Thoughts About Easter

Dear family members,

Since Easter is coming in just a few days, I want to write about Easter.  It is so important for us to remember what happened on that Sunday morning almost two thousand years ago.

We have relived these events many times as we have read and reread the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection in Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, and as we have told this story many, many times to you, our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. But still at Easter time it is important that we examine this amazing story one more time.

The Greeks around 500 B.C. developed a means of portraying in dramatic form significant stories like that of Jesus.  We refer to them today as Greek Tragedies.

   

The main character was called a tragic hero – hero because he was such an outstanding person.  He was a great leader of men, a great warrior, physically and intellectually superior to those around him, but kind and just and compassionate.  Tragic because although he was superior in so many ways he had a flaw which would ultimately lead to a tragic end.

 

He also had to be of noble birth, a king or prince because his life and death had to have meaning.  His life and death would change the world.

 

When something tragic happens to you or me, those close to us mourn, but our tragedy has little meaning in the world at large.  However, when a king or a great man experiences tragedy, the whole world takes note because his tragedy affects everyone.

There was also often in Greek tragedies a romantic element – a beautiful woman who was as remarkable and talented as the tragic hero, a fit companion in every way.

Then there were a series of other characters that played important roles in the looming tragedy, some good and some evil.

Well, what has all this to do with the Savior and Easter Sunday?  The Greeks would have recognized in Jesus a tragic hero.  He was born a king.  His birth had been foreseen by prophets going back to the beginning of time and was accompanied by a chorus of angels from on high.

Yes, he was a lowly carpenter by trade, but as a result he developed a strong and powerful physic.  And his intellect astonished all those who heard him teach, even at the young age of 12. He was a courageous  leader of men drawing crowds of thousands around him to hear him speak and teach. He was a kind and compassionate man, healing the sick, raising the dead and pardoning even those guilty of serious sins such as adultery.

The world would be forever changed because of the gospel he taught and the example he set, being the only person in the history of the world to live a life without sin.

His perfect life came to a mortal end as he suffered the agony of Gethsemane and the horrible pain of crucifixion.  His fatal flaw, as the world might see it, was his absolute candor. When Caiaphas asked him if he was truly the son of God he answered that he was.  Thus he was declared blasphemous and worthy of death. 

Shortly thereafter he went before Pilate, who asked him if he was truly king of the Jews.  Jesus again answered that he was. Later Pilate would wash his hands of the matter and turn Jesus over to his soldiers to be crucified.

In the Greek tradition, that would be the end of the play.  But to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the story has a more powerful outcome, for Jesus’ death was not the ending but the beginning.

His resurrection broke the bonds of death both here and in the spirit world.  All men and women would live again physically and could live eternally with him and our Father if they would accept his atoning sacrifice and keep his commandments.

 

It is this marvelous event that we celebrate this week.

But there are other characters that are also a part of this story -  minor but significant characters as in a Greek Tragedy.

There is Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who went to Pilate after Jesus was declared dead and requested his body.  They took it, washed and anointed it, wrapped it in linen and placed it in a tomb to await the passing of the Sabbath when they could properly prepare his body for burial.

Then there is Mary Magdalene who came early Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’ body with perfumes and oils.  In Mathew, Mark and Luke she is accompanied by two other women, Salome and Mary the mother of James.  But in John she comes alone. 

I like John’s story best because it has a more tender and intimate tone.

 

Mary Magdalene historically was a very beautiful woman and a dedicated follower of Jesus.  She was considered in ancient documents to be a powerful leader in the Church, almost on a par with the apostles. 

Note what Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said of her:

”She was one of the most virtuous and righteous women ever to follow Jesus.  So great was her faith and so extensive her good works that she was singled out to stand as the first mortal person to see our Lord after his resurrection.”

 

It would appear that Jesus and Mary had a special relationship.  According to John she was the first to arrive at his tomb, only to find it empty.  Frightened and worried, she ran to tell the apostles that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb.

 

Peter and James run back to the sepulcher to see if the report is true.  Finding the tomb empty also, they left; Mary remained there alone to mourn her loss.  She is inconsolable in her grief. 

John records the circumstances in John 20:11- 17.

Mary is sobbing as she re-examines the empty tomb, only to find two men there. John calls them angels.  I’m not sure but what Mary thought they were just two men dressed in white.

  

They ask her why she is sobbing.  She says because they have taken away her lord and she doesn’t know where to find him. 

Then she turns away from the tomb and sees another man whom she assumes is the gardener.   He also asks her why she is weeping. 

She asks this time if he is the one who has taken her Lord away.  If so, will he tell her where he is so that she can take proper care of him.

Jesus answers her plea by calling her name, Mary.  As so many times in the past, Jesus spoke her name lovingly and endearingly.  Elder McConkie continues:

“Mary, his beloved; he spoke her name, nothing more.  It was as when the still, small voice sank into the soul of Elijah; it was as though angelic choirs had sung her name – Mary.”

Her recognition was instantaneous, and she turned toward him, reaching out to touch him or to embrace him. 

We can imagine the Savior also wanting to reach out to her, to take her in his arms and to comfort her, but he could not for he had not yet returned to his father in heaven.

Elder McConkie says of her feelings at this incredible moment, “Her river of tears suddenly became a sea of joy.”

It was her savior who stood before her.  She could love him again in person as she had in the past!  Jesus who had been declared dead was now alive again!

Other characters in the story included Peter and John.  They were in a meeting with some of the other disciples when Mary came running in with her declaration that the tomb was empty and Jesus’ body was not to be found.

 

At first they did not believe her, but afterward ran to the tomb to see for themselves.  John being the younger and more fleet of foot, got there before Peter.  But all they found were the linen materials with which his body had been wrapped.

 

They too left sorrowing and wondering, leaving Mary to grieve alone.  The Savior would, as we have seen, shortly come to comfort her in her mourning.  Later that day Jesus would appear to all the apostles except Thomas.

The story of the first Easter Sunday is not the same in all four gospels.  There are differing details and characters in each account, but each writer declares the same great truth – Jesus was resurrected from the dead for they saw him, felt the wounds in his hands and feet and side. They spoke to him, ate with him, and were taught by him for the next forty days.

 

And the twelve were not the only ones to bear testimony to the resurrection of the Savior.  Hundreds of others saw him and heard him speak during those next 40 days.

In the new world Nephi recorded similar events where thousands of men, women and children were taught by him, blessed by him, allowed to see and feel his wounds.

 

They also made covenants with him to be baptized and to keep his commandments.

Many in our secular world today accept Jesus as a great teacher and philosopher but question the authenticity of his resurrection. 

Yet thousands in his day testified of this reality and have recorded their testimonies in our sacred scriptures.  And in our own day we have the testimonies of modern prophets and apostles.  Who will ever forget Bruce R. McConkie’s final testimony in General Conference or President Packer’s in April conference?

And then there are our own testimonies.  We know as surely as we live that Jesus is the Christ and that his sacrifice atoned for our sins and that in reality he was resurrected from the dead. 

This week as we celebrate that miraculous event. May we remember the great blessings that have come to the world and to us because Jesus was raised from the dead 2000 years ago.  As a result, we too can live again, free from the effects of our sins because of His atoning sacrifice.

I want to also share my testimony with you of the reality of those events on that first Easter Sunday.  I know that Jesus is the Christ, that he is our Savior, and that he will stand again upon the earth in the last days.  And I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration, that the Book of Mormon is true, that the ultimate destiny of us all, if  we continue in faithfulness, are the promises made in the 76^th section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Of these things I testify in the name of Jesus Christ.

Miracles

Miracles 

Dear family members, 

I want to write this time about miracles because they are so important in helping to build our testimonies and our faith in the events that occur in our lives and, more importantly, in the Doctrine of Christ 

"Miracle" is a word a bit difficult to define. Technically it simply means an event that is inexplicable and therefore must be supernatural.  

Very often we use it as a synonym for luck or coincidence.  We put a pot on the stove and then forget it is there. Pretty soon the whole house is filled with smoke, alarms are going off everywhere, and our heart is pounding out of our chest.   

After the crisis is over, we say, "Man, we were lucky we didn't burn the house down!"  Or we say, "Man, it's a miracle we didn't burn the house down!"  What was it, luck or a miracle?   

I guess it depends on one's perspective. 

Let me tell you a story out of our family folklore.  This involves my older brother who has since passed on, so I don't think he will mind if I tell his story.   

He was a senior in high school at the time and was just taking his girlfriend home from a date.   They had to stop at a railroad crossing to let a fast moving freight train pass.  There were no crossing gates, just a white line painted on the road which you were supposed to stop behind – which he did. 

They waited patiently for the train to pass. Suddenly there was this tremendous jolt of the car. Without them being aware of it, the car had crept slowly forward until it hit the train. You can imagine their shock and fright to look up and see the nose of the car right against this speeding train! 

After the train had passed, they got out of the car to examine the damage that had been done. They couldn't believe their eyes! The front bumper had been completely sheared off!  (In those days cars had bumpers that stuck out in front of the car – they were real bumpers.) 

Well, as you can imagine, he had quite a story to tell when he got home. He said he and his girl had been waiting patiently for the train to pass and in the meantime they were having a nice chat and didn't realize the car was slowly inching forward. 

It made a good story, but somehow I always felt it was told with a bit of a wink/wink. I think they were kissing.  After all, she was his girlfriend; and they had to wait for the train to pass. Why not neck a bit.   

As we all know, kissing requires our full attention, if it's going to be an effective kiss, anyway. And, you have to close your eyes.  You can't have an effective kiss with your eyes open.   

You can talk and still be aware of what's going on around you, but kissing is a different matter.  You can lose yourself in it. I think they did! 

Anyway, that's my interpretation of what happened. 

The family was, of course, totally shocked.  Some said, "Man, you were lucky you weren't both killed!  Others said, 'Man, it's a miracle you weren't both killed. 

What was it, luck or a miracle?  

The Lord defines miracles more clearly.  Luck and coincidence don't enter into the equation. To Him a miracle is a gift to those who exercise faith in Him. To Him, it is a blessing resulting from righteous living. He gives the gift whenever it is needed, often whether we ask for it or not. Consequently, our lives abound in miracles, both large and small. 

Faith and miracles are companions.  When men and women have faith, miracles follow.  When there is no faith, there is mostly only luck and coincidence.  

God is a God of miracles, and examples abound in the scriptures.  We think of the feeding of the five thousand, the turning of water into wine, the healing of the centurion's daughter, the 10 lepers cleansed of their leprosy, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and countless others. 

But we can also look at our own lives and see miracles everywhere. 

Sometimes we pray for a miracle. Sometimes we hope for a miracle, but fail to ask. Sometimes we don't recognize them when they occur because the Lord has used someone else to make them happen or, worst of all, because we think we have solved the problem ourselves. 

We pray for the miracle and when it comes we say, That's OK Lord. Don't worry about it.  I'm sorry I bothered you.  I have fixed it myself.

  

Miracles can be big or little.  The big ones are easier to recognize; the little ones sometimes we consider luck or just a coincidence.  

Let me give you two examples from my own life: 

I was traveling home from work one day when I saw in front of me a pick-up truck with a large garbage can hanging on the back.  I could tell the driver was a gardener because he had lawnmowers, etc., in the back as well.  As I got closer to him, I heard a voice say, "Move over." 

I did, and as I drew alongside of the truck, we hit a bump in the road and the can bounced right off the pick-up.  As I looked in the rear-view mirror, I could see this can bouncing down the road and cars swerving in all directions to miss it.  

If I had stayed behind the truck, I would have crashed right into that can – and what would have happened then wouldn't have been pretty. 

Was the voice I heard a miracle or just my imagination? I choose the former. 

The second story involves genealogy.  Before your eyes go lizard on me, let me say that genealogy is a good place for miracles to happen. 

My brothers and I had inherited a large collection of family history materials from my mother's side of the family, who for generations had been great record keepers.  We decided it would be a great service to the family to put this stuff in book form.  So we did.   

Two years later we published a book of about 900 pages on our Allred side of the family. 

As we talked about what we had done, the question came up about the Mounteer side of the family.  The Allred book had taken a long time to do. Would we like to do it again for my father's family?   

We decided we would, but the problem was there was no material.  We had my mother and father's histories, but nothing else.  

So we decided we wouldn't do another book because there just wasn't enough information.  The Mounteers were not record keepers like the Allreds had been. 

Then a few nights later I had a dream.  Four men stood before me dressed in clothes that looked like something out of the 1800's.   They were carrying a large box.  In my dream I recognized them as Mounteers.  I knew who they were, but when I woke up, I only remembered they were Mounteers.  

I was allowed to see what was in the box they carried.  It was filled with Mounteer memorabilia – journals, pictures, documents, etc. 

I told my oldest brother about this dream, and we decided the Lord or our ancestors were telling us that if we did the book, we would find plenty of materials.  

So, two years later the Mounteer book was published. Ironically, this one turned out to be over 1000 pages. 

Well, those are my stories about miracles.  I have several more,but you will have to read my journal to see them.  This is long enough already. 

But, let me conclude with one more.  Miracles can change our lives. They can save our lives both temporally and spiritually. 

When we were in the MTC waiting to begin our mission to France, a Sunday night fireside speaker was Brother Sherman Crump, at the time a member of the MTC Missionary Committee.  He told a story about one of the Mission Presidents he was acquainted with.   

It seems the Mission President had gone to bed early one night after an exhausting day. It was about midnight when he suddenly awoke with a start. One of his young missionaries was in trouble.  He knew instantly who it was.  He got up and got out his telephone directory and called the elder at his apartment.  

However, the phone rang at the apartment of a young woman.   

You can imagine his surprise when a woman answered the phone. Rather stunned, he asked to speak to the elder. 

Unknown to the Mission President, earlier that day the elder had decided he was going to leave his mission and before he left to commit an immoral act with a young woman he had met.  Accordingly, he left his apartment and went to the home of the young woman. 

The elder came sheepishly to the phone. After a lengthy conversation with his mission president, he was persuaded to return to his apartment and to his mission - which he afterwards completed honorably. 

Was it a miracle that the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth, managed to cross telephone lines that night? Was it a miracle that the Mission President called one apartment and the phone rang in another?  

The Lord loves his Mission Presidents and He loves His missionaries! He can and does perform miracles in their behalf. 

Let me say again that God is a God of miracles.  They occur consistently in our lives. May we recognize them when they happen.  May our faith and testimonies be increased as a result, which is their intent and purpose. 

May I bear you my testimony that I know of a surety that the gospel is true, that Jesus is the Christ, the creator of our world and all the worlds that surround us in the night sky and beyond.   

I know Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration, that there would be no Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without his administration and revelation.   

I know the Book of Mormon is true, that it contains the fullness of the gospel as revealed to the ancient inhabitants of this land.  

I have come to this knowledge through study and prayer and through revelation from the Holy Ghost.  I bare it to you, my family, in the name of Jesus Christ.