-For my object lesson I brought a vase of dead flowers. I asked the girls if these flowers would ever live again. Then asked them to list reasons why. Then we talked about how the same things happen to our bodies (get old, shrivel, die, etc). Then I mention what an amazing gift and miracle the resurrection is that our bodies can live again in their perfect form.
QUOTE #1 I wonder if we fully
appreciate the enormous significance of our belief in a literal, universal
resurrection. The assurance of immortality is
fundamental to our faith. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared:
“The fundamental principles
of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning
Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and
ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are
only appendages to it” (Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel.
Joseph Fielding Smith [1938], 121). –Elder Oaks
Watch VIDEO "None were with Him"
QUOTE # 2 The “lively
hope” we are given by the resurrection is our conviction that death is not the
conclusion of our identity but merely a necessary step in the destined
transition from mortality to immortality. This hope changes the whole
perspective of mortal life. The assurance of resurrection and immortality
affects how we look on the physical challenges of mortality, how we live our
mortal lives, and how we relate to those around us.
The assurance
of resurrection gives us the strength and perspective to endure the mortal
challenges faced by each of us and by those we love, such things as the
physical, mental, or emotional deficiencies we bring with us at birth or
acquire during mortal life. Because of the resurrection, we know that these
mortal deficiencies are only temporary! –Elder Oaks
Last summer, not long after Jason’s 15th birthday, he was once again admitted to the hospital. On one of his visits to see Jason, his father found him with his eyes closed. Not knowing whether Jason was asleep or awake, he began talking softly to him. “Jason,” he said, “I know you have been through a lot in your short life and that your current condition is difficult. Even though you have a giant battle ahead, I don’t ever want you to lose your faith in Jesus Christ.” He said he was startled as Jason immediately opened his eyes and said, “Never!” in a clear, resolute voice. Jason then closed his eyes and said no more.
His father wrote: “In this simple declaration, Jason expressed one of the most powerful, pure testimonies of Jesus Christ that I have ever heard. … As his declaration of ‘Never!’ became imprinted on my soul that day, my heart filled with joy that my Heavenly Father had blessed me to be the father of such a tremendous and noble boy. … [It] was the last time I heard him declare his testimony of Christ.”
Although his family was expecting this to be just another routine hospitalization, Jason passed away less than two weeks later. An older brother and sister were serving missions at the time. Another brother, Kyle, had just received his mission call. In fact, the call had come earlier than expected, and on August 5, just a week before Jason’s passing, the family gathered in his hospital room so that Kyle’s mission call could be opened there and shared with the entire family.
In his letter to me, this father included a photograph of Jason in his hospital bed, with his big brother Kyle standing beside the bed, holding his mission call. This caption was written beneath the photograph: “Called to serve their missions together—on both sides of the veil.”
Jason’s brother and sister already serving missions sent beautiful, comforting letters home to be shared at Jason’s funeral. His sister, serving in the Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission, as part of her letter, wrote: “I know that Jesus Christ lives, and because He lives, all of us, including our beloved Jason, will live again too. … We can take comfort in the sure knowledge we have that we have been sealed together as an eternal family. … If we do our very best to obey and do better in this life, we will see [him again].” She continued: “[A] scripture that I have long loved now takes on new significance and importance at this time. … [From] Revelation chapter 21, verse 4: ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’” –Pres. Monson
QUOTE #3 The assurance of resurrection
also gives us a powerful incentive to keep the commandments of God during our
mortal lives. Resurrection is much more than merely reuniting a spirit to a
body held captive by the grave. We know from the Book of Mormon that the
resurrection is a restoration that
brings back “carnal for carnal” and “good for that which is good” (Alma 41:13; see also Alma 41:2–4 and Hel. 14:31). The prophet Amulek taught, “That same spirit
which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that
same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world” (Alma 34:34). As a result, when persons leave this life and go
on to the next, “they who are righteous shall be righteous still” (2 Ne. 9:16), and “whatever principle of intelligence we attain
unto in this life … will rise with us in the resurrection” (D&C 130:18). –Elder Oaks
-Tell a few personal stories of how your knowledge of the Resurrection has helped you in your times of worry and loss.
-Share your testimony of the Savior and His resurrection
