Jake officiated his first wedding March 29, 2024. He was a tad nervous but did a great job. Love is his specialty as he loves wonderfully and big. It was a nice evening. I was reminded of the love that I have for him and how love changes people for the better. It is a Christ-like characteristic that I want to more fully develop so that my heart will change for the best and I will think of others more often.
Church on Easter Sunday was beautiful. Jake wrote the program and the spoken words were magnificent. The spirit was especially strong during the musical numbers. During several of the songs, I felt my Savior's love and the Spirit testifying to me that He lives.
Sacrament Program (3/31/2024)
Welcome- Bishop Farrell
Opening
Song – Easter Hosanna – primary
Opening Prayer – Ginny Jones
Sacrament
Song – 172: In Humility Our Savior (congregation)
Sacrament Administered
Narration
– Jesus’ Ministry
Born of humble birth, the Son of God came to earth. A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid
in a manger was the hope of the world.
“And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The
Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).”
From a young age he went about the work of His Father. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind,
cleansed the leper, and raised the dead, all to glorify His Father in
Heaven. People sought Jesus from near
and far for His healing. He also found
those that could not come to him. One
man had waited at the waters of Bethesda for 38 years to be healed. Due to his infirmity he could never reach the
waters in time to claim its healing power.
John 5:6-8
“When Jesus saw him lie, and knew
that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be
made whole?
The impotent man answered him, Sir,
I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I
am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up
thy bed, and walk.”
Yet His ministry was more than healing our physical
infirmities. He fed both physically and
spiritually as testament that He was “the bread of life” and the living
water.
His message was one of hope, forgiveness, redemption, and
love. When a woman was caught in
adultery and brought before him, His message was clear. “Let he who is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her (John 8:7).” He
wanted everyone to show kindness and mercy just as He had shown. He sat with publicans and sinners for He knew
that “They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick (Luke
5:31).”
Of all his teachings, his greatest was to love. When asked which is the greatest command he
answered Matthew 22:37-39:
“Jesus said
unto him, Thou shalt alove the Lord thy God with all thy bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy cmind.
This is the
first and great acommandment.
And the
second is like unto it, Thou shalt alove thy neighbour as thyself.”
Song
– 308: Love One Another (congregation)
Narration
– Gethsemane and cross
He entered Jerusalem as a triumphant Savior. Matthew 21:9 “And the multitudes went before,
and that followed, cried, saying, Hosana to the Son of David: Blessed is he who
cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosana in the highest.”
Hosanna being interpreted is “Pray, save us.” So the Savior continued His ministry of love
and healing. However, the salvation
Jesus offered was not the saving the people were seeking. They misunderstood the greater salvation from
death and sin that He offered and sought instead deliverance from the
Romans. Many of the people would turn
away from the Savior. He would soon be
betrayed by one of His friends and disciples, Judas.
Before this great betrayal, Jesus went to pray in Gethsemane
asking His disciples to keep watch. Luke
22: 41-42, 44:
“And he was withdrawn from them
about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Saying, Father, if thou be willing,
remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
And being in agony he prayed more
earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to
the ground.”
The Son of God offered himself as the great intercession for
all.
Shortly after, he would willing surrender himself to
Pilate. Pilate offered to free Jesus the
Christ or Barabbas to a gathered crowd.
They replied, Barabbas. Asking
again what he should do with Jesus, the crowd shouted, “Let him be crucified
(Matthew 27:22).”
Before bearing His cross to Golgotha, he was crowned with
plaited thorns, mocked, spit upon, and whipped until bleeding and weak. Through it all, He still had love and
forgiveness for all declaring, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what
they do (Luke 23:34).” After hours upon
the cross, He commended His spirit to the Father.
Song
– Gethsemane – Emmeline and Samuel Young
Narration
– resurrection
The whole Earth mourned the crucifixion of the Savior. The sky darkened and the earth shook as He
suffered on the cross. The Book of
Mormon, a record of another tribe of Israel on the American continent, recorded
great destruction at the death of the Savior including earthquakes, tempest,
and fires. The continent was shrouded in
darkness so thick that no light could be seen or created.
As dark as that day was, Easter morning would soon arrive.
Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James
and Salome, and other women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with
spices they had purchased the night before.
Their account as recorded in Luke states:
Now upon the first day of the week,
very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing spices which
they prepared, and certain others with them.
And they found the stone rolled
away from the sepulchre.
And they entered in, and found not
the body of Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were
much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed
their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the
dead?
He is not here, but is risen.
No greater words of hope exist than “He is not here, but is
risen.” The suffering of the day of
crucifixion became known as Good Friday because Easter Sunday had arrived. All was not lost, for in His resurrection all
people would be resurrected. In His
suffering, the price of sin had been paid and we could all be forgiven and
return to our Father in Heaven.
There are at least two other accounts of the resurrected
Savior visiting people. As recorded in
John 10 verse 16 Jesus said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be
one fold, and one shepherd.” Jesus
visited His other sheep on the American continent shortly after His
resurrection.
The people who survived the great destruction gathered
around a temple in a land called Bountiful and marveled one to another about
the change that had taken place to the land.
They talked about Jesus Christ and the sign they had witnessed of His
death. As they were conversing, they
heard a voice, but did not understand it.
This is their account (3 Nephi 11: 6-11, 14)
And behold, the third time they did understand the voice
which they heard; and it said unto them:
Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name – hear ye him.
And it came to pass, as they
understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a
Man descending out of heaven; and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came
down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were
turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and
wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto
them.
And it came to pass that he
stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the
prophets testified should come unto the world.
And behold, I am the light and the
life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father
hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the
world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from
the beginning.
Arise and come forth unto me, that
ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of
the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of
Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the
world.
The gathered multitude would be ministered by the Savior
over the next few days and be taught beautiful truths of the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
The resurrected Savior also appeared in modern times to the
prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon.
Their testimony is recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants section 76
verses 22-24.
And now after the many testimonies
which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give
of him, That he Lives!
For we saw him, even on the right
hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten
of the Father –
That by him, and through him, and
of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are
begotten sons and daughters unto God.
Song
– Risen – Chloe Boston and Courtney Sandridge
Narration
– Come unto Christ
Having fulfilled His earthly ministry, and doing all that
the Father had asked, Christ extends a simple invitation to each of us. Come unto Him. This refrain is repeated throughout the
scriptures. Matthew 11:28, “Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 2 Nephi 26:33 “and he inviteth all to come
unto him and partake of his goodness.”
Christ’s story is more than just a story in the bible. It is real.
His atonement is real. His love
is real. Do not let the bible story
remain a record on pages of a sacred script.
Let His love touch your heart and change your life.
The babe of Bethlehem still lives. He calls to you and to me. “And His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah
9:6).”
Song
– Come as You Are – Kirie Walz
Closing – Bishop Farrell
Closing
Song – 199: He is Risen!
Closing Prayer – Charlotte Riding
