This last weekend, my three sisters and I took the opportunity to go up to Salt Lake City to see “Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration” in the Legacy Theater inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was a little hard to find a parking spot – there was a Jazz game that night, and we hadn’t taken that into consideration – but we eventually found a place to park and walked over to the theater. I had not yet seen the film, and neither had another of my sisters. The other two assured us we were in for something amazing.
And we were.
I was already feeling a little bit spiritually tender as I went into the film. I’ve been having experiences lately that have been making me aware of my need to batten down my hatches and concentrate more on my spirituality. Seeing this film was just another layer to my testimony that God is indeed aware of what we need and that He will bring it into our lives at the right time.
The film depicts the life of Joseph Smith in snatches from his childhood, when he had to have a surgery that would cause him great pain. We see his entry into the grove of trees and the way he was mocked for his testimony of having seen God the Father and the Son. We see him fall in love and marry, establish a church, and organize the building of a temple. Through all this, we also see him lovingly interact with his family, play with the children, and enjoy life.
The scene depicting the martyrdom was especially touching to me. I have stood in that upper room where the mobs shot Hyrum, then burst in to attack Joseph as well. My testimony became unshakeable that day, and seeing the portrayal of that event was particularly moving. My favorite part was at the very end, when Joseph utters his last words, “Oh, Lord, My God,” and we are reminded of the close relationship he had with our Heavenly Father and that he was probably seeing Him at that moment of his death. What a beautiful testimony of this man who was chosen to restore the Lord’s church and served Him his entire life.
Because of the nature of the martyrdom, I would encourage you to use discretion as to which of your children you feel are mature enough to see this film with you. While nothing is graphic, the event is unsettling of itself.
If you have not yet seen this remarkable film, I encourage you to go. Show times begin at 9:00 am and run every hour and a half until 9:00 at night, Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, you can see this film in the north visitor’s center. Tickets are distributed on a first come, first served basis, so it’s recommended that you arrive a bit ahead of the show time you desire, and be prepared to possibly wait until the next show. You can get more information here.
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