I gave this talk today in two wards. This is the text I
used for the English-speaking ward. The talk for the Spanish-speaking ward was
similar.
I felt blessed to speak on the true meaning of Christmas.
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My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful to be with you
today, to worship with you and to feel of the Spirit.
I am blessed to be here by assignment this morning. And I am
grateful for my speaking companion.
I pray that Spirit will be with us, and that we may all be
enlightened by the things we will hear and feel.
I love Christmas season. I have always loved Christmas
season. The festive decorations, the gifts, and the friendly greetings make it
a happy time. Most of us spend time with family, and this usually strengthens
family ties as we enjoy traditions that have been passed down through
generations.
Of course, the holiday music is my favorite part of the
season. There are so many good songs, whether they are Christmas hymns,
Christmas carols, or just seasonal songs. They all tend to make me feel happy.
We sing “it’s the most wonderful time of the year;” we dream
of a white Christmas; sing of a blue Christmas and even a green Christmas. We
sing about Santa, and dancing snowmen (until the alligators knock him
down--seriously), and flying reindeer; about silver bells and how cold it is
outside. We sing about gifts we want: my two front teeth, a hippopotamus, and a
little baby doll that will cry, sleep, drink and wet.
Even Christmas movies seem to be all about love, family, and
peace on earth: very desirable things.
But I think that all the fun tends to distract us from what
we are really celebrating at this sacred season. Today is Beethoven’s birthday,
but that’s not the reason we are celebrating.
At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a child, the baby
Jesus, who came to earth to fulfill Heavenly Father’s plan for our salvation.
No gift compares to that.
I am grateful to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. When I was baptized, I covenanted to take the name of Jesus
Christ upon me. As I took the sacrament with you this morning, I witnessed to
Heavenly Father, along with each of you, that I am willing to take upon me the
name of His Son and always remember him.
As I do this, I am identifying myself as one who seeks
Christ.
We enjoy singing about those who are the best-known seekers
of Christ: the Magi, or wise men. There is a great deal of Christmas mythology
surrounding these men, but the fact is that we know very little of them.
Matthew tells us that they came to Herod some time after the
birth of Christ, having followed a star that guided them.
We read that they asked: “Where is he that is born King of
the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
“When Herod the king had heard these things, he was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”[1]
This is just my own thinking, but certainly that star was
visible to everyone. Did only this group of wise foreigners notice it and
realize its significance? Will we pay attention to the stars in our lives and
be led by them?
After Herod’s scholars searched the scriptures, they sent
the wise men to Bethlehem in Judea. Herod requested that they return and inform
him of the king’s whereabouts, so that he could also worship him.
Of course, that wasn’t why Herod was seeking Jesus. He was
very insecure and was concerned about this other King of the Jews taking his place.
And so we discover that the wise men found Jesus and
worshiped him, and gave him gifts that were appropriate to one of royal birth:
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are not your typical baby shower gifts;
they weren’t practical at all, but they were rich in symbolism.
We know that the wise men were warned not to return to
report to Herod, so they took a different route home. Mary, Joseph and Jesus
had to flee the country to escape Herod, and they became a refugee family for a
time.
We should remember that even though Israel was in a state of
apostasy at this time, there were many faithful Israelites, Jews, who knew the
scriptures and were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.
I believe that the shepherds, to whom the angel chorus
appeared, were not ignorant, illiterate laborers. I think they were faithful,
watchful Jews, who were aware of the prophecies and promises associated with
Christ’s coming.
Having said that, let’s turn to Luke. He tells us that the
shepherds said after the angelic chorus departed:
“Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto
us.
“And they came with haste, and
found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
“And when they had seen it, they made
known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
“And all they that heard
it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”[2]
Their words show an understanding of what was happening. Notice
that they “came with haste.” This suggests that they were very much aware of
what the angels’ message meant, and hurried to see for themselves. And they did
not keep the experience to themselves. They made it known abroad.
All they that heard it wondered; probably because they did
not hear it from those who were considered the wise and formally trained, but
from common folk. This seemed to be outside the norm for them. But we know that
the Lord doesn't work within man's norms.
Simeon and Anna[3] were two devout Jews who sought Jesus.
They both served in the temple. Both had been promised that they would see the
Messiah. When Mary and Joseph took their infant to the temple to present him to
the Lord, as the law required, they recognized Jesus for who he was, the
Promised Messiah for whom the Jews waited.
The scriptures tell us of many others who sought the Christ,
and not just to draw near to him, but to be like him. They understood the
importance of becoming his disciples.
In our day, we have been commanded to seek Christ. Of
course, our covenant to take his name upon us commits us to seek him.
But in the Doctrine and Covenants, we are told:
“ye shall call upon me while I am
near—
“Draw near unto me and I will
draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall
receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”.[4]
Please note that the Savior promises us that we shall
find him. (And note that the imperative shall adds extra weight to the
promise.)
In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Amaleki summarizes the
core message of the Book of Mormon when he counsels:
“And now, … I would that ye should
come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation,
and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls
as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the
end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved”.[5]
Moroni closes the Book of Mormon with similar counsel:
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be
perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny
yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and
strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be
perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can
in nowise deny the power of God.
“And again, if ye by the grace of
God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ
by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in
the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become
holy, without spot”.[6]
That is the message of the Book of Mormon, and the
invitation our missionaries offer to the world: “Come unto Christ.”
At Christmas time, it is appropriate to ask: Is my
Christmas celebrating helping me to come unto Christ? Do my Christmas
activities demonstrate to others that I am seeking Christ?
Please understand that I am not suggesting that we abandon
our beloved holiday traditions; but I am suggesting that we remember those
things that give deeper meaning to our Christmas celebrations.
I believe that what people desire most at Christmastime,
whether they are Christians or not, is peace and happiness. These can be very
elusive in this society.
Can we give this gift to others?
Yes! Yes, and it only costs our time and commitment!
But we must first possess it ourselves. So where can we get
it?
I believe, in fact I know, that the prophetic
directives we received in October Conference will lead us in this direction.
As we begin our home-centered, Church-supported gospel
learning journey next month, we will take personal responsibility for our own
spiritual growth and development. We will put our feet on the path to
discipleship, and witness through our actions that we desire to take the
Savior’s name upon us and follow him.
This will be a challenging path, but the promises are many.
President Nelson promised us that as we do this, it “has the potential to
unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously
and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith. I promise that
as you diligently work to remodel [and any of you who have done remodels, is it
a quick, simple process?] your home into a center of gospel learning, over time
your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be
excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary
in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your
family will be dramatic and sustaining”.[7]
I don’t know exactly what “unleashing the power of families”
means, but it sounds powerful, and it sounds miraculous. I hope to discover at
least a portion of what that means in the coming months and years.
I do know that as we grow, we will have a positive influence
on those around us. Some will desire to have the peace and joy that we will
radiate. We will become more effective ministers to our friends in and out of
the Church.
So how do we start?
A good starting point is to take a look back at the past
year, which is something many of us do anyway as we face the New Year.
As we reflect on the old year, we would do well to ask “Have
I shown the Savior through my actions that I love him?” A follow-up
question could be “How can I show my love for the Savior effectively in the
coming year?”
Another reflective question could be “What motivates me
to follow the Savior?” Yet another question might be “How can I invite
the Savior into my life this year?”
Here are many things we can consider. There is great value
in reflecting as a part of the learning process. And as disciples of Christ,
aren’t we always learning?
I would like to echo the words of our Prophet in suggesting
four steps we can take to come unto Christ.
First, commit fully to the spirit and intent of the
home-centered Church-supported curriculum. Study the New Testament with your
spouse, your family, or with others. Really seek to know the Savior and to grow
closer to him. Study with intent, and gospel truths will be revealed to you.
Second, prayerfully seek ways to be a more effective
ministering brother or sister. As we seek to serve as the Savior did, we will
become more like him. The Lord expects us to seek revelation as we strive to
minister.
Third, spend time in the temple. Visiting the House
of the Lord will enable us to receive revelation and power from him as we serve
there. President Nelson said that our need to be in the temple has never been
greater.
Fourth, use the correct name of the Church. Now more
than ever, we need to stand up and be counted as followers of Christ.
President Nelson said “I promise that if we will do our best
to restore the correct name of the Lord's church, He whose church this is will
pour down His power and His blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints,
the likes of which we have never seen”.[8]
Of course, there are also many other ways we can come unto
Christ.
But now, let us enjoy the Christmas season. Let us relish
the peace and happiness that come as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Let us also remember that he entered into mortality just as
we did. Abinadi testified that he “should come down among the children of men,
and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth.”[9]
May we stand all amazed as we consider the life and mission
of our Savior Jesus Christ, and recommit to follow him, and may we let our
lights shine before men that they may glorify not us, but our Heavenly Father,
who sent his Son that we might live and enjoy the blessings of his eternal
plan.
I testify that Christ lives, and that he is our loving
Redeemer and Savior. He ransomed us from our sins to empower us to return to
Heavenly Father’s presence, if we will be true to our covenants. In the name of
Jesus Christ, Amen.
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[1] KJV, Matthew 2:2-3, ff.
[2] KJV, Luke 2:15-18.
[3] KJV, Luke 2:25-38.
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 88:62-63.
[5] The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of
Jesus Christ; Omni 1:26.
[6] The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of
Jesus Christ; Moroni 10:32-33.
[7] Nelson, RM; Becoming Exemplary Latter-day
Saints; October 2018 General Conference. Parenthetical note mine.
[8] Nelson, RM; Revelation for the Church,
Revelation for Our Lives: April 2018 General Conference.
[9] The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of
Jesus Christ; Mosiah 7:27.
