[Truman Brothers: “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”]

Hello Friends! Welcome to tonight’s Christmas concert, entitled “Witnesses of Christ: A Temple Square Performance” provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My name is David Butler, and it is my privilege to be your host this evening.

A huge thank you to the amazing Truman Brothers, who started our evening with “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.”

Tonight, we’ll get to hear more Christmas favorites like that, along with some short videos and some spoken messages, each stemming from a simple question: what would it have been like to have been there, to witness the Savior’s

birth and the events leading up to it more than 2,000 years ago?

Can you imagine the shepherds, a first-time mother, the crowded busy town, even the animals?

I wonder how imagining that you were there could change the way you see the special time of year.

Tonight, we're excited to consider together some of these

elements of the Christmas story and how they testify of Jesus Christ and His divinity.

When Samuel the prophet came to Jesse looking for the new king of Israel, he was told that the youngest son, David, was out tending the sheep.

The biblical account of the shepherds in the fields the night of Christ’s birth is limited, but we know that it was

often the youngest children of the family who acted as shepherds.

How does it change our perspective, knowing that those shepherds in the fields, at first afraid at the sight of the angel

and then overwhelmed at the arrival of a multitude of heavenly hosts singing “Glory to God in the highest”?

How do we view the scene differently knowing these shepherds may have been young children?

Interestingly, some of the first of God’s children to know that the Messiah was born may have been the young, lowly, and humble, rather than the mature, the learned, and the mighty.

How unforgettable that night must have been for them, and what powerful testimonies those shepherds must have borne the rest of their lives!

No matter our age, status, or circumstance, all can be witnesses of Christ.

USU Chamber Singers: “While Shepherds Watched their Flocks”

In Luke, chapter 2, we learn about a man named Simeon who was promised by the Holy Ghost that he would not see death until he saw Christ in the flesh.

It’s easy to imagine Simeon as being old, having waited nearly the span of his whole life for this precious promise to be kept.

How difficult it must have been to hold on to this promise, to not lose faith, to continually exercise patience over a lifetime while awaiting a promised blessing.

Yet the day finally arrived that Simeon was prompted by the Holy Ghost to go to the temple.

There, the Spirit manifested Christ’s divinity to Simeon when Mary and Joseph presented baby Jesus at the temple just days after His birth.

There, in the very twilight of his life, Simeon saw the baby

Jesus and knew the promise given to him was fulfilled.

As with Simeon, we may be awaiting blessings that seem like they will never come.

But the Lord cannot forget the promises He makes to His children.

Even when life doesn’t go how we expect,

even when we are forced to wait, we can be witnesses of Christ.

Daniel Beck: “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”

You know, when we picture the Nativity scene,

several key elements are almost always present:

the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes, the shepherds kneeling reverently, Mary and Joseph watching over the newborn king, and an angel overseeing them all.

Another element we often picture is the manger in which Jesus lay -

a wooden trough full of hay and straw. However, history teaches us that while some mangers might have been made of wood, they were just as likely to be crafted of stone, meaning Jesus’s manger may have borne deep and significant similarity to an altar. As Abraham placed his only son, Isaac, on a sacrificial altar,

so the infant baby Jesus, the Lamb of God— may have been placed in a manger of stone on the night of His birth, perhaps pointing those who were there—and us—to His own sacrifice for all mankind.

Even in the smallest details, we can find hidden meaning and deeper symbolism teaching us of the Savior’s divine mission. Yes, even a manger can be a witness of Christ.

Allie Gardiner + Wade Farr: “O Come, O Come, Emanuel”

So much has been written and said about Mary, the mortal girl chosen to bear the Son of God. Though she must have felt terribly alone in the sheer scope of the burden and responsibility she was given, she was not left without some companionship. Besides her beloved Joseph, who dutifully stood at her side, Mary was permitted to confide in her close relative Elizabeth, who, in her old age, was also miraculously expecting a child.

When Mary came to tell Elizabeth of her divine pregnancy,

the Holy Ghost filled Elizabeth’s heart, and the yet-unborn John leapt within her womb.

The veil must have been at its thinnest in that moment, when John’s spirit reacted with joy when the mother of the Son of God entered the home.

In this moment, we see one of the first witnesses being borne of the mortal Christ’s divinity.

When we hold a newborn, when we sing to an infant, or teach our little children to pray, we can recognize a holiness about them, almost as if they know something we have long forgotten. Even a child, no matter how small, can be a witness of Christ.

Hail! Thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee.

So Mary didn’t know that she was having a baby.

So, Mary was sitting on the stairs. Heavenly Father told Mary that she’s going to have a baby.

And so Joseph, he was going to Bethlehem with his wife Mary and she was pregnant with Jesus. They rode a camel. They rode a boat? Well Maybe? Yeah. It was a camel. Maybe it was a horse. They rode on a donkey. And when they got there, all the inns were full because tons of people were coming to all these cities and you know there’s lots of road traffic.

There was no room in the inn, though.

And they said all our rooms are full but there's a stable you guys can sleep in.

And that's where she had Jesus. Babies are normally born in the hospital. And He was not born in a hospital; He was born in a manger.

It's a place where animals live. There were sheep, camels. There’s zebras and horses and cows and all those things. I don’t think it’d be fun. It probably wouldn’t be clean; there would probably be lots and lots of bugs.

I don't think it would be very comfy.

It was made out of sticks, and a huge star was above it to tell people to follow it and to go under it. That's where Jesus would be born.

So the shepherds, they were out, you know, watching their sheep to make sure no wolves came and ate them, and um an angel came down to them, and they were all scared because imagine if you were in a field, and all of a sudden a bright white light and a person is floating down towards you. I imagine it'd be pretty surprising. An angel told them to not be afraid.

Fear not!

And told them that Jesus is going to be born, and so he wanted them to go see Him.

Some wisemen and other people came to visit Him.

Wisemen bring Him three gifts. Gold, mirth and Frankenstein.

Gold, frankincense and myrrh.

He's special, and so it was a special day on that day.

He’s special because He’s the king and He’s very good.

He made it so we could repent and go to heaven again.

And so He sacrificed His life for us to come down to earth. I feel like that He really loves all of us, and, like, it is just amazing that He did that.

Josh & Lindsey Wright: “Deck the Halls”

The scriptures say, the Christ child was wrapped in swaddling clothes, in a practice that is still commonly used today to help infants feel safe and protected.

We may imagine that these swaddling clothes were merely scraps of whatever coarse cloth was available; yet early Christian tradition associates Mary with weaving and spinning cloth, meaning she may have carefully and lovingly prepared the swaddling clothes for Jesus months before His birth.

It seems likely that someone so “highly favored of the Lord”

would have put as much care and preparation as possible

into the coming delivery of such a precious child.

Has a greater responsibility ever been placed on another mortal’s shoulders, let alone the shoulders of one so young?

Mary had never borne a child before and had every reason to be anxious, afraid, and doubtful; yet she did not shrink when the time came to rise to the task and prepare for the coming of the Christ child.

Through careful preparation, even someone young,

inexperienced, and frightened can be a witness of Christ.

Stella Yeritsyan: “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”

I had been having problems with my fourth pregnancy, so with three kids at home, I was hospitalized until my son was born.

Knock, knock, Nicole!

There any pain? No.

Would you like some juice or something else?

You discouraged?

The thought of being in here for three more months is too much.

I’m sorry, that’s hard news for sure.

Do you want your lights on? A little holiday cheer?

I’m missing Christmas Eve with my kids.

I know that feeling.

What did you have planned?

We usually do a Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve, and pictures of every year.

How old are your kids? 10, 7, and 3.

It's just chaos. 

Last year my daughter Sarah,  she was dressed as an angel bringing glad tidings.  She cried the whole way there, and my son kept poking everyone, including the baby Jesus, with his shepherd's crook. 

I’m so sorry you can’t be there tonight.

I can’t be in here alone for the next three months.

Well, I have some good news.

You won’t be alone, because you’re getting a roommate.

She’s 27 weeks preterm. She has no family support currently.

(Medical staff talk about the patient)

(Crying & conversation) (Audio fades into background)

Hello? 

Hi. 

I’m Nicole.

I’m Katrina.

You OK?

I don’t know. I’m too early.

How far along?

Seven months.

[sounds of sobbing]

Hi.

Where are you from? Are you alone? They flew me in, but nobody’s here.

I’m here. Got a helicopter ride, huh?

Everything’s gonna be OK. 

Where do you live? 

Fairview.

That’s three hours away.

Try to keep breathing through the contractions.

It’ll help.

You’re having your first baby. And on Christmas morning.

How great is that? 

Let's try to think about some Christmas things, joyful things. 

Do you like Christmas music?

(hums “Silent Night”)

(sings “Silent Night”)

OK, it's time.

We’re gonna move you to the delivery unit.

Then it hit me.

I had experienced something like the story of the Nativity. 

It had played out in a hospital room right before my eyes:

a young teenage girl, far from home, giving birth to her firstborn child in a strange place.

And I had played all the other parts.

I had played the innkeeper, because I wanted to turn her away.

Even though I knew the birth of her child was coming,

I wanted to say there was no room at this inn.

I played a part like the shepherds who received news that a new babe was about to be born.

I then went as they did and went to offer love and support.

Luckily, I also acted as an angel and sang—

no host of angels, but in a way still holy.

I had been given the gift of something that could remind me of the Christmas Nativity.

The Savior brought me peace in a difficult time.

Good Morning.

Nicole! Hi, I am Kammy. I'll be your nurse today!

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Rise Up Children’s Choir: “In the Bleak Midwinter”

My brothers and sisters, tonight has been amazing. We are so grateful to our very talented friends

who have been here tonight.

We do things differently at Christmastime. We make our houses look different. The music we listen to, the food and traditions we anticipate are all unique to this time of year.

We interrupt the ordinary rhythm of life to make room for something holy.

We make room for remembering, for giving,

for forgiveness, for hope, for love.

We make room for Jesus, just like those first witnesses when He was born.

The first Christmas was an interruption that made room for something more, something better.

If you could choose to have been there that night, I wonder who you would choose to be.  Would you be the tender Joseph, who approached the night with quiet care?

Would you be the gentle mother, who pondered the things of holiness in her heart?

Would you be the humble shepherds and run with the sound of good news? Or the wise men from the east, journeying far to worship.

Each of them experienced the first Christmas differently.

And their stories remind us that anyone may serve as a witness, no matter our background, education, or experience.

The young and old, the wise and the unlearned, the confident and the insecure—we can all add our voices.

Like that first choir of angels did.

Perhaps you would choose to be one of them.

Perhaps you were one of them and that is why their song echoes with such familiar delight.

Would it have been as glorious if one of them were missing?

No matter the size or style of their contribution, together they sang the song that still echoes through hearts today, a song inspired by a gift. And Christmas is a time of gifts - every kid knows that. Kids look forward to Christmas with such anticipation.

It’s usually one of the only times that we see gifts they can perhaps never attain on their own.

Because usually the more unattainable the gift is the better it seems.

Maybe that’s why adults lose the magic of Christmas sometimes - because often they can buy whatever they want, and nothing seems unobtainable in today’s world. What makes Christmas so special is the original unattainable gift. It was the giving of the most unobtainable gift of all,

the gift of a baby boy who would offer His life for all of us. giving us the unobtainable gifts of second chances, healing, hope, and life everlasting. That was the greatest of all gifts.  Sent straight from heaven.  Wrapped in swaddling clothes on that first Christmas morning. 

Tonight, I add my witness to yours.

May we all acknowledge and share our witness of the greatest gift the world has ever received.

And may that gift interrupt our lives and lead us to live differently. 

Abraham Thomas, Terrell Baker, Aitana Alapa: “O Come, All Ye Faithful”