The giving of gifts…
The brightly lit houses...
The sound of bells on the street corners…
I’ve always loved this time of year.
As a child I took great comfort in the closeness of family - aunts and uncles and my grandmother - who could only be given a gift when it was time to open it.
The smell of evergreens and oranges.
The crisp, cold nights. The sounds of carols being sung.
That feeling of awe and wonder.
And the anticipation…
As I grew into my teens and ventured alone into downtown Portland, I took joy in wishing everyone I met a merry Christmas.
And greater joy in hearing that wish returned. There was never a doubt that Christ had been born so many years before and we were celebrating his coming.
Now decades have past. The seasons have come and gone. The carols are still being sung. I still have family around me though I miss so many who have passed away. But the memory of the wonder we shared at Christmas still warms my heart.
Now new memories and traditions are being made.
And I take joy in seeing the wonder in the eyes of my grandchildren as they experience the warmth of family at Christmas time.
Some things in our society
have changed.
And yet one thing remains. Christ at Christmas. The story of His birth and the joy of the believers.
Not so long ago I had the privilege of serving the sisters at the Washington Correctional Center for Women. Digby Granger was the Branch President at the time and I was his counselor. It was early in December and it was decided that we should show the church video “Lamb of God.” One sister was quite moved by it and remarked on her way out after the hour, “How could you show
that at
this time of year?”
I was completely taken aback.
Why was it so hard to see the story of His life at this time of year?
Because also depicted his death?
Yes, the angels sang of good tidings of great joy at His birth.
A message to all the earth. Not just to Israel but to all the earth.
And what is the message of great joy?
“For unto you is born a Savior!”
What is to be saved? Who is to be saved? How are they to be saved?
Was this message one that was new?
Unknown to the people of Israel?
No, of course not.
550 years before the advent of Christ Nephi told his people: “Behold I say unto you, that … as the Lord … liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, … whereby man can be saved.” (2 Ne. 25:20)
How was that to be done?
Let’s go back a few years…
In the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price we can read about Adam being visited by his home teacher:
Heavenly Father gave Adam and Eve commandments, “that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.
“And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord?
“And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
And then the angel told Adam that the sacrifice he was offering was “a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, …
“Wherefore,” the angel added, “thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.” (Moses 5:5–8)
And was not Abraham was promised that “God will provide?”
That through Abraham would come a savior?
Isaiah declared:
“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: … and with his stripes we are healed.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
“He was … brought as a lamb to the slaughter. …
“He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. …
“He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isa. 53:5–8, 12)
At the beginning of the Savior’s ministry, John the Baptist exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
And the gospel writer reminds us, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up…” (John 3:14)
On this point, the resurrected Christ said to the Nephites:
“Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.
“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; … that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.
“And … whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.” (3 Ne. 27:13-16)
This is a definition of the gospel, spoken by way of summary and conclusion after the risen Christ had spent days—perhaps weeks—explaining the principles and ordinances of the gospel to the Nephites.
The gospel is the plan adopted by our Heavenly Father for accomplishing his “work and … glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
This is the plan the Lord presented to his children in the great pre-earth council.
In the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price we read:
“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
“And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, …
“And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
“And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
“And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.
“And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.
“And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.” (Abr. 3:22–28)
We were there - you and I - when the gospel plan was presented. We were among the two-thirds of God’s children who accepted the plan.
A plan that anticipated everything that has occurred or that will occur in heaven or on earth.
It provided for us to receive physical bodies in mortality, endowed with free agency. And being acted upon by good and evil, we should prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.
It anticipated Lucifer’s rebellion, the creation of this earth, the placing of Adam and Eve upon it, their partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their expulsion from the Garden, and the peopling of the earth by their posterity.
It anticipated Satan working among us, our imperfection, our temporal and spiritual death.
It anticipated the need for a Savior to conquer death, and atone for the transgression of Adam, and provide the means by which we, through repentance, might receive forgiveness for our sins and be readmitted into the presence of God.
Christ of course, was chosen to be the Savior and Redeemer. His role in Heavenly Father’s plan to bring to pass “the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39) has been revealed to men in all dispensations.
When Christ appeared to the brother of Jared He said:
“Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … In me shall all mankind have light, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.” (Ether 3:14)
In the thirty-fourth chapter of Alma we read:
"And now it came to pass that after Alma had spoken … Amulek arose and began to teach … , saying:
“Behold, I say unto you, that I … know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
“For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; … except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.
“Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be … a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
"And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal." (Alma 34:1, 8-9, 13-14)
To all this Elder Dallin H. Oakes offers these cautionary thoughts:
“The Apostle Paul wrote that we should 'work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling.' (Philip. 2:12) Could that familiar expression mean that the sum total of our own righteousness will win us salvation and exaltation? Could some of us believe that our heavenly parentage and our divine destiny allow us to pass through mortality and attain eternal life solely on our own merits?”
Elder Oakes continues:
“I believe that some of us, some of the time, say things that can create that impression. We can forget that keeping the commandments, which is necessary, is not sufficient. As Nephi said, we must labor diligently to persuade everyone 'to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.' (2 Ne. 25:23)
“Man unquestionably has impressive powers and can bring to pass great things by tireless efforts and indomitable will. But after all our obedience and good works, we cannot be saved from the effect of our sins without the grace extended by the atonement of Jesus Christ.”
And he further states:
“The Book of Mormon puts us right.
“It teaches that 'salvation doth not come by the law alone' (Mosiah 13:28); that is, salvation does not come by keeping the commandments alone. 'By the law no flesh is justified.' (2 Ne. 2:5.) Even those who serve God with their whole souls are unprofitable servants. (See Mosiah 2:21.) Man cannot earn his own salvation.
“The Book of Mormon teaches:
“'Since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself.' (Alma 22:14)
“'There can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.' (Alma 34:12; see also 2 Ne. 9:7; Alma 34:8–16)
“'Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; … he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law.' (2 Ne. 2:6–7)
"And so we 'preach of Christ … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.' (2 Ne. 25:26)"
So let us go back to the start. Can we - should we - celebrate Christmas - His birth - without also acknowledging His atoning sacrifice, His death, and His resurrection?
It is obvious that without a savior there would be no hope for us to receive the blessings promised by the gospel. And we have no hope of receiving them now unless we have faith in Jesus Christ and act upon the knowledge we receive. This is according to the gospel, which Paul said “is the power of God unto salvation.” (Rom. 1:16)
So as we celebrate this Christmas season, let us keep in mind the full meaning of what we commemorate. And that the giving of gifts at this time of year is not founded in any gift given by man but in the gift our Heavenly Father gave.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
And this is His gift to us.
Of which I testify in His holy name.
Even the name of Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
We did get the tree up. And going against tradition it was decorated by Mom - a week early. I did have some say - it had to be on the floor. Though I guess my biggest contribution was the platform I use to elevate the front tire of my bike when it's on the training stand. If you look closely at the picture the tree in is a large pot. Not completely flat on the bottom. And on carpet that's not good. So I sacrificed for the benefit of the majority. Now the tree stands straight and true. Besides it makes riding in the garage easier - I don't have to ride uphill.
