Celebrating the Easter story is not meant to be reserved for the holidays; Christ lives—today!
During the Easter season, Church leaders have reminded us of the significance of the Easter story. But the truth of the Atonement, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not simply a holiday message. In the most recent session of general conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf encouraged us to experience and celebrate the message of Easter every day—including today.
Photo by Jonathan Borba
President Uchtdorf’s talk “Encounter at the Empty Tomb” explores what the early disciples must have felt following the death of Christ. He invites us to imagine the depth of their despair, the confusion they must have felt, and the questions they must have had. Many of their questions are similar to questions we have today. As modern disciples, we deal with our own trials and sorrows, and wonder, “How could this event have happened? Why did God let it happen? Where is God in this?”
The heaviness of unanswered questions weighs on all of us during trials. As the disciples approached the tomb where they had laid Jesus, President Uchtdorf explained that “they came because they knew when the world is dark, the best place to go is toward ‘the light [that] shines in…darkness.’” That light is Jesus Christ. That morning, at the sight of the empty tomb of their resurrected Lord, the disciples became witnesses of how Christ conquered sin, death, and despair. People of faith today can enjoy the same witness.
President Uchtdorf taught, “We understand [Christ] is not confined to the pages of a book any more than He was confined to that grave of stone. The scriptures teach us not only who Jesus was but who He is. Because of what happened on that Sunday morning, we can speak of Jesus Christ in the present tense.… We must encounter the empty tomb, experience the reality of what it means, and, in turn, share that witness with others.” We gain our own witness that Jesus Christ lives as we learn of him, seek God in prayer, and try to model our lives after his.
The joy of the Easter story was not meant to be enjoyed only by the early disciples on that miraculous morning, nor is it confined to the calendar days of a modern holiday. We can share this incredible message with the world and celebrate what it means for us every day—Jesus Christ lives, and because he lives, we all may find joy in this life and in the life to come.
Read the rest of President Uchtdorf’s address, “Encounter at the Empty Tomb,” to learn more about the ongoing joy of the Easter message.
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Chantelle LaFrance, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY GABIN COBRET
Find more insights:
Learn more about how to find joy in Christ by reading Elder Patrick Kearon’s general conference talk “Welcome to the Church of Joy.”
Read what the current prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks, taught about experiencing the living Christ in his April 2026 general conference address, “Alive in Christ.”