About a month ago, I was asked by a woman at my church to help her out during her lesson to the sunday school children, ranging from ages 3 to 12. She was having special "visitors" from the scriptures come and tell their story of meeting and knowing Jesus Christ. They kids would pick a picture of one of these people out of her pile and slide in under the door on their "time machine" and out would walk that person to visit them and tell their experience. She asked me if I would be Mary Magdalene. I was so excited! I got to dress up and everything! I prayed that I'd know what to say to these little kids. I knew the story of Mary Magdalene so well, but what should I share with these children in the 60 seconds I got to talk to them?
As I walked out of the "time machine" and into the room crowded with precious little children, I knew EXACTLY what I should say. I looked into their excited eyes and knew without a doubt that they were each loved by Jesus SO MUCH. I recounted the story of Mary Magdalene in the garden outside the empty tomb. I said that I was the first to see the risen Lord. I talked about how I had been so sad that Jesus was gone that I didn't even recognize him when he came to me. And then he spoke my name, MY NAME, Mary, and I knew him. I told them that Jesus knew all of their names, each and every one. That each one of them was VERY special in his eyes. That each one of them was loved and important, so much so that he died for them and rose again that we can all rise again some day. He loves them THAT MUCH.
It was short. It was simple. But my heart was filled to bursting as I looked at these wonderful, sweet, precious children and told them that they were something truly special and that Jesus knew it.
I am so grateful for Easter. Because of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the World, death has no sting, the grave has no victory. We know that there is a purpose to this life and that life continues after we pass on and leave our mortal body. We know that we will live again, that our imperfect bodies will become whole and glorious. We know that those that we love that are taken from us are only taken momentarily, and we will be reunited again in incomprehensible joy. We know that we are important, so very very important, to our creator and god, and that we are loved with a love so immense that we cannot even begin to fathom it. How great the goodness of our God, that he would send his Only Begotten Son, to atone for our sins and to die on the cross and to take up life again so that we too can have hope of a beautiful and glorious eternity, pain-free, illness-free, strife-free. What marvelous hope has been given to us all. We need not fear, only believe.
If you have a moment, please listen to this beautiful sermon on Jesus Christ and his Resurrection.
D. Todd Christofferson: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
May you all have a beautiful, joyful Easter!
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