Sacrament Meeting Program

Presiding: Bishop Todd Christensen
Conducting: Brother Grady Stoner
Opening Hymn: 
Invocation: By Invitation

Ward Business

Sacrament Hymn: 
Administration of the Sacrament

Testimony Meeting

Closing Hymn: 
Benediction: By Invitation

Encounter at the Empty Tomb

By Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

“They … Came to the Tomb”

Nearly 2,000 years ago, a small group of women rose while it was still dark and made their way toward the tomb where the body of their beloved Lord, Jesus Christ, had been laid to rest.

I have tried to imagine the depth of their grief.

I can’t.

I have tried to imagine their heartache, helplessness, and hopelessness.

I can’t.

Perhaps the question they all asked was “How could this happen?”

How could the man who had cast out demons, healed the crippled, cured the sick, walked on water, conversed with angels, taught the blessed hope and infinite glory of the gospel, fed multitudes, and raised the dead—how could He Himself have died?

Today we understand better why the Savior had to die.

We know His “dying … brought new birth through resurrection’s miracle.” But did His disciples know this at the time? Or did they wonder if God had entirely abandoned them?

Despite the heaviness of their hearts and the unanswered questions in their minds, Mary and her companions made their way to the tomb.

They didn’t come expecting a miracle.

They didn’t come anticipating their questions would be answered.

They certainly didn’t come because they had a complete understanding of what was happening.

They came because of their immeasurable love and reverence for Jesus Christ. They came desiring to provide a loving act of service as a measure of their devotion and love for the man they honored and followed as the promised Messiah.

They came because they knew when the world is dark, the best place to go is toward “the light [that] shines in … darkness.”

What Mary and those with her discovered on that Sunday morning changed the world forever. “They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel … [and] said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’”

This encounter at the empty tomb changed them forever.

It changed the world.

He Lives!

Many might picture Jesus as a carpenter from Nazareth or a traveling preacher from Galilee. They might note the significant influence He had on the world’s religious history. But the bold message of the empty tomb is that Jesus Christ is not merely a historical figure.

We do not seek Him among the dead. He is risen!

We understand He is not confined to the pages of a book any more than He was confined to that grave of stone. The scriptures teach us not only who Jesus was but who He is.

Because of what happened on that Sunday morning, we can speak of Jesus Christ in the present tense.

He lives!

Today.

At this moment.

He lives and is an active, ongoing influence in His Church and in the personal lives of those who follow Him. He guides, comforts, listens, calms our fears, and wipes away our tears.

The message of the risen Christ is that, with His strength, all obstacles can be overcome. Because Jesus Christ conquered death, surely He can conquer any danger, confusion, or doubt we face.