General Conference & Easter

General Conference & Easter: Twice Blessed

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It happens rarely. In 2026, Easter Sunday and the final session of General Conference fall on the same day, April 5. The risen Christ and the living prophet share the same weekend. If you sense something extraordinary in that overlap, trust the feeling. It is extraordinary.

Think about what converges here: the most sacred event in human history, the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the voice of His authorized servants speaking to the entire Church in real time. One points us backward to the empty tomb. The other points us forward with living counsel. Together, they form a complete picture of the gospel: Christ lives, and He still speaks.

This is worth more than a casual weekend of watching from the couch. This is a weekend worth preparing for.

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Come with Questions, Not Just Ears

Elder Richard G. Scott taught that revelation often comes in response to sincere questions. General Conference is one of the most concentrated opportunities we have to receive personal answers, but only if we come seeking them.

Consider what's weighing on your heart right now. What decision are you circling? What relationship feels stuck? What doctrine do you wish you understood more deeply? Write it down before Saturday morning. Bring that question with you into every session.

President Gordon B. Hinckley once counseled the Saints to approach Conference with pen in hand and heart open, ready to receive specific direction for their lives. Not vague inspiration. Specific direction. That kind of listening requires preparation.

President Nelson's April 2020 invitation to "Hear Him" remains one of the most pointed prophetic challenges of our generation. He asked us to consider: how do we hear the Savior? Through scripture, through the Holy Ghost, through the words of living prophets. General Conference places all three channels in front of us simultaneously.

Come with your question. The Lord honors those who seek.

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The Empty Tomb and the Living Voice

Easter morning in Jerusalem was not quiet or triumphant. It was confusing. The women arrived at the tomb expecting death and instead found absence. "He is not here, but is risen" (Luke 24:6). They did not immediately understand. They were "perplexed" (Luke 24:4) and, according to Mark, "afraid" (Mark 16:8).

Resurrection, it turns out, takes time to comprehend.

This is true for us too. We say we believe in the resurrection, but do we live as though it's real? The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that death is not the final word on any relationship, any loss, any failure. It means that the body you struggle with, the grief you carry, the separation you endure, none of it is permanent.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell once wrote: "The empty tomb is not merely an event in ancient history. It is a declaration about the future of every person who has ever lived." When we sit down for Conference on Easter Sunday, we do so as people whose entire future has been rewritten by what happened in a garden outside Jerusalem.

The resurrection isn't background theology. It is the foundation of every talk, every testimony, every covenant we will hear about during Conference. Without it, there is no gospel to confer about.

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Sustaining the Living Prophet

There is a moment in Conference that passes quickly but carries enormous weight: the sustaining of the prophet and apostles. Hands go up. The motion is approved. We move on.

But what does it actually mean to sustain a living prophet? It means more than a raised hand. It means we accept that God speaks through imperfect people in real time, addressing real conditions. It means we trust the pattern established in D&C 1:38: "Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."

This can be difficult. Prophetic counsel sometimes cuts against our preferences. It sometimes asks us to change in ways we did not anticipate. Sustaining means we take that counsel seriously, even when it is uncomfortable, and we bring it to the Lord in prayer rather than dismissing it on reflex.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said: "Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we."

This Conference weekend, listen not just for what is said, but for who is saying it, and by what authority. The living prophet speaks because the living Christ authorizes him to speak. Easter and Conference are not two separate events this year. They are one testimony, offered from two directions.

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Preparing for the Weekend

Here are four concrete ways to prepare:

1. Write your question. One real question you need heaven's help with. Put it somewhere you will see it before each session.

2. Fast with purpose. If health permits, consider fasting before or during Conference with your question in mind. Fasting has always been the companion of revelation.

3. Create space. Clear the schedule. Turn off the noise. Conference is not background content. Treat it like what it is: a direct communication from God through His servants.

4. Plan to act. Before Conference even begins, decide that you will do something with what you hear. Not just feel something. Do something.

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Open Your Come Follow Me Manual

This week is set aside for General Conference and Easter. Let both experiences speak to you as one unified witness: Christ lives, He leads His Church, and He has something specific to say to you this weekend.

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OurGospelStudy, Week 14 of 52
Come Follow Me 2026: Old Testament
Special Lesson: General Conference & Easter