I've had a lot of requests from people that weren't able to make it to my farewell to post my talk here, so here it is! Obviously, this isn't exactly what I said, but it's more or less my talk :)
Good morning brothers and sisters! I am so excited to have
the opportunity to speak to you all today.
When I was younger, Easter morning was just as exciting as
Christmas morning. My siblings and I would wake up early and sneak all over the
house to scope out where the Easter bunny had hidden the eggs so we would have
a head start when our parents finally let us start the egg hunt. After our egg
hunt, we would all put on our fancy new Easter clothes and head to church,
where we usually had some kind of special treat or lesson in primary to
celebrate Easter. After church was our Easter dinner, which in my opinion was
better than Christmas dinner. In all, I
kind of just viewed it as another day to get lots of candy and pretty clothes.
I knew the story of why we celebrate Easter, but it never really occurred to me
why it was as important as all the adults in my life seemed to think it was.
As I’ve grown older, the more commercial aspects of Easter
have kind of fallen to the wayside. Sure, it’s still fun to see the colorful
eggs hidden all over my house, and it’s still awesome to have a big dinner with
my entire family, but that’s not what really matters anymore. What matters is
that I have a day set aside to remember my Savior’s life and His sacrifice for
me, and to ponder on why that sacrifice is so important to my life.
When we talk about “the Savior’s sacrifice for us,” we are
not only talking about his crucifixion. We are speaking of Christ’s time in the
Garden of Gethsemane as well. In that garden, Christ took upon him the sins,
pain, and afflictions of every single person that has ever lived, will ever
live, or is currently living on this earth.
Why in the world did He need go through that for us? I think
Elder Holland answered that question best when he said, “The Atonement of Jesus
Christ was indispensable because of the separating transgression, or Fall, of
Adam, which brought two kinds of death into the world when Adam and Eve partook
of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Physical death brought the separation of the
spirit from the body, and spiritual death brought the estrangement of both the
spirit and the body from God. As a result of the Fall, all persons born into
mortality would suffer these two kinds of death.”
Kay. So let’s back up and break that down a little bit. Adam
and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden a long, long time ago. They were told not
to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan tempted Eve
to eat it, which she did, and then she convinced Adam to eat the fruit. Because
they ate the fruit, Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden. When they were
cast out, they became susceptible to physical death. They were also separated
from the presence of God, which is known as spiritual death. Being susceptible
to these two different kinds of death made them mortal—which meant they could
have children. Those children were also mortal, and those children’s children,
and those children’s children. Because of the fall of Adam, we are all mortal,
which means we can die both a spiritual and physical death.
I don’t know about you guys, but I sure wouldn’t like those
deaths to be permanent. Heavenly Father didn’t want them to be permanent
either, which is where Christ’s atonement comes in.
After the Last Supper, Christ journeyed to the Garden of
Gethsemane with his disciples. He left them when they got to the Garden, and
went off by himself to pray to his Father. During this prayer, he took upon
himself the sins of all of mankind. So great was the pain and agony of this act
that blood flowed from every pore of his body.
Jesus asked his Father, “Father, if thou be willing, move this cup from
me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” An angel was sent to
strengthen him, and Christ was able to finish his prayer.
When Christ took upon himself all of my sins and all of your
sins, he overcame spiritual death. He made it possible for us to repent when we
make mistakes, which means that even though we aren’t perfect and we all goof
up every once in a while, those mistakes aren’t permanent. Instead, we can work
through our mistakes and be forgiven of them. This process of repentance would
have been impossible without Christ’s atonement, and we would all be forced to
experience a permanent spiritual death.
Holland said, “This infinite Atonement of Christ was
possible because He was the only sinless man ever to live on this earth and
therefore was not subject to the spiritual death resulting from sin, He was the Only Begotten of the Father and
therefore possessed the attributes of godhood that gave Him power over physical
death and He was apparently the only one
sufficiently humble and willing to be foreordained to that service.”
Kay, so that took care of the spiritual aspect of the Fall
of Adam. However, we were all still mortal, and we still had no way of
overcoming that part of the Fall. No worries though, Christ took care of that
for us too!
We’ve heard the story of Christ’s crucifixion time and time
again. We know that after he finished praying in the Garden, Judas betrayed him
by turning him over to Pilate’s soldiers. He was then taken to Pilate, and
Pilate sentenced him to crucifixion. He
was beat, scorned, and mocked. He was forced to carry his own cross to the
scene of his death. And we know that
during this awful treatment, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do.” He was so perfect that even when he was being treated like a
terrible criminal, his only thought was for the salvation of his afflicters.
After Christ died, he
was laid to rest in a tomb. Three days later, Mary Magdelene came to visit the
tomb of the Savior, but instead found an open tomb and an angel. Shocked, she
asked the angel where Christ had been taken. The angel replied, “Why seek ye
the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” Christ had been
resurrected. He had overcome physical death, and in doing so, paved the way for
each and every one of us to do the same.
Thomas S. Monson once said of these events, “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.”
The last few weeks, I’ve had a scripture playing on repeat
in my head. 1 Corinthians 15:22 reads “For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.”
I’ve heard that scripture time and time again as I’ve grown
up, but I don’t think I ever appreciated how powerful that verse is until these
last few weeks. It was mentioned in a talk during General Conference, and I
started thinking about it a lot. It’s such a short verse, but it says so much
about the importance of the events surrounding Easter. I love how blunt Paul
was when he wrote that all men die. That’s the part that grabbed my
attention—the hey, without Christ we’d all die with no hope of ever living
again. But what I love most about the verse are the words “In Christ shall all
be made alive.” Those words are beautiful to me. They testify that because of
the Savior’s atonement, I can be made whole and achieve eternal life. They show
me that through Christ, all things are possible. Because if he gave us a way to
overcome the bands of death, surely he will provide a way for us to accomplish
everything else too.
Okay, so why is Christ’s atonement so important in our
lives? We can find the answer by studying the Plan of Salvation.
As a missionary, I’ll be spending a lot of
time in the book Preach my Gospel. Chapter 3 of Preach my Gospel gives an
outline of each lesson we are to teach to investigators. The first lesson is on
the restoration. But after we talk about the restoration, the very next thing
we are to teach is the Plan of Salvation. This alone is a testimony to me of
how important the Plan of Salvation is in our lives, and in our entire mission
here on earth.
Before we came to earth, we lived with Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ in a premortal existence. While we were there, Heavenly Father
presented his plan to us, which we all completely understood and accepted. His
plan was for us all to come to this earth to receive physical bodies, be
taught, and be tested so that we might learn and grow and progress spiritually.
We were given the gift of agency, which meant that we would be able to make
choices for ourselves. However, none of us are perfect, and Heavenly Father
knew we would need some help if we were ever to be able to return to him.
That’s where the Savior’s atonement comes in. He came to earth, the only
perfect person that has ever lived, to provide an example of how we should
live. He knew that his example alone wouldn’t be enough though, so he atoned
for our sins and made it possible for us to repent when we make mistakes. He
made it possible for us to have a clean slate when we mess up. This is so
important, because we need to be clean and pure to return to live with our father
in heaven.
We read in 3 Nephi 27 verse 19, “And no unclean thing can
enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be
those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and
the repentance of their sins, and their faithfulness to the end.”
The entire goal of the plan of salvation is to be able to
return to the celestial kingdom and live with our Father in Heaven again,
thereby achieving eternal life. Christ’s atonement made that possible for
us.
Christ’s atonement for our sins matters because we can
repent when we make a mistake, and become perfect through Christ. His
resurrection matters because by being resurrected, we can receive immortal
bodies. When we repent of all of our
sins and receive immortality, we will be able to have eternal life.
Without the atonement, the resurrection, and all other
events surrounding Easter, God’s plan for all of us would not be possible. As
we read in John Chapter 14 verse 6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me.” This scripture
has always been one of my absolute favorites. Even though it’s just a few lines
long, I see it as summarizing the entire plan of salvation into one little
verse. Jesus begins by essentially saying that he was sent to Earth to give all
of us an example of how to live our lives. He then testifies of himself, and
his father’s church. He finishes by saying that without his atonement and
subsequent resurrection, none of us would ever be able to return to live with
our heavenly father.
Moses 1:39 reads, “For behold, this is my work and my
glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” To achieve
immortality and eternal life…. these two things are Heavenly Father’s goals for
us. However, eternal life is not only significant because it means we get to
spend forever in the presence of our God. It is also significant to us in this
church because we know it means we can spend forever with our families.
The topic Bishop asked me to incorporate into my talk was “families
are central to God’s plan.” I thought this topic was so perfect to speak on for
Easter, because if the events we remember on Easter had never taken place,
eternal families would not be possible.
Heavenly Father designed His plan so that no one ever has to
walk alone. We were each sent here to be
a part of a family.
I love a quote by Christoffel Golden Jr. He said, “seen in
its true light, the doctrine of the father and the son is the doctrine of the
eternal family. Every human being has existed previously as a spirit child with
Heavenly Parents, with Christ being the firstborn of the Father in this
Heavenly Family.”
Not all families are the same, not all families are perfect,
but regardless of what our individual family situation is, Heavenly Father’s
plan for us is universal. He wants us to be sealed in the Temple to become an
eternal family. For the Strength of Youth reads, “being part of a family is a
great blessing. Not all families are the same, but each is important in
Heavenly Father’s plan.”
Because of the temple, we can be sealed to our families for
time and all eternity. That means that one of the many, many blessings of
Christ’s resurrection and atonement is that we can live forever with those we
love the most.
I’ve kept a somewhat consistent journal since I was pretty
young, and as I’ve been packing up for my mission, I’ve come across a lot of
things I didn’t remember keeping. One of these was my journal from fourth
grade. My little sister Alyssa was born when I was in fourth grade, and this is
what I wrote the day she was born: “I have a new little sister! Her name is
Alyssa, and she is very little. I’m
excited to play with her when she is bigger. I hope she doesn’t bother me like
Trevor and Tanner do sometimes. It’s okay though, because I love them still.
Daddy talked to us about families last week before Alyssa was born. We talked
about how we are all sealed together because mom and dad got sealed in the
temple before we were born. That means that me and trevor and tanner and alyssa
get to be brothers and sisters forever!” Even as a ten year old, I understood some
of the blessings of being a part of an eternal family. I knew that my new baby
sister, my brothers, and I would be together even after this mortal life, and I
knew that my parents would be there too. I was so excited when every single one
of my siblings was born, and I can’t even imagine what life would be like
without them around. I am so grateful that Christ gave us all the opportunity
to receive immortal bodies, and experience eternal life, and that we are given
the amazing blessing of having families with us throughout eternity. I don’t
know about all of you, but I most certainly wouldn’t want to have eternal life
if I experienced it all on my own.
The events that we remember on Easter are important because they
not only made eternal life possible, but they made eternal families possible. I see a quote all the time on pinterest, and I
just love it. It defines a missionary as “someone who leaves their family for a
short while, so others can be with their families for eternity.”
The whole goal of a mission is to get the people you teach
to the temple so they can partake of the blessings of eternal life and eternal
families. Even though leaving my family for a year and a half is going to be
hard, I know that I need to because
there are families in Jamaica that need to be able to have the same blessings
and knowledge of eternal families that I do. Families are central to God’s
plan, and I hope to do whatever I can to bring that message to the people in
Jamaica.
For as long as I can remember, my favorite hymn has been I
Believe In Christ. The words of verse 3 are so powerful—“I believe in Christ,
he ransoms me. From Satan’s grasp he sets me free. And I shall live with joy
and love in his eternal courts above.” Christ’s atonement allows us to aspire
higher than this earthly life, and gives us a way out of the grasp of Satan. He
provided a way for us to return to Heavenly Father and live for all eternity
with those we love.
I hope that today, and every day, we will ponder the events
of Easter and keep a prayer of gratitude in our hearts for our Savior Jesus
Christ’s atonement. Easter is a time to remember Christ’s life, death, and
resurrection. It is a time to remember the pain and suffering he went through
in the Garden of Gethsemane when he took upon him the sins of every single one
of us, and made it possible for us to repent. It is a time to be thankful that
we have someone that loves us so much that he was willing to go through more
pain than we can ever comprehend, so that we could partake in the blessings of
repentance, eternal life, and eternal families.
I know that this church is true. I wouldn’t be going on a
mission if I didn’t have a sure and steadfast faith in my savior Jesus Christ
and His gospel. Looking back on my journals, I realized that a year ago today,
I was at my senior prom. If you would have come up to me at that dance and told
me that in exactly a year I would be giving a farewell talk for a mission to
Jamaica, I probably would have laughed in your face. However, over the last
year, things changed, and I realized that my plan for my life was not God’s
plan for my life. I realized that I needed to start listening to his guidance,
because He is all knowing. So, here I am, and I know that this is exactly where
I need to be.
I know Joseph Smith was called of God to restore His true
church in the latter-days. I know that we have a living prophet here on earth
today, and that he receives revelation directly from the Lord to lead and guide
the members of this church. I know that by keeping the commandments and
enduring to the end, each and every one of us can obtain eternal life. I know
Christ lives. I know he atoned for my sins and the sins of the world, and I
know that he died on that cross so we can receive immortal, perfect bodies and
live with our father in heaven again. I feel my savior’s love every single day,
and I know that He will never leave me alone, or guide me astray. The Book of
Mormon is true. I love that book more than anything, and I would never want to
live my life without the knowledge contained in its pages. I am so grateful for
the family I have been given, and I am more grateful than words can express for
the knowledge that they will be my family forever.
I am so grateful that I have been called to serve my Lord and the people of
Jamaica, and I pray every day that I might be led to those that are ready to
hear the truth, and prepare a way for even more people to one day receive the
blessings of the temple. I testify that this is the only true
church upon the earth today, and that it is the same church Christ led during his time here on earth. There is
absolutely no doubt in my mind as to the truth of this doctrine. I say these
things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
