The Joy of a Covenant Relationship with God

My beloved brothers and sisters, I’m humbled by the privilege to speak to you on this Easter Sunday. I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will be with you and with me at this sacred moment and will continue to teach and inspire us as we gather as disciples of Jesus Christ to worship Him.

In some parts of the world, people use a unique and special way of exchanging greetings on Easter morning. The paschal greeting, also known as the Easter acclamation or Easter Day greeting, is a custom among many Christians.

The greeter says, “Christ is risen.”

The other person responds, “Truly, He is risen.”

This is more than just a simple greeting or declaration. It is a celebration of the divine gift offered by Heavenly Father to us. The understanding of what Jesus Christ offers through His Atonement and Resurrection brings comfort, peace, and reassurance to all of us. Without Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, no one would have hope to return to our Heavenly Father. And without His Resurrection, death would be the end.

The Savior Jesus Christ confirmed the divine purpose of His Atonement, saying: “If ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.”

“Come unto me” is a divine invitation which means wherever you are now or whatever you are going through in your life, you can feel God’s infinite love manifested through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Indeed, our Heavenly Father has a special love for each person who makes the covenant with Him in the waters of baptism. That divine love deepens as additional covenants are made in the house of the Lord and are faithfully kept.

Nathalie and I experienced this divine love during a very difficult time in our lives as husband and wife and eternal companions. We have been blessed with 10 children. When I mention this, many younger people ask, “How?” And I respond, “This is simply how it is.”

We experienced the death of four of our children at the beginning of our marriage. After the passing of three of our children, Nathalie and I wondered and asked ourselves so many questions, like the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail: “Heavenly Father, where art Thou? Do You hear our cries and prayers?”

We soon learned that this was not the end of our trials when Allan Mutombo, our nine-month-old baby, passed away. I found him in his crib. Holding his body in my arms, I cried that day, begging for a miracle. However, as you know, God’s plan for us is perfect, and that day He decided to take Allan back to Him. My prayers did not change His mind and will.

To add to this challenge, after the funeral, our extended families gathered and decided, without consulting us, that tradition required Nathalie and me to separate, and they asked me to take my wife’s belongings outside the house because we had lost many children.

I went into the house and prayed, asking for strength to face this adversity. The words of the wonderful hymn, written by Emma Lou Thayne, came to my mind: “Where can I turn for peace?”

I also remembered the words of our temple sealing and the promises we made to God and to each other. I felt great peace and reassurance that Nathalie and I are a daughter and a son of a loving and caring Heavenly Father.

I felt the Savior’s love and His hand lifting me up.

I came out with empty hands and told the people who were there, “I’m sorry, but Nathalie is my eternal companion. We are striving together to build an eternal family, and the Savior is helping us achieve it.”

They opposed my decision, but exercising my faith in Jesus Christ made me stronger.

Teaching about our discipleship and covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, our prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks, said: “Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice. It is a continuous commitment and way of life that should guide us at all times and in all places. His teachings and His example define the path for every disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Keeping covenants “would require [the Savior’s] followers to leave what He called ‘that which is highly esteemed among men’ (Luke 16:15) and ‘the tradition of men’ (Mark 7:8).”

The miracle Nathalie and I prayed for happened after we stood for the truth and the light that is in Jesus the Christ. We received a strong confirmation that Christ works miracles according to our faith in Him. Sometimes things do not work out in mortality as we hope, and sometimes we need the faith in Jesus Christ that all will work out in the end.

Now, you may say, “I’m not facing the same challenge—how does this apply to me?” During this mortal life, each of us will face our own dark days, times when things are not going as hoped. When you face this darkness of sorrow, please remember that dark day when Jesus Christ was humiliated, bruised, abused, reviled, and lifted on the cross for you and me.

That day was filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored Jesus Christ. But the doom of that day did not last forever. The despair did not linger because, on Sunday, the resurrected Savior overcame the bonds of death. So no matter how dark your days are, please remember that Sunday will come if you faithfully keep the covenants that you made with the Lord.

Our Heavenly Father’s plan for us is happiness now and joy forever in His presence. He gives us laws and commandments and makes covenants with us to bless us. His desire, purpose, and glory are to have us return to Him pure, having proven ourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in His presence.

We know the adversary’s goal. He seeks for all to “be miserable like unto himself.” He would have us break our covenants to bring sorrow upon us. He is committed to our destruction. Satan’s program is often described as “play now and pay later.” He also tries to teach that there are never any consequences or accountability for our actions.

President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

“The great test of life is obedience to God. …

“The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

“The great commandment of life is to love the Lord.”

We can grow in humility and strengthen our covenantal relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ if we change our nature to become like a child, building our life on the rock, who is the Savior Jesus Christ, yielding in faith in Him, responding to the Holy Ghost’s direction to faithfully keep the covenants made with the Lord at our baptism and in the house of the Lord.

I know that God lives and testify that Jesus is the Christ. I testify that President Dallin H. Oaks is the prophet of God on the earth.

Christ is risen. Truly, He is risen. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.