During the days leading up to Easter Sunday, consider focusing your personal scripture study and family home evenings on viewing videos of each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles bearing testimony of Jesus Christ. One family activity suggested in the March 30-April 12, 2020 Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families manual is: “ChurchofJesusChrist.org and the Gospel Library app have a video series called Special Witnesses of Christ. … Your family could watch one or more of these videos and discuss what they teach us about what the Savior has done for us.”
Plan to View All 15 Videos
Each video ranges between 2 ½ to 6 minutes in length. One strategy could be to take 10 minutes to view two Special Witnesses videos that will be posted on ca.churchofjesuschrist.org every day. Such an approach will enable you to finish on Easter Sunday with President Russell M. Nelson’s testimony, which he filmed from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. President Nelson bears an extraordinarily powerful witness of the divinity of the Living Christ.
As you view each Special Witnesses of Christ video, you are encouraged to “record your impressions.”
Look for truths about Jesus Christ, inspiring words and phrases, and gospel truths. Listen to the Spirit and liken the words of these living Apostles to your life. You may want to try some of the suggested activities in this article. Notice that the videos are filmed in a variety of special locations and ponder how viewing these places affected you. Ask questions and record your thoughts and insights in a personal journal. Discuss your insights from personal study with others: at family home evening groups, Sunday classes, and neighbors.
President Dallin H. Oaks: Partaking of the Sacrament
As you listen to the testimony of President Oaks notice that he begins by quoting the words that Jesus used when He introduced the sacrament at the Lord’s supper: “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).
These are powerful words of the Savior to ponder, especially when we relate them to the sacrament prayers that we are privileged to hear each Sunday. As President Oaks explains, “The administration of the sacrament and the renewal of covenants and cleansing that take place in the partaking of the sacrament are the most important acts in the Sabbath worship of Latter-day Saints.” Taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remembering Him, and keeping His commandments need to be the center of our faith (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77).
Activities to Consider:
- Make personal and family plans to partake of the sacrament each Sunday.
- Think of ways that you can follow Christ’s direction to “repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 12:19).
- Make a list of questions to prompt personal reflection as you partake of the sacrament, such as: “How do I feel about the Savior and His sacrifice for me?” “How is His sacrifice influencing my daily life?” or What am I doing well as a disciple, and what can I improve?” (“I Can Be Spiritually Filled as I Partake of the Sacrament,” Come, Follow Me, 155).
- Sing and ponder the lyrics of one or more of the sacrament hymns (“Sacrament,” Hymns, 425).
- Discuss with family members experiences of when you have received promptings and “been enlightened by the Spirit of truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:15). Share what have you learned about seeking the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
President Henry B. Eyring: A Testimony of Temples
President Henry B. Eyring testifies that each temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a “House of the Lord. …Dedicated temples are sacred places where the risen Savior may come.”
Latter-day Saints have been commanded to “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119). President Eyring explains that within holy temples, “we can make the covenants which will help us to come unto [Jesus Christ] in this life and which will permit Him, if we keep our promises to Him, to take us home to the Father with our families in the world to come.”
President Eyring goes on to describe the “sense of awe” he felt when he saw the artistic woodwork in one of the “rarely, if ever been used” small rooms located in a tower of the Salt Lake City Temple. The pioneer builders had paid careful attention to every beautiful detail “not for man or for recognition but for Him, for His House.” The builders knew, as President Eyring knows, that “The Lord has in His loving kindness entrusted the keys of the priesthood exercised in these temples to His servants to bless us and our kindred dead and to finish the work for His glorious return.”
Every part of a temple and every ordinance and covenant of temple work is sacred. We need to make it a priority to frequently experience the purifying power of temple worship.
Activities to Consider:
- Make personal and family plans to attend the temple.
- Pray for all who are to speak at general conference.
- Log on to FamilySearch to learn and research family names or download the indexing program at indexing.familysearch.org. Such family history activities can bless the lives of others for eternity.
- Review family histories, record inspirational family stories, or plan a family reunion. Consider writing and submitting an article about temple and family history work to Canada.lds.org.