General Epistle the Nineteenth

Hello, everybody! (Hello, Dr. Nick!)

We got to go to the temple this week! I love going there, because it usually recharges my spiritual batteries and helps me keep going. For some reason, I didn't feel as recharged as I normally do, and I have since been kind of moody. However, it's Christmas time, so I'm trying to remember that and get excited.

Speaking of Christmas, I hope you all were able to catch the Christmas Devotional last night. It wasn't just the First Presidency speaking; they asked other general authorities to speak, too.

This is a truly wonderful time of the year. We get to celebrate the birth of the most important person to ever live: Jesus Christ. We not only focus on his birth, but also His life, His Atonement, and His death. We celebrate the fact that He has overcome the Fall, allowing us all to live again with the Father. We celebrate that the small babe in Bethlehem became the great Exemplar of all men, and the Savior of the world.

There has been a scripture running around in my mind for the past few weeks. It is Jacob 2:18. Before we seek for the treasures of this world, we ought to seek for the Kingdom of God. During this season, it is so very easy to get caught up in the shopping addictions and gathering of that which does not satisfy. We cannot fill the voids in our lives with objects; such voids are only filled by the pure love of God that is given and received during this season.

This is a time to treasure up relationships with friends and family. This is a time to remember what God has given us in the gift of His Son. This is the time to get away from the loudness of the world and focus on the calm. Unfortunately, Satan works his hardest to make it a season of taking, ingratitude, and strife. We see it every time we enter Walmart at this time. We who know the truth should defend our families from the barrage of worldliness. We can do it with righteous traditions, reminding each other of our love for one another, and putting others before ourselves.

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is found here. Though this version does not have the words, the words speak of the promised Messiah. They are infused with a hope that all the hate, envy, and strife in this world will be done away, and peace will reign on Earth. They inspire the listener to rejoice.

"O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that waits in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, o Israel!"

The Jews continue to look forward to the Messiah that will deliver them. And though he will come to them, He already has come once before. He came and atoned for us. He came and that is why we celebrate.

I know the Lord has come to earth. I know He has completed what the Father asked of Him. I know we have salvation because of Him. We are all blessed by His life, whether we acknowledge it or not. Let us show Him our gratitude by giving of ourselves this season, and not just of our wallets.

I share this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Murdock