Merry Christmas, my dear brothers and sisters.
I express appreciation to the First Presidency for this
special opportunity to share my feelings about the sacred
Christmas season and the birth of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
I never tire of the messages of Christmas that began with
the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem in Judea.
Isaiah spoke of the event more than 700 years earlier:
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel." King Benjamin prophesied, "He
shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of
heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the
beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary." The
prophet Nephi heard a voice saying, "On the morrow come I
into the world.
" The next day, oceans away, the Christ child was born.
No question His mother, Mary, looked on in wonder at her
newborn son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh.
On the hills of Judea surrounding Bethlehem, Luke
tells us shepherds were abiding in their fields.
These were not common shepherds but "just and holy
men" who would bear witness of the Christ child.
"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them: and
they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, 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
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
...
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Imagine
that scene in Judea--the sky filled with the brilliance of
a magnificent star and choruses from heaven marking
the singular event.
The shepherds then went "with haste" to see the babe lying
in a manger.
And later they "made known abroad" what they had seen.
Each year at Christmas we add our witness to that of the
shepherds that Jesus Christ, the literal Son of the living
God, came to a corner of the earth in what we
call the Holy Land.
The shepherds reverently approached the stable to
worship the King of kings.
How will we worship Him this season?
Endlessly shopping?
Hustling about and adorning our homes?
Will that be our tribute to our Savior?
Or will we bring peace to troubled hearts, good will to
those in need of higher purpose, glory to God in our
willingness to do His bidding?
Jesus put it simply: "Come, [and]
follow me." The gospel of Jesus Christ, restored through
the Prophet Joseph Smith, has resonated with believers
across the world.
I have witnessed for myself the fervor of those who have
embraced His sacred word from the isles of the sea to the
enormity of Russia.
Some of our ancestors were among the early Saints who
gathered to Zion.
One woman, Hannah Last Cornaby, settled in Spanish
Fork, Utah.
In those difficult times Christmas was sometimes marked
with a precious orange or a carved toy, or perhaps only a
rag doll--but not always.
Hannah wrote of December 25, 1856: "Christmas Eve came and
my darlings, with childish faith, hung up their
stockings, wondering if [they]
would [be filled].
With aching heart, which I concealed from them, I assured
them they would not be forgotten; and they fell
asleep with joyful anticipation for the morning.
Not having a particle of sweetening, I
knew not what to do.
They must not, however, be disappointed.
I then thought of some squash in the house which I boiled
and then strained off the liquid, that, when simmered a
few hours, made a sweet syrup.
With this, and a little spice, I made gingerbread dough,
which, when cut into every conceivable variety of design,
and baked in a skillet (for I had no stove), filled their
stocking and pleased them as much as would the most fancy
confections." In between the lines of this story is an
account of a mother working through the night with not
even a stove to ease her efforts.
Yet she was committed to bring joy to her children, to
reinforce their faith, to affirm in their
home, "Happy day!
All is well!" Isn't this the message of Christmas?
President Monson teaches: "Our opportunities to give of
ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also
perishable.
There are hearts to gladden.
There are kind words to say.
There are gifts to be given." Whenever we act in concert
with the Lord--doing His bidding, lifting those around
us--we are bearing witness that He lives and that He
loves us, no matter our temporal challenges.
Another great soul in the history of the Church is
Scottish convert John Menzies Macfarlane.
He joined the Church with his widowed mother and brother,
and the three of them journeyed to
Salt Lake in 1852.
He was 18 years old.
Over the years, he became a surveyor, builder, even a
district judge, but it was his music that distinguished him.
He organized his first choir in Cedar City and took his
ensemble around southern Utah.
After a performance in St. George, Elder Erastus Snow, an
Apostle and leader of the colony, encouraged him to move
to the southern Utah community and bring his family
and music with him.
Times had been very hard in 1869, and Elder Snow asked
Brother Macfarlane to stage a Christmas program that would
lift the people's spirits.
Brother Macfarlane wanted a new and engaging musical piece
for the event.
No matter how hard he tried to compose, nothing came.
He prayed for inspiration and prayed again.
Then, one night, he woke his wife and exclaimed, "I have
the words for a song, and I think I have the music too!"
He hurried to the keyboard of their small parlor organ and
played the tune, writing it down while his wife held
before him the flickering light of a bit of flannel
floating in a bowl of grease.
The words and music flowed forth: "Far, far away on
Judea's plains, shepherds of old heard the joyous strains:
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest;
peace on earth, goodwill to men; peace on earth, goodwill
to men!" Brother Macfarlane had never been to Judea to see
that the plains were more like rocky hillsides, but the
inspired message of his music poured from his soul as a
witness of the Savior's birth in Bethlehem of Judea, a
beginning that would change the world forever.
I bear my witness that our Eternal Father lives.
His plan of happiness profoundly blesses the lives
of each of His children in all generations.
I know that His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the babe born in
Bethlehem, is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and
that dear President Thomas S. Monson is His prophet on the
earth today.
These words of praise speak truth in my ears: "Glory to
God in the highest; peace on earth, goodwill to men." In
the name of Jesus Christ, amen.