A Sermon by Matthew P. Gill
17 December, 2012
A special, virtually tangible spirit envelops the
Christian world at Christmas with intensity unknown the rest of the year.
To Latter Day Mormons, the Christmas story, from
Bethlehem to Calvary, takes precedence over the tinsel and the toys, for the
Saviour is the centre of Christmas not just a Latter Day Christmas but the centre
of all Christmases.
With this in mind Christmas should liberate us from
prejudice, peevishness, and pressures. It puts us back into perspective with
our religious beliefs, our family relationships, our cultural heritage, and our
precious past. A simple trinket becomes priceless after repeated appearances on
a Christmas mantle. Even a broken bauble cannot be left off the tree if it’s
always been there, it goes up again! Such treasures are symbols of shared times
in an aura of a magic and hallowed season. Christmas is for everyone, the
child, the childlike, and the mature.
Whether you are giving the gifts or getting them,
planning a surprise or delighting in one, Christmas opens the door to deep joy.
Latter Day Mormons, like everyone else, enjoy giving and receiving presents at
Christmas, but there is a difference between presents and gifts.
The true gifts may be part of us, giving of the riches of the heart and
mind and therefore more enduring and of far greater worth than presents bought
at the store. Part of the purpose for telling the story of Christmas is to
remind us that Christmas doesn't come from a store. We must remember the very
plain scene, even the poverty, of a night devoid of tinsel or wrapping or goods
of this world.
As the
scripture records: “And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of
Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. And it came
to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before
me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou? And I said unto him: A
virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.” (1 Nephi Chapter
3/11:13-15)
Only when we see that sacred, unadorned child of our devotion the Babe of
Bethlehem will we know why the giving of gifts is so appropriate.
And no
matter how many times we read the biblical account of that evening in Bethlehem
Some, illustrated by the character Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens's A
Christmas Carol, have a hard time loving anyone, even themselves, because
of their selfishness. Love seeks to give rather than to get. Charity towards
and compassion for others is a way to overcome too much self-love and at this
season of giving we Latter Day Mormons feel that more than many.
However, after all this, the most important thing to us as Latter Day
Mormons is the real meaning of Christmas. The real meaning of Christmas comes
to those who have taken Christ into their life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing
force. The real spirit of Christmas lies in the life and mission of the Master.
The birth of Jesus Christ was extraordinary in that it involved the
condescension of both the Father and the Son, two eternal beings. The Father
condescended in sending His Son; the Savior condescended in taking upon Himself
a mortal body and offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin. Is it any wonder
that angels were assigned to declare the Savior's birth on that holy day?
As the
scripture records the angel of the Lord, saying: “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 this shall be a sign unto you;
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 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.” (Luke 2:9-14)
And we learn from Latter Day
scripture that the arrival of the Saviour was also announced to the ancient
People of Light, as the Prophet Jeraneck records, “Now the Lord took me to a place that I had never
seen before, and I saw a Virgin, and she was pure and unspotted and she was
moved upon by the Holy Spirit and she gave birth to a baby boy. And this baby
was the Lord of Heaven. And she gave birth to him in a stable built into the
rocks, and she named him Jesus. And many people came unto his bedside and they
laid gifts at his feet. I saw Sharaneck, that he laid Gold at his feet, and
many people came unto him and worshipped him, for it was this Jesus that is the
very Almighty that speaks to us, and the very same Lord that we worship.”
Knowing the importance of our Lord’s birth, there is a beauty at Christmastime
that comes upon us in a very special way, and our Hearts are opened to a new
measure of kindness. Love speaks with increased power. Tensions are eased, love
abounds and a great spiritual feeling overcomes us. Of all things which we bear
testimony, none is as important as our witness that Jesus, the Christmas child,
came to earth from the realms of His Eternal Father, here to work among men as
healer and teacher, our Great Exemplar. Most important, He suffered on Calvary 's cross as an atoning sacrifice for all mankind.
Who needs Christmas? We all do! Every one of us! Because Christmas can
bring us closer to the Saviour, the only source of lasting joy. We need
Christmas because it helps us to be better people, not only in December but in
January, June, and November. Because we need Christmas, we had better
understand what it is and what it isn't. Gifts, holly, mistletoe, and red-nosed
reindeer are fun as traditions, but they are not what Christmas is really
about. Christmas is that glorious moment when the Son of our Father joined his
divinity to our imperfect humanity.
And so, let us not forget with our family that at this time of Christmas,
this season when gifts are given, let us not forget that God gave His Son, and
His Son gave His life, that each of us might have the gift of eternal life.
Christ is born! Let all Creation rejoice in it!
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