This Sunday is Easter. Christians everywhere will pause and reflect upon the central point of their theology: the resurrection and the redemption of Jesus Christ.
In this spirit, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) issued an Easter message. In it, they reaffirm the basic of Christ’s mission and atoning sacrifice. It is proper that they should do this. As the supreme governing body of the Church, it is their responsibility to set the tone for the season and for worship services this Sunday.
Here is their message:
“Every thoughtful person has asked himself that question best asked by Job of old: ‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ (Job 14:14). Try as we may to put the question out of our thoughts, it always returns. Death comes to all mankind. It comes to the aged as they walk on faltering feet. Its call is heard by those who have scarcely reached midway in life’s journey, and often it hushes the laughter of little children.”
“Job’s question was answered on that first Easter, when, very early in the morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came unto the sepulcher. To their astonishment, the body of their Lord was gone. Luke records that two men in shining garments stood by them and said: ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen…’ (Luke 24:1, 5—6).”
“We solemnly testify that God lives. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our mediator with the Father. He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the resurrection. Because of His glorious resurrection all mankind will live again. ‘Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives!’ (Hymns, no. 136).”
The First Presidency
Thomas S. Monson
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
(Source: Deseret News)
I appreciate this seasonal reminder. Although it is not as commercial as Christmas, Easter, too, can be a time of distractions. We focus on new Sunday clothes, egg-shaped junk food, pseudo-grass, plush rabbits, and so forth. Even the concern about not commercializing a sacred day can also be a distraction. I hope we do not get to the point where we define Easter as the time of year where we worry about commercialization.
Yes, Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. This month the Ensign, the official magazine of the Church, has been exclusively on the life and mission of Jesus Christ. This reinforces what members of the Church have been taught all along.
The fourteenth prophet of the Church, Howard W. Hunter, said:
“The doctrine of the Resurrection is the single most fundamental and crucial doctrine in the Christian religion. It cannot be overemphasized, nor can it be disregarded.”
“Without the Resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles—but sayings and miracles with no ultimate triumph.”
“No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate miracle: for the first time in the history of mankind, one who was dead raised himself into living immortality. He was the Son of God, the Son of our immortal Father in Heaven, and his triumph over physical and spiritual death is the good news every Christian tongue should speak.”(Howard W. Hunter, “An Apostle’s Witness of the Resurrection,” Ensign, May 1986, 15.)
And Bruce R. McConkie, an apostle in the Church, succinctly stated, “As far as man is concerned, all things center in Christ.” (Mormon Doctrine, 129).
It does not get plainer than that. I appreciate how the leaders of my church make our Christianity so obvious. You can never overemphasize the fundamentals, be it in reading, writing, or religion. Once Christ is in place, everything else then falls into its proper place.
That is why the Church has emphasized using the correct name of the Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It reminds us of our theological center.
In fact, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been a Christian church since before day one. Ten years before the Church was organized, Joseph Smith had his first experience with Christ and with forgiveness.
He wrote:
“Thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart concerning the situation of the world, of mankind, the contentions and divisions, the wickedness and abominations, and the darkness which pervaded the of the minds of mankind. My mind became exceedingly distressed for I became convicted of my sins.”
“I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go and to obtain mercy. And the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness, and while in the attitude of calling upon the Lord (in the 16th year of my age), a pillar of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me. And I was filled with the spirit of God, and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord.”
“And he spake unto me saying, ‘Joseph, my son, thy sins are forgiven thee. Go thy way, walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments. Behold, I am the Lord of glory. I was crucified for the world, that all those who believe on my name may have eternal life.’” (1832 History. Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, 10-11. Standardized.)
We now call this event the First Vision. Not only was it an affirmation of God’s existence, but also an affirmation of God’s power. Christ’s Atonement can change people’s lives for the better. Joseph Smith became what he was because of his relationship to Christ and his reliance upon the Atonement.
In a sense, the First Vision was also a first Easter for Joseph Smith. Like the women at the tomb and the early apostles, he saw the risen Lord.
But it also goes deeper than that. It was only after having this vision in spring 1820 that Joseph Smith understood Christ in the full and complete sense. Christ ceased being a shadowy and disinterested figure from the Bible, and finally became a living reality, and a source of personal inspiration and power.
I too have felt this power in my life. We work to discipline our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. Personal effort is effective, but it is not enough. There needs to be some extra power that nudges us along in our righteous goals. This is God’s power, the Atonement. It is what makes bad men good, good men better, and better men perfect.
Behind all the things we do—having large families, abstaining from both coffee and premarital relations, genealogy and other good works—is Jesus Christ’s Atonement. It is what brings purpose and sanity to our endeavors.
One of my favorite quotes from Josephs Smith is his “in a nutshell” summary of the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”
“But in connection with these, we believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost, the power of faith, the enjoyment of the spiritual gifts according to the will of God, the restoration of the house of Israel, and the final triumph of truth.” (“Chapter 3: Jesus Christ, the Divine Redeemer of the World,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 45–56)
All things are an appendage to the Atonement. This means that I must be an appendage to the Atonement. This sounds weird at first blush, but in practice it is not.
Paul, in the New Testament, explained the idea this way:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“Christ liveth in me.” I must become an instrument in the hands, the pierced hands, of Jesus Christ. Only then does my life have any meaning.
This scripture inspires me to be more and more like Jesus Christ. Hopefully, I can say like Paul that I’m not doing such and such, but it is Christ in me that is doing these good things. I think that is a worthy goal for all.
Twitter •
