Easter event unites denominations
Believers of various denominations filled the LDS Institute of Religion auditorium to hear an unlikely combination of speakers Friday night.
A professor of religion and Mormon studies, an LDS stake president and an interdenominational representative all spoke at “Celebration of Christ: A Non-Denominational Easter Event,” to celebrate and educate visitors on Jesus Christ.
“It was meant to bring together all the different groups and denominations on campus, to allow celebrating Christ and sharing our love and feelings about Him,” said Carlie Allred, a senior studying secondary education and member of the LDS Student Association organizational committee.
The opening speaker, Phillip Barlow, USU Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture, spoke concerning the phrase spoken by Christ in the Bible, “Whom say man that I am?”
Barlow cited examples of different ways Christ has been regarded.
“He became a superstar of the hippies. After all, he wore a robe, he wore sandals, he wore a beard, he wore long hair, and he said ‘peace’ a lot.”
The influence of Christ, he said, has influenced the world so much that people may miss the real Christ by “projecting our own cultural image onto him.”
He quoted author Franz Kafka, who said, “Christ is an abyss of light. One must close one’s eyes, lest one falls into it.”
“The world does need women and men who discern the abyss of light … it needs men and women who are willing to fall into that light,” Barlow said to close his portion of the presentation.
Jason Barbieri, of the Utah State Navigators, an interdenominational Christian group on campus, took the stand next. He spoke of miracles performed by Christ, as recorded in the Bible.
“Anyone who has spent time reading through the gospels knows that they are just chock-full of Jesus doing the phenomenal,” Barbieri said.
Barbieri said the variety and magnitude of Jesus’ miracles included healing the blind, raising the dead, walking on water, calming storms, healing the lame and feeding more than 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish.
“It is important that we recognize that these miracles were important,” he said. “They were not done merely for entertainment value. The miracles were done with deliberate intentionality. These miracles touched people in immensely powerful ways. The miracles that Jesus did revealed a glorious God of love who is near to the broken.”
He explained how the miracles strengthened and solidified the teachings of Christ.
“They were to shine the light on who Jesus Christ really was,” Barbieri said. “To make it clear to mankind, ‘Hey wake up. Don’t miss this.'”
Barbieri said Christ’s resurrection was his greatest miracle.
“Without the resurrection, there would be no real validation that Christ’s sacrifice for our sins was in fact successful,” Barbieri said. “A dead Jesus who stays dead is not a true source of help.”
Each of the speakers was presented a journal by LDSSA President Danny Noall. Noall thanked everyone in the audience for making time to attend to hear his feelings on Christ.
“I absolutely know that he lives,” Noall said. “I pray that each of us today have come a little bit closer to him, and that we might remember him a little bit more this weekend.”
Darrell Simmons, president of the Logan Young Single Adult 1st Stake, was the final speaker for the evening.
He started his address with a poem, entitled “A Touch of the Master’s Hand,” which relates the story of an old violin that had been dusted off and played by a master violinist in front of an auction, which greatly changed its worth to those bidding on the item.
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the very heart of the gospel. It finetunes us much like the ‘Touch of the Master’s Hand,'” Simmons said. “Christ completed the great atoning sacrifice that was given to Him by His Father with these words, ‘It is finished.’ May the Lord finish us through His Atonement.”
Simmons said the multi-faith Easter event was a unique one.
“Many of us come from different faiths, but we come here to build bridges of understanding, to feel of each other’s love and common belief in the Son of God, to hear perspective and testimony,” Simmons said.
Musical numbers were performed throughout the program by the University Chorale and Latter-day Saints Voices.
“This the beginning of what could be a huge event,” Simmons said. “I hope I live long enough to see this in the Spectrum.”
– keithjjackman@gmail.com