Emmanuel-#sharethegift

Emmanuel or Immanuel

One of the names for Jesus Christ. It comes from words in Hebrew that mean “God with us.”

Immanuel is a name-title given as a sign of God’s deliverance (Isa. 7:14). Isaiah’s reference to Immanuel is specifically identified by Matthew as a prophecy of Jesus’ birth into mortality (Matt. 1:18–25). The name also appears in latter-day scripture (2 Ne. 17:14; 18:8; D&C 128:22).

 

The Gospel of Matthew shows that God had not abandoned His people, Israel. Matthew referred to the Son of God as Emmanuel, or “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). The Savior’s actions, teachings, and miracles illustrate that God was with the people of Israel and had sent them His Son. Matthew concluded his Gospel with the promise Jesus gave His disciples: “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).  Chapter 2: Matthew 1–4 New Testament Student Manual, 2014

Jesus Christ the creator of the world came down to earth in a stable to be with us.

We went to Temple square this week and I have been thinking about the wonderful blessing that this image portrays so dramatically. The Christus behind with the creations of the worlds without end showing us the God that created the earth and him coming down to be in a stable with the nativity in front. What a joy it is to have God With Us.

I love the way Nephi talks about God with Us and calls it the condescension of God. 1 Nephi 11

I have felt the love of the Savior this week and been carried when things were hard and felt joy beyond words. God is truly with us, both then and now!!

The Light-#sharethegift

The Light

John 8:12

 

Lord of Lords

Lord of Lords

Revelation 17:14

Redeemer-#sharethegift #heisthegift

Redeemer 

Alma 11:40–41

Jesus Christ is the great Redeemer of mankind because he, through his atonement, paid the price for the sins of mankind and made possible the resurrection of all people.

 

 " I testify that except for the Atonement of the Holy Redeemer, the demands of justice would prevent every soul born on earth from returning to the presence of God, to partake of His glory and exaltation, ⁸ for all make mistakes for which we cannot personally appease justice."  Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer Richard G. Scott

Names of Christ Christmas gift

King of Israel-#sharethegift #heisthegift

King of Israel 

New Testament

John 12:13

Old Testament

 

In an act of great selfishness and pride, the people refused to obey the Lord and his prophet. They wanted to be like everyone else. They wanted a king the world could admire rather than the unseen King who could only be known by faith. “Hearken unto their voice,” said the Lord to Samuel, “and make them a king” (1 Sam. 8:22). A King for Israel By Peggy Furniss Lee

The Good Shepherd-#Heisthegift #Sharethegift

The Good Shepherd

1 Nephi 22:25

Prince of Peace-#ShareTheGift

Prince of Peace

In the scriptures, peace can mean either freedom from conflict and turmoil or the inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that God gives to his faithful Saints.

John 14:27

 

"My message tonight pertains to the only source of true and lasting peace, Jesus the Christ—our Prince of Peace.. . . He can bring peace to those whose lives have been ravaged by war.. . . Peace can come to those who are not feeling well. Some bodies are wounded. Others ache spiritually because of missing loved ones or other emotional trauma. Brothers and sisters, peace can come to your soul as you build faith in the Prince of Peace.. . . . Peace can come to one who suffers in sorrow. Whether sorrow stems from a mistake or a sin, all the Lord requires is real repentance. Scripture pleads with us to “flee [from] youthful lusts; … [and] call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Then His soothing “balm in Gilead” can heal even a sin-sick soul.. . . Peace can come to those who mourn. The Lord said, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”²² As we endure the passing of a loved one, we can be filled with the peace of the Lord through the whisperings of the Spirit.. . . . Peace can come to all who earnestly seek the Prince of Peace. His is the sweet and saving message our missionaries take throughout the world.. . . Peace can come to all who choose to walk in the ways of the Master. His invitation is expressed in three loving words: “Come, follow me.” Jesus the Christ-Our Prince of Peace By Elder Russell M. Nelson

 

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “The ideal place for … peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece.”³

Mediator-#sharethegift #heisthegift

Mediator

2 Nephi 2:27 

 

"There is a Redeemer, a Mediator, who stands both willing and able to appease the demands of justice and extend mercy to those who are penitent, for “He offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.” (2 Ne. 2:7.)" The Mediator by Elder Boyd K Packer

Messiah-#sharethegift

Messiah

A form of an Aramaic and Hebrew word meaning “the anointed.” In the New Testament Jesus is called the Christ, which is the Greek equivalent of Messiah. It means the anointed Prophet, Priest, King, and Deliverer whose coming the Jews were eagerly expecting.

Many Jews were looking only for a deliverer from the Roman power and for a greater national prosperity; thus, when the Messiah came, the leaders and many others rejected him. Only the humble and faithful were able to see in Jesus of Nazareth the true Christ

2 Nephi 2:6 

"He pronounced: “Yea, verily … , if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive.” ³ His promise invites us not only to reach towards Him but also to take the all-important next step: to come unto Him.

This is such a motivating, cheering doctrine. The Messiah extends His arm of mercy to us, always eager to receive us—if we choose to come to Him. When we do come to the Savior with “full purpose of heart,” ⁴ we will feel His loving touch in the most personal ways."

To Look, Reach, and Come unto Christ  Anne C. Pingree

"We celebrate the birth of the Son of God, the Creator, our Messiah. We rejoice that the King of kings came to earth, was born in a manger, and lived a perfect life. When Jesus was born, the joy in heaven was so great it could not be contained, and angelic hosts parted the veil, proclaiming unto shepherds “good tidings of great joy, . . . praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”3

  . . . .  It is only fitting that we—like the Wise Men, shepherds, and angels—take time to rejoice and celebrate that glorious first Christmas Day."  Seeing Christmas through New Eyes  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/1996-06-04-lesson-6-new-testament-customs-anointed-one?lang=eng

Sharing Time: What a Joyful Day! By Diane Nichols

Activity for the kids

Jehovah-#ShareTheGift

Jehovah

Jehovah was the premortal name-title given to the Firstborn Son of God. He is now referred to as Jesus Christ. The meaning of the name Jehovah was explained by Elder Talmage:

“Jehovah is the Anglicized rendering of the Hebrew, Yahveh or Jahveh, signifying the Self-existent One, or The Eternal. This name is generally rendered in our English version of the Old Testament as Lord printed in capitals. The Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I Am, is related in meaning and through derivation with the term Yahveh or Jehovah.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 36.)

2 Nephi 22:2

 

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The Living Christ

"As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3)."

Jehovah and the Wonderful Plan of Our Heavenly Father By Diane L. Mangum

Coloring Page

Heavenly Father said that for His plan to work, someone needed to go to earth to help us learn how to get back to heaven.

Someone needed to show us how to follow Heavenly Father. Who was obedient enough to do it?

Someone needed to atone for our sins so we could repent when we made mistakes. Who was good enough to do it?

Someone needed to die and be resurrected so we could all be resurrected and return to heaven. Who was brave enough and loving enough to do it?

Was anyone willing to do all this for us?

One person was. Our oldest brother, Jehovah, said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).

How we loved Him for that.

When Jehovah came to earth, He was our Savior. He was called Jesus Christ.

Example

John 13:15

3 Nephi 27:21

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Exemplar
https://www.lds.org/liahona/2014/01/the-divine-mission-of-jesus-christ-exemplar?lang=eng

Video Jesus Christ Is the Perfect Example of Obedience by Elder Hales
http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/jesus-christ-is-the-perfect-example-of-obedience?lang=eng

Lesson ideas and handouts on Following the Saviors perfect example
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3198

Women’s Righteous Examples Further Work of Salvation
 By the Relief Society general board and Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News assistant editor
http://www.lds.org/church/news/womens-righteous-examples-further-work-of-salvation?lang=eng&query=example

Young women lesson Following the Example of the Savior
https://www.lds.org/manual/young-women-manual-1/lesson-3-following-the-example-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

Jesus Christ, Exemplar

• Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men: Matt. 4:19 .
• take up his cross, and follow me: Mark 8:34 . ( Mark 10:21 ; Luke 9:23 ; D&C 56:2 . )
• My sheep … follow me: John 10:27 .
• given you an example … do as I have done: John 13:15 .
• I am the way: John 14:6 .
• what is that to thee? follow thou me: John 21:22 .
• Be ye therefore followers of God: Eph. 5:1 .
• was in all points tempted like as we are: Heb. 4:15 .
• yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered: Heb. 5:8 .
• Christ … an example, that ye should follow his steps: 1 Pet. 2:21 .
• as he is, so are we: 1 Jn. 4:17 .

• the example of the Son of the living God: 2 Ne. 31:16 .
• be perfect even as I: 3 Ne. 12:48 .
• always observe to do, even as I have done: 3 Ne. 18:6 .
• set an example for you: 3 Ne. 18:16 .
• that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do: 3 Ne. 27:21 .
• what manner of men ought ye to be? … even as I am: 3 Ne. 27:27 .
• true followers of his Son … we shall be like him: Moro. 7:48 .

• even one in me as I am one in the Father: D&C 35:2 .

Lamb of God-#sharethegift

The Lamb of God

A name for the Savior that refers to Jesus as the sacrificial offering given in our behalf.

 

 

Finding the Lamb of God

(Alma 31:5) President Boyd K. Packer speaks about finding the Lamb of God through the preaching of the word of God. (0:46)

Finding The Lamb

(John 1:36-41) David B. Haight speaks about finding the Lamb of God.(3:09)

• He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter:Isa. 53:7; ( Mosiah 14:7; )
• Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world:John 1:29; ( Alma 7:14; )
• Ye were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish:1 Pet. 1:18–20;
• Worthy is the Lamb that was slain:Rev. 5:12;
• We overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb:Rev. 12:11;
• These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him:1 Ne. 12:11;
• The Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world:1 Ne. 13:40; ( 1 Ne. 11:21; )
• Cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb:Morm. 9:6; ( Rev. 7:14; Alma 34:36; )
• The Son of Man is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world:Moses 7:47;

Bread of Life

The Bread of Life

Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life. The bread of the sacrament symbolically represents Christ’s body.

John 6:35

 

Exploring:The Bread of Life By Julie Wardell

King of Kings- #ShareTheGift

King of Kings

 

President Uchtdorf Reminds Sisters of Five Things to “Forget Not”

John 12:13

"In a visit to Westminster Abbey . . . I was particularly taken by the graves of the kings and queens. They ruled the British Empire; they had earthly power few can fathom; they were among the most influential people on earth during their time.

But I couldn’t help wondering where their power was now. They have returned to dust. “If you slid aside the stones on top of their tombs,” I thought, “you would find their mortal remains.” And I wondered, “What influence do these kings and queens have today?”

Then I thought of the King of kings. His tomb is empty. There were no mortal remains when the stone was rolled away. He is risen in immortality, and He lives." King of Kings By Lisa Ann Jackson

Living Water-#ShareTheGift

Living Water 

A symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ and his teachings. As water is essential to sustain physical life, the Savior and his teachings (living water) are essential for eternal life.

 

 John 4:10

"The Samaritan woman liked the idea of never having to drink again. Certainly, she wouldn’t miss the daily labor of carrying the heavy water jars from the well to her home. But when Christ testified to her that He was the Messiah and when the Spirit confirmed to her that it was true, she began to comprehend that Jesus was speaking of greater truths. She left the well water behind and hurried away to seek others who might come and listen. I doubt, however, at least at that point, that she fully understood—or whether we fully understand—what it means to have a wellspring of living water within us.

Living water heals. It nourishes and sustains. It brings peace and joy."Blessed by Living Water by Kathleen H. Hughes

Today in Sunday School we learned about a prophecy in Ezekiel about living water. Ezekiel 47:1-8

 

". . . just as the waters from the temple healed the Judean wilderness and the Dead Sea in Ezekiel’s vision, the gospel of Jesus Christ will heal and cleanse us if we will partake of it."

 

Life of the World

The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer, is the life of the world because his resurrection and his atonement save us from both physical and spiritual death.  “The Light and Life of the World” Dallin H. Oaks

1 Corinthians 15:22

Savior-#ShareTheGift

Savior

One who saves. Jesus Christ, through his atonement, offered redemption and salvation to all mankind. “Savior” is a name and title of Jesus Christ.

 Isaiah 43:11

 More scriptures

 

"Why was the Savior willing to keep His covenant with the Father and fulfill His divine mission to atone for the sins of the world? It was His love for His Father and His love for us. Why was the Father willing to allow His Only Begotten and perfect Son to suffer pain beyond description to bear the sins, heartaches, sicknesses, and infirmities of the world and all that is unfair in this life? We find the answer in these words: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”

I invite each of us to evaluate how much we love the Savior, using as a measure how joyfully we keep our covenants." The Power, Joy, and Love of Covenant Keeping BY LINDA K. BURTON

Coloring Page

"Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus." -Neal A. Maxwell

Christ-#ShareTheGift

2 Nephi 25: 26 And we ^atalk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we ^bprophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our ^cchildren may know to what source they may look for a ^dremission of their sins.

"As we strive to place Christ at the center of our lives by learning His words, by following His teachings, and by walking in His path, He has promised to share with us the eternal life that He died to gain. There is no higher end than this, that we should choose to accept His discipline and become His disciples and do His work throughout our lives. Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can."

—Thomas S. Monson, "Ponder the Path of Thy Feet"

"I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.

God grant that all of us may walk in the light as God our Father is in the light so that, according to the promises, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son will cleanse us from all sin." The Purifying Power of Gethsemane Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Only Begotten

Only Begotten

Baby Jesus in manger by Gina Carter retrieved from Google images

2 Nephi 25: 12

Jacob 4:5

Alma 5:48

Alma 9:26

Alma 12:33-34

John 3:16

Moses 5:6-7, 10

Moses 7:50

Docterine & Covenants 138:57

“With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift up my voice in testimony as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection. Because He died, all shall live again... May the whole world know it and live by that knowledge.”

—Thomas S. Monson

Ensign, May 2007, 25

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: The Only Begotten Son 

 

 Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, 
“Faith in Jesus Christ is the conviction and assurance of 

1. His status as the Only Begotten Son of God,  
2. His infinite Atonement, and 
3. His literal Resurrection.”²  

Modern prophets have testified: “[Jesus Christ] was … the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.”

What does it mean that Christ is the Only Begotten of the Father?

 Jesus was the only person to be born of a mortal mother, Mary, and an immortal father, God the Father. That is why Jesus is called the Only Begotten Son of God. From His Father, He inherited divine powers (see John 10:17–18). From His mother, He inherited mortality and became subject to hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, and death.

 

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