I gave a talk yesterday

This is my talk. Enjoy.

The following is a true story, a story that touched my heart very much. Years ago, a good friend of mine was walking along the banks of a river with his very young sister. It was a Sunday afternoon and they went for a walk in their church attire. The sister shrieked with delight as she saw the lily pads that covered the surface of the river. She begged my friend to get her one. It was not very practical and most would just say maybe later, but my friend could not say no to this young sister that he loved so much. So, rolling up his pant legs and taking off his shoes, my friend plunged into the river. The water was cold and the rocks underfoot were sharp. The current was strong enough that he knew she would never have been able to retrieve the lily pads herself; she was simply too small to do it. As he continued, the jagged rocks hurting his numbing feet, he reached for a lily pad. From the banks of the river he heard his sister cry, “No! Not that one, the other!” My friend noticed a large lily pad that he was sure was the one she was referring to. However, it was almost to the other side of the river. This was going to be harder than he originally thought, but he knew it was going to be worth it, so he pressed onward. His feet had gone numb, so the rocks were hardly noticeable the rest of the way to and from the lily pad. Emerging from the water, he handed his sister the coveted lily pad. She was beyond happy. So happy, in fact, that she couldn’t even imagine how her older brother felt. His legs were numb up to the knees and he noticed that he was bleeding from several cuts on the bottoms of his feet. Before he could bend down to inspect the cuts, his sister ran and hugged him with all her might. I don’t know if she will soon know what her brother sacrificed for her happiness, but she will still forever be grateful for his love for her.

“[On] Easter,... we commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was not an ordinary thing. It was the greatest event in human history. I do not hesitate to say that.”

-Gordon B. Hinckley (“He Is Not Here, but Is Risen, April 1999)

More than anything, Easter is the day we celebrate Christ’s literally undying love for us. We celebrate His humble, perfect life that made the Atonement possible. We celebrate His ability to completely turn His will to God, even when faced with all the pains of the earth. We celebrate His willingness to die for us, die even for the ones that killed Him. Do you realize that He loved them just as much? That if Christ was atoning for just Judas or Pilate or Herod, He would still do it? That is the level of love He feels for us. The culminating event of the Easter morning is Christ’s willingness to overcome death itself. His ability to come forth that Sabbath morning answering the question, “Will we live again?” with a resounding, “Yes!” We celebrate the only hope that was given to us: the atonement of Jesus Christ.

God had a simple but all too incredible plan. Send someone to live a perfect life then atone for the billions of His brothers and sisters’ sins. Not only did Christ volunteer for us, but He volunteered before the third of our heavenly siblings fell away! Think of all the sins that Christ would have had to overcome! But He didn’t care. He didn’t care the size of the burden He would be lifting, just that He would be lifting a burden. Christ did what the Father required.

“And to Thee, My God, the Fame”

By Wyatt Duclos

I sat in heaven,

 With my friends and family, 

Dreaming of a perfect life,

And an immortal body.

We pled with the Father,

Asked, “Please let us go,

To Earth to live,

To love and to grow.”

There sat our Father,

The Master of my soul,

He spake softly and said,

“One must pay the toll.”

Saddened and scared,

Too meek to volunteer,

I sat and watched our brother stand,

Loving and sincere.

“A sacrifice to be made,”

The Father sighed in pain.

“It is my lot,” the Son replied,

“And to Thee, my God, the fame.”

Christ, our Lord,

Suffered and died.

He did it not for money,

Or for adoring fans,

He did it for love,

For you and for me.

The Savior of All?

He made us free.