View Comments

We all have events in our lives that pull us back from the day-to-day and cause us to pause and reflect on God's marvelous earthly plan. My week, which included a wedding, a funeral and a musical production about Christ, did just that.My older brother was married on Friday evening in the San Antonio Temple. This is the brother I've always looked up to, the one who played piano while I sang "How High the Moon," and lectured me about my attitude on the way to seminary. Growing up, our family moved all over the country, and we always entered a new school together, the awkward new kids. For the past nine years he's been the local Most Eligible Bachelor; and to finally see him, side by side with a beautiful wife, rounded out the joy in my own life.The night of the wedding, a dear friend from our stake passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was the mother of seven children, and their family was the first family we met when we moved to Austin 14 years ago. They lived across the street, and we went to school, seminary, and church together. This mother was kind, patient, and quiet. She and her husband raised remarkable children. Her youngest son is serving a mission in South America, and they read a letter from him at the funeral. A trio sang "Oh, That I Were an Angel," a fitting tribute to a woman who in life and death is truly an angel. The following weekend, after a year of preparation, our stake youth put on a full-scale production of "Savior of the World," the musical that premiered at the Conference Center several years ago. The stake rented a large performing arts center and hundreds of volunteers worked together to sew elaborate costumes, build the complicated set, rehearse the actors and polish the fine orchestra. It came off spectacularly. The youth performed each night to a packed house, portraying the complex story of Mary, Joseph, Elisabeth, and Zacharias. When the final curtain closed the youth shouted for joy onstage, just as those heavenly angels must have shouted for joy at the birth of Christ.I went to see the show Friday night with my husband. I returned Saturday for the matinee with my oldest son Jackson, who is six. He wiggled and squirmed a bit through the first act, but then the second act rolled around. The second act is a reenactment of what happened in Jerusalem after Christ was resurrected. About ten minutes into the act, Jackson leaned over and said impatiently, "Where is Jesus? I want to see Jesus." He wouldnt let up, all through Mary Magdalene's song and the account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Finally, when the apostles were gathered in the upper room, the actor portraying Christ walked on stage. Jackson was immediately at ease, and he watched the rest of the show in silence. It's all he could talk about on the way home.On Sunday I thought about these three experiences, about the range of emotions that one feels from the exhilaration of a wedding to the sorrow of loss at the funeral. I thought about the shining testimonies of the youth who participated in "Savior of the World." And I thought of my son's burning question: "Where is Jesus? I want to see Jesus."The answer, Jackson, is that is He is everywhere. He is key to all the culminating events of our lives. Christ was the central focus of my brother's wedding, as Ryan and his wife knelt at the holy altar in the sealing room of the temple. His redemption and resurrection makes possible the miraculous blessing of eternal marriage and family. He was there at the funeral for this good woman. The talks focused on the glorious plan of Salvation, culminating with the atonement and resurrection. There was intense grief at losing a wife, mother, and dear friend who still had so much life to live, but underlying that was a peace in knowing of the Lord's purpose, His timetable, and the hope of reuniting on the other side of the veil. There was joy in celebrating the life of such a Christ-like woman.And Christ was there at the "Savior of the World" production. His spirit shone through the eyes of the actors, it sang out with each strain of the violin, and it echoed from the rafters when the chorus came together singing "Come, Lord Jesus."To see this, from youthful joy, to the uniting of a family, to the passing of a loved one, is to see, in small measure, the scope of God's plan for us, the sweeping vision of life's purposes for us. And that joy, that shining in the eyes, that shout as the curtain closes on our lives, comes when we see Christ in His true place, at the center of all good things.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.