The Blessings of Christmas

Boxing Day today started out spiritual with a combined Sacrament Meeting with Stoke and Newcastle Wards.  People gave us lots of presents with cookies, food, candy and useful items and then the stuffing of the missionaries continued.  


Pictures and a post of the past few days will follow when there is time to catch everyone up on how well taken care of we have been for the holidays.  For today, the Sabbath, I decided to focus on our Savior and share the following Sacrament Meeting talk given by Paul Blair, a person who could be a relative, since his last name is the same as my grandmother's maiden name:


"My talk today is on the blessings of Christmas.  For me, the word, Christmas, begins with a capital C.


C, to me, stands for the Christ child whose birth we celebrate at this time of year.  

Alma 7:10, 'And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

H is for hope, the hope that Jesus brought into the world; the hope of the resurrection.  Jacob 2:19, 'And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good--to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.


R is for repentance.  Jesus knew that we could not get back to him and Heavenly Father if we did not repent of our sins, because, 1 Nephi 10:21 says, 'Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of our probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.  Alma 9:12:  'Behold, now I say unto you that he commandeth you to repeat; and except ye repent, ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.  But behold, this is not all--he has commanded you to repent, or he will utterly destroy you from off the face of the earth; yea, he will visit you in his anger, and in his fierce anger he will not turn away.


I is for immortality, which we wouldn't have had without Jesus Christ.  Alma 40:2, 'Behold, I say unto you, that there is no resurrection--or, I would say, in other words, that this mortal does not put on immortality, this corruption does no put on incorruption--until after the coming of Christ.'


S is for shepherd, Jesus Christ taught us how to be a good shepherd.  Psalm 23, 'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul:  he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:  thous annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:  and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.'


John 10:11:  'I am the good shepherd:  the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.'


T is for temple, the house of the Lord.  Luke 2:46, 'And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.'


Matthew 21:12:  'And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves.


M is for Mary the mother of Jesus Christ.  What a blessing to have such a faithful woman.  Luke 1:30-38, 'And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:  for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS.  he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:  and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and his kingdom there shall be no end.  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the of the Highest shall overshadow thee:  therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.  And behold, thy cousin, Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age:  and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.  For with God nothing shall be impossible.  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.  And the angel departed from her.


A is for Atonement.  The blessing of the Atonement means that we can live with our Heavenly Father again.  Alma 34:9, 'For is is expedient that an atonement should be made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.  Articles of Faith 1:3:   'We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.'


S is for Salvation.  Mosiah 3:17:  'And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the names of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.'"