Come at the dawn to the silent garden
Brightly beams the morning sun
Come at the dawn to the silent garden
See what wonder the Lord hath done!

Come to the tomb in the silent garden
Lo! the stone is rolled away
Linger in awe, for the tomb lies empty
See the place where his body lay

He is risen! He is risen! risen unto endless life
Weep no more in the silent garden
Death is swallowed up in Christ

Seek him no more in the silent garden
Seek him not among the dead
Find him in glory among the living
Risen even as he said

Victory is wrought in the silent garden
Joy is born of an empty tomb
Sing for the morning of our salvation
Christ hath brought us life anew

He is risen! He is risen! risen unto endless life
Weep no more in the silent garden
Death is swallowed up in Christ.

-Sally DeFord (for free downloadable sheet music to this song, click here)

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Mosiah 16: 7-8:  And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no ^asting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a ^aresurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of ^bdeath is swallowed up in Christ.

1 Cor. 15: 55: O ^adeath, where is thy sting? O ^bgrave, where is thy victory?

– – – – – – –

He Lives! How grateful we are for prophets and apostles today who testify of the Savior, Jesus Christ, just as ancient prophets and apostles did.

The post “Death is Swallowed Up in Christ” — He Lives! appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Over the years I have been taught the story of Easter time and time again. As years pass, my understanding deepens. I have pondered it, and prayed about it.  I have read it, and listened to prophets and apostles speak about it.  I have taught lessons to young women about it. I know about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. I know about His time in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of His friends. I continue to be amazed at Christ’s ability to say, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I understand that His sacrifice makes it possible for us all to be resurrected and to live with our families again after death.

Each year, as Easter approaches, I do different things to help me remember Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.  I like to read the story of His death and resurrection in the Bible.  We own a couple of children’s books that I read with my children.  We have an animated DVD that we watch with the kids.  I like to watch this video featuring Jeffrey R. Holland entitled, An Apostle’s Easter Thoughts on Christ:

This year, as Easter comes closer, I am thinking about my children.  Am I doing enough to teach them? Do they understand the story? How can I better teach them the meaning of Jesus’ death?  Through the Holy Ghost, I am reminded that they learn through repetition.  Each year, their understand will deepen just as mine has over the years.

Years ago my mother gave me a kit to use at Easter time to help the kids understand.  I plan to spend a few quiet minutes with them reading through the text and sharing what I believe. The kit contains twelve plastic eggs and inside each egg is an important part of the story – a sacrament cup to signify when Jesus prayed and asked, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass by me”; a nail to signify the nails that were pounded through His hands and feet; a piece of white cloth to signify the cloth that was placed in the tomb with the body of Christ, and a stone to represent the boulder placed over the opening of the tomb.

The final egg is empty. It is to remind us of when the angel told Mary Magdalene and another Mary to look inside the tomb, where they would see that it was empty. For Jesus had been resurrected, He was alive again. He walked and talked with His friends once more.

I have a testimony of this. I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was crucified for us. I know that He gave His life, so that we may live again. I know that He paid the price for our sins. I know that He was resurrected on that third day.

If you would like a copy of the words and a list of things to fill your own plastic eggs with, please go to this Google Doc.

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It’s a holy week for the Christian world, a time for remembering the last week of the life of Jesus Christ. At this time of year, some may wonder how Mormons celebrate Easter.

Our formal church celebrations often include an Easter program during the sacrament meeting service, with music and people speaking and/or sharing scriptures. Also, we have a semi-annual General Conference every year during the first weekend in April (coming this weekend), and thus always falls close to (or on) Easter. During conference, we hear many inspiring talks (such as these) from prophets and apostles and other church leaders about the Savior, His life, death, and resurrection — and what His Atonement means for us in our lives.

We rejoice in the reality that “in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Following are some links that illustrate some ways Mormons celebrate Easter:

Read about some LDS families’ Easter traditions here and here.

Emphasize the Spiritual Events of Easter — Mormons will still often do some of the non-spiritual parts of Easter (bunnies, candy, baskets, etc.), but we try to keep the real meaning of Easter on the forefront of our minds and for our children. This post shares some ways Mormons might do this.

Some Mormons use something like this lesson (or a variation of it) in their families or while teaching children or youth at church. (See a picture below of a recent Family Home Evening where a nine-year-old child chose this lesson.)

Here’s another Family Home Evening lesson idea for Easter. And another here. And here is one person’s idea for an Easter program that could be done at home. (There are probably myriad such lessons out there. One of the things that our Church does is encourage personal and family study in ways that we feel inspired to do it. The week leading up to Easter is a time where such personal choice plays out.)

This link has a lot of information, including links to Sunday church class lessons that children might receive near Easter, Primary songs, and family activity ideas.

Mentioned in the previous link is the Mesa, Arizona Easter pageant, which has been going since 1924. It is the largest Easter pageant in the world.

An Easter Conference was held a few years ago at Church-owned Brigham Young University, with talks focusing on different elements of the Savior’s life and Atonement.

While as a church body, we don’t formally celebrate the days of Holy Week, many Mormons do find ways to recognize each day during the week. For example, see this page for scriptural reflection on the Savior’s last week of mortal life, or these Easter Season Materials, a more extensive exploration of these events.

Easter season (usually Easter Sunday) often means family meals; each family will have its own food traditions. Some eat fish and honeycomb. Others do a ham dinner. Some have breakfast traditions. Some families may eat foods such as hot cross buns (one family’s recipe is here).

Speaking of crosses, you might be interested in why Mormons don’t wear or use the cross as a symbol in or on our church buildings or temples. President Gordon B. Hinckley answered this question in this address, given in 2005. He had received the following question:

“I’ve been all through this building, this temple which carries on its face the name of Jesus Christ, but nowhere have I seen any representation of the cross, the symbol of Christianity. I have noted your buildings elsewhere and likewise find an absence of the cross. Why is this when you say you believe in Jesus Christ?”

President Hinckley’s response was this:

“I do not wish to give offense to any of my Christian colleagues who use the cross on the steeples of their cathedrals and at the altars of their chapels, who wear it on their vestments, and imprint it on their books and other literature. But for us, the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the Living Christ.”

That probably sums up our feeling about Easter most succinctly. Easter is a day of rejoicing, for death has been overcome for all because of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Christ! He broke the bands of death. He is our Savior and Redeemer, the very Son of God. And He will come again as our resurrected Lord. That day is not far distant. It is evident to all who accept the Savior’s literal resurrection that life does not end at death. Our Lord promised, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” (John 14:19.) –President Ezra Taft Benson, 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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