He is Risen!

He is Risen! 

Today is filled with music. I played the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah first thing and then have played all the joyful hymns I can find. Today is filled with pure joy, a few happy tears and smiles.  

John 20

 1 The ^afirst day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet ^bdark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the ^cstone taken away from the ^dsepulchre.

  2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other ^adisciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the ^bLord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

  3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

  4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

  5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

  6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

  7 And the ^anapkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

  8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

  9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must ^arise again from the ^bdead.

  10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

  11 ¶ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

  12 And seeth two ^aangels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

  13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

  14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and ^asaw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

  15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

  16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, ^aMaster.

  17 Jesus saith unto her, ^aTouch me not; for I am not yet ^bascended to my ^cFather: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my ^dFather, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

  18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

  19 ¶ Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were ^aassembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and ^bstood in the midst, and saith unto them, ^cPeace be unto you.

  20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his ^ahands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they ^bsaw the Lord.

  21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my ^aFather hath ^bsent me, even so ^csend I you.

  22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

  23 Whose soever sins ye ^aremit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

  24 ¶ But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

  25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the ^aprint of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

  26 ¶ And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

  27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and ^athrust it into my side: and be not ^bfaithless, but ^cbelieving.

  28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

  29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast ^aseen me, thou hast believed: ^bblessed are they that have not seen, and yet have ^cbelieved.

  30 ¶ And many other ^asigns truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not ^bwritten in this book:

  31 But these are ^awritten, that ye might ^bbelieve that Jesus is the ^cChrist, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have ^dlife through his ^ename.

I love that Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene first. I don't know why, but the story is so simple, so tender. I can never read it without tearing up. All of the emotion in that one word, Rabboni.

Matthew 28:1-15 

 Mark 16: 1-12

Luke 24

I love that Christ appeared to the disciples in the closed room and that each Sunday, I remember that moment when the priesthood close the doors to the chapel and we silently partake of the sacrament and, as we remember Him, He manifests himself unto each of us. 

I love Thomas' story and the Saviors gentle chiding to believe. I love how the Savior reaches out and helps our unbelief. 

I love the many ways Christ appeared - the garden, the closed room, traveling on the road, descending from heaven and the many times he appeared. I think often of discernment - would I have recognized him? Most likely not. These people had righteous hearts who had lived and walked with him and they did not see him at first. I do not think myself more spiritually mature than them. But another question follows that one - will I recognize him when he comes again? I hope with all my heart the answer is yes. And to that end, I study discernment. I look for the good in others. I am trying to think and ponder and prayerfully see. 

I love how the graves are torn open. I imagine the impatience of the last few moments for these people waiting to be resurrected after such a long time. I imagine the moment that I will see my mom again. Her earthly body taught her spirit so many things and I am grateful for all of those blessings. But I also can hardly wait to see her glorified and perfected body. To see her not only walk but run. 

I made Resurrection Cinnamon Rolls (pictures and instructions are at the end of this insanely long post) for breakfast. I have spent the morning reading all of the accounts of the resurrection and the burial and resurrection chapters in "Jesus the Christ." We will watch the "Lamb of God" dvd and maybe even the "Easter Dream" dvd sometime today. I have re-watched some of the apostles testimonies on youtube - I especially love Elder McKonkie's last testimony "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane". I first read his testimony in Spanish on my testimony and still have some of the words memorized in Spanish. 

There are many activities that we did not get to do this past week. The LOA (love one another) poster where we write love messages all week long to each other. The Service Star where we do quiet acts of service for each other and leave the star to tag the another person. The many stories to read together. I will record my testimony in my journal today and I will write Ryan a letter today and for this year, it is enough.

We are having a first today - leg of lamb for dinner with potatoes, green beans (NOT Green Bean casserole - yuk!), salad and lemon bars for desert. I have never made Leg of Lamb (good thing for Allrecipes.com) and I have never made lemon bars for Easter before, but I really like the idea. They are bright and sweet and a joyful color. They remind me of the sunrise and the joy that came this beautiful morn.

I hope that each of you have a joyful Easter. That you experience those moments of pure joy when you feel all of your loved ones, even those who have passed on, close to you. That you feel the Savior close to you. That you feel the miracles of the atonement, of the resurrection, of today.

All my love,
Jewels

Resurrection Cinnamon Rolls~

Make rolls. Or go buy Rhodes Texas Rolls and let thaw/rise overnight.

Roll a large marshmallow in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar.

Roll bread dough around the sugared marshmallow.

Pinch close.

Roll in melted butter and cinnamon sugar.

Bake in oven 350 degrees for 10-15 mins. 

Be forewarned, this pan will need to soak. 

"He is not here for He is risen."

Day 7 - The Sabbath

My feelings on this day are intense relief that it is over. "It is finished." His pain is over. It is difficult to walk through all of the moments of the atonement at one time, especially when I have been reading and studying and preparing up to that moment. Most of the time, I just look at one part at a time and I tend to keep an emotional distance from the pain. Christmas and Easter are the two times a year that I prepare and purposely walk through every moment of those last days and let the emotions pour through me.

 John 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your ^asorrow shall be turned into ^bjoy.


I love these words of Christ. As I said, my overriding feeling is relief that it is over yet my heart is heavy for the sorrow for his family and disciples. I have an inkling of how long and dark and sad and numbing this day was for them. I also imagine the pure joy of those in the Spirit World. To see him, walk and talk with him for some, for all to feel the chains of death fall away. 




Today we will read a bit about the Jewish Sabbath and I have a dramatized cd of the story beginning with Joseph of Arimathaea begging Pilate for Christ's body that we will listen to this morning. The following are our readings for today:


Matthew 27:50-66

50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with ^aa loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the ^aveil of the temple was ^brent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did ^cquake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the ^agraves were opened; and many ^bbodies of the ^csaints ^dwhich slept ^earose.
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the ^aholy city, and appeared unto many.
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
55 And many ^awomen were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and ^aJoses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named ^aJoseph, who also himself was Jesus’ ^bdisciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and ^abegged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great ^astone to the door of the ^bsepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting ^aover against the sepulchre.
62 ¶ Now the next day, that followed the day of the ^apreparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that ^adeceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last^aerror shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

Luke 23: 46-56

46 ¶ And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I ^acommend my ^bspirit: and having said thus, he ^cgave up the ^dghost.
47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a ^arighteous man.
48 And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.
49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.
50 ¶ And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a ^acounsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
52 This man went unto Pilate, and ^abegged the body of Jesus.
53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a ^asepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
54 And that day was the ^apreparation, and the sabbath drew on.
55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the ^asepulchre, and how his body was laid.
56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and ^arested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Doctrine and Covenants 138: 29-37

Days 5 & 6

The Last Supper-
For the last nine years we have had a Passover meal and read the events of the atonement and crucifixion. We have a Bethlehem dinner on Christmas Eve and a Passover meal just before Easter. Many times I have almost talked myself out of having the dinners. They are a bit of work and we are not Jewish. Yet every time I am so grateful that we took the time and created the memory.

We eat on the floor with pillows and candlelight. We use a common wooden bowl and eat with our fingers and with pita bread. 

Bread, couscous, and lamb (huge hit this year)

Parsley, romaine, roasted egg, raisins and carrots.

Haroset - My favorite. Apples, almond & walnuts, cinnamon and grape juice. The apples and nuts symbolize the bricks and straw and the grape juice symbolizes the blood of the jews that was split to bind them together as they lived in slavery. 

We also had grape juice to drink. 

Candlelight dinners are so special. We talked about the symbolism of the parts of the meal and the story of the Israelites. The discussion turned to Christ's last supper, the garden, the arrest, the "trial", the scourging, the crucifixion, the suffering, the end, the purpose and the joy. Tears poured down my cheeks and Ry hung on every word. He came around and sat next to me, held my hand and wiped a tear or two of his own. 

Matthew 26:36-39

36 ¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called ^aGethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and ^bpray yonder.

  37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and ^abegan to be sorrowful and very heavy.

  38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is ^aexceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and ^bwatch with me.

  39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and ^aprayed, saying, O my ^bFather, if it be possible, let this ^ccup pass from me: nevertheless not as I ^dwill, but as ^ethou ^fwilt.

Doctrine & Covenants 19:16-19

16 For behold, I, God, have ^asuffered these things for all, that they might not ^bsuffer if they would ^crepent;

  17 But if they would not repent they must ^asuffer even as I;

  18 Which ^asuffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might ^bnot drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

  19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and ^afinished my preparations unto the children of men.

There is so much to the story, so many details with lesson not to be missed. I love that we can celebrate this holiday for a few days, that it is not over yet. 

Day 4

Nothing specific is recorded on this day in the scriptures. I personally like to think the day was spent resting with family and in prayer. It is ironic how the silence of this day effects me more than the miracles.

As I have been re-reading the devotionals that I have posted, my heart is a bit heavy. I am not expressing my heart well at all. All my sentences seem short and abrupt - an effect of being a third grade teacher I guess. Maybe because I am writing these at 5:30a.m. each morning. Maybe because I am not eloquent on expressing the things closest to my heart. I have been reading "Believing Christ" this week and my heart is so full. I love my Savior. I love my Savior. I wish I had words, but I do not. I love my Savior. 

We will spend some time reading a few more parables and some verses with His family. More than anything, I want to spend extra time on my knees today and think of him throughout the day.

Love you all~
Jewels

Day 3 - Teachings

We will be reading the following today and tomorrow:
Mathew 21: 19-26:16

Mark 11:20-14:11

Luke 20:1-22:6

John 12:37-50

This year we will be focusing on the Royal Marriage Feast and on the 10 Virgins. I want to make a list of things that adds to our lamps. I am looking forward to General Conference this coming weekend to hear specific counsel of what to do to add oil to my lamp. I always really appreciate these few days when I am reading his last teachings in light of the knowledge of what came a few days later.

 I haven't been playing any music but I have found myself thinking many times of the words of the hymns. It is almost like I can't play the music aloud but I hear it deep in my heart, behind the words. I have found that I am writing in my journal more, trying to capture the feelings of my heart. My prayers are longer. My emotions, thoughts and understandings are deeper. I wish I had words to express my heart, but I don't.

Love you all-
Jewels

Day 2 - Cleansing the Temple

Today's Reading:
Matthew 21:12-17

 12 ¶ And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

  13 And said unto them, It is written, My ^ahouse shall be called the house of ^bprayer; but ye have made it a ^cden of thieves.

  14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

  15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the ^achildren crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,

  16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

  17 ¶ And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

Discussion:

We will be discussing the progressions of the temple cleansing as it applies to our own lives: purging, learning, receiving blessings (healing), and praising. We will also be spending some time talking about how Christ would feel in our home. Tonight's FHE activity will be to pick up and clean some of the house to prepare for the Easter week ahead. 

We'll be reading this story- "The Rich Family in Our Church"

Day 1 - Palm Sunday

 

Today we read: 

Luke 19:28-44

  28 ¶ And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

  29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

  30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.

  31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

  32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.

  33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?

  34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

  35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the ^acolt, and they set Jesus thereon.

  36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

  37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

  38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and ^aglory in the highest.

  39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

  40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the ^astones would immediately cry out.

  41 ¶ And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

  42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

  43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine ^aenemies shall cast a ^btrench about thee, and ^ccompass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

  44 And shall ^alay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one ^bstone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy ^cvisitation.

John 12: 12 - 30

  12 ¶ On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

  13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

  14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

  15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy ^aKing cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

  16 These things ^aunderstood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

  17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

  18 For this cause the people also ^amet him, for that they heard that he had done this ^bmiracle.

  19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the ^aworld is gone after him.

  20 ¶ And there were certain ^aGreeks among them that came up to ^bworship at the feast:

  21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

  22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

  23 ¶ And Jesus answered them, saying, The ^ahour is come, that the Son of man should be ^bglorified.

  24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a ^acorn of wheat fall into the ground and ^bdie, it abideth alone: but if it ^cdie, it bringeth forth much fruit.

  25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that ^ahateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

  26 If any man serve me, let him ^afollow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

  27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

  28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a ^avoice from heaven, saying, I have both ^bglorified it, and will glorify it again.

  29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An ^aangel spake to him.

  30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

This was interesting to me and made me think:

"Palms for the Lord" Friend March 1996

The Sunday before Easter, often called Palm Sunday, reminds us of Christ’s entering Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. We picture Him riding a donkey, with crowds scattering palm branches along His path.

Many people think that palm branches were used because there were so many palm trees in that part of the world, but there were more reasons than that for choosing them. The palm branch was the emblem of Judea and appeared on the coins of that land, thus symbolizing one of the riches of that country. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, it was when the trees were in bloom, so in covering the way with palm branches, the people were offering a symbol of luxury.

It was a symbol of necessity too. To the Jews, palm branches represented a gift from God because of its many uses in their lives. The palm was so important in that area that when countries there went to war, the first thing they did was cut away the palm branches, causing their enemy to suffer the loss of food and livelihood (jobs).

This important tree has many different species (kinds of trees), ranging in size from less than ten feet (3 m) to over one hundred feet (30 m) high. The date palm supplied dates, of course. The coconut palm supplied both coconut and coconut milk. The sap of the sugar palm was dried, beaten, and ground into very fine sugar. Its leaves could also be boiled and used as a vegetable. The trunk of the sago palm supplied a strong starch that was ground into flour and made into unleavened bread.

Palm trees had almost no waste parts. Their coarse fiber was used to make brooms, mats, and baskets; their fine fiber was used to make sewing thread, and their heaviest fiber was used to make strong ropes for ships. Palm oils have been made into both butter and soap.

Coconut shells, too, were used. Fine bowls, cooking utensils, even tools were made from them. The timber of some palms was resistant to rot and salt water and was especially good for making boats.

The seeds of palms were boiled into a medicinal drink or were dried and eaten as nuts. If they were allowed to dry a long time, they became as hard as rock and transparent, and made durable beads and trinkets.

The palm’s yellowish-white flowers had an odor similar to that of violets, and they were made into perfume. The lovely, waxy flowers also were worn by the women as decorative headdresses.

Strewing palm branches at Jesus’ feet was, then, a symbol of the giving up of worldly goods, both necessities and luxuries.

Lastly, the word Hosanna means save now. How fitting to be crying Hosanna while symbolically giving up worldly treasures. I have been thinking of the palm branches in my life that I would like to lay down at His feet. What are your palm branches? 

I thought these were interesting tidbits from Wikipedia:

It is a common custom in many lands in the ancient Near East to cover, in some way, the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour.

Indeed, why should the Messiah come on a donkey? The answer stays in the symbolism of the donkey, which in some Eastern traditions seems to be seen as an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. Therefore, it was said that a king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when he wanted to point out that he was coming in peace. Thus, the king riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey complies with the epithet gentle or lowly (Hebrew anî - poor, afflicted) and strongly implies the message of peace.

Have a wonderful Palm Sunday~

Invitation- Easter Devotionals

Last December I posted our Christmas Devotionals. In them we walked through the Savior's birth, life, death, mission and teachings. The week before Easter our family has Easter Devotionals dedicated to the last week of the Savior's life. I decided I would post them this year and invite all to join with us. I will be posting today's a bit late in the day, but I will try to post the others early in the morning so that any can participate. These Easter Devotionals come from the Scriptures and from the book "The Christ-Centered Easter" by Janet and Joe Hales. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanted to add to their Easter celebrations.

It can be difficult to contemplate the atonement yet there is so much more  joy as well. I hope each of you see it and more importantly, feel it.

Julie