The Women Who Knew Christ

My most recent writing project came in the form of this years Relief Society Christmas program. The theme was "The Women Who Knew Christ" and we visited with four women from the scriptures who had the opportunity to meet our Savior. Last year was our inaugural event and the Second Ward sisters left feeling closer to Jesus Christ by learning about His remarkable mother, Mary, and this year we wanted them to leave with similar feelings after learning about other women who knew and were devoted to Him. Although I knew creative license would be necessary for a program like this, I felt like the women we were learning from should be based in scripture so with a little help from some friends, we wrote an entirely new program for our event that introduced the sisters to Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, Martha and Mary the Mother. It turned out to be a beautiful program which concluded with a talk on how we can be women that know Christ now, a message that really touched my heart and seemingly was meant just for me.

We continued our tradition of having the Relief Society Christmas program on a Sunday during the Relief Society and Sunday School hours, and we once again had a beautiful brunch prepared for the sisters to enjoy. The Primary arranged substitutes for all sisters serving in their organization and the Young Womens leaders and youth were also invited to attend so in essence, every sister in our ward was together for that two hour period. I can't explain clearly enough how much I love the sisters in our ward and how much joy it gives me to be in a room overflowing with them. I'm honored to be a member of the Relief Society.

I'm going to include the script we used at the bottom of this blog post. I'm not tech-savvy enough to know how to embed it, so I'll just include it in the body of the post. I wish you could have been in our Relief Society last week to see the women with gorgeous scarves covering their faves deliver lines in front of a room packed with over 100 women, but hopefully the words will touch you just the same as you read it at home. And if you want to use this script for your Relief Society or ward or church group in the future, be my guest (whether I know you or not!)

I'm so grateful for the knowledge that our Savior loves all of us perfectly, and putting myself in the shoes of these glorious scripture sisters and writing their stories was so moving. I love being a woman and a disciple.

The incredible sisters who brought life to words on a page. From left to right Lauren (Mary Magdalene), Fran (Elizabeth), Melissa (narrator), Kelsey (Mary the Mother of Jesus) and Deserae (Martha). Somehow Laura who gave the brilliant talk on being women who know Christ missed out on this picture, as did our musical friends Kaelyn and Rod. I love these people so much and feel so grateful that they gave this gift to our sisters.

The Relief Society Board, who worked their tales off to make this event possible. I'm especially grateful for Lexy who made all the food and did such an excellent job. A chef I am not, and the thought of feeding 100 people makes me shaky and yet she made it look like a piece of cake. I love her for so many reasons, but the food thing is high up there!

Forget the script, if I really wanted to provide a service I'd give you the recipe for these frittatas. Holy hannah they were good!

The Women Who Knew Christ

MUSICAL NUMBER (XYZ): Christmas in our hearts

NARRATOR (XYZ):

As Kaelyn so beautifully sang, “This season may we never forget the love we have for Jesus Christ,” our Savior who was born so long ago in Bethlehem and who we celebrate during this magical Christmas season. It is because of Him that we are meeting together today as sisters and it is because of Him that we will be tied together throughout the eternities. There are so many who adore our Savior and many scripture stories tell his tale, but today we will be privileged to be transported back in time and hear directly from a few of the wonderful women who knew Christ.

We’ll begin this morning in Hebron, the hill country of Judah by meeting Elizabeth, the mature cousin of Mary the Mother of Jesus. Although for many years her life had not gone as she planned, she later realized that the timing was exactly what Heavenly Father desired. For she would bear a son named John, who would go on to baptize Jesus Christ. And though there is no scriptural account of her ever meeting Jesus in the flesh, I’m going to let her share a special experience about the time she shared with Christ.

ELIZABETH (XYZ):

It is unexpected, unheard of even, that I, Elisabeth, a woman known to be barren into her later years have now conceived.  This takes away my reproach among men, and I hope will restore my husband Zacharias to his voice, but I must hide myself away for some months to stop the questions I cannot answer about this strange turn of events.

I cannot explain why my husband is mute or why I am now with child at my age. My husband is righteous before God, and we try to walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.  He writes that an angel told him that we would conceive and Zacharias asked how this could come about, surprised and doubtful that it was possible at our mature age.  He was from that moment not able to speak.

We know only that the child I carry is to be called John and shall be great in the sight of the Lord; many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord, and he shall go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

But the story I want to share with you this morning is actually not as much about my miraculous pregnancy as it is about my cousin.

In my sixth month my cousin Mary made a long journey to visit me. I did not know at the time that she was with child, nor did I know that an angel had encouraged her to come to me, but as soon as she arrived and I heard her voice, the babe leaped in my womb and I was filled with the Holy Ghost. My first words to my young cousin were, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.  Whence is this to be, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” For I knew without a doubt that the baby she was carrying was our Savior.

I’ve thought about this experience in the months since her visit and wondered what I was to learn from meeting Him in this way.  I may never see the Savior’s face on this earth, I will probably never hold Him in my arms or worship at His feet, but even from inside his mother’s womb I could feel the Holy Ghost testify to me that He is the Savior of the world. I know Him, I believe in Him and I trust that He will fulfill all that our Heavenly Father has asked of Him. And I know that though you may not meet Him on your earthly journey either, you also can know Him.

NARRATOR (XYZ):

We often hear the story of Mary and Martha, righteous sisters who had different ways of showing their love to the Savior while entertaining Him in their home—Mary, by listening and Martha, by serving. Both of them loved Jesus and Jesus loved both of them but on that evening Jesus lovingly told Martha that learning at His feet like Mary was actually more important than looking after their earthly needs.

Sister Bonnie D. Parkin has said, “Like Mary, I hunger to feast at the Savior’s feet, while, like Martha, I need to somehow find the laundry room floor, empty my in-box, and serve my husband something other than cold pizza. I don’t have lots of time. Like all of you, I have to choose. We all are trying to choose the good part which cannot be taken from us, to balance the spiritual and the temporal in our lives. Wouldn’t it be easy if we were choosing between visiting teaching or robbing a bank? Instead, our choices are often more subtle. We must choose between many worthy options. Mary and Martha are you and me; they are every sister in Relief Society. These two loved the Lord and wanted to show that love.

MARTHA (XYZ):

It is true, Jesus Christ was often a welcomed guest in my home in Bethany. My sister, Mary, and I would sit at His feet as He taught us about Heavenly Father and the divine plan for His children. And yes, the story you’ve heard so many times before is also true—I once got so caught up in preparing a beautiful moment for the Savior that I didn’t take the time to actually have a beautiful moment with the Savior. He loved me, of that I am sure, because His kind and gentle response to my sisterly complaint was, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful.” I immediately knew what that needful thing was—it was Him, it was His words, for Jesus Christ truly is the bread of life.

Because of that experience, I knew to always put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. When Lazarus was gravely ill I sent for my dear friend, knowing that He alone could bless and heal my brother.  But He was too late. My brother was dead and I was devastated. Amidst my weeping the words spoken by our Savior echoed back in my head, “Martha, thou are troubled about many things, but one thing is needful” and I remembered again that He was that needful thing. When I finally saw the Savior walking towards my brother’s tomb I knew that it was not too late, that my brother could still be saved and I told Jesus, “I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” And God did give us the miracle that we hoped for—my brother rose from the dead.

Life is an intricate patchwork of moments and experiences. Sometimes memories find us in our best light, while others are shadows of our best self. But my testimony today is that our Father doesn’t expect us to be perfect, He knows that we’re not, He just wants us to keep moving forward and remember the things we have learned.  Only one thing is needful, and that “thing” is our Savior, Jesus Christ, the only perfect person who has ever walked the earth.

MUSICAL NUMBER (Relief Society Sisters): Away in a Manger, Hymn 206

NARRATOR (XYZ):

She walked by his side as he taught of the Father, she stood under his cross and wept with His mother, she visited the tomb and found the stone missing and ultimately, was the first to see the resurrected Lord. She was with Jesus Christ during some of the most important moments of His life and was always a dear friend of the Savior. She is Mary Magdalene.

MARY MAGDALENE (XYZ):

The darkest day of my life was when they crucified Jesus Christ. I stood underneath His cross and couldn’t stop weeping. On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth. Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. How could they be so blind? How could they crucify our Lord and Savior? How could I ever live without Him?

But the truth is, we would never live without Him, and I was about to learn that in a real way.

It was Sunday morning and I was going to visit the gardens around Jesus’ sepulchre when I noticed that the stone was missing from the tomb. The apostles who I frantically called found nothing but burial clothes left inside, and after they left I continued my weeping in the gardens, sure that His body had been taken by those same evil men who crucified him. But then He appeared. I didn’t recognize Him at first but all of a sudden I knew; this was my Savior! He lived again! My river of tears became a sea of joy as I beheld the resurrected Lord before me. I was the first person to see Him again and I was given the joyous responsibility to testify of His resurrection to the disciples.

I will tell you the same thing that I told them—He lives, all glory to His name. He lives, my Savior still the same. Oh sweet, the joy this sentence gives. I know that my Redeemer lives!

NARRATOR (XYZ):

We will end our ancient visits today with one who knew Him first and loved Him not only for being her Savior, but also for being her son. As a young woman who was an espoused virgin, she was surely surprised to learn that she would soon carry a baby, and not just any baby, but Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, but she acted with faith, with joy, with gratitude and with love.

Sister Virginia Jensen from the Relief Society General Presidency said in the October 2000 General Conference, “As we think of women whose righteous influence ripples through eternity, let us consider Mary, the ‘precious and chosen vessel.’ Presented by an angel with an unprecedented, holy pronouncement, she graciously submitted to the will of the Lord: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ Her faith, obedience, and humility set a standard for all women.”

MUSICAL NUMBER (XYZ): Mary, did you know?

MARY THE MOTHER (XYZ):

I am Mary, the mother of Jesus. I have always tried to do right by the Lord in my life, but never could I have imagined that I would be chosen as the earthly mother of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have grappled with the overwhelming responsibility and weight of this calling, but even as soon as He came into this world, I was struck by Jesus' character and his profound goodness. His light emanated always - his actions good, his words kind. For me, a young, new mother, Jesus not only represented heavenly powers, but also the miracle of mortality, in which we get to grow and learn together as families on Earth.

I know there have been many fulfilled prophecies about the birth of this baby in my arms, and I know there are many prophecies yet to come to pass. The prophets have said that He will preach good tidings, that He will care for His followers as a shepherd and that He will minister in power and glory performing miracles. And someday, they say, He will sacrifice Himself to save all of us. I can’t understand exactly what any of that will look like or how it will feel, but I know I will be there as any mother would; loving Him, supporting Him and trusting Him.

This little one will live a grand life, but for now He is just my baby and I am His mother.

TALK (XYZ): Becoming women who know Christ