Remember, Remember

2023 First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional

Tracy Y. Browning

Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency

Sunday, December 3, 2023

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 seems 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 is 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, l remember. I remember to give attention to trees that stay ever green, 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 that the whole of the 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 are invited to consider the miracle of “the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,”¹ who was born in humble circumstances in the city of David and “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”² 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, “rejoic[ing] with exceeding great joy”³ at the signs set before us to guide and direct our journey toward Jesus Christ, to Him who is the “light of the world.”⁴ If we catch the scent of a certain spice hanging in the air during this season, maybe it is to remind us to bring with us gifts to give to the “Son of the living God”⁵—not “gold, and frankincense, and myrrh”⁶ but a worshipful sacrifice of our “broken heart and a contrite spirit.”⁷ And to those among us who love and care for children, perhaps we are akin to present-day shepherds “keeping watch over [our] flock,”⁸ 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.⁹ 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, gold 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”¹⁰ and bear record of all that we have 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 forget 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.”¹¹ 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.¹²
The gift of the Holy Ghost.
The gift of eternal life.

And as we reflect over the length of a lifetime on big and small “good gifts” 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 are engraved on the palms of His hands.¹³ His promises 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.”¹⁴ 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.”¹⁵

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.”¹⁶

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”¹⁷ and be a peacemaker.¹⁸

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 strengthened 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.”¹⁹ 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 is by the strength of the hand of the Lord²⁰ 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”²¹ 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.