"May we give as the Savior gave. To give of oneself is a
holy gift. We give as a remembrance of all the Savior has given. May we
also give gifts that have eternal value, along with our gifts that
eventually break or are forgotten. How much better the world would be if
we all gave gifts of understanding and compassion, of service and
friendship, of kindness and gentleness."
By word and deed, Mary, the mother of Jesus, teaches us some significant virtues of a true disciple.
Little of Mary’s life is recorded in the scriptures. But what is recorded shows that Mary
(1) faithfully obeyed the word of God, (2) expressed joy for God’s
blessings, (3) received God’s witness and counsel from his servants, and
(4) had a posterity who glorified God. In the life of Mary, we find a pattern of righteousness for all Saints to follow. Mary, His Mother By Susan Easton Black
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 1–4New 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!!
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
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.
"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
"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
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
"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
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.)
"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)."
"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
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.
"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."
"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.”
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."
"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
“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.”
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.
The
imagery of a judicial system is often invoked when the Last Judgment is
mentioned in scriptures. Man goes before the “judgment bar” (2 Nephi 33:15), there to be “arraigned” (Alma 11:44) and face God, “the Judge of all” (Hebrews 12:23). As part of that imagery, Jesus is called the Advocate (paraclaytos). In the King James Version of the New Testament, Jesus is called the “advocate” only once (1 John 2:1). The same word (paraclaytos) is used for the Holy Ghost, although it is translated “Comforter” (John 14:16). Thus, Jesus is one Paraclete, or Comforter, and the Holy Ghost is called “another Comforter” (John 14:16). The Greek word comes from para, to the side of, and kalayo, to summon. “Hence, originally, one who is called to another’s side to aid him, as an advocate in a court of justice” (Vincent, Word Studies, 1:486).
In
the terminology of today’s legal system, an advocate is a lawyer who
pleads another’s cause in a court of law, or in other words, an attorney
for the defense. Usually, the attorney for the defense pleads the cause
on the basis that the client is innocent; or if guilty, that
extenuating circumstances should be considered and mercy extended. At
the time of eternal judgment, we will stand before the bar of God
accused of being imperfect and unworthy to enter God’s presence, “for
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
At that time we have an Advocate with the Father. He will stand beside
us to plead our cause before the Great Judge; however, He does not plead
our case by pointing to our lack of guilt; rather, it is His own sinlessness to which He calls God’s attention (see D&C 45:4). His perfection and His suffering pay the price to satisfy justice for those of His “brethren that believe on my name” (v. 5).
Imagine the indescribable sorrow of standing before the judgment bar
with no one to step forward, no one to speak for you. How tragic that
some will not come to Him in true faith and repentance so that He can
take their guilt upon Him and become their advocate with the Father.
“It
is of great significance to me, that I may at any moment and in any
circumstance approach through prayer the throne of grace, that my
Heavenly Father will hear my petition, that my Advocate, him who did no
sin, whose blood was shed, will plead my cause.”D. Todd Christofferson, “I Know in Whom I Have Trusted,” Ensign,May 1993, 83.
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
