Risen in truth

A good friend of mine and amazing fella from BYU named Nate Rasmussen served his mission in the Ukraine, and on several Easters I’ve heard him talk about a tradition practiced among Christians in the Ukraine on Easter morning. Instead of greeting someone normally, asking how they are and how their family is and all that, upon greeting another Christian, you say, “Christ is arisen.” To which the other responds, “Risen in truth.”

I think that only over the past few years have I really come to appreciate Easter, in a more-than-chocolate-and-backyard-hunt-in-jammies sense. Today was an especially amazing day—the speakers at church gave amazing talks, we had a delicious Easter dinner with our official adopted grandparents, the Hobsons (a missionary couple here), a church leadership meeting that I had to go to this evening went wonderfully, a lovely chance to talk in the evening with a dear friend—even though as I think about it I can’t think of any specific event today that made it more sacred and Christ-centered than usual, it was. And I loved every minute of it. It was a normal Sunday in most senses of the word, except for where my mind was centered and what my heart was celebrating. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” At least for today, in a way I hope to be able to say of many days to come, the Savior was my treasure. This day was for Him.

Christ is arisen—risen in truth.