He Is Risen! He Is Risen, Indeed!

The historic events of the Easter season revolve around the Son of God. His last week of mortal life began with Palm Sunday, where throngs crowded the narrow streets of Jerusalem to welcome the Messiah. They cut palm tree branches and with their outer garments covered the ground on which He entered the city on the back of a donkey. It was a triumphal entry into the city and marked the beginning of a week never to be repeated again, because there never would be another Savior. He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father. Many knew Him and worshipped Him openly on that Sunday. He proceeded to the temple where He cast out the money changers and cleansed it for a second time.

Of course, the population was divided in their opinions about Him. Later that same week many would stand in the open courtyard and shout, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!," as the Romans bowed to the wishes of the Jewish leaders who accused Him of blasphemy before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. Only Roman law could render the capital punishment required that they demanded. And what was His crime? That He dared to declare himself as God's Son. And there were witnesses!

It seemed Christ and all the prophets who came before Him and those who came after Him would be destined to the same fate. When a prophet speaks truth it divides the people. It has not changed in our day, nor should we expect that it would.

The Savior, seeking to prepare His Apostles for His impending death and resurrection, took them into an upper room nearby to share the Passover Saddar meal with them. He taught them and introduced the ordinance of the sacrament emblematic of His body and blood that would be offered as a sacrifice to satisfy the demands of justice. He broke the bread and instructed them: "Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." (Mark 14:22-24).

He was betrayed to the Roman troops and the other Jews who came for Him later in the Garden of Gethsemane. His Apostle, Judas Iscariot, "one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:47-48). For the pre-arranged fee of thirty pieces of silver (the cost of a common slave) the act was done.

Christ was scourged, beaten, tried before Romans and the Jewish hierarchy, and ultimately Pilate washed his hands of the matter, stating that Christ was innocent but he bowed to the wishes of the mob. Christ was nailed by His hands and His wrists and His feet to a crude wooden cross. He was mocked, spat upon and crucified on the hill known as Golgotha outside the city walls after enduring the agony He suffered in Gethsemane where he bled from every pore. (See D&C 19:15-19). 

His body was taken down in haste by His followers because evening was coming on and they wanted to complete the burial before Shabbat began at sundown. The tomb was donated by Joseph of Arimathea. A large round stone was placed in front of the opening to prevent, as they supposed, His loyal followers from coming later to retrieve the body and claim the resurrection He had prophesied would happen. The tomb was empty three days later, and the glorious resurrection was a reality.

On the morning of the third day, "the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre." (John 20:1). She encountered two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain. She turned and saw a man she supposed to be the gardener, and then she recognized Him as the risen Lord. He instructed her to go back into the city and to tell the remaining Apostles what she had witnessed. 

They met later that night, and "the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord." (John 20:19-20).

Thomas of Didymus, one of the Apostles, was absent that night, but later saw with his own eyes the risen Lord. He encouraged Thomas to feel the prints in his hands and the scar in His side, and admonished, "be not faithless, but believing." (John 20:27). "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29).

Enjoy this Easter concert by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square:

It is my witness that Christ reveals Himself to us each day of our lives if our eyes are open and our ears attuned to His spirit. When we attend the temple He further reveals Himself, even to those of us like Thomas who have not seen but believe. 

Last week, our assigned high councilor, Bill Atkin, who works and travels extensively throughout the world for the Church's legal department, told us of a needlepoint piece of art he had picked up during his travels in Ukraine. He explained a traditional Easter greeting in the Greek and Russian Orthodox Church is the exclamation “He is risen!” and the traditional response is “He is risen, indeed!” The words are sometimes accompanied by the exchange of three kisses on alternate cheeks, depending on the church. In the Orthodox and Catholic churches, the greeting is called the “Paschal greeting” and is a very old custom.

It would be a worldwide phenomenon indeed, if we could all greet each other routinely wherever we live with the faith inherent in that tradition.

Happiest Time of the Year

December 19, 1969

On December 19th, 2021, Patsy and I celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary. We chose to get married at Christmas time because there were a host of factors conspiring to set the date for us. I was awaiting orders for basic training at Fort Ord, CA, that were slow in coming. It was the height of the Vietnam War and she was in far-off Australia with her parents who were serving as President of the Melbourne Australia Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I got weary of waiting for my orders, and I suggested to Patsy and her parents that we move up the date. They all agreed, then it was time to find out if my Grandfather's schedule would accommodate our plans. He checked his calendar, and the date was set. 

I sat in the corridor outside the sealing room with two things on my mind before the ceremony began - I had never filled out a joint tax return, and I had never cut a Thanksgiving turkey. How strange is it that after all these years, having filed numerous joint returns and cut numerous turkeys that the memory is still so vivid? 

December 19, 2021

This year our anniversary fell on Sunday, and we were on Temple Square to attend the live "Music & The Spoken Word" broadcast. Lloyd Newell, the voice of the Tabernacle Choir, referred to us as some of the "fortunate few" who were permitted to be there for the slow return to normalcy. We were treated to vocal selections by Megan Hilty, an American singer and actress, and multitalented television and screen actor Neal McDonough who provided narration. They headlined the annual Christmas Concert recorded last week destined for release next year at Christmas on PBS and BYUtv. We were there because "we know a guy" - our son-in-law Jay Warnick is the man who is responsible for the grounds at Temple Square. The lights are limited by the construction project that is all-consuming on Temple Square.

After the broadcast, we strolled around Temple Square and peered into the deep excavation going on around the temple. The building itself is shrouded in scaffolding. Seeing it up close and personal gives one a better idea of the enormity of this undertaking. The leaders of the Church then and now have always been "big thinkers" as evidenced by what they did back then and maybe even more by what they are doing now. 

Back to the Choir broadcast. There were about 4,000 of us in attendance. It was taped, along with the three performances from last week. I was impressed with the powerful soprano voice of Megan Hilty, though I don't remember being aware of her before this performance. There is something that cannot compare with the feeling of hearing the Choir and all the guest performers who fill that enormous hall with music. We got there early and were treated with some rehearsal time before the program began. The Conference Center has certainly fulfilled the ambitions of President Hinckley who first envisioned its construction. I am certain I will never tire of listening to the Choir in that setting.

Neal McDonough was instantly familiar. He's appeared in over 100 movies over the years of his career. His narration was doctrinally drenched and Christ-centered. Lloyd Newell explained after the broadcast ended that Neal is a devout Irish Catholic, and he invited Lloyd to pray with him during the week. The McDonough family, his wife and five children, were in attendance. Their concluding number with the orchestra, the bell ringers and the buglers was rattling the rafters as the recording concluded to thunderous applause.

Here's a small snippet from the concert:

Merry Christmas to all this weekend.

A 500,000 visitor milestone

I couldn't let this day go by without acknowledging all the readers who have clicked on The Goates Notes over the years. Sometime overnight the total visitors to this site turned over 500,000 - amazing!

I pause here to talk a little bit about how I began blogging. Daughter Melanie thought I should start a blog way back when, to which I responded, "What's a blog?" I found that Google sponsored something called "Blogspot" and that's the platform I went with. I had lots of advice in those early years about how to increase readership, and I heard about algorithms and how to attract advertisers, and SEO, but clueless as I was I ignored most of it. This blog has grown organically, and it has touched readers in 26 countries that I know about based on the feedback I've received from Google. 

Along the way advertisers came along, and I started earning small dividends from it with each click on one of the ads that were installed on the site. I am still somewhat surprised at how the number of visitors has kept climbing through the years. To all of you I extend my thanks and best wishes for a very Merry Christmas season.

This has been a momentous month for our family. We had a traditional Thanksgiving feast and gingerbread house building on the next Saturday. Always a big day around here. Then we bade farewell to grandson Alex Goates, who is now in the Peru MTC, and last night a granddaughter, Molly Bayles, opened her mission call to St. Louis, Missouri, reporting March 14, 2022. That's the same mission where daughter-in-law Shauna served, and where daughter Merilee and her family are living until graduation from dental school next spring. 

We also barely returned last night from a little road trip over the weekend to hear all five Sharp grandchildren perform in a choral concert in Broomfield, CO. I'm not sure where the three girls and two boys will go with their Sharp Family Singers career from here, but they sing like angels and I can always say that I knew them when. I don't imagine there will ever be a time again when we might hear them all singing together, and it was so fun to hear a holiday choral concert to put us in the mood for the holidays. Some of Patsy's and my favorite high school memories involve singing in Lorraine Bowman's A'cappella choir and Madrigals groups at East High School. Music and Christmas are so synonymous for us. 

Equally thrilling was listening in on Sunday night to the First Presidency Christmas program featuring the full Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Instead of its traditional Christmas concert, the Choir released an album as a compilation of fifteen years of past performances of the Choir's Christmas concerts. Once again in 2021 the concert was curtailed because of the pandemic. I noted today that their new Christmas album just hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard listings. It's a sign that things on the pandemic front are slowly returning to normal and it's so heartening to have that blessing in our lives again.

We drove back home through the mountains of Colorado, stopping in Steamboat Springs along the way. Our favorite shop in Steamboat was "Cowboys and Indians" - check it out when you go through there or online by clicking their link. Like Utah, Colorado has gone a record number of days without measurable snow accumulation. I was excited to see that a big snowstorm is headed our way this week.

I can't leave this entry without acknowledging the outstanding achievements of all “Big Three" football programs this year. Utah won the PAC-12 and a berth against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. 

Utah State won the Mountain West after a dismal one-win season last year, and BYU finished 10-2 for a berth in the Independence Bowl and garnered an invite to join the Big 12 in 2023. It's been by far the biggest year in Utah football for 100 years. When you come from a football crazed state like Ohio or Texas this just doesn't seem like that big a deal, but when you're talking Utah it's about as good as winning the Super Bowl.

All three coaches are in the final round of being nominated for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honors nationally, but that award will likely go to Cincinnati's head coach, Luke Fickell, for their outstanding season finishing in the top six at the end of the year and a berth in a New Year's Day bowl. (update: Jim Harbaugh at Michigan won it). Whittingham led the way for PAC-12 honors with two of his players in year-end announcements.

My year in review would have to include successful brain tumor surgery, and managing somehow to avoid contracting the COVID-19 virus. I am perpetually grateful for our family who continue to inspire us with their faithfulness and their continued love and support of us as we inevitably deteriorate over time. 

We are concluding our study of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history at the end of this year. I am continually and perpetually impressed with the achievements of Joseph Smith. His diligence and faithfulness in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against him are astounding. Next year we take up the Old Testament study. Already people are asking where they can get their hands on a good commentary on the Old Testament. My answer is to rely upon the impressions of the Holy Ghost. There is nothing intimidating about the Old Testament. It's 4,000 years of history of God's dealings with His children, and the story lines are as real as today's headlines. 

Let's look ahead with gratitude for a Happy New Year in 2022. 

And thanks for 500,000 clicks into The Goates Notes! My love to all of you.

Thanksgiving Journal, Day 6

I #givethanks for Thanksgiving Day 2020. This morning I am grateful for the safe return of Elder Riley Bayles from his mission in the Washington DC South (Spanish speaking) Mission. He is pictured here on the left in this photo at a baptism of one of his converts. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, he taught his converts online, and often did not meet the people he had taught until their baptism face-to-face. In all likelihood he may never see most of those people again in this life. His faithful service has been a model for all missionaries in this new era of missionary work. 

He flew home last night, and is set to sit down with his family for a celebratory turkey feast today in their home in Pleasant Grove, Utah. His service as a missionary has blessed us all here at home, not to mention the many souls of those whom he taught and converted, literally from nearly every country in Central and South America. We are so grateful for a righteous posterity.

As promised, today I will focus on the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. I will begin with a Thanksgiving anthem familiar to all:

There cannot be a more blessed people on Earth than we who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Nelson with his #givethanks invitation reminds us all how true that is. So today, let us come and #givethanks for the bounties of the Earth that are showered upon us generously from a gracious God. We have the physical and spiritual comforts despite all the troubles and uncertainty that surround us. Like the fruits and vegetables of the fall harvest that are safely gathered in, so may we be safely gathered in from all the storms that swirl about us if we gather to the stakes of Zion scattered throughout the world today.

Next is a favorite that never ceases to cause me to reflect on a story daughter Melanie told us about her time in the MTC prior to her departure for her mission in New Hampshire years ago. They were standing in the bottom floor of a stairwell rehearsing "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." I wasn't there, but I can imagine the voices of those sisters in that stairwell must have approximated the voices of a heavenly choir. Here's the Choir and Orchestra's version:

We attended the Pioneer Concert of the Choir and the Orchestra in the summer of 2019, featuring solo vocalist Sissel. She offered "Slow Down," a hauntingly beautiful and melodic tune that brings such peace in our current times of tribulation "when we're feeling so unsure." Kick back, take off your shoes and let the music inspire and bless your troubled souls. She brought the house down in applause that never seemed to end with her rendition. It was a heavenly moment:

Then she sang "Like an Angel Passing Through my Room," another sweet and comforting song to soothe the soul. Music has that power, doesn't it? Sissel is a jewel to be savored and appreciated especially now. I hope you enjoy her as much as we did that night:

No compilation of my favorite moments with the Tabernacle Choir would be complete without the signature set piece from Les Miserables, sung by Alfie Boe. Here is "Bring Him Home:"

One of the most pleasant surprises I experienced with the Christmas concerts of the Choir and the Orchestra was hearing David Archuleta's rendition of the carol "The Cat and the Mouse." I had never heard that tender melody with its tender words with so much meaning before. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did when I first heard it. Truly, we can all #givethanks when "Love came down to the Earth:"

There are so many more rich and deeply inspirational hymns. I encourage you to tune in to the Choir and Orchestra's YouTube channel. I will end with "The Prayer." Again, this one brings back memories when Rich and Melanie learned it and performed it several times while they were in high school:

I encourage us all to accept President Nelson's second invitation to offer prayer daily in thanks for all our blessings. 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Day today and #givethanks.