2020
Two Days and a Night: A Book of Mormon Christmas Prophecy
December 2020


Area Presidency Message

Two Days and a Night: A Book of Mormon Christmas Prophecy

“Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.” (Helaman 14:4; emphasis added)

When one asks people about their Christmas traditions, most respond with a description of how they celebrate it by having family gatherings, giving gifts (including money), eating traditional meals or comfort foods of the season, putting up decorations, etc. I remember one year when I was a child, I told my father that that Christmas had been the best one in my life. He asked why I had said that. My foolish response was, “Because I have received so many great toys that my friends will envy me.” He did not respond with words, but my father’s wise lesson was given the following years. That was the last Christmas I received that many toys and no more expensive gifts did I get thereafter. The lesson remains with me, as over time I’ve come to realize that prominently absent in my thoughts and in my foolish response was the mention of our Savior and Redeemer’s birth, His life, and His mission.

President Russell M. Nelson has said, “The true spirit of Christmas comes because of the Christ. Christmas bears His holy name, yet Jesus as the Christ is unknown by most people on this planet, where Christianity is a minority religion. That makes our responsibilities as emissaries of the Lord even more significant. We know who He is, and as His disciples, we know who we are and what we are to do. We are to bear His message to the world.”1

Samuel the Lamanite is a great example of President Nelson’s indication that we are to bear His message to the world. He “came into the land of Zarahemla and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.

But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.”2

As a valiant disciple of Jesus Christ, he went into the city and promptly found the most visible spot where he could bear the message that now was in his heart. The people would have to hear him. At that time, most Nephites in Zarahemla were in dire need of repentance. They were focused on things of the world and had forgotten God. They walked after the pride of their hearts, and they cast out prophets that the Lord sent to teach repentance so they would not perish. Samuel the Lamanite was one of many prophets sent to warn them before their destruction. He knew that if they repented, they would be saved. If they did not repent, they would perish.

To invite them to repent, Samuel the Lamanite was prompted to share signs with them. The first one had to do with the birth of Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah. He said, “Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.”3

Helaman chapter 14 speaks of other signs at the time of His birth such as great lights appearing in heaven in such a way that there would be two nights and a day shown unto them with no darkness, the rise of a new star, and many signs and wonders in heaven. A sign of His death was also given so “that ye might believe on his name . . .

“That salvation may come . . . to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.”4

President Nelson has added great insights into these Book of Mormon verses in Helaman when he said, “Jesus came to earth to do what we could not do for ourselves. He brought hope, peace, light, and understanding to a dark and ignorant world. The miracle of His Resurrection gives real meaning to His birth. The great message of Christmas is not in the birth of Jesus Christ but in His death for us. The message of Christmas would be nothing without the message of Easter. But our knowledge of the Savior and Redeemer is meaningless unless we obey Him, keep His commandments, and qualify for all the blessings that He has in store for the faithful.”5

Our family Christmas traditions now are centered primarily on the Savior’s life and ministry as we truly celebrate His birth across generations. We worship Him as a family by reading together the scriptures that teach of His birth and play-acting the Christmas story (as long as my knees can sustain the load, I am permanently cast as the donkey that carries to Bethlehem the granddaughter who plays Mary heavy with child). We sing Christmas hymns and songs, eat meals together, pray, and lastly, yes, we give each other simple gifts and toys.

Like in the Light the World campaign, we bear His message to the world as we share His gospel with family and friends in normal and natural ways. We love all of Heavenly Father’s children, and we thus serve Him and, like Samuel the Lamanite, we convey tidings of great joy to others. We share video clips of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and others that the Church has produced. We share Christmas memes and messages from living prophets. We do this so that we and others may Hear Him and come unto Him.

Notes

  1. Russell M. Nelson, “Sights, Sounds, and Significance of Christmas,” Missionary Training Center devotional, Dec. 16, 1997.

  2. Helaman 13:2–3.

  3. Helaman 14:2.

  4. Helaman 14:12, 15.

  5. Russell M. Nelson, “Sights, Sounds, and Significance of Christmas.”