Elder Neal A. Maxwell on Christmas

For some neat perspective on Christmas, here are some great quotes from the Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book:

He before whom a few gifts were laid in that lowly manger has spread so many gifts before us, thereby providing an unending Christmas. In fact, from Him for whom there was no room at the inn there comes to the faithful so many blessings “that there shall not be room enough to receive [them]”! (Malachi 3:10) (The Christmas Scene, p5, as quoted on p45)

God’s gifts, unlike seasonal gifts, are eternal and unperishable, constituting a continuing Christmas which is never over! These infinite gifts are made possible by the “infinite atonement.” (The Christmas Scene, p4, as quoted on p44)

The larger Christmas story is clearly not over. It is not solely about some other time, some other place, and some other people. It is still unfolding, and we are in it!” (The Christmas Scene, p11, as quoted on 45)

Yes, we still wish Christmas were more deeply felt and lasted longer, but the visibly increased goodwill nevertheless reminds us, if only briefly, of what could be everlastingly. For a few days, the first and second commandments are more pondered and observed. (The Christmas Scene, p2, as quoted on p44)

I love that perspective that God's gifts continue like an unending Christmas and that the goodwill and kindness we see in the season shows us a brief picture of heaven.

I recommend reading these to your family at the end of Christmas day.

Good tidings to ALL people

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I was reading through the story of the Nativity in Luke 2 recently, and I was struck by these verses as the angel speaks to the shepherds:

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

Even though Jesus Christ was born in Israel at a specific time in history, I love that the angel says that the good tidings are not just for Israel, but for ALL people.  EVERYONE has reason to rejoice, whether they believe or not, because Christ overcame death, and all will benefit from the gift of the resurrection. 

Everyone gets to decide what they do with this gift of resurrection, what they want to spend their life in eternity on.  Christ helps those who want to use that gift for the greatest purpose.  That takes preparation and progression and change, and we can’t do it without His help.

Everyone has reason to rejoice, whether they were born thousands of years before Christ, or thousands of years after.

With Christ, carnality and decay can’t win.

With Christ, this life is not the end.

With Christ, this life has meaning, even in struggle and pain.

When an angel says a Savior is born, what are you going to do?

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 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.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11)

We may have known kids that were live wires or extraordinary in some way, children that made us wonder and anticipate the mark they would make on the world. And some of you who are older may have had the experience of finding these hopes and expectations were not realized. Or we may see kids with troubled childhoods or teenage years who eventually made good in a way far beyond our expectations. (I know of at least one of the girls from my home ward growing up who had a rather rebellious teenage time, but who straightened up later. I was startled to hear she had a career, got married, had kids, and was made a Relief Society president.)

So with that in mind, if we were the shepherds in the Christmas story, what meaning might we assign to this angel announcement that this particular child born in Bethlehem is a Savior, the Messiah, the Christ, the Annointed One?  And too, this child is pointed out to our notice before he is even old enough to know there is anything to be saved from.

It is really going to depend on our faith.  (Remember, without faith, Laman and Lemuel dismissed the words of an angel to them, and they went right back into their fear of Laban and reluctance to get the plates.)  Without faith, the shepherds might have eventually dismissed the child as just another child, one for whom others had high hopes, but who wasn’t going to live up to them.  Such a child could be safely ignored because he would be swallowed up by the anonymity of history and never be heard of again.

Ah! But with faith, once the Savior has been pointed out to you, you would keep a very careful eye on that child and watch with wonder and great anticipation. Any time you hear of something neat that child has done, you hug yourself and do a little happy dance and elbow your believing neighbors and have little excited conversations with them because you just know he is going to bring salvation and you can’t wait to see it!

But of course, it also depends on what kind of salvation you expect from this Savior. If you’re expecting a military salvation immediately, you might start to be disappointed if the child doesn’t show any signs of fighting prowess or an affinity for military strategy. But if you’re looking for salvation from sin, then signs of goodness and long-suffering and kindness in him and extraordinary changes of character in those around him are going to be very encouraging.

I think the heavenly announcement of the Savior’s identity so early in His life gave faithful people both a test of their faith that would have the eventual reward during Jesus’ ministry if they could believe in Him to salvation from their sins.

For us in the church today, we still have much to look forward to.  We’ve had the benefit of 185 years of Restored-church history and revelations showing us that Christ is very much involved in preparing the world for His return in glory.  But of course, our faith and our expectations will determine how we interpret those things, whether we fight it because we thought it was supposed to be different, or whether we dismiss it out of hand, or whether we see its divine origin and guidance and rejoice with every sign of progress.

Handel’s Messiah and the Christmas Spirit

Handel’s Messiah has been deeply imbedded in my consciousness since I was very young.  On Sundays my parents would play recordings of the Mormon Tabernacle choir singing the Messiah through most of the years of growing up.  Its melodies and classical sound brought peace and serenity to our loud and rambunctious family.   

Naturally, after all this exposure to the Messiah, when a ward we were in announced there would be a stake Messiah sing-along, I jumped at the chance to go participate.  I figured that after all my years of hearing it, I should easily be able to sing along with the songs.  

Ha. Ha.  To my surprise, it was harder than I thought.  Much harder, in fact.  All the weaving in and out of melody motifs made it hard for me to pick out my part.  I was inclined to sing along with every part rather than stick with just one.  But I did learn one thing—that I loved trying to sing along for reals and I wanted to do it more.  The itch had taken hold.

Another few years and our next stake announced a stake choir practicing the Messiah, I jumped at the chance to participate in the choir.  The music was tricky, but it was such a rush to learn my part, to sing those phrases.

For unto us a child is born…

And the glory, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed..

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest…

Worthy is the Lamb…

Hallelujah!

But even more than the pleasure of singing those songs in a choir was the blessing of having the music loop through my head outside of practices.  It really made the Christmas season more beautiful and meaningful in the middle of all the hurry and hustle of holiday preparations. 

The member of the church who organized those Messiah choirs must have gotten a lot of positive feedback from everyone because he continued to organize Messiah choir performances at Christmas a number of years afterward, until he passed away unexpectedly.  (Brother Marshall, we miss you!)  Each year I participated as long as we remained in that stake. 

When BYU put out a documentary about the story of Handel’s Messiah I very much enjoyed it.

For a few years, however, I haven’t had a Messiah choir to be in, so this year I decided to take up the challenge of learning to play the Messiah accompaniment on the piano.  And once again, I am reveling in the blessing of having the music loop through my mind, reminding me of the Savior and His birth and mission and ultimate triumph.  During Thanksgiving I played the Hallelujah chorus (fluidly, yet still rather badly) for some of my siblings to sing along.  I will probably take the music with me for Christmas to play for my whole family to see if they want to try bashing through it a bit.  Maybe I can make it a family tradition.

One of the Messiah's wonderful features is how it is composed entirely of quoted scripture. This means that I can be reading in the scriptures and run across words that were written into the Messiah and immediately have its sacred music come to mind. Super-awesome.

Another thing I love about it is that in so many instances, the music was written to compliment the message of its text. The music accompaniment that sharply punctuates "Surely he hath borne our griefs" feels as though it is the falling lash or the beating that Christ received in connection with his trial and condemnation. There is the distinct crash and tinkle of broken pottery in "Thou shalt break them," and when when we are told that "Every valley shall be exalted," the music soars up an octave on "exalted."  And let's not forget the way the melody motif wanders and scatters seemingly in all directions when "All we like sheep have gone astray." 

What about you? Do you have a personal connection to Handel’s Messiah?  If you don't, try playing it during this Christmas season and see if it doesn't bring more of the Christmas Spirit into your life.

The Star of Bethlehem: Prophesied of?

In Sunday school a few weeks ago we talked about the story of the wise men seeing the star and coming to Israel from the east.  I love this verse containing their question of Herod:

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (Matt 2:2)

This is fascinating because it implies these wise men 1) have been watching the skies and know the stars well, 2) they know when an unusual star appears, 3) they know what the new star means, 4) they know generally where to go to find this king of the Jews and they seem to think everyone in Israel (most especially the current king) should know all about it and be able to give directions.

In Sunday school, someone mentioned that this prophecy of the star isn’t in our scriptures.  This intrigued me, so I went looking. 

And actually…

It is there, in a place totally unexpected.  Would you believe the prophet Balaam?

15 ¶And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (Numbers 24: 15-17)

It is interesting that this prophecy doesn’t seem to speak literally; rather it uses parallelism to communicate that the Messiah would be a great light and ruler, and it combines in second coming prophecy of the destruction of the wicked.  But it was also literally fulfilled, as a star did arise.

Also, you can see why Herod would be worried.  If the wise men quoted the prophecy to him with its context, he would be concerned about the bits telling about smiting and destroying and ruling because not only would he feel in the way, but he’d worry about the plunging of his kingdom into war with its neighbors, which is also implied.

Now, we don’t know if this was the only scriptural reference to the star that the wise men had.  They may have had other scriptures we know nothing about.  They may have had angelic visitors telling them to watch for that sign, much as the shepherds had an angelic visitor telling them to look for a baby in swaddling clothes in a manger, or as Samuel the Lamanite had an angel tell him to look for the day and the night and a day with no night and a new star.

However, if all they had was that one reference in Numbers, then part of what made them so wise was their belief in what this prophet said, to the extent that they watched and studied the skies.  Part of their wisdom (which looks a lot like the spirit of prophecy) lay in being able to truly discern a literal prophecy in what looks very much like symbolic figurative language.

Thoughts on Mary and Zacharias’s experience with Gabriel

I had a few thoughts about the stories of Mary and Zacharias in Luke 1 during the Sunday school lesson this last week.

When we talked about the story of the Annunciation, when Gabriel came to announce to Mary that she would conceive, I asked myself the question, “What does it tell us about the character of God that He sends a messenger to tell Mary ahead of time that she will conceive instead of just making it happen without any warning?”

It was an intriguing question and I came up with a few answers.

I think it tells us the Lord wanted her to understand the significance of what was going to happen and wanted to prepare her.  There is also in her submissive response the suggestion that she saw it as an implied request for permission, which permission she gave.

Just to pursue for a second that idea of asking permission, this suggests that the Lord was respecting Mary’s agency.   But then we have to wonder what the Lord would have done if Mary had refused.  The Lord’s plans are not frustrated, so He would have a backup plan ready.

Who was Mary’s backup?  It would have to be a woman named Mary, also of the house of David, for Old Testament and Book of Mormon prophesies to be fulfilled.

Oddly enough, it seems Mary had a sister also named Mary (which is rather weird), but it could have been a half sister.  “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene (Luke 19:25).  Of course, this is a bit speculative and depends upon how you interpret the meaning of that comma, whether it attaches “Mary the wife of Cleophas” to “his mother’s sister” or whether it continues the list with more people.  Still, I think it highly likely that the Lord had a backup in place in case Mary chose to refuse.

A point was made in the lesson that I hadn’t thought of before.  It is likely that Mary wasn’t so very popular among her peers because of her righteousness and it would have been startling to her to be told she was highly favored among women, thus her troubled feelings at the greeting, and thus the need for Gabriel to clarify that she was favored of God.  I think the experience she had standing strong against the temptation to seek for the world’s favor would have been important to her development for when she would find herself in a position that would look wrong, but be okay—pregnant, yet not having known a man.   It takes a spiritually strong person to stay faithful while everyone around them thinks they have done a very wrong thing when they haven’t.

Moving on to the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth..

The case of Zacharias and Elizabeth is interesting as well.  They were barren, and both well stricken in years, implying Elizabeth is into menopause.

The angel Gabriel, when he comes to tell Zacharias he will have a son, says something interesting: “…for thy prayer is heard.”  (Luke 1:13)  This makes it seem like this son is what Zacharias has been praying for that day as he offered incense.

Yet Zacharias is very old and his skepticism is opposite what his response would be if he’d been praying for it that day.

I think it is likely that Zacharias and Elizabeth had prayed for children for a long time, but that they (or Zacharias) had given up that particular petition once Elizabeth had moved into menopause, thinking it wasn’t going to happen.  That fits more with his skepticism.

So this brings us to some interesting questions now about how the Lord works when Gabriel says, “thy prayer is heard.”  Why tell Zacharias this now?  Why not visit him at the beginning of his prayers back when he was young and tell him, “Thy prayer is heard, but you’ll have to wait for years.”  It tells us that there may be long times when God is silent and doesn’t give us our petition.   And why?   It becomes a test of our faith whether we will continue to follow Him when we don’t know why He is not giving us immediately a righteous thing we ask for.   We’re probably pretty good at waiting a long time for things if we know why.  But can we wait a long time when we don’t know why?  It’s hard.  We have to trust that God is still good.

Another question that occurs to me is, “Why did John the Baptist have to be born so late?  Why not earlier?”  I think we don’t know much at all about why John had to be born so close to Jesus.  Perhaps if he were born earlier, he might have been martyred before Jesus came on the scene.  Perhaps his prophetic testimony of the coming Savior was meant to be witnessed very soon after it was given in order to show that God was moving fast and so there was necessity for quick repentance.

At any rate, the miracle of Elizabeth’s pregnancy was used by Gabriel as a sign to Mary that God could do impossible things.  If God could help a menopausal woman conceive by her husband, then God could certainly cause a virgin to conceive without coitus.

But back to this declaration, “thy prayer is heard.”  Sometimes we don’t know our prayer is heard until it is answered and the thing we pray for comes to pass.  It takes a lot of spiritual sensitivity to know the Lord has heard, even when our requests aren’t granted.  Granted requests are the biggest way we know prayers are heard, yet the angel’s pronouncement also teaches us that God hears our prayers all along, even if He can’t grant them yet according to His plan.

It also teaches us that God remembers and may answer our prayers far past the time that we’ve prayed them.  It teaches us something about the emotional strength of God, that He can hear our prayers and enter into the deeps of our yearnings and pains, and love us so, and yet refrain from granting our petitions for a greater purpose known to Him.  How badly He must want to bless us, and yet He can’t yet.  How many parents can stand that long a wait along with their children?

If I were to summarize the principles from the story, it would be this way:

--God respects the agency of His children, even those who are linchpins in His plan.

--Formative experiences often become a big part of our life purpose.

--God delays answers to prayer to try our faith

--God delays answers to prayer to fulfill His greater purposes.

--God’s miraculous answers to prayer are often used to help strengthen others’ faith in His power.

--God remembers our prayers even if we’ve forgotten or think it is past time for them to be answered.

--God hears our prayers all along, but has the emotional strength to delay answering and to lovingly wait along with us.

What else do you see in these stories?

We are come to worship him

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (Matt. 2:1-2)

This seems to indicate that the sign of the new star that had been given to the Nephites had also been given to other people as well. The Nephites were too far away to go to Israel to see, but these wise men realized they were close enough, and must have said to each other “let us go now and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us,” much like the shepherds said to each other after the angels appeared to them in the field. Once they knew it was happening, they wanted to see for themselves, and not just see, but pay homage.

I really like how the wise men are examples of exercising their agency to act. They knew, and they acted on what they knew, even though it was a sacrifice. They were willing to leave all their other concerns behind at home and go on this journey. I think that all of us who leave the world behind and go on the incredible journey to come to Christ are no different, no less wise than these wise men.

I’m also touched that the wise men were willing to go on this journey to see the new Messiah as a baby. What could Jesus do for them at that time of life? He couldn’t preach to them, He was too small to consciously exert His power to heal any infirmities they might have had. How would they benefit from seeing Him? They already believed in the Messiah, so they weren’t seeking the evidence of their eyes. I think they wanted to see how the great Jehovah condescended to come to earth as a little child. In the eyes of the world, this baby was no great thing—babies are born every day. Babies are weak and helpless. Babies know nothing and have done nothing great to warrant admiration. Somehow the wise men knew that this baby was great because of the great spirit that was housed in it. It was Jehovah in that baby boy body, the same that saved Noah with the ark, the same that made such great promises to Abraham, the same that brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea for them, the same that did so many wonders throughout the scriptures. It was Jehovah they were worshipping.

Another thing that is touching is that the wise men already referred to Jesus as “the king of the Jews.” Even though it was evident that Jesus hadn’t obtained the power and authority of kingship and wasn’t yet universally acknowledged as king, they didn’t care. To them, Jesus was king, and they paid homage as though He was. I think that we are no less wise if we acknowledge Jesus as king of kings today and worship and obey Him as such, even though He isn’t yet universally acknowledged as king by the whole world. Eventually He will be.

While shepherds watched their flocks by night

For some reason this Christmas I have found myself focusing on the story of the shepherds in the Nativity.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 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. (Luke 2:8-9)

Imagine what it must have been like to be one of these shepherds, sitting out in the dark night, minding your own business, when suddenly…. AN ANGEL comes and there is light everywhere!

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (v10)

Something that always causes me to wonder is why these particular shepherds were chosen for this visitation. I don’t think God said to Gabriel, “Go announce the birth of my Beloved Son to people on earth. Doesn’t matter who,” and I don’t think Gabriel said, “Those shepherds look mighty bored down there; let’s give them some excitement.” And too, this news was fantastically great; why were the shepherds chosen?

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (v11)

Notice how immediate this news is—“this day.” What better newscaster could one have?! The news isn’t going to trickle out slowly; it is going to hit like the bombshell that it is. And too, the immediacy suggests to the shepherd the possibility of seeing it for themselves, since they are in the immediate neighborhood.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. (v12)

This further suggests the possibility that they could see the baby Savior for themselves; they’ve been given a key by which to tell which baby the angel is referring to among all the babies that are in the town. (It wouldn’t do for people to pay homage to the wrong baby, would it?) And the manger-cradle. What mother in her right mind would voluntarily put her baby where cows feed—in tickle-y irritating straw—unless under great necessity? That’s a very good sign. The very circumstances that make it so inconvenient for Mary and Joseph are what make it easy for their child to be found and recognized.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:13-14)

Oh, how thrilling that must have been, to see that army of angels, to hear them exclaiming with such excitement! Others have said that perhaps we were there with them. It is interesting that the angels aren’t praising Jesus; they praise God in the highest for the entire Plan of Salvation that is being put into place. After many years of anticipation, the Atonement is soon to be made, the Resurrection to come! Only this could bring true peace to the earth, and only Atonement for sins could bring good will to fallen men from God. The reconciliation is near.

The great rejoicing of these angels must have built great wonder and anticipation in those shepherds. We too often are unable to see the excitement and wonder in something unless we hear others get excited about it, and the more people we find are excited, the more we see the object of their excitement to be significant. And too, sometimes it is hard to get excited about righteous good things unless we have seen and heard other righteous people get excited about those good things. (Not to mention the difficulty of overcoming the natural man or woman…)

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. (v15)

The shepherds now want to see what they’ve been told about. They have been placed in a position to act, and they take it. It is interesting that they weren’t commanded to go; they made that decision on their own. Choosing to go and see would strengthen their faith.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (v16)

I wonder how long they searched before they found Jesus? How many cows and goats did they startle, peering into mangers? Eventually they found Him and saw Him just as the angel had said.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. (v17)

The shepherds became witnesses, and very enthusiastic ones too. Because there was more than one shepherd that experienced this, they fulfilled the Law of Witnesses. They could say they had heard from an angel where to go, what to look for, and the significance of what they had seen. They could say that they went and saw that it was exactly as the angel had said, therefore, they knew that this baby was to be the Savior.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. (v18-19)

This story certainly is cause for wondering and something to ponder. The miracles come thick and fast in these stories of the Nativity. I think something in us yearns to have a part in that.

And actually, we DO have a part in this story, over and over again. Our part changes, depending on our circumstances. Sometimes we are the angels that excitedly share the good news of the gospel and the signs by which others can know the true church—“The Holy Ghost will tell you in your mind and in your heart that these things are true.” Sometimes we play the part of the shepherds, receiving the news and the signs and experimenting upon the word. And sometimes we play the part of the wondering crowds whom the shepherds share their witness with of their miraculous experiences; like the crowds, sometimes we haven’t participated, but we learn through others’ experiences, mustering our faith to believe and act.

Birth and Rebirth

And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? (Alma 5:14)

When I ran across this verse recently in my scripture study, I was struck by it as I read it thinking of this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Christ. How wonderful that my spiritual rebirth is made possible through Christ and His atonement! When I celebrate the birth of Christ, isn’t it a perfect time to examine myself to see if I have been spiritually reborn of God?

Gifts from God to us

With the Christmas gift-giving season upon us, I decided to do some scripture study about the gifts that God gives to us.

God gives certain gifts to everyone

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Ephesians 4:7-8)

Certain gifts God gives to everyone is their agency, the light of Christ so that they know good from evil, coverage of their sins by the atonement of Christ (conditional upon repentance), and unconditional resurrection.

My parents actually followed this principle in their Christmas gift-giving; there were always a few presents that they gave to each of us alike.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. (Eccl. 3:13)

When you think of how Heavenly Father designed our brains so that our bodies can feel satisfied when we eat and drink enough, that is a great gift. He could have made us so that didn’t happen. Also, the satisfaction we feel when we have done a good job at something—that is a gift from God too.

God gives many different gifts according to our individuality

10 And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.
11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. (D&C 46:10-12)

Think of all the spiritual gifts that the church is blessed with! Prophecy, visions, healing, faith to be healed, revelation, tongues, interpretation of tongues, knowledge, wisdom, discernment, charity, faith, testimony, belief, working miracles, and so much more!

God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now; (D&C 121:26)

What a fascinating gift the gift of the Holy Ghost is! It is such a special thing the Lord wants us to have.  There are things we learn and things we feel through its influence that are so majestic, so awe-inspiring, so wondrous, that words simply fail to express it adequately, and only someone else who has experienced it too can understand.

Every elder, priest, teacher, or deacon is to be ordained according to the gifts and callings of God unto him; and he is to be ordained by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains him. (D&C 20:60)

This made me think about priesthood ordinations in a different way. I hadn’t thought that they were a gift from God. This verse calls it “the gifts and callings of God unto him” which makes me think that gift and calling may be synonymous to the Lord. Even though I don’t hold the priesthood, I have been given callings, and when I think of how they have blessed my life, I see that my callings are gifts to me. My calling as ward organist and choir pianist is a gift of music and my calling as a cub scout den leader is a gift of working with, associating with, and teaching children. I consider all my callings fun gifts and I'm not ashamed to say that I had to grow into the fun-ness thereof.

Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you… (D&C 78:11)

This phrase occurs so many times in the Doctrine and Covenants. Commandments are a gift too, and in so many ways! They are gifts because

• Learning about them expands and refines our understanding of right and wrong.
• They represent an opportunity for us to exercise our agency.
• They present us with a choice to keep them or not.
• They have blessings attached to them that the Lord wants us to have.
• Inevitably we learn that we can’t keep the commandments on our own and we need the Lord’s help, so we learn to trust in the Lord.
• When we follow them we are kept safe from bad things that tend to happen without them.
• They help us become more like God. Doing them helps us do the things the Lord does.
• Even if we try to ignore them, inevitably we are brought to a recognition of our need for the atonement of Christ and the necessity of repentance, by which we can discover the joy of our redemption. (And then we still get to keep the commandments!)

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. (D&C 14:7)

And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God. (D&C 46:26)

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Cor. 9:15)

Eternal life is the final gift God wants to give us. We have our whole lives to look forward to it and the Holy Ghost as a down payment of it. Surely there are spiritual gifts we must seek now that will help us prepare for this great gift.

What should we want?

Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given; (D&C 46:8, emphasis added)

And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. (Moroni 10:30, emphasis added)

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (1 Cor. 13:2)

Even if I were to have the best blog in the world and do all I’m asked to do at church.. Even if I were superwoman (which I’m not) and could move mountains, if I don’t have charity, I’m nothing. Hmm. I think I need to pray more for charity.

Things to remember about the gifts God gives us

Thou shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God, and thou art his steward. (D&C 136:27)

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (1 Timothy 4:14)

For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. (D&C 88:33)

As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

We learn from these scriptures:

• to be diligent in preserving our gifts from God
• to not neglect our gifts from God
• to receive and rejoice in our gifts from God
• and to give to others liberally like God has given us

What other scriptures do you know of that tell of the gifts that God has given us? Will you share them? What gifts from God are you feeling particularly thankful for right now? What is something you are doing to diligently preserve a gift from God?

A Christmas poem

It's nearly Christmas! I really can't express the full extent of my feelings of gratitude for Jesus Christ and all that He has done; words can be very empty things, especially on a blog. Instead, I'm going to inflict a poem on you. It's one I wrote about three years ago, so please forgive me ahead of time for its weakness. Any good feelings you get out of it will be a gift from the Lord.

Background: At the time of Christ's birth in Bethlehem, the Book of Mormon tells of a people who also looked forward to the birth of Christ and the crisis that faced them because of their belief. This story can be found in Helaman 14:1-9, and 3 Nephi 1.

The First American Christmas

A prophet up on city wall did give the land a sign
For all to know from east to west the birth of Christ divine
“You’ll know,” said he, “in five year’s time you’ll see a star so bright,
From dawn to dawn when it appears you sha’n’t see any night.”

In five years’ time the wicked said the sign had not appeared
“Your faith in Christ is all in vain, a foolish dream”, they sneered.
The valiant ones watched for the sign each night as Samuel said
Although their death date had been set, belief they would not shed.

With all the Christians in the land faced with a martyr’s fate,
The prophet Nephi knelt and prayed, “O God, assuage the hate!”
Assurance and calm comfort came - the time was now at hand
That all would know that Christ had come, each one throughout the land.

And Lo! That very night the star was seen up in the sky!
“And night is like the day! Behold!” - the universal cry.

All those who’d not believed it’d happen fell down on the ground
For they knew then that Christ had come; on earth He could be found.
That God-made-Man who was fore’dained to save all of the earth
Had saved a host of Christians just by virtue of His birth.

This isn’t just a pretty tale about the way-back-when.
It’s just for us, to brace us up before He comes again.
In future days, of unbelief and threats we’ll have our fill.
In spite of those who’ll say He won’t return, we know he will.
And when the wicked say that Christ’s return is far too late,
Then that’s the time when we will know we’ve not too long to wait.