My Christmas Talk

 (December 4, 2011)

In December 2011, members of our congregation were asked to prepare a talk, as though we would be giving it in church. I wrote this one, which I will share here, because I still deeply believe what I wrote, though my granddaughter has moved on from dinosaurs by now. 

 This year I determined to get my Christmas shopping finished by December 1, so for the past month or so I’ve been spending a lot of time at Walmart, Costco, and Amazon.com. I even made a spread sheet with columns for the names of each loved one, gift ideas, budgeted amount, and final purchase. It has been a big project.

But, it’s actually been fun. It’s nice to think about others, to think about what they might enjoy, what would bring them joy. I have a 5-year-old granddaughter for whom I would love to buy princess clothes. In fact I bought her a Snow White dress with heels and a purse. However, when I really thought it over I realized that this little girl loves dinosaurs, not princesses, so I bought her dinosaurs, and returned the princess dress. It was good to think of what made her happy, not what would make me happy.

 I think one reason Heavenly Father organized us into families, is so we could have this experience of thinking more of another person’s happiness than of our own. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus says,  “ye then. . . . know how to give good gifts unto your children,"

We do want to give our children happiness. And I’m pretty sure the pack of dinosaurs I bought Eden will bring her delight. My adult children are harder. Because I love them, I feel every hurt they have, and of course they have them, as we all do. As I ponder my Christmas gift spread sheet, what I really want to wrap up with a bow for my children is something that will take away whatever sorrow they have.

 But no gift from Amazon will do that.

 The rest of that scripture in Matthew goes like this:

 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

There is only one gift that can heal hearts and lift sorrows, and that is the gift we celebrate at Christmastime. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:16)

 As the literal embodiment of God’s love, Jesus taught us to love, for “Charity is the pure love of Christ.” He taught us to love one another, all, even our enemies. He showed that love as he healed those sick in body, mind, and heart.  As we love one another, our sorrows are healed.

 He also taught us the great truths of the gospel: That we are children of God, that we belong with him, that we can be like him. That through loving our enemies, blessing them that curse us, doing good to those that hate us, praying for those which despitefully use us—through learning to truly love--we can “be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5: 44-48). When we understand our divine heritage and destiny, when we understand that the great purpose of mortality is to learn to love, we can see mortal sorrows as purposeful and fleeting.

 But loving all is hard for us mortals.  Heavenly Father knows that we cannot be perfect now, that we will stumble and fall over and over again, just as a toddler does when learning to walk. Therefore he sent the Baby born in Bethlehem, who provided the greatest gift of all, the gift of forgiveness. Alma tells us Christ takes “upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.” He “loose[s] the bands of death which bind his people and he [takes ] upon him their infirmities.” He takes upon him “the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance” (Alma 7: 11-13).

 Christ—his gospel and his atonement—is the only gift given on Christmas that is guaranteed to bring joy to those who receive it. It is His coming and His presence among us that is the good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people (Luke 2: 10). It is this gift, this knowledge, that will take away all sorrow.

 So when we gather as a family this Christmas, I hope that some of my carefully selected presents will delight those who open them. I know that at some point (because it is now tradition), someone will open a gift from my son David, and he will pump his fists in the air, exclaiming “I am the King of Christmas!”

But we all know who the real King of Christmas is, the one who loves us and gives us the best gifts--the king of kings, the lord of lords, our holy Messiah and Savior.