Keeping Christmas in our Lives
Sacrament Meeting Christmas Program 2010
Primary Children sing: The Nativity & Picture a Christmas
Christmas: A Hymn Medley (3:30)
Narrator 2:
We are all so familiar with the Christmas story, at yet, with every telling we find another inspiration for better living and deeper testimony.
Timothy observed that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” and Nephi, the great Book of Mormon prophet declared the words of Isaiah and “did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.”1
How can we learn from each member of the Christmas Story and incorporate their testimony into our own character and lives?
Narrator 1:
Our first lesson can come from those who lived long before the Christ child was born in that lowly stable. Prophets and faithful followers of Christ from generations before his birth looked and watched -waited and prayed -for the coming of the Messiah.
King Benjamin taught his people live every day as if Christ were already come:
“And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.”2
Narrator 2:
From Elder Jeffrey R Holland:
“...what may be most glorious about the hymns’ celebration of Christ’s advent is not only their telling of that first Christmas story but also their promise of a later one. This is a theme that runs through the carols and which may be lost in the season if we are not listening for it. Along with the joy of Christmas past is the anticipation of Christ’s triumphant return and what will be made known by the angels again.”3
For lo! The days are hast’ning on,
By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever circling years
Shall come the time foretold,
When the new heav’n and earth shall own
The Prince of Peace their King,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.4
[Someday]...our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heav’n above.’5
May our prayers for the coming of Immanuel be as real as those of the prophets of old.
O Come, O Come Immanuel
Narrator 2:
The dearest mother in scripture can teach us much about how to conduct our own lives.
From her, we learn obedience:
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord.”6
From her, we learn to keep sacred those personal moments with the Spirit:
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”7
Narrator 1:
From Joseph, the earthly guardian of Jesus, we learn to listen and obey. We learn to reserve judgment. We learn to care deeply for those over whom we have stewardship. We learn that even though we are asked to care for, guide, and teach those within our stewardship, they do not only belong to us – they are sons and daughters of God.
Congregation sings: Mary’s Lullaby & When Joseph Went to Bethlehem
Narrator 1:
From the shepherds we learn to live with faith. They didn’t question the call from the angels. They went with haste to the stable.
From Elder Marvin J Ashton:
"The shepherds were invited to come and see. They saw. They trembled. They testified. They rejoiced. They saw Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, the Prince of Peace....
"At this Christmas season I extend to you the gift of determination to come and see...
"A young man in deep trouble and despair said to me recently, 'It's all right for others to have a merry Christmas, but not me. It's no use. It's too late.'
"...We can stay away and complain. We can stay away and nurse our sorrows. We can stay away and pity ourselves. We can stay away and find fault. We can stay away and become bitter.
"Or we can come and see! We can come and see and know!"8
The First Noel/Pachelbel’s Canon
Narrator 2:
From the wise men we learn sacrifice and the importance of heeding the warnings of the Spirit. We learn to give gifts with love.
President Thomas S. Monson teaches,
“As we lift our eyes heavenward and then remember to look outward into the lives of others, as we remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive, we, during this Christmas season, will come to see a bright, particular star that will guide us to our precious opportunity.
Such was the experience of a Sunday School class some years ago when a wise teacher placed aside the manual one Sunday morning as Christmas approached. With her class members listening in, she telephoned me. I was serving then as the bishop of a large ward situated in the central part of Salt Lake City. The teacher inquired, “Are there any poor in your ward—people who need a sub for Santa?” She then described her own neighborhood as one of affluence and mentioned that she wanted her class to remember this particular Christmas. I responded that our members had the necessities of life but mentioned a family that would welcome a special experience—one that would also greatly benefit her young class members.
The family I had in mind had recently emigrated from war-torn Germany and had rented a humble, older home in our area. The children were new to America, and, while they were learning to speak our language, they were shy and reluctant to mingle with others. Their personal possessions were few; they had lost so much during the war.
In a private telephone conversation with the teacher, I suggested an appropriate evening when her class could accompany her to our ward meetinghouse and together we would journey to the home where the Mueller family lived. Again the teacher stated that she wanted her choice class to remember the true meaning of Christmas. I responded, “Could I suggest, then, that each child bring with him or her a gift that has a special meaning to the individual; a gift the person treasures and would rather keep for himself.”
Just four days before Christmas, the class journeyed to our ward. Several adults brought them in large, expensive automobiles. Such an array of wealth had never before graced the parking area. We then walked to the Mueller home, singing carols along the way. The laughter of the children and the hurried pace of their steps reflected the anticipation of Christmas.
It was at the Mueller home, however, that the frills of Christmas became the spirit of Christmas. I watched as one girl looked into the eyes of one of the Mueller children, a girl about her age, then tenderly handed her a beautiful doll she had received on her own birthday, a gift she herself loved. She anxiously told her newly found friend how to dress the doll and hold it ever so tenderly in cradled arms. I observed a normally rowdy boy take from his left hand his genuine leather baseball glove, which bore the replica signature of Joe DiMaggio, and place the glove on the left hand of a German-speaking boy who had never seen, far less worn, a baseball glove. He then explained how to catch the baseball in the special pocket of the glove, which he had hand prepared hour after hour with a particular oil. Such was the experience of each child with each gift.
As we left the Mueller home and walked back to the meetinghouse, not a word was spoken. One could hear the crunch of the newly fallen snow as young feet, guided by happy hearts, made the two-block journey. We entered the building, there to have donuts and apple cider. In the blessing that was asked upon the food, a beautiful girl, her voice choked with emotion, described the feelings of all as she prayed, ‘Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the best Christmas we have ever had.’”9
Congregation sings: With Wondering Awe
Narrator 1:
And what can we learn from the angels? The angels knew who the Christ-child was. They knew the prophecies, they knew the mission He would fulfill. They knew the mission of the Savior was the greatest news that would be proclaimed upon the earth.
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.10
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!11
Elder Holland comments on these angels:
“Surely the world did ‘in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.’
Even ‘fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains’ felt to ‘repeat the sounding joy’ of that moment. This helps some of us summon our courage to join in the singing, even if we do not have angelic voices. Surely we can do as well as the rocks and the hills! And just in case we need urging, the refrain of another hymn goes: ‘And Saints and angels sing, and Saints and angels sing, and Saints, and Saints and angels sing.’ I suspect that chorus is intentional in its emphasis on ‘and Saints.’ Clearly the angels don’t need as much coaxing –or coaching- as we do.”12
Narrator 2:
Alma’s testimony might be our own:
“O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
UAdd a Note Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.”13
Hark! The Angels Sing on High
Narrator 1:
Finally, we hope to learn from Christ, Himself. Born in the humblest of circumstances, living his life with neither means nor popularity, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”14
Yet despite his circumstances, Jesus Christ, born the babe in Bethlehem fulfilled his mission as the Messiah, the Savior of the World.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” 15
From Elder Holland again:
“You can’t separate Bethlehem from Gethsemane or the hasty flight into Egypt from the slow journey to the summit of Calvary. It’s of one piece. It is a single plan. It considers ‘the fall and rising again of many in Israel,’ but always in that order. Christmas is joyful not because it is a season or decade or lifetime without pain and privation, but precisely because life does hold those moments for us. And that baby....[the] beloved and Only Begotten Son in the flesh, born ‘away in a manger, [with] no crib for his bed,’ makes all the difference in the world, all the difference in time and eternity, all the difference everywhere...”16
And He who made all the difference everywhere only asks us to make the difference where we are. Live as He did. Give to others, be forgiving, repent, and come unto Him.
Narrator 2:
President Howard W. Hunter taught the gifts we could give the Savior, ways we can be like Him,
“This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.”17
May we learn the lessons of the Christmas story and keep them in our hearts throughout each year.
Congregation sings: Silent Night
3-5 minute talk from Chad L. (Maybe about how to keep the Christmas spirit throughout the year?)
Narrator 1: David B.
Narrator 2: Danene D.
References:
1. 2 Timothy 3:16
2. Mosiah 3:13
3. Jeffrey R. Holland, Shepherds, Why this Jubilee?, Eagle Gate, 2000, p. 42
4. Edmund Sears, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
5. Cecil F. Alexander, Once in Royal David’s City
6. Luke 1:38
7. Luke 2:19
8. Marvin J. Ashton, “Come and See”, New Era, Dec 1989, p. 4
9. Thomas S. Monson, “In Search of the Christmas Spirit”, Ensign, Dec 1987, p. 3
10. Traditional French Carol, Angels We Have Heard on High
11. Attr. to John Francis Wade, Oh Come, All Ye Faithful
12. Jeffrey R. Holland, Shepherds, Why this Jubilee?, Eagle Gate, 2000, pp. 36-37
13. Alma 29:1
14. Luke 9:58
15. Isaiah 9:6
16. Jeffrey R. Holland, Shepherds, Why this Jubilee?, Eagle Gate, 2000, pp. 68-70
17. Howard W. Hunter, "The Gifts of Christmas", Ensign, Dec. 2002, p. 16
Approx:
11 minutes narration total
19 minutes music
1:30 up and down time
