Christmas Program #4

Luke 2:8-16

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.

12 And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

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.

15 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.

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

Away in a Manger

Of the Father�s Love Begotten (Arr. Paul Wohlgemuth)

Quoting from the book Man May Know for Himself: Teachings of President David O. McKay, we read:

In Micah, the fifth chapter, Bethlehem is mentioned by the prophet as the birthplace of the Messiah. I wonder if the shepherds, to whom the first revelation of Christ's birth was given, had not that prophecy in mind as they kept watch over their flock by night. A revelation of God does not come to man unless he prepares himself for it and lives worthy of it.

Evil influences will thrust themselves upon men, but God will be sought. Evil is always urging and tempting and promising. God asks us to put forth effort and seek�". . . Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt. 7:7.) But we must knock, we must seek; (Man May Know for Himself: Teachings of President David O. McKay, p.443)

With Wondering Awe

In an article entitled �I Found the Heart of Christmas�, George Durrant describes his first Christmas in the mission field. He had arrived in England in November and immediately wrote home giving his family his address and pleading that they give it to friends and family. He hopefully supposed that this letter would get home in time for the returning mails to bring some Christmas cards and gifts from family and friends.

Each day he�d wait for the mailman who would be laden with interesting looking packages and when he arrived George would throw open the front door and reach out and grab the entire pile. In all, during the week before Christmas his missionary companion, Elder Tagg, received thirty cards and several gifts, while George received nothing.

In the scant month he had been in England, George had come to love his landlady, Sister Nellie Deyes, who reminded him of his mother. On the day before Christmas she announced that she had to go to the hospital and have surgery for cancer, which she had been hoping to put off until after Christmas. George hadn�t even known she was ill. She asked them to give her a blessing before she left. Elder Tagg anointed her head with oil. As they both laid their hands upon her head, George poured his heart out to the Lord in prayer that she would soon be well. Later that night she went into surgery. She died that same night, Christmas Eve.

To add to his misery, the cold, foggy, damp conditions had given him a cold which was getting worse every day. He was sick, homesick and feeling very sorry for himself.

The Relief Society president had invited all four of the missionaries in Hull to come at noon on Christmas day for a goose dinner. On Christmas morning when the two other elders came to go with them, they commented on George�s apparent ill health. After discussing the matter with Elder Tagg it was decided that he shouldn�t go out into the damp air. Brother Deyes was at home and George said he�d stay with him so that Elder Tagg could go to the dinner. The others agreed and soon the three of them were gone.

A grieving Brother Deyes wished to be allowed to remain in solitude, so George was left to himself. It was Christmas day and he was more alone than he�d ever been in his life.

George describes his afternoon as follows:

There were no gifts. There were no cards. There was no Christmas tree. There were no carols. There was nothing. The silence of the room was broken only by the mechanical working of the clock. It was now just past eleven o�clock in the morning of the saddest day of my life and it was Christmas. ...

I moved closer to the fireplace, which was the only source of heat. I lowered my head and cradled it in my left hand.

[Sometime around noon,] almost accidentally I looked on the mantel and there I saw my Bible. I stood and reached out and grasped it and sat back down. I really didn�t want to read. I was far too sad to read. Yet at the same time, as a new missionary, I needed to know so much. The others knew so much and I seemed to know so little.

It wouldn�t hurt to read a little�just a page or two. I opened the book beyond the middle and found my eyes focused on the words. �The gospel according to St. Matthew.�

I didn�t want to read I wanted to be home. With clenched fist ... [and] ... Without a conscious effort I focused on the first verse. I read, �The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.�

Like obedient servants my eyes continued reading the genealogy of Jesus, but my mind was not willing to let the words become thoughts. A few seconds later it was almost as if the words on the page forced my eyes and my mind to concentrate. Completely captive I read, �Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.�

Elder Durrant then describes in detail this Christmas day spent studying the life of Christ. He searched. He asked questions. He pondered. And the Spirit spoke with him and gave him peace. I wish there was time to share all the details he relates about that afternoon of study. Let it suffice to share one example.

I noticed a small reference letter �I� near the words �of the Holy Ghost.� I looked at the appropriate footnote and read �Luke 1:35.� I rapidly turned the pages ahead and eagerly read, �And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.�

Letting the book rest in my lap, I stared at the coals in the fireplace, which were just now beginning to turn from black to orange. Gently I whispered, �The Son of God.� A surge of energy went up and down my spine as I felt my soul fill with light. In a louder voice and with pure knowledge I softly said, �Jesus Christ is the Son of God.� That thought caused me to sit more erect.

With half a smile, I turned back the pages to Matthew.

I read on until I came to the words, �� the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream.� I wondered, Are there really angels? And within my soul I heard the glorious message, �Yes, there are angels.�

Slowly I closed the book and with both hands I held it close to me. To myself I said, �Jesus Christ is the Son of God. There are angels. He did live and teach and love and perform miracles and was cruelly crucified and then he rose again. He is my Savior and this is his Church. I�m one of those he has sent forth. He is with me forever.�

As I sat there holding my Bible, it was late on Christmas afternoon. Never had I been so happy in such an inward way. On that glorious day I had found the one who is the heart of Christmas.

That Christmas in England I learned that Christmas can be Christmas without a multitude of things. Colorful decorations, green-boughed trees, greeting cards, gifts, and Santa Claus each have their own special way of gladdening our senses and delighting our hearts. But Christmas cannot be Christmas without Christ. On that holy day uncontrollable circumstances had pushed all else aside and left me free to follow the star. On that day I learned that Christ does not just fit into Christmas. He is not just part of Christmas. Jesus Christ is Christmas. (George D. Durrant, �I Found the Heart of Christmas,� Tambuli, Dec. 1985, 37)

Where Shepherds Lately Knelt (Carl Schalk)

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

I noticed one young fellow talking to a small group which continued to grow in number and I joined them to see what he was saying. He was now standing as the crowd increased and he spoke with assurance and power. He was calm, composed, and fearless as he stood those two hours before these men, his companions. I never before saw such composure and peace in one. Never before had I seen one with such self-control, as he talked to those boys facing the unknown perils of the beachheads. Their jitters, their fear, their consternation and dread turned to quiet and assurance as he explained the purposes of life. He told them where they came from, why they were born into this world, and that the spirit was eternal; he told them that life here was not "to eat, drink and be merry" but to learn, and grow and overcome the weaknesses of the flesh and work out an exaltation; and that life was eternal. He admitted that there was likelihood of their failing to come out of this invasion alive, but since life is eternal, there was little difference as to when the transition should come. He explained that if we die in Christ, true to His teachings, we shall not taste of death and it will be sweet to us, and even if their lives were taken, that that would not be the end. They could greet their sweethearts, wives, parents, brothers, and sisters and know and recognize them as such and have joy in greeting them. And when the boy was finished, the change in his listeners was astounding. Fear had been replaced by courage; agitation by composure; uncertainty by faith and hope. The jittery boys were now determined men, calm, set, and ready for what might come. Peace had come to them in this hour and with it strength and courage and hope.

I wondered where this boy came by such a wholesome philosophy and I went up to him with that question.

�It is the doctrine of my Church,� the boy answered.

I asked him where he came from and learned that he was from a small town in southern Utah.

Father," continued the army major, "there was something about that boy that set him apart from the rest of the fellows, and if I ever come home alive from this war, you and I must go out to Utah and see what kind of people it is who teach such a comprehensive philosophy of life. (Peace [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998], p. 33.)

When Christmas Morn Is Waking (Dana Mengel)

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

In the Section of the Doctrine and Covenants often referred to simply as �The Vision�, after describing the lot of the sons of perdition, Joseph Smith describes Christ�s triumph.

39 For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made.

40 And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us--

41 That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness;

42 That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him;

43 Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him. ( D&C 76:39-43)

Glory to God (Heinrich Schutz)

Joy to the World

David O. Mckay wrote:

Never have I believed more firmly in the perfection of humanity as the final result of man's placement here on earth. With my whole soul I accept Jesus Christ as the personification of human perfection�as God made manifest in the flesh, as the Savior and Redeemer of mankind. Accepting him as my Redeemer, Savior and Lord, I accept his gospel as the plan of salvation, as the one perfect way to human happiness and peace. ...

Despite discouragement and disheartening conditions throughout the world, Christmas is the happiest season of the whole year. But let us ever keep in mind that people are most blessed whose daily conduct most nearly comports with the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, at whose birth was proclaimed: "Peace on earth, good will toward men." (Man May Know for Himself: Teachings of President David O. McKay, p. 467)