My Farewell Talk: The Atonement

     I don't usually write my talks down word for word, just bullet points, and then I talk about them.  So if there is some disjointedness I'm sorry, that is why.

     John 3:16-17 says
          16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

           17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

     Christ did come down to earth, to live among men.  While He was here, He performed miracles and taught the people His gospel.  However, the most important thing He did was in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He suffered beyond anything we know to atone for our sins.  I was asked today to speak about the Atonement, and I felt prompted that I should focus on how important it is for us to use it.

     I've been studying a lot in Preach My Gospel lately, and in it, there is an excellent description of the practical aspects of the Atonement."The Savior satisfied the demands of justice for those who repent of their
sins and endeavor to keep all of His commandments when He stood in our place and suffered the penalty for our sins. This act is called the Atonement. Because of this selfless act, Christ can plead with the Father
on our behalf. Heavenly Father can apply mercy, withhold punishment from us, and welcome us into His presence. Our Heavenly Father shows mercy when He forgives us of our sins and helps us return to dwell in His presence.

     However, Jesus did not eliminate our personal responsibility. He forgives our sins when we accept Him, repent, and obey His commandments. Through the Atonement and living the gospel we become worthy to enter the presence of our Heavenly Father permanently. We must show that we accept Christ and
that we have faith in Him by keeping His commandments and obeying the first principles and ordinances of the gospel."

     This is a story about a high school student in Utah going to his release time seminary class.

     Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he
would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.

     One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.  After class,
Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?"

     Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

     Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"

     Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

     "200?  That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said.  "Do you think you could do 300?"

     Steve replied, "I don't know...  I've never done 300 at a time."

     "Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson.

     "Well, I can try," said Steve.

     "Can you do 300 in sets of 10?  I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work.  Can you do
it?  I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother Christianson said. Steve said, "Well...  I think I
can...  yeah, I can do it."

     Brother Christianson said, "Good!  I need you to do this on Friday."

     Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother
Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts.  Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts,
they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls.  Everyone was pretty excited-it
was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend.

     Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?"

     Cynthia said, "Yes."

     Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia
can have a donut?"

     Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk.

     Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

     Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?"

     Joe said, "Yes."  Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"
Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

     And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their
donut.

     And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott.

     Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and very strong.  When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

     Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

     Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

     Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a
donut he doesn't want?"

     Steve started to do ten pushups.  Scott said, "HEY!  I said I didn't want one!"

     Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts.  Just leave it on
the desk if you don't want it."  And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

     Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little.  He just stayed on the floor between sets
because it took too much effort to be getting up and down.  You could start to see a little
perspiration coming out around his brow.  Bro. Christianson started down the third row.  Now the
students were beginning to get a little angry.

     Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

     Jenny said, "No."

     Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve,would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"  Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

     By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.
Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut.  There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get
red because of the physical effort involved.

     Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts.  So Robert began to watch Steve
closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row.

     During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the
room.  When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room.  He
started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

     Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the  next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve
was really having a rough time.  He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

     Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

     Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you
want."

     And Bro. Christianson went on.

     A few moments later, a boy named Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in!  Stay out!"

     Jason didn't know what was going on.  Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

     Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him."
 
     Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

     Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now.  Jason, do you
want a donut?"

     "Yes."

     "Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly
and with great effort.  Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

     Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters.  Steve's
arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity.  Sweat
was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

     The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda,
the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?

     Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

     Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she
doesn't want?"

     Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

     Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson , can I help him?"

     Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?"

     As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

     In this story, of course, Steve represents Christ, Brother Christianson represents Heavenly Father, and the class is all of us.  Before the class started, a Plan was set up for Steve to pay for the donuts in pushups,
which he agreed to do.  Likewise, Christ agreed to atone for our sins.  Steve did pushups for all of the students, even though it was difficult.  He had never done that many pushups at the same time, and really, it was almost beyond his ability.  As more and more students came into the class, he had to do more and more pushups, but he didn't turn any away.  When Jason came into the room, he was exhausted, but he gladly did the work so the confused boy could have a donut.

     What I find most interesting about this story is how many of the students did not eat their donut.  The work had been done, and it was sitting right there on their desks, but they let it lie there.  They saw all the work Steve had to do as unfair, and they wouldn't eat it on the principle.  Can you imagine how Steve felt about that?  He had just done some of the hardest work of his life so they could have a donut, and they didn't eat it?!  Now imagine this in terms of the Atonement.  Christ did the work, suffered and died for us.  I remember as a little girl I said I'd never sin so Jesus wouldn't hurt more because of me.  That isn't how it works though.  Christ still suffered for me, and there's nothing that I can do to change that.  In fact, if we didn't take advantage of His sacrifice, it would show a disrespect and ingratitude beyond belief.  In any case, we cannot live without it.

     Alma 34:9 says
          9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

     We all need the Atonement in our lives, we cannot even hope to return to our Heavenly Father without it.  We must all let go of our pride and our laziness, and take advantage of this great gift.  I know that if we do this, we can all return to live with our Heavenly Father, and be truly happy.

     I say these things...