Transcript
[ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING] “The First Noel”
Brothers and sisters, we welcome you to the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional.
We are grateful to be with you and to reflect upon the birth, life, and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
President Russell M. Nelson, who presides this evening, has asked that I conduct this devotional.
As a presidency, we extend our warmest greetings and sweetest Christmas wishes to each of you.
We hope you will be blessed to experience the true Spirit of this sacred season.
The music for this devotional will be provided by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square,
under the direction of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy,
with Richard Elliott at the organ.
The choir will open this meeting by singing “Joy to the World.”
The invocation will then be offered by Elder James W. McConkie III of the Seventy.
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING] “Joy to the World”
♪ ♪
♪ Joy to the world, the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King! ♪
♪ Let ev’ry heart prepare him room; And Saints and angels sing, ♪
♪ And Saints and angels sing, ♪
♪ And Saints, and Saints and angels sing. ♪
♪ Rejoice! Rejoice, when Jesus reigns and Saints their songs employ, ♪
♪ While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains ♪
♪ Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, ♪
♪ Repeat the sounding joy. ♪
♪ No more will sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; ♪
♪ He’ll come and make the blessings flow ♪
♪ Far as the curse was found Far as the curse was found, ♪
♪ Far as, far as the curse was found. ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ Rejoice! Rejoice in the Most High, While Israel spreads abroad ♪
♪ Like stars that glitter in the sky, And ever worship God, ♪
♪ And ever worship God, And ever, and ever worship God. ♪
♪ And ever, ever ♪ ♪ worship ♪ ♪ God! ♪
Our Father in Heaven, we are grateful on this wonderful occasion to be gathered together, to remember and reflect upon the birth of Thy Son.
We are grateful for the blessing of peace associated with His birth,
for the blessing of wisdom associated with His ministry,
for the transformational gift of His atoning sacrifice,
and for the hope offered by His Resurrection.
We're grateful for those who have prepared and planned this evening for us, and we are particularly grateful for the First Presidency.
We love them. We pray for them, particularly President Nelson.
On this occasion, Father, we pray that Thou wilt bless those that speak and sing and participate in any way
with a particular outpouring of Thy Spirit, that we may conclude this evening with greater faith and fidelity as disciples of Jesus Christ.
We pray these things humbly and with hope and with joy at this wonderful season. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
The choir will now favor us with “Whence is That Goodly Fragrance Flowing?”
After the singing, we will hear from Sister Tracy Y. Browning, who serves as second counselor in the Primary General Presidency.
She will be followed by Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Presidency of the Seventy
The choir will then sing “There are Angels Hovering Round.”
We will then be pleased to hear from Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
[MUSIC PLAYING] “Whence Is That Goodly Fragrance Flowing?”
♪ ♪
♪ Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing, ♪
♪ Stealing our senses all away? ♪
♪ Never the like did come ablowing, ♪
♪ Shepherds, in flowing fields in May, ♪
♪ Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing, ♪
♪ Stealing our senses all away? ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ What is that light so brilliant, breaking ♪
♪ Here in the night across our eyes? ♪
♪ Never so bright, the daystar waking, ♪
♪ Started to climb the morning skies! ♪
♪ What is that light so brilliant, breaking ♪
♪ Here in the night across our eyes? ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ Bethlehem! There, in manger lying, ♪
♪ Find your Redeemer, haste away, ♪
♪ Run ye with eager footsteps hieing! ♪
♪ Worship the Savior born today. ♪
♪ Bethlehem! There in manger lying, ♪
♪ Find your Redeemer, haste away. ♪
♪ Bethlehem! There in manger lying, ♪
♪ Find your Redeemer, haste ♪ ♪ away. ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Where I live, starting around the month of November,
nature all around me seems to go into a faded slumber.
The rustling of green leaves, once gently blowing and singing to me in the spring and summer months, gives way to barren trees and the crumbling sound of dried and fallen foliage under my feet.
Once cheerful birds fall silent and the sweet fragrance of petals and blooms seem to depart from the air.
The things in the natural world that I associate with the stimulus of life retreat for a time, and in all the quiet and all the expanse that’s left behind, as the year is thus closing, and just before I forget to remain merry, the gift of Christmas arrives.
And in my corner of God's great world, I remember.
I remember to give attention to trees that stay evergreen, casting woody, spicy, and earthy scents. I remember to look for flowers and berries that are deeply red or strikingly white,
and to listen for familiar carols carried into hearts and homes and houses of worship, proclaiming joy to the world
as I look for Christmas symbols that heaven and nature sing with me and invite me to remember.
One of the wonders of this season is that it seems the whole Christian world, and many beyond our borders, spend this duration of time purposefully looking for and filling their lives with emblems of remembrance at Christmas.
Christmas is the bridge that we travel to shepherd us into the New Year and as we make our way across, we’re invited to consider the miracle of the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who was born in humble circumstances in the city of David and wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
As we make our Christmas pilgrimage, maybe we can see ourselves as modern day wise men and women, looking perhaps at stars atop evergreen trees and lights glistening all around us, rejoicing with great joy at the signs set before us to guide and direct our journey toward Jesus Christ, to Him who is the Light of the World. If we catch the scent of a certain spice hanging in the air during the season, maybe it’s to remind us to bring with us gifts to give to the Son of the living God. Not gold and frankincense and myrrh,
but a worshipful sacrifice of our broken heart and a contrite spirit.
And to those among us who love and care for children,
perhaps we’re akin to present-day shepherds keeping watch over our flock, listening for earthly angels sent by the Lord with invitations to fear not because they come bearing directions to where our Savior may be found.
Do we not remember to whisper these good tidings of great joy into the ears of our children as a testimony,
so that when they with childlike wonder,
spy Christmas colors of reds and greens, golds and white,
they remember the perfect and pure atoning sacrifice of their Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who offers them the gift of salvation and new and eternal life.
Christmas allows us to make a spiritual journey to Bethlehem, to gain a witness for ourselves of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and then to carry that witness forward. And with tongues loosened and feet and hands ready to make it known abroad, and bear record of all that we’ve come to know concerning Him.
We can make that pilgrimage to the Savior by remembering.
God gives us the gift of remembrance, so we do not forgive the giver, so that we come to feel His limitless love for us and learn to love Him in return.
The ancient prophet Moroni exhorts us to remember that every good gift cometh of Christ. Our Savior gives gifts not as the world offers, temporary, partial, and prone to erosion over time.
Jesus Christ extends enduring gifts, even essential gifts, including gifts of the Spirit such as knowledge, wisdom, testimony, and faith, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of eternal life.
And as we reflect over the length of a lifetime on big and small, good gifts that we that have come into our lives, can we see the hand of the Lord rescuing us, reinforcing us, and providing us with relief?
While at times our minds and hearts may wander and wane from Him, His constancy assures us that the Lord does not forget us
at Christmas or any other time.
The Lord has proclaimed that we’re engraved on the palms of His hands.
His promises are kept, are always kept. He remembers the covenants He made with us and with our fathers. He hears and remembers our prayers to Heavenly Father. Whether we take to our knees or plead from our closets or hold petitions in our hearts, He remembers, as President Russell M. Nelson has taught, to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him.
He remembers to forgive us as many times as we repent.
He remembers to speak to us through scripture and prophets to help us always find our way back home, no matter how far away we've strayed and for how long.
And He remembers to send His spirit to still strive with us when we make efforts to keep our sacred promise to always remember Him.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught, When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, it could be “remember.” Because all of you have made covenants, our greatest need is to remember. He continues, That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day, to take the sacrament and to listen to the priests pray that they may always remember Him and keep His commandments which He has given them. “Remember” is the word. “Remember” is the program. Remembering God inspires us to ignite the power of our spiritual momentum and invites us to act in godly ways.
Consider these teachings that President Nelson has invited us to remember.
Let God prevail in your life and give Him a fair share of your time.
Seek and expect miracles. End conflict in your life and be a peacemaker.
Christmas can be an opportunity to act on these invitations and draw liberally on our natural inclinations to remember to think of Jesus Christ more.
Be receptive to reflecting on the miracle of His birth, and feeling and acting upon a greater sense of fellowship with God's children.
The emblems of remembrance that are characteristic of the Christmas season are often recognized as we remember to convey Christmas greetings to friends, family, and strangers. Remember to give gifts as expressions of love.
Remember to be generous to those in need and hospitable to those who enter our homes.
Remember to emphasize the importance of family gatherings and traditions that make Christmas different and distinct.
For many during this time of year,
our deep love of preparing the same meals, retelling consistent family stories, and decorating our Christmas trees with ornaments that we display each year are significant activities that preserve our natural desire to remember experiences that are important to us.
Special meals, certain stories, and holiday trimmings can serve as mementos for our collected memories.
Even our strength and desire to be more charitable at this time of year can call attention to our intention to remember to be grateful.
The special kind of love that attends us with the arrival of Christmas is also an opportunity set before us to center our aspirations and our actions on Jesus Christ. Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation.
Remember that as we come to the close of one year, and we make the journey across the bridge into the new, as wise men and wise women, as watchful shepherds, that it's by the strength of the hand of the Lord that we do so.
So wherever you live in the world, remember to pay attention to the variety of symbols that invite you to look for Christ. In all that we give emphasis to at this time of year, with every greeting we convey for every person we bear in mind,
let us not fail to remember the true giver, He who never forgets us and gives us power to remember Him through His Spirit at Christmastime and all the time.
He brings joy to the world and invites our hearts to prepare Him room to receive our King.
He is the sure foundation upon which we travel.
He is the Light of the World and the Son of the living God.
I do testify in His name, even Jesus Christ, amen.
I love Christmas. The scriptural account,
the music, and the feelings of goodwill and generosity seem to flood much of the earth during this sacred time.
Over the years, my wife and I have been in several countries during the Christmas season. We have loved seeing the various customs and different ways Christmas is celebrated.
Thinking about these experiences helped me realize that Christmas is for everyone. It is for children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It is for people whose lives are running smoothly
and for those living with illness, poverty, and trials.
It is for those afflicted with the horrors of war and for those who live in peaceful, prosperous circumstances.
It is for those who are trying to follow the Savior,
for those who have never heard His name, and even for those who reject Him.
It is also for those who lived before He was born. Christmas is for everyone.
Christmas is for everyone because God sent His Son for all of us and for each of us. For unto us a child is born.
Because the Savior was born, lived a sinless life, atoned for us, and was resurrected, each of us receives the great gift of Resurrection from the dead.
Not one soul who ever lived on the earth is deprived of this remarkable gift.
In addition to this gift, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
No matter the time period or the circumstances,
the birth of the Savior has always been a reason to rejoice.
He came to offer each of Heavenly Father’s children peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.
Since the time of Adam and Eve, righteous people have looked to the birth of the Savior, who makes possible the fulfillment of the Father’s plan for His children.
Isaiah and Nephi prophesied of His birth in the context of His mission.
His birth can’t be separated from the reason He came to Earth.
Think of Anna and Simeon,
who saw the baby Jesus and realized that this baby was a light to lighten the whole world and the hope for redemption.
No wonder the angel designated the message, good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. We rejoice when any baby is born.
But this birth and this baby were different. Jesus Christ, the very Light and Life of the World, was born a tiny baby in a lowly stable, yet a new star signaled His birth.
The Book of Mormon tells of a dramatic event, a day, a night, and a day with no darkness, which signaled His coming.
These miraculous signs were given to herald the advent of the Light of the World, who would deliver us from the darkness of sin and death.
We can help share His light with the world. At Christmastime,
even small children can feel the influence and effect of our Savior's love.
A number of years ago, one of our daughters, Sonja, wrote about a conversation she had with her five-year-old son.
She wrote, Andrew said to me tonight as I was putting him to bed, next year I’m going to not focus so much on the presents, but I'm going to focus on what I'm giving to Jesus.
I asked him where he got such an idea,
and he told me from his Primary teacher. Hooray for Primary. End quote. Yes! Hooray for primary! Now, 14 years later, Andrew is serving a mission and spending this Christmas season giving the message of Jesus Christ to others.
He recently wrote, Jesus has given us everything and will take all our sins.
That's why I'm here on a mission.
The Christmas season is a special time to think of what is most important to give. We may be able to help others sense the thrill of hope that results from coming to know the Savior and offering our hearts to Him.
Our daughter Alisa passed away from cancer several years ago,
and I love her perspective about Christmas, even as she faced a grim health prognosis. One year, she wrote,
I did get a surprise for Christmas, a huge one.
I got an email right before Christmas from the nurse at my oncologist office.
He said, Merry Christmas.
Your tumor tested positive for a specific genetic mutation.
What does that mean for me?
They approved a medication that interferes with the signaling pathways of the cancer cell for some who have that mutation.
It is not a cure, but a miraculous drug that can shrink tumors quickly.
Unfortunately, eventually, the body finds a way around it and the cancer comes back.
But I felt like someone just handed me months of extra life.
And what could that be? An extra summer? Another holiday season with my babies?
I cried when I opened the email and thanked God for the best surprise I've ever had.
At least I did get more precious time with her family.
She shared an experience their family had while delivering an anonymous Christmas gift to a neighbor.
It illustrates that every detail of our gift giving may not always be perfect.
She wrote, We dropped off a secret present the other night.
The boys planned out their best getaway moves and hiding places,
but just in case they see us, Sam said seriously, and the other two leaned in nervously,
we better have some snowballs in our hands. James got it. Okay, right. To hit the door to swing it shut? No, Sam replied. We go for their face.
End quote. Alisa shared a more tender exchange with her youngest son, Luke, who was just six years old at the time. She wrote,
So tonight, as we were laying in his bed,
illuminated by the colored string of lights above his window, I asked him, well, what do you want to ask for? Well, I can think of something.
Oh, it can be used in all the seasons. Oh. Dramatic pause.
A hug and kiss from mommy. That deserved 100 tiny kisses and great big bear hugs on the spot. Silly Luke. You can have that any old time.
But as I walked out the door, my heart sunk a little.
I guess that may not necessarily be true.
I feel very grateful that this year he can have that and presents, too. End of quote.
I was particularly struck by Alisa’s thoughts about hope surrounding Christmas. She wrote, I have been fascinated with hope this season.
As I think about the miracle of Christ and the many gifts of God, I feel hope for everything and everyone.
Not necessarily the kind of hope that everything will be perfect,
but that everything will be okay and eventually goodness prevail.
In all our lives, I don’t think it’s ever too late for miracles, for change,
for peace. I really believe that deep down inside and all over.
I will admit it seems easier to feel this hope for others. Harder to apply it to myself. But I am learning.
Believe all things, hope all things. Endure all things. Simple. Beautiful.
Speaking of her son, she continued, James on Christmas Eve playing for me a Christmas song and I love the words to this song.
Good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice.
Now you need not fear the grave. Peace, peace. Jesus Christ was born to save.
Calls you one and calls you all to gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save. End quote.
He was born to save. To save you and to save me.
What an incomparable gift that can only be given by Him.
No matter our current circumstances,
may we more fully sense His gifts in our lives this Christmas season. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[MUSIC PLAYING] “There Are Angels Hov’ring Round”
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ There are angels hov’ring round, ♪
♪ There are angels hov’ring round, ♪
♪ There are angels, ♪ ♪ angels hov’ring ♪ ♪ round. ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ All heav’n is full of joy, ♪
♪ All heav’n is full of joy, ♪
♪ All heav’n, ♪ ♪ heav’n is full ♪ ♪ of joy. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Come children trust him now, ♪
♪ Come children trust him now, ♪
♪ Come children, ♪ ♪ children trust ♪ ♪ him now. ♪
♪ For Jesus loves to save, ♪
♪ For Jesus loves to save, ♪
♪ For Jesus, ♪
♪ Jesus loves ♪ ♪ to save. ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ There is glory all around, ♪
♪ There is glory all around, ♪
♪ There is glory, ♪
♪ glory all ♪ ♪ around. ♪
♪ There is glory, ♪ ♪ Come children, ♪ ♪ There are angels, ♪
♪ angels ♪ ♪ hov’ring ♪ ♪ round. ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ All ♪ ♪ around. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Dear brothers and sisters, Merry Christmas.
We're grateful to gather with our dear First Presidency in this Christmas devotional. Wherever you are this Christmas season,
may you feel God’s love as we celebrate Jesus Christ as the heart of Christmas. Christmas is a time of music, smells, and tastes;
anticipation and generosity;
a time of gathering, whether we live near or far. Often, Christmas becomes Christmas when we quietly bring Christmas joy to others.
Many families sub for Santa.
Many individuals light the world with the light of Jesus Christ.
A Christmas memory recalled is a Christmas memory made anew.
Layered over time, Christmas memories become traditions which can deepen our love for Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the Son of the Eternal Father, the Savior of the world. If you have favorite Christmas memories,
may you joyfully savor them this season.
If you're still creating your Christmas traditions,
may they deepen your love for Jesus Christ and bless you each year.
May I share three favorite Gong family Christmas traditions? First, each year,
Sister Gong and I love seeing again the Christmas ornaments which tell our family story. As a young married couple,
Sister Gong and I attended graduate school in England.
We lived in a small apartment on a tight student budget.
We counted our pennies before buying a scraggly little Christmas tree
even Charlie Brown would have felt sorry for.
Always creative, Sister Gong used clothes pins to make little British soldier ornaments for our Christmas tree.
She gave each one a black wooly hat and a smile.
For 43 years, these clothespin British soldiers have stood at attention on our Christmas tree. They remind us of our first merry Christmas,
far from home, and each succeeding Christmas.
Our son's family made these clothespin meeples.
They depict missionaries around the world. Can you see their smiles?
International dress, their name badges?
I'm told one was made to look like me.
Our Christmas ornaments renew warm memories of friends and experiences in many places.
The happy, eclectic parade of Christmas memories each year makes us smile.
The prophet Alma testifies the earth moving in regular form denotes there is a God.
Christmas marks a familiar point in the earth’s 365.25-day yearly circling of the sun.
As this annual rotation returns us to a treasured Christmas season each year,
I think of what author E. B. White wrote about “The Ring of Time.”
He suggests that only with experience do we understand time does not really move in a circle at all. The ring of time may seem “perfectly formed, changeless, predictable, without beginning or end.” But only when we are young do we imagine we can make a complete circle and end no older than we began. For me,
my coming to each Christmas somehow the same and somehow different hints at how time and space can be simultaneously linear and circular.
Our “strait and narrow path” and “one eternal round” can be complementary descriptions of a covenant reality centered in a Christ child born in Bethlehem.
In this way for me, part of the magic of Christmas is to be a child and an adult at the same time.
We delight as an adult in what now delights the child we once were.
We delight with the child as we create and recreate memories and traditions together. A second favorite Gong family Christmas tradition is to display our family creches, or nativities—depictions of the birth of the holy Christ child.
Don’t you love how nativities focus on Jesus Christ, inviting us to do the same? As a recently returned missionary said, Before my mission, Jesus Christ was part of my life. Now He is my life.
Our family's creches come in every imaginable size and setting, made from every imaginable material, from every imaginable place.
Each creche witnesses Jesus Christ in his blessing, every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people. We love that God's children everywhere depict the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, shepherds, and animals with settings, features, and details that are familiar, relatable. These creches remind us God loves all His children.
We see God’s love in the features of our creches and nativities, wherever they come from. A third favorite Gong family tradition,
in addition to reading together the scriptural accounts of our Savior’s birth, is to read Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” aloud as a family.
I put on a scarf
and a top hat. Can you imagine me for just a moment as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol?
Some years our family reads “A Christmas Carol” from start to finish.
We stir our hot chocolate with candy canes and laugh at references to “Norfolk biffins” and “smoking bishop.”
We shiver as Jacob Marley's ghost clanks his chains.
We are heartened as the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future help Ebenezer Scrooge become a new man.
Some years, our family reads a shortened version of “A Christmas Carol,”
abridged by our daughter-in-law and son to fit the shorter attention spans of younger family members.
And some years, with smiles and good humor, our family reads the bumper sticker Christmas Carol.
It contains only two lines: “Bah humbug” and “God bless us, everyone.”
Charles Dickens began writing “A Christmas Carol” in October and finished in early December 1843, a period of only six weeks.
The first run of 6000 copies was published in London on December 19, 1843. It sold out by Christmas Eve.
Those documenting the background of A Christmas Carol explained Charles Dickens was writing at a time when Victorian England was reconsidering the meaning of Christmas.
What role could or should a Christmas season,
Christmas trees, Christmas greetings, Christmas family gatherings, Christmas cards, even Christmas carols play in society?
At a time when many felt unsettled, isolated and lonely,
Dickens’s Christmas Carol addressed the deep yearning for friendship, love, and anchoring Christian values, just as Ebenezer Scrooge found peace and healing in his past, present, and future. Then, as now,
the true meaning of Christmas draws us closer to Jesus Christ,
born as a babe in a manger.
Jesus Christ knows according to the flesh how to succor us with bowels filled with mercy. Then, as now,
Christmas celebrates covenant belonging, communion and community, in Jesus Christ and each other.
Here, let me ask a different Christmas Carol question. Why, when we think of Scrooge, do we think primarily of a grumpy old miser,
someone who scoffs at Christmas as a big, well, humbug?
Why don't we acknowledge more the new Scrooge,
the new Scrooge who generously sends the prize turkey as a Christmas surprise, the new Scrooge who reconciles with his cheerful nephew Freddy. The new Scrooge who raises Bob Cratchit’s salary and cares for Tiny Tim. Let the skeptics scoff. The new Scrooge did it all, and infinitely more. He became as good a man and as good a friend as the good old world knew.
So why don’t we remember that Mr. Scrooge? Are there those around us,
perhaps we ourselves, who could be a different person, if only we would stop typecasting or stereotyping them as their old self?
No person and no family is perfect. We each have foibles and faults, things we wish to do better. This Christmas,
perhaps we can receive and offer Jesus Christ’s precious gifts of change and repentance, of forgiving and forgetting, of
giving those gifts to each other and ourselves.
Let us make peace with the past year.
Let go of the emotional angst and noise, the frictions and annoyances that clutter our lives.
May we grant each other our new possibilities instead of fixating on our past limitations. Let's give the new Scrooge in each of us
a chance to change. Our Savior came at Christmas to liberate the captives and not only those in prison. He can free us from the ghosts of our past,
unshackle us from the regrets of our and other sins.
He can redeem us from our self-centered selves through rebirth in Him.
For unto us—for unto you—is unto each of us is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
So, merry Christmas. May your Christmas traditions and memories be merry and bright. May we rejoice in Jesus Christ at Christmas and every day.
I joyfully testify of Him in His sacred and holy name, Jesus Christ, amen.
We express appreciation to the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the beautiful Christmas music that has filled our hearts.
We likewise give thanks to our speakers this evening,
and recognize the efforts of all others who have assisted in any way to make this Christmas devotional an inspirational experience for all of us. As we enter this sacred season, we pray that you will be blessed with peace in your hearts and love for those around you. May you feel the love of the Savior in your life
and know that His hand is ever stretched out still.
The choir will now favor us with “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
We will then view a Christmas message previously recorded by our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.
Following President Nelson's remarks, the choir will close this meeting by singing “Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah. The benediction will then be offered by President Steven J. Lund, who serves as Young Men General President.
♪ Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! ♪
♪ Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem. ♪
♪ Come and behold him, born the King of angels; ♪
♪ Oh, come, let us adore him; Oh, come, let us adore him; ♪
♪ Oh, come, let us adore him, ♪
♪ Christ, the Lord! ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; ♪
♪ Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above! ♪
♪ Glory to God; glory in the highest; ♪
♪ Oh, come, let us adore Him; Oh, come, let us adore Him; ♪
♪ Oh, come, let us adore Him, ♪ ♪ Christ, the Lord! ♪
[ORGAN AND ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ ♪
♪ Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; ♪
♪ Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n. ♪
♪ Son of the Father, now in flesh appearing; ♪
♪ Oh, come, let us adore Him; Oh, come, let us adore Him; ♪
♪ Oh, come, let us adore Him, ♪
♪ Christ, the Lord! ♪
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ Oh, come, let us adore Him, ♪
♪ Christ, ♪ ♪ the Lord! ♪
♪ Christ, the Lord! ♪
♪ ♪
My dear brothers and sisters,
what a joy it is to commence another Christmas season when we commemorate the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a sacred event every time a child is born.
Watch the reaction of one of our great-grandsons as he holds his baby brother for the first time.
It is no wonder that on that most holy night more than 2000 years ago, near the little town of Bethlehem, heavenly hosts sang for joy.
An angel taught shepherds this magnificent truth.
Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord.
And now, my dear brothers and sisters, come, let us adore Him.
As with many of you, Christmas has changed for me over the years.
My childhood memories are etched on the backdrop of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Money was scarce.
Gifts were particularly precious.
My parents made Christmas magical for me and my siblings.
Each year we became a sub for Santa family, for another family.
We prepared appropriate gifts and delivered them on Christmas Eve.
As we drove away from their home, their waving hands and tearful faces
brought us the true joy of giving.
I love the music of Christmas then and still do.
Every year, Sister Nelson and I love listening to and singing along with Handel's Messiah.
Words sung in this oratorio not only apply to the birth of the Lord,
but to His millennial reign.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon His shoulder.
And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
It was during my young adult years that I began to gain a deep testimony of God the Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
I came to know for myself that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary,
who was a precious and chosen vessel.
I knew that He really is the Son of God
and the central figure in all human history.
Just think about the incomprehensible magnitude of what Jesus Christ accomplished, all according to the will of His father.
Jesus was already a God when He condescended to come to earth
to complete the most crucial feat for each of us,
a feat that was literally life saving and life changing.
A feat that not one of us could do for ourselves.
The Savior suffered pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind
so that He would know according to the flesh how to succor us according to our infirmities.
During the past few months, I have learned a lot more about pain
and its refining influence. My heart has been drawn out to our Savior
as I have tried to imagine the extent of His suffering.
My mortal mind simply cannot comprehend how He took upon Himself all of the pains, all the sins, all of the anguish, and all the afflictions of everyone who has ever lived.
In the most supreme act of compassion that defies mortal understanding or description, the Savior submitted Himself to unparalleled spiritual and physical agony.
We revere the babe of Bethlehem precisely because He later offered
the incomprehensible, infinite sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane
and on the cross of Calvary.
This offering redeems each of us as we choose to repent and follow Him.
Then, as His crowning act on Earth, He rose from the tomb on the third day,
granting each one of us the unprecedented blessing
of Resurrection and life after death.
At this season, we often happily sing or say, We wish you a merry Christmas.
My dear brothers and sisters, the wish of my heart for each of you tonight
has several components. Actually, it is not my wish for you.
It is my prayer for you at this sacred Christmastime.
First, I pray that you will feel that deep, eternal love our Savior has for you personally.
Jesus Christ has known you since the premortal realm.
He knows and sees you now. He sees your joy and your sorrows.
He has experienced each of them.
He has perfect compassion for your struggles
and rejoices every time you press forward in righteousness,
during good times and bad.
I pray that you will gain your own personal witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He is filled with godly power,
and that because of His grand atoning sacrifice, you never need to feel that you must face life’s difficult challenges alone.
As you earnestly ask, seek, and knock,
you have constant access to His power to help you, to strengthen you,
and to heal you.
I pray that you will take full advantage of the Savior’s Atonement by repenting daily,
making your life increasingly pure, and seeking heavenly guidance
in all that you do. In other words,
I pray for you to experience the joy of always thinking celestial.
I also pray that you will use this holiday season to begin a season of even greater personal worship.
Begin anew to study the teachings and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
No one on this earth loves you as much as He does.
No one here understands you better
or really knows your sorrows and weaknesses.
No one on earth has the power that Jesus Christ has.
No one here is more eager for you to become everything you can become.
No one pleads with the Father on your behalf as He does.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer. He is the Son of God,
the Holy One of Israel. He is the Anointed One.
Under direction of the Father, He is the Creator of all that has been created.
Jesus Christ was the great Jehovah, God of the Old Testament. He was the promised Emmanuel. He is our great Exemplar and our Advocate with the Father. Because of His restored gospel, all the blessings of His priesthood are available to all mankind
if they come unto Him and are perfected in Him.
Brothers and sisters, let us live in the spirit of hallelujah,
ever praising the Lord God, Jehovah. At this glorious Christmas season, come,
let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. I know that God lives.
Jesus is the Christ. This is His Church.
He directs the ongoing Restoration of His gospel.
Of this I testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[MUSIC PLAYING] “Hallelujah!”
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! ♪
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! ♪
♪ For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. ♪
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah! ♪
♪ For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. ♪
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah! ♪
♪ For the Lord God - Hallelujah, Hallelujah! ♪ ♪ Omnipotent reigneth. - Hallelujah, Hallelujah! ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! - For the Lord God ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! - Omnipotent reigneth. ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! - For the Lord God ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah! - Omnipotent reigneth. ♪
♪ Hallelujah! ♪
♪ The kingdom of this world ♪
♪ Is become the Kingdom of the Lord, ♪
♪ And of His Christ; ♪
♪ And of His Christ; ♪
♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪
♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪ ♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪ ♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪ ♪ King of Kings, forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪ ♪ And Lord of Lords, forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪
♪ King of Kings, forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪ ♪ And Lord of Lords, forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪ ♪ King of Kings, forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪ ♪ And Lord of Lords ♪ ♪ King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. ♪ ♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪ ♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪
♪ King of Kings, - Forever and ever. ♪
♪ And Lord of Lords. - Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪
♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪
♪ King of Kings, And Lord of Lords. ♪
♪ King of Kings, And Lord of Lords. ♪
♪ And He shall reign forever and ever. ♪
♪ Forever and ever, forever and ever. ♪ ♪ Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪
♪ Hallelujah! ♪
Our Father in Heaven, we come before Thee tonight.
Filled with love of Thee
and the love of Thy Son, whom Thou hast sent,
grateful to be gathered as we are gathered, though scattered across this wide world
in reverence for the gift of Thy Son. We
pray that we might ever be worthy to live on this earth at a time when
special witnesses, prophets and seers and revelators are here to witness of Him and to guide our
thinking and worship and
covenant making and gathering around His principles and His love and His gospel. We pray that we may ever be worthy. We thank Thee,
our Heavenly Father, for a prophet, who reminds us even this very evening
of who He is at the center of our worship,
and that the center of all of our hope.
We pray for His peace in this world,
and pray for His peace in our own hearts. In the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.