April

"Last Sunday was Easter Sunday. It was warm and sunny, full of freshness and the hope of new life for the world around us. What a marvelous thing that it was a Sabbath day as well. With our minds already turned to think of Jesus Christ and our relationship to Him, we could contemplate more fully his great Atonement that provides us with new life.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ brings each of us the gift of resurrection. Death has no claim upon us, because of Him. We shall be immortal beings of flesh and bones in the eternal worlds. We shall be with our loved ones who have died. What comfort that brings. We miss them dearly, but the anguish is tempered by knowing that the parting is temporary. We are not extinguished at death, we shall enjoy eternity.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ brings each of us the gift of change. In the weakness that is this mortal existence, we fail and hurt others. Mistakes and problems are unavoidable, but they can be overcome through Jesus Christ. Because He satisfied the demands of justice for our destructive actions, we have a period of time to learn and grow. The change we do to improve ourselves is called repentance. It simple means to stop our destructive actions and do better. This opportunity brings us joy, but we must choose it. We must choose to change. The gift of change also includes allowing others to make mistakes. This requires that we forgive others. We desire forgiveness, but God requires us to forgive too. Forgiving others frees us from the pain others may have caused us. Whether they repent or not is their business, but forgiving brings us new life because it removes a burden from us.

I invite you to come unto Christ. Rejoice in the gift of immortal life he has given you and your loved ones. Participate in the gift of change that will refresh and bring warmth to your life as you repent and forgive others.

Bishop Merrill

See the full PDF of Grapevine here. Listen to sacrament meeting audio here.