Stake Relief Society Presidency Message for April

   If you have been inside any store or watched television in the past six weeks, you are well aware that Easter is being celebrated this month. Since Valentine's ended in February, the merchandisers have touted woven baskets, artificial grass, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, jelly beans, the proverbial Easter bonnet, and many other items they believe denotes Easter. The financial experts allege that the Easter season is a multi-million dollar merchandising event.
   Easter is equivalent to Springtime being official, new life, Church services, family dinners, even colored eggs and childhood fun. BUT, in the words of President David O. McKay: " It is a sacred day, a day of divine worship". It is a time when we commemorate the most important event ever to have occurred in human history.
   Historians agree that the greatest events are those that effect the largest number of people for the longest periods. By this standard, no event could be more important to individuals or nations than the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
   The fall of Adam brought two kinds of death into the world: spiritual death and physical death. Spiritual death is separation from God. Physical death is separation of the body and spirit. Redemption from death-that is, resurrection-is, therefore, crucial to our future happiness.
   Since Adam-and all those born after him-would now be subject to death and could not raise body from grave, there had to be "...an infinite and eternal sacrifice" (see Alma 34:10). Jesus came to Earth and voluntarily gave His life to atone for the fall of Adam. He was qualified to be the Savior because He is the only person who will ever live on the earth without sin; thus, a worthy sacrifice to pay for the sins of others.

   Jesus not only atoned for Adam's transgressions, but for all humans; and not only did He pay the price for sins, but he also took on pains, sicknesses, afflictions, and infirmities of each one of us (see Alma7: 11-12). If death had not been overcome through the atonement by Jesus, our bodies and our spirits would have been separated forever at mortal death, and we could not have lived again with our Heavenly Father. The "infinite" sacrifice implemented the power of resurrection, allowing spirit and body to be reunited.
   Understanding that the Atonement began in the Graden of Gethsemane, we are sometimes tempted to rush through or skip over much of the betrayal, abandonment, abuse, and false judgement-giving brief acknowledgement to Our Savior's agony and death on the cross-eager to get to the joy of Easter morning. However, each phase of that atoning journey was crucial to His descending below all things so that He would understand all that we suffer (see D&C 122:8).
   In the book of Matthew, we are told that "all the disciples [left] him, and fled" (see Matthew 26:56). Peter stayed near enough to be recognized and confronted. John stood at the foot of the cross with Jesus' mother. But essentially, His journey back to His Father was terribly alone. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke of it as "...the loneliest journey ever made...the Savior's solitary task of shouldering alone the burden of our salvation" ("None Were With Him", ENSIGN, May 2009, 86)
   Oh, how He loves us-to suffer such spiritual and physical agony for our sake! How great the love of Heavenly Father that He would send His Only Begotten Son to suffer and die for the rest of His children!
   The scriptural record tells us that on the third day following Jesus' crucifixion, there was a great earthquake. The large stone rolled back from the opening of the borrowed tomb where His lifeless body had been laid. Several women came to His tomb, entered, and "...found not the body of the Lord Jesus" (see Luke 24:3).
   Angels appeared and said simply, "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen" (Luke 24:3-6).

           NOTHING IN HISTORY EQUALS THAT DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT:

                                                   "He is not here, but is risen" !!!

   The grave now had no permanent victory. Death was overcome! Everyone born on this earth would be resurrected. Here is the greatest miracle ever to occur. He arose in power and beauty and life. On Calvary, He was the dying Jesus. From the tomb, He emerged the Living Christ.
   The message of Easter is that Christ is alive today, that many have already been resurrected, and that all men will enjoy a literal resurrection of the earthly body, to be reunited with the spirit-never again to be separated. Everything in the gospel of Jesus Christ points toward the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah. The plan of salvation could not be brought about without it.
   We must never forget the price paid by our Redeemer, who gave His mortal life that all men might live. We must never forget that our Savior, the Son of God, gave Himself as a sacrifice for each of us.
   No doctrine is more essential to our individual happiness than understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As a result of what Jesus has done for us "...one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path-utterly alone- WE  do not have to do so..." (Elder Jeffry R. Holland, "None Were With Him", ENSIGN May 2009, 86).

Sister Val Walsh
Secretary
Centralia Stake Relief Society