Christmas: How can I share my testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Christmas is a time to remember the birth of the Savior and renew our appreciation for the great gift of His perfect life and atoning sacrifice. In the scripture accounts of His birth, we find patterns of discipleship—from Samuel the Lamanite, who courageously prophesied of His coming, to the Nephites who looked steadfastly for the sign of His birth, to the shepherds who shared the message that the Son of God had been born, to the wise men who discerned the fulfillment of prophecy and traveled a great distance to see the King of the Jews. Like faithful Saints of old, we feel the desire to share with others our testimony of Jesus Christ and the “good tidings of great joy” that we have found in His restored gospel (Luke 2:10).

Prepare yourself spiritually

What scriptures or teachings of latter-day prophets have strengthened your testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ? How has this testimony influenced your life? When have you used these scriptures or teachings to help others strengthen their testimonies?

When have you heard the youth testify of the Savior? What can you do to inspire them to share their testimonies with others?

Prayerfully study the resources below. What do you feel will inspire the youth to bear testimony of the Savior?

Matthew 2; Luke 2 (Jesus Christ is born)

Helaman 14 (Samuel the Lamanite prophesies of the birth of Jesus Christ)

3 Nephi 1:4–22 (Nephites witness the sign of Christ’s birth)

Henry B. Eyring, “The Perfect Gift,” from the 2012 First Presidency Christmas Devotional

“The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” Ensign, Apr. 2000, 2–3.

mormon.org/christmas

Gospel Topics: “Christmas”

Videos: “He Is the Gift,” “Good Tidings of Great Joy: The Birth of Jesus Christ,” “A Savior Is Born—Christmas Video,” “The First Christmas Spirit,” “Light the World: 25 Days of Service”

First Presidency Christmas Devotionals

Teaching in the Savior’s way

The Savior used the scriptures to teach and testify about His mission. He taught people to think about scriptures for themselves and use them to find answers to their own questions. How can you help the youth recognize the powerful testimonies contained in the scriptures?

Make connections

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During the first few minutes of every class, help the youth make connections between things they are learning in various settings (such as personal study, seminary, other Church classes, or experiences with their friends). How can you help them see the relevance of the gospel in daily living? The ideas below might help you:

• Invite the youth to share how they applied what they learned in last week’s class during the week.

• Ask the youth to share how they celebrate the birth of the Savior. What traditions help them draw closer to Christ?

Learn together

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Each of the activities below will help inspire the youth to share their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Following the inspiration of the Spirit, select one or more that will work best for your class:

• Each year, members of the First Presidency and other Church leaders give addresses at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. Select a talk or song from a recent devotional to share with your class. What stories from the talk could you share with others? How do these stories help teach about the true meaning of Christmas and our Savior, Jesus Christ? Invite class members to share something they learned from the devotional talk on social media or with their family members.

• Show one of the videos suggested in this outline, and invite the youth to share with each other their thoughts and feelings about the Savior. Bear your testimony of the Savior’s divinity, and invite the youth to do the same. Encourage the youth to share one of these videos in a family home evening or on social media. In a future class, invite them to tell about their experiences sharing these messages.

• As a class, review the accounts of the Savior’s birth, both in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, by reading together some of the scriptures listed in this outline. What do the youth find in these scriptures that inspires them to share their testimonies with others, as Samuel the Lamanite and the shepherds did? What other insights do they gain? Invite the youth to ponder and discuss ways they can share their testimonies of Jesus Christ during this Christmas season.

• Sing sacred Christmas songs together, and invite the youth to talk about messages in the songs that they find inspiring. What scriptures could they share in connection with these hymns? If appropriate, you could look for opportunities to sing Christmas carols as a class for people in the community.

Ask the youth to share what they learned today. Do they feel inspired to share their testimonies of Jesus Christ with others? What feelings or impressions do they have? Do they have any additional questions? Would it be worthwhile to spend more time on this topic?

Teaching tip

“As we teach the gospel, we should humbly recognize that the Holy Ghost is the true teacher. Our privilege is to serve as instruments through whom the Holy Ghost can teach, testify, comfort, and inspire” (Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 41).

Invite to act

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Ask the youth what they feel inspired to do because of what they learned today. Encourage them to act on these feelings. Consider ways you can follow up.