The true meaning of CHRISTmas

painting of the Nativity by Carl Heinrich Bloch

The First Presidency Christmas Devotional occurred last night at 6pm in the Conference Center.  Among other things, President Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, "I, with you, have witnessed during the past few days and weeks what has become over the years the annual commercialization of Christmas.  I am saddened to see Christmas becoming less and less about Christ and more and more about marketing and sales, parties and presents.  And yet, Christmas is what we make of it" ("Make Christmas about Christ, LDS leader urges", Deseret News, Monday 5 December 2011, A1, A11).

What CHRISTmas is about

Holy Writ saith, "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon [the shepherds], 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" (Luke 2:9-11).  The physician of old here tells the world that Christmas is neither about Santa, Reindeer, Elves, nor shopping.  Christmas is about the Heavenly Gift given by God to the world in the Person of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, the promised Messiah.  

In another place, we read, 

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east. . . . lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:1, 9-11).

The Apostle Matthew here tells the story of the Magi who came to Jesus from the east.  Of the Magi, Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated that "it would appear they were true prophets, righteous persons like Simeon, Anna, and the shepherds, to whom Deity revealed that the promised Messiah had been born among men" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary 1:103).  It can most assuredly be assumed that these Wise Men, as they are now called, were either actual kings or of very high birth because of the costliness of the gifts they present the Child Jesus.  These gifts presented to the Babe were symbolic in nature: 1) Gold - referring to the price Jesus Christ would pay for all mankind's sins, and also an acknowledgement of His Kingship which carried the riches of eternity.  2) Frankincense - this aromatic resin, used to make perfume, has an odor which represents life; this is fitting, as Jesus announced Himself to be "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6).  3) Myrrh - symbolic of Christ's death, in that Myrrh was anciently used as an embalming agent on the body of the deceased.

"Light do a darkened world"

President Eyring stated, "The appearance of the long-promised Messiah brought light to a darkened world. . . . [God] gave us the gift of a Savior, His prefect Son, the Lamb without blemish" ("Make Christmas about Christ, LDS leader urges", Deseret News, A11).  Lastly, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf urged, "We, like the Wise Men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit" (Ibid.).

I know, as they say, Jesus is the reason for the Season.  Christ should be the light we hold to the world at this Christmas time.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

From the homepage of www.lds.org:

Left to right: President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Henry B. Eyring, and Thomas S. Monson make up the First Presidency, with Thomas S. Monson as Church President

The First Presidency invites all Church members and their friends to participate in this year’s First Presidency Christmas Devotional on December 4, 2011, whether in person or by viewing the broadcast.

The one-hour program will originate from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, at 6:00 p.m. mountain standard time.  The devotional will include a Christmas message from each member of the First Presidency and music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square.

Tickets are required for this event and have been distributed by random selection.  Those with tickets should be in their seats 30 minutes before the event start time.  Standby seating for those wishing to attend in person is available on a first-come, first-served basis.  The standby line is formed at the north gate of Temple Square.

Those wishing to watch the broadcast from their homes may access it live on various broadcast, cable, satellite, and Internet television stations and broadcast, satellite, and Internet radio stations throughout the world, including Mormon Channel HD Radio.  Check local program listings for availability in your area or visit mormonchannel.org, byubroadcasting.org, or ksl.com for more information.

The devotional will also be available online at mormonchannel.org (audio only) and LDS.org (audio and video).  Audio and video archives in multiple languages will be available on LDS.org shortly after the broadcast.

The devotional will be broadcast to meetinghouses around the world through the Church satellite system in more than four dozen languages.   For those locations with significant time differences from the live broadcast, the devotional will be rebroadcast at various times over the following two weeks.

The devotional has been scheduled early in the Christmas season so that it may be recorded for use later.  Leaders may use all or portions of the devotional with local Christmas programs.