Last weekend was the 190th General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which commemorated the 200th anniversary of the prophet Joseph Smith's First Vision when he saw Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. During that conference, President Russell M. Nelson said,
“I invite all, including those not of our faith, to fast and pray on Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized... customary fast is [to pray and abstain from] two meals or a period of 24 hours. But you decide what would constitute a sacrifice for you, as you remember the supreme sacrifice the Savior made for you. Let us unite in pleading for healing throughout the world.”
I'm participating in this fast and invite you to do so. If you can't today, or if this has already passed by the time you read this, I invite you to choose a day and have your own fast as your health permits, or otherwise show your faith in other ways that requires some kind of sacrifice. Our beloved prophet and church leaders are confident that this pandemic will pass, but they are also calling all of us to action to call upon God in faith.
In this spirit of looking to the Savior, and in this time of the holiday year, I also thought I'd add just a little bit of additional commentary to my previous remarks on Easter and Elijah. As I reflect on Easter, I invite you to take some time to reflect on what it means as well.
This week commenced the Jewish celebration of Passover which commemorates God's protection and deliverance of the Children of Israel when they were in captivity in Egypt. I've already talked about the symbolism of the Passover and Easter previously which you can read here. One of the traditions kicking off the Passover is the Passover Seder, a ceremony which includes a symbolic meal and reading of scripture. In many traditions, the front door of the house is opened and a place is left at the table for the prophet Elijah. Five cups of wine are poured, which is also symbolically derived from Old Testament scripture, but the question of whether all five should be consumed was disputed by Rabbis so only four are drank. Over time, people came to relate the extra fifth cup to the notion that Elijah will visit each home on Seder night as a foreshadowing of his future arrival at the end of the days, when he will come to announce the coming of the Jewish Messiah. In other words, Elijah’s return was associated with Passover, the feast commemorating the redemption of Israel, because it would herald the coming of the Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel.
What's remarkable is that Elijah, the prophet of old, DID come on the week of Passover! He did not come on April 1st to the Passover meal, but he came that Easter Sunday of April 3rd, 1836 in the Kirtland, Ohio Temple. Read more here.
To further appreciate this, you must realize that it is believed by many scholars that the resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred on April 3rd, the Sunday after Passover (which Jesus had participated in with His Apostles on the same night as He went into the Garden of Gethsemane; Matt. 26; Luke 22). What's incredible about that day in the year 1836 is that it was both April 3 on the Gregorian calendar and 16 Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. The complexity of this is too much to bother writing about here but to understand the rarity and significance of this exact date, year and all, you can read here.
It could be argued that because of the priesthood keys that were restored on this day and in this sacred place, where Elijah did come when was prophesied, that "the restoration of the fullness of times" could be said to have began on Easter Sunday.
First and foremost, we remember Easter Sunday as the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. This was made possible by the perfect life He lived and by His divine identity as the only begotten of the Father, chosen from the beginning of the world to be our Savior and Redeemer. Because of His sacrifice and resurrection, death has no sting and we will all live again. By following the Savior, we can all live with our families forever in a state of never ending happiness. He suffered all things that He might know how to heal us. He rose from the tomb and ascended to the Father and will come again next day. He is the Living Christ.
So, as we commemorate Easter, and unite our faith around the globe, let us firstly give thanks for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and what it means for us individually -- to heal us. As we go through the challenges of the world together, let us take advantage of this opportunity to fast and to build our faith in Jesus Christ and to find joy.
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