Christmas 2010

Its December 23rd and Christmas is coming!  We're all excited and exhilarated.  As always this Christmas season there are many memories we ponder, and we often hear that question, "What is your most memorable Christmas?"  At the moment I certainly cannot remember any particular one, but I do remember parts of many Christmas's.  My favorite and most cherished memories are of Christmas Eve.  My family has traditions such as receiving new pajamas, reenacting the nativity, eating treats and that's about the jist of it.  I've always loved Christmas Eve so much more than Christmas day, even when I was younger.  With the songs we sang and the activities we indulged in the true spirit of the Christmas season was there, the spirit of Christ.  I would say that the single most influential thing in my life around truely understanding Christmas was these traditions.  I will certainly miss being able to be a part of it this year, but will yet enjoy my Christmas in New York just the same.  May we all strive to remember Christ this season, and not just on Christmas Eve, but rather make it a part of our celebration on Christmas day and through the rest of the year.  I will conclude with my favorite Christmas Carol: Silent Night (I've modified it a little the way I would have it sung, in a cappella).

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Sleep in heavenly peace

Merry Christmas,

Elder John R. Woodworth

The Spirit of Christmas

Its that time of year again, the one we all know and love.  Christmas!  But as always the commercial value of this season seems to overwhelm the airwaves, with advertisements and sales.  As Christians we understand the true meaning of Christmas, is to commemorate the Savior's birth.

"The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.^[8] "Cristes" is from Greek Christos and "mæsse" is from Latin missa (the holy mass). In Greek, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ, and it, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the mid-16th century.^[15] Hence, Xmas is sometimes used as an abbreviation for Christmas." -(Wikipedia, Christmas).

I hope that sheds a little more light on the subject of the season.  There are many lesson's to be learned by the nativity story, and  on that I'll dedicate my next few blog entires on that.

The first of which is this statement:
Luke 1
37 For with God nothing shall be ^aimpossible.

This was given to Mary the mother of Christ by the angel Gabriel.  He explained how even Elisabeth, her cousin, had a son and that it was made possible by God.  We all must remember that this was a show of God's power that he truly can do all things.

(Wikipedia has changed the type on the definition above posted.  Links were added later to cross reference to the best source possible through Wikipedia.)