At this time of year, the ladies at church usually celebrate Christmas with dinner and a nice program. This year, dinner was off the menu, but we still had the program. They asked me to speak. So I had the
opportunity to express my gratitude for my Savior, for his invitations
to come unto Him and to hear Him, and for the many witnesses who bring
those messages from him. You can watch the whole thing at this link, which includes some beautiful music and the fascinating story of "Oh, Holy Night," or just read what I had to say here:
On the night that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born in Bethlehem of
Judea, “there were in the same country shepherds, keeping watch
over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them . . . .”i
Have you ever met an angel? When we describe people as “angelic,”
we think of calmness, serenity, and benevolence. Paul even says that
“some have entertained angels unawares.”ii
But there was no mistaking the power of this messenger, for “the
glory of the Lord shone round about” him, and the shepherds, who
didn’t know how the story was going to go, “were sore afraid.”iii
Not just startled or curious, but “sore afraid.”
Historically, this
was not an unusual reaction. The glory of God has been recorded in
ancient and modern times as being “like devouring fire”iv,
“above the brightness of the sun, . . . [defying] all
description.”v
Prophets and priests such as the Brother of Jared, Moses, and
Zacharias have been “afraid to look upon God” or His
representatives.vi
Even the pure and righteous Mary was “troubled” by the really
rather complimentary greeting of Gabriel, when he came to announce
her unique life work.vii
And just like Gabriel, Moroni, and angels before and since, the
messenger who appeared to the shepherds began by telling them to
“Fear not.”
“Fear not,” he
said, “for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.”viii
Was the angel a bit excited? This was, you know, the best news that
had ever been given in this world. The Savior, the promised Messiah,
had finally entered mortality. Things were going to change. The
human family’s hope for salvation was that much closer to being
fulfilled. And the first to hear about it, beside the infant’s own
mother and stepfather, were these shepherds.
The angel concluded
his message with an invitation to go and see the miracle for
themselves. To come unto the Savior. And this invitation has been
passed down through the centuries to us. “Oh, come, let us adore
Him.”ix
How did the
shepherds react to this astounding opportunity? They did not
hesitate. They did not worry about whether they were worthy. They
did not wonder whether it was really true, or whether they could
trust the messenger. They did not excuse themselves for having
nothing to wear, which some painters of the nativity have taken to be
literally true. They didn’t complain that it was the middle of the
night, or stop to check for other messages. They don’t even seem
to have been too concerned about leaving their flock for a little
while. They said, “Let us now
go, . . . and they came with haste.”x
How
do we come unto Christ? The angel’s directions to the shepherds
were clear, to search the mangers in the nearest village. Our
destination is not so literal—or is it? We have been commanded to
“stand in holy places.”xi
Our church and temple
buildings are obvious places for seeking the Lord. They are His
houses, dedicated to and accepted by Him.
We are invited to come to these places oft, to participate in
ordinances that reveal His
nature and purposes to our souls. Or, usually we are. In these
trying times, our physical access to these holy places is currently
limited. But the blessings of which we partake in the church and
temple can be with us always, as we strive to remember and maintain
our worthiness.
Our
homes, where we may have been spending extra time lately, should
also be holy places. It
is just as important to seek the Savior in our own homes as in any
chapel—maybe more so. For there we can introduce Him to our
families, or find solace in His company when we are alone. And we
can find sacredness and signs of the Lord’s love for us in nature,
in other people, even in challenging circumstances, if we keep the
Holy Ghost with us.
More
important than physical places, though, are the things we do to come
unto Christ. “Oh,
come, let us adore Him.” The word “adore” comes from the Latin
roots “to” and “pray to.” To pray to our Father in the name
of Christ is an excellent way to approach
Him. But “to pray to” is an incomplete form of communication if
we do not listen for His
answers. Thus, President Nelson’s repeated
invitation to
“Hear Him.”
Isaiah
issued the same invitation from the Lord: “Incline your ear, and
come unto me; hear, and you shall live.”xii
To come unto Him,
we must not only tell Him
our concerns, but listen for His,
His
advice, His
love, His
directions. These come through the still small voice of the Holy
Ghost, not always immediately, not always as we expect. So as we
seek the Lord, we must learn to listen always for these promptings.
And
not only must we pray and listen, but follow the promptings he sends.
Jesus has invited us, “Come
unto me . . . take my yoke upon you, and learn of me . . .”xiii
We get to know Him
better by joining in His
work of saving souls. It may sound daunting, but he has promised to
do the heavy lifting if we are willing to do our best. “For
how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, . . . and is far
from the thoughts and intents of his heart?”xiv
Try
as we might to follow the Savior’s course, we all fall short of
complete obedience. Thus he invites, “come unto me with a broken
heart and a contrite spirit.”xv
Through repentance, we come even closer to our Redeemer. When we
lay our burdens upon Him,
we realize what he has felt in our behalf, and appreciate more fully
the amazing “love Jesus offers” us.xvi
We
also come unto Him
by seeking His
words. “Angels speak by
the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of
Christ.”xvii
And while glory-laden, fear-inducing angelic visits may be few and
far between, prophets are also messengers of divine words, servants
of God. “Whether by mine own voice,” revealed the Lord, “or by
the voice of my servants, it is the same.”xviii
The scriptures and teachings of latter-day prophets are before us.
Let us seek Him through them.
The
shepherds were successful in their search. They did find “Mary,
and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”xix
While the infant Jesus would not have had much to say at the time,
the shepherds certainly received the Holy Ghost’s witness of the
holiness of the child, the truth of the angel’s words that he would
be their Savior.
Did
they scurry back to their flock after seeing the marvelous sight?
No. “They made known abroad the saying which was told them
concerning the child. And all they that heard it wondered at those
things.”xx
The news was too good to keep. The angel had told them that it
would bring joy “to all people.”xxi
So they shared the miracle, their witness, their gratitude for the
Savior with all they could reach. Should we do any less?
Come
unto Him. Hear Him. And let His love light the world.
#givethanks #hearhim #lighttheworld
vJoseph
Smith—History 1:16-17
viExodus
3:6; see also Ether 3:8, Luke 1:12
ix“Oh,
Come, All Ye Faithful,” Hymns,
no. 202
xiDoctrine
and Covenants 87:8
xvi“I
Stand All Amazed,” Hymns,
no. 193
xviiiDoctrine
and Covenants 1:38
