Sacrament Meeting Program

Presiding: Bishop Todd Christensen
Conducting: Bishop Todd Christensen
Opening Hymn: CS 68 - Easter Hosanna
Invocation: By Invitation

Ward Business

Sacrament Hymn: #192 - He Dies! The Great Redeemer Died
Administration of the Sacrament

Speaker: Brother Terek Behunin
Intermediate Hymn: #198 - That Easter Morn
Speaker: Brother Chris Harger

Closing Hymn: #1201 - Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise
Benediction: By Invitation

The Atoning Love of Jesus Christ

By Elder Neil L. Andersen
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

With each passing year, I feel greater love for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for His merciful Atonement. His supreme sacrifice, securing victory over death and sin, is the most consequential contribution of all human history. Understanding His divine gift is for me an open-ended heavenly tutorial that will continue beyond the grave.

The powerful compassion of the Savior in forgiving sin and in healing the wounds caused by the sins of others is a most miraculous manifestation of the love of God.

My desire is to offer hope for those seeking forgiveness for very serious sins and to offer comfort to those seeking healing from the anguishing wounds caused by the serious sins of others.

Healing and forgiveness are each found in their fulness in the atoning love of Jesus Christ.

Faith in Jesus Christ

If you have committed serious sins and are in the process of repenting or have the desire to fully repent and feel the unspeakable joy of forgiveness, please know this miracle is awaiting you. The Savior continuously calls, “Come unto me.”

Strengthening your faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, will invigorate the yearning of your soul to know Him, believe in Him, and yield your heart to Him. Enos asked about his own forgiveness, “Lord, how is it done?” The Lord responded, “Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen.”

And Moroni added, “If ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you.”

Turning from sin, turning toward God, and strengthening your faith in Jesus Christ are a beautiful beginning. Humbly submitting your will to God includes acknowledging serious sins to your bishop or branch president, but your full forgiveness comes from the Savior. Forgiveness is a divine gift offered through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Honesty

A desire to truly return to God is accompanied by the determination to be completely honest with your Heavenly Father, with yourself, with those who were harmed, and with your priesthood leader. Your Heavenly Father rejoices in your resolve to come unto Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit. Having a contrite spirit is humbly putting yourself in the hands of God; having a broken heart brings what the Apostle Paul described as “godly sorrow,” a deep longing of the soul to return to Him whatever the cost.

Restoring What Is Broken

Your yearning leads you to want to repair what you have broken. Yet, realizing some things are not in your power to repair, you fervently pray that the Lord, through His grace, will help heal those who have been hurt in consequence of your actions.

The effects of serious sin on others are often painfully difficult to overcome. Are you following the example of the sons of Mosiah, who were “zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done”? Speak with those you respect about what you might not be seeing.

As I was preparing this talk, I received an unexpected email from someone in the process of repenting and desiring to return to the Church. His former wife was still suffering from the loss “of [their] eternal marriage, [difficulties with the children], the loss of financial security, … not [being] quite able to keep up with expenses, [and] the deeply suffocating feelings of being betrayed.”

He shared with me how his priesthood leader “felt impressed to [ask him] to prayerfully consider what [more he could do for his former wife and children].” With permission, I share a part of his email:

“I [first] thought the [money] I gave up in the divorce decree was more than generous, but my branch president encouraged me to fast and pray about it. …

“Initially, I struggled with the idea of further restitution. Since my sins weren’t financial, I wondered what a ‘generous restitution’ truly meant … [but] I soon realized it wasn’t just about money.

“My priesthood leaders met with [my former wife] and my children and realized they were still struggling and hadn’t healed. …

“My new goal was to move forward with faith. … I simply expressed my desire to help with no strings attached. … I decided to [send my former wife a specific amount] per paycheck, which was a significant portion of my net pay. Just before making the first payment, the Lord [impressed upon my mind that I needed] to pay [twice that amount].

“I’ve learned that restitution isn’t just about money. It’s about humbly dedicating my life to the Lord. … The money is to help replace what I took from my family due to my poor choices. It’s about making and keeping promises without expecting anything in return and helping her not worry about bills so she can seek the Spirit.”

Your efforts to restore what you have broken may have nothing to do with money, but as you humbly counsel with the Lord, you may find there is more you can do.

The Atoning Love of Jesus Christ

Elder Andersen teaches about the power of Jesus Christ to bring about forgiveness for those who have sinned and healing for those who have been wounded by the sins of others.

Elder Neil L. Andersen