Easter.

There are a lot of things I do not know. I don't know why sand is opaque and glass is not. I don't know how cockroaches turn onto their backs when they die. I don't know why puppets can get away with saying or doing things I would never tolerate from a human being. I don't know how to make anything cordon bleu, and I don't know why anyone would want to live in Tacoma, Washington, where the paper factory smells awful and the glass museum's gift shop is nicer than the actual museum. I also don't know the ins and outs of the church I have belonged to for seventeen years. But that's OK.

Here is some stuff I do know.

3 He is ^adespised and rejected of men; a man of ^bsorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we ^cesteemed him not.

4 ¶ Surely he hath ^aborne our ^bgriefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was ^awounded for our ^btransgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his ^cstripes we are ^dhealed.

6 All we like ^asheep have gone ^bastray; we have turned every one to his ^cown way; and the Lord hath laid on him the ^diniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53)

14 But Zion said, The Lord hath ^aforsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a ^awoman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not ^bforget thee.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49)

26 A ^anew ^bheart also will I ^cgive you, and a new ^dspirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony ^eheart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my ^aspirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36)

20 The soul that ^asinneth, it shall die. The son shall not ^bbear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the ^crighteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

21 But if the wicked will ^aturn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 All his ^atransgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

23 Have I any ^apleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? (Ezekiel 18)

44 But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of ^aall these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the ^bearth, and ^call things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its ^dmotion, yea, and also all the ^eplanets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator. (Alma 30)

42 Behold, he who has ^arepented of his ^bsins, the same is ^cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. (Doctrine and Covenants 58)

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1)

36 ¶ And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.

37 And, behold, a ^awoman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster ^bbox of ointment,

38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and ^aanointed them with the ointment.

39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred ^apence, and the other fifty.

42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly ^aforgave them both. ^bTell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are ^aforgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are ^aforgiven. (Luke 7)

I have a lot of questions, but the story above always makes me remember what is really important. On my mission, when I was often at my lowest and so sad I thought I would never recover, I found that story in my cheap Hungarian Bible with its tiny print, and I was overwhelmed for love for Jesus Christ and His love for me. I wanted to kiss Christ's feet. I still do.

Come celebrate His wond’rous birth, Alleluia!
For Christ shall govern all the earth, Alleluia!
With heart and mind and strength proclaim: Alleluia!
For Wonderful shall be His name, Alleluia!

Our Counsellor, our mighty God, Alleluia!
Our Father, our redeeming Lord, Alleluia!
Come worship Christ, the Prince of Peace, Alleluia!
May our rejoicing never cease, Alleluia!

--Marvin Gardner, one of my favorite professors at BYU.

Amen.