“Hope in Christ,” For the Strength of Youth, May 2021.
Saturday Afternoon Session
Hope in Christ
Excerpts
Brothers and sisters, at this Easter time we focus on the glorious Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We remember His loving invitation to “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” [Matthew 11:28–30].
The Savior’s invitation to come unto Him is an invitation to all not only to come unto Him but also to belong to His Church. …
Jesus wants us to know God is a loving Heavenly Father.
Knowing that we are loved by our Heavenly Father will help us know who we are and know that we belong to His great eternal family. …
… Despite the challenges we face in life, we can, like on that first Easter morning, awake to a new life in Christ, with new and marvelous possibilities and new realities as we turn to the Lord for hope and belonging. …
I speak of hope in Christ not as wishful thinking. Instead, I speak of hope as an expectation that will be realized. Such hope is essential to overcoming adversity, fostering spiritual resilience and strength, and coming to know that we are loved by our Eternal Father and that we are His children, who belong to His family. …
Never forget that you are a child of God, our Eternal Father, now and forever. He loves you, and the Church wants and needs you. Yes, we need you! We need your voices, talents, skills, goodness, and righteousness.