe in his holy name.
We know that he lay prostrate upon the
ground as the pains and agonies of an infinite burden caused him to tremble and
would that he might not drink the bitter cup.
We know that an angel came from the courts
of glory to strengthen him in his ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael,
who foremost fell that mortal man might be.
As near as we can judge, these infinite
agonies—this suffering beyond compare—continued for some three or four hours.
15 Therefore I
command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and
by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore
you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
16 For behold, I,
God, have suffered these things for all, that
they might not suffer if they would repent;
18 Which suffering caused myself, even
God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every
pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I
might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
19 Nevertheless, glory be to the
Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children
of men.
Experience in Denver.
Scott and I were out for a walk in the early morning. It was cold, cold enough to see our breath in
the air. We started down in a valley in
the shadow of a hill. As we climbed up
the hill, the sun came up over the horizon.
As the rays of the sun touched us, the warmth spread over our bodies. I likened this to the light that can come
into our lives through repentence. The
lower ground with the frost, darkness and cold is like our lives before we
repent. As we climb higher and take
advantage of the Savior’s atonement, we are warmed by his redeeming love and we
have the joy that comes after changing our lives. It is like the journey from a sinful life to
a life with Christ.
Alma
5
7 Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he
awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were
in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the
light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by
the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an
everlasting destruction did await them.
9 And again I ask,
were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which
encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed,
and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say
unto you that they are saved.
I love the
Spanish language. I would like to share
with you some things that I have learned about Spanish and apply these thoughts
to the Savior’s gift of atonement to each of us. The expression “dar a luz” in Spanish means
to give birth. It is my favorite Spanish
phrase. It literally means to give a
light. When we are baptized, we are born
again. Every time we take the sacrament
we celebrate anew that birth and every time we repent, we can literally become
a new person.
Alma the
Younger talked about this change in his father Alma when he heard the words of
Alma.
Alma 5
14 And
now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have
ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in
your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your
hearts?
The verb
arrepentirse – means to repent and it is a reflexive verb which means you do it
for or to yourself. This verb is always
used in the reflexive. No one else can
repent for you. The Savior opened the
gate to repentance through his suffering, but we must do the work ourselves. We must feel sorrow and change our hearts and
our actions. We can do this and only
through the gift of the atonement will we be forgiven by our Heavenly Father.
This applies
to everyone.
Isaiah 1:18
. . . though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
The
blessings of the atonement are what we need to tell the world about.
D & C 18: 10-16
11 For, behold, the Lord
your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore
he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent
and come unto him.
12 And he hath risen again
from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.
15 And if it so
be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people,
and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy
with him in the kingdom of my Father!
16 And now, if
your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into
the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you
should bring many souls unto me!
Testimony in Spanish.
Hermanos y Hermanos. Yo quiero compartir mi testimonio. Quiero testificar que La Eglesia de Jesucristo
de los Santos de los Últimos Días es la iglesia verdadera de Cristo. He leído el Libro de Mormon y sé que por el
Espíritu Santo que el libro es verdadero y es las palabras de Dios. Sé que José Smith fue un profeta de
Dios. Thomas S. Monson es el profeta hoy
in día. Amo a mi Padre Celestial, sé que
Él vive y nos ama. Sé que he sido
llamado por Dios para servir como misionera con mi esposo en Nicaragua. Amo a mi Salvador Jesucristo; sé que él murió
por nosotros pero hoy vive. Gracias a
él, nosotros podemos vivir eternamente con Dios si seguimos al Salvador y Sus
profetas vivientes.
Amo a mi familia. Amo a mi padre. Él está aquí hoy. Tiene noventa y uno años. Estoy agradecido por su enseñando y su
amo. Estoy agradecido por nuestra
familia del barrio. Les
extrañaremos. Digo estas cosas, en el
nombre de Jesucristo. Amen
Scott’s Talk:
I talked about the
Resurrection. I started by expressing my love for family, our ward and Stake
families, especially those who I have served with. I read Luke 24: 1-6
1 Now upon the
first day of
the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre,
bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with
them.
4 And it came to
pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in
shining garments:
5 And as they
were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto
them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
I then quoted President
Thomas S. Monson, ““No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken
by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the
first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their
Lord. Spoke the angel:
“Why seek ye the living
among the dead?
“He is not here, but is
risen.”12
Our Savior lived again.
The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history
had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and
Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The
Fall of Adam had been reclaimed.”
I then bore my testimony
of the Savior and expressed my love for him. I quoted President David O McKay
who said “the gospel makes bad men good and good men better.” I explained that
the redeeming portion of the atonement makes bad men good and the enabling
power of the atonement makes good men better (referring to Elder Bednar’s talk).
I outlined the plan of salvation and discussed how the atonement, including that
which occurred in Gethsemane, on Golgotha and at the garden tomb, overcomes
both spiritual death and physical death. I read Alma 11: 42-44 and bore
testimony that our immortal bodies will be perfect, free from physical,
emotional, mental ailments. I explained that although I have not seen a
resurrected being, I knew these truths are true because I have had witnesses
that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he saw the resurrection Christ,
Heavenly Father and many resurrected beings. I also know the Book of Mormon to
be true because the Holy Ghost has testified that to me and the Book of Mormon
teaches us that the resurrection happened. I also have received spiritual
witnesses of modern prophets and they teach us about the resurrection. I then said: “Yo sé
que estas cosas son verdaderas, en el nombre de Jesús Cristo, amen”.