The things that Christ taught on the earth are simple and everlasting. Everything that He lived for and taught is found in the scriptures and is embodied in the greatest act of service: the Atonement. Easter is meant to direct our thoughts and actions to this great sacrifice. Easter is a wonderful time of year where we have a special occasion to recognize and honor our Savior. The sacrifice that Jesus endured is the most important event ever to have occurred in the history of the world. He took upon Himself the physical, emotional, and spiritual pains, sufferings, sicknesses, confusions, etc. on behalf of you and me (Alma 7:11-12). His love is infinitely deep. He then proclaimed that "it is finished" when He died on the cross (John 19:30). His body remained in the tomb for three days before He was gloriously resurrected and the angel proclaimed "He is not here: for he is risen" (Matthew 28:6). How great is our Lord!
Resurrection
Christ, after His resurrection, ministered for forty days in Jerusalem where He taught and showed Himself to many of His disciples. Paul writes of these visits in his first epistle to the Corinthians.
"And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: And after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain to this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James, then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain: but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:4-10).
These verses are particularly touching to me. Christ loves all of us. He will manifest that love to even those of us who have not followed Him as strictly as they ought to. I am one of those, like Paul, who proclaims that I am the least of all who deserve His divine help. Yet, I have tasted of the love and light of our Savior. I also declare that it is "by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain" and I will "[labour] more abundantly" to follow Him more closely (1 Corinthians 15:10).
I plead with all of you to labour more abundantly to follow the Messiah. No matter what we have done, "his hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah 9:17). Make this Easter special and give it to the Lord. Serve others. Pray. Repent. Love. I promise that as we more abundantly follow Him, He will more abundantly bless us.
Please watch this short video depicting some important events from Christ's ministry and his glorious atonement.
I love this special time of year. I love this season because I am able to walk around munchin' on candy canes and NOT look like a weirdo, hot chocolate is in high demand, Christmas tunes are being sung, Christmas lights are up, good times are being had! But there is something much more. The Grinch went through a big change when he saw that Christmas came even after he tried to steal it. He said, "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags! Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...means a little bit more". Wise words Mr. Grinch!
The Grinch!
BUT what is it that makes this season so special? People tend to get caught up in the commercialism and hype of the season and they soon lose sight of the "reason for the season". Sure, we give and receive gifts around Christmastime. We also listen to inspiring music, watch good family-oriented movies, and have good food! But the special spirit that is felt is not a product of these things! The Grinch is right when he said that it must mean a little bit more.
It is the Spirit of Christ. Jesus Christ was born into the world so that He could live perfectly while setting up His Church, suffer our individual pains, sins, and infirmities to save us from spiritual death, and then die and be resurrected to save us from physical death. This is called the Atonement and it is the ultimate sign of His love.
At Christmastime we recognize His birth to commemorate all that He did for us. Without the Atonement His birth would have been just another baby coming into the world. But he fulfilled prophecies in the way that He lived and He made it possible for us to return to Him. This year, let us celebrate the birth and life of our only true King, Jesus Christ.
Birth of Christ by Carl Heinrich Bloch
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church that I represent as a full-time missionary, has produced and released Bible Videos that depict scenes directly from the bible. These videos are simply beautiful and they are completely true to the truth of the bible. Below I have posted a few of these videos because they teach about the birth of Christ in a way that that has touched me. As a full-time missionary I am away from my family and am unable to participate in some of the traditions that I would normally take part in if I was at home (like watching The Grinch!). At times, it is hard to even realize that it's almost Christmas. I am so grateful for these videos because they have helped me to recognize and capture the true spirit of Christmas. I know that they will do the same for you.
Don't you feel the Spirit of Christmas? These videos bring the scriptures to life. Let us let them live in us. Share the Spirit of Christmas with your friends, neighbors, families, and strangers. You will be happier and you will be helping someone else too. That is the spirit of Christmas. I know that my Savior lives and I know that He loves you and me. Merry Christmas!
A little while back I wrote a blog called, "Christmas in July" where I tried to help everyone to always remember Christ. No matter what time of year it is!
NOW...it is that special time of year. Christmas spirit is in the air and happiness is all around! I love it.
Christmas is meant to bring our minds to the birth of Christ and help us be happy. Satan doesn't want this at all! He will do all he can to bring us down and he often twists things that are great to tear us apart. There are so many people who are away from home, don't have friends and family around, or don't have family at all. It can be a big burden financially, spiritually, and emotionally. If we go about the season with the wrong attitude then we can get caught up in sadness and depression. Also, the cold winter weather can be a bit draining as well. This can be the best or the worst time of year.
I feel that sometimes, we just need to be reminded of the happiness and contentment of summer. One of my favorite bands is 311 and they have a song that helps me remember just that! It's called "Sunset in July" and it says:
January, February, March into May. Here's June with a tune just to brighten my day. Sunsetting in July I'm gonna fade 'em away 'cause time is sliding, time is sliding on hear what I say. If you believe that, believe that. Back-up, back-up you need that, need that. Space and time and time and space is my way. I'm forever in existence I'm forever okay.
When we recognize that we are "forever in existence" and that "time is sliding on" we can "slide" into contentment and just smile our problems away.
A Montana sunset...in July!
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Recognize the happiness in the air and hold onto it. Always remember that we are never alone. Ever. We just need to reach to the Lord who said, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you (John 14:18). Christmas is a great time to come closer tot he Lord. 'Tis the season!
The National Basketball Association is currently in lockout mode. Millionaires are fighting with billionaires. Lame! This means that the league is at odds and all things are at a hault for...who knows how long! Things need to be settled before any moves can be made and before any games can be played. Those who are fans of the NBA will have to wait for the conflicts to be resolved before there is any action. The offseason is always an exciting time for teams to pick up new players, hire new coaches, etc. Now that things are at a stand-still there are many questions that arise. Some questions that I have are: Will the Mavericks compete like they did last year? Will Jimmer Fredette play like he did at BYU? Will Greg Oden hurt his knees so badly that he'll be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life (THAT is unlikely but chances are that he'll get hurt to some degree)? Will LeBron and the Heat put it together and play to the caliber that their roster shows? Will the Jazz trade one of their big men to get a more reliable guard? Yikes! The questions are endless.
If this continued confusion would be rampant and things would get hostile. Some people would try their best to keep the NBA going but they wouldn't quite understand everything and things would be changed. Some people would try to reform the league or start their own. Before ya know it, there would be a ton of different leagues all claiming to be the original one or the best one but they all would be a little bit off. Something (a miracle or, dare I say, a restoration) would have to happen to bring it back! Then we all could enjoy the pleasures of the real NBA that Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, John Stockton, and Julius Erving enjoyed!
John Stockton: Short shorts and laser passes. Now THAT'S a basketball player.
This situation of the NBA lockout is strikingly similar to a huge event known as the great apostasy. Jesus Christ ministered on the earth at Jerusalem for 3 years. During this time many heeded His famous call, "Follow me" (Matthew 4:19)and became disciples (followers). He chose twelve to be Apostles (special witnesses), and He gave them (Peter, James, John, etc.) what is called the Priesthood authority. The Priesthood is God's power given to men to perform things in His name like baptism (Matthew 3:11, 13-17), giving blessings to the sick and afflicted (Acts 3:2-9), preparing, blessing, and passing the sacrament (Matthew 26:26-29), etc. Christ's earthly ministry ended at His Crucifixion but His work continued through His Apostles and disciples.
The Apostles spread out and did missionary work (what much of the New Testament is about) but they were rejected, kicked out of cities, and killed. This solidified the "falling away" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) from the truth of the Gospel. The prophet Amos of the Old Testament prophesies of this great apostasy as well. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it" (Amos 8:11-12). There was a famine of truth!
For a very long time, the world was in "lockout" of the fulness of the Gospel of Christ. His Church was changed, distorted, and divided. That is why there are now SO many churches that scatter the earth. People have been wandering the land, looking for truth but have only been able to find a portion of it.
As a representative of Jesus Christ, I am called to proclaim the truth of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His church has been restored to the earth through a prophet named Joseph Smith Jr. At the age of 14 in the year of 1820 Joseph Smith was confused. He knew that the churches that he was attending were not the same church that Christ established with prophets and apostles. He knew that there should be "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). As he was studying in the Bible he came across a scripture in the book of James that states, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). Joseph lacked wisdom and he knew that if he asked of God, he would receive an answer. Joseph took these words to heart and he heeded the counsel that he received.
Joseph went out into a grove of trees outside his home in Palmyra, New York and he knelt in prayer to offer up his heart to God. He received an answer. He has recorded his experience as such:
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him!
The following is a video about the Restoration of the Gospel. It has clips from a film called, "The Restoration" and it contatins words of one of our living apostles (yep, just like Peter, James and John) named L. Tom Perry.
I know that the world was once like the NBA currently is...in "lockout". But through the love of God a prophet was called to the earth once again to restore the truth in its fullness. God has provided us with the Book of Mormon so we can know that Christ loves us and called Joseph Smith to be the prophet of the restoration. He also has appointed a prophet for us in our day named Thomas S. Monson. I plead with you to heed his words for they are the words of God. We will never go astray if we follow the word of God. We will never have a "lockout" again.
Hold up. Why am I posting something about Christmas in the middle of Summer? Because Christmas is one of the most important times of year and we need a reminder of its greatness! It is the time of year that we celebrate and recognize the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We always need to remember our big brother Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us. His miraculous birth was only the beginning of His miraculous life. The following video from http://www.lds.org/ is amazing. It helps me to remember the incredible Christmas story.
Christ's perfect life is what makes everything come together. The suffering He endured on our behalf in Gethsemane, the shedding of His blood on the cross, and His glorious resurrection comprises the Atonement. This is the reason that we are able to repent, have Forgiveness, and live again. It is through Him that we are able to move on from past mistakes and have burdens lifted. It is through Him that we can have peace in the present. It is through Him that we can have hope for a brighter future. Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet, said this, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus Christ has a divine calling and He fulfilled it so that we may have everlasting joy. What a glorious thing to celebrate!
It is easy to get caught up in the gifts and the chaos that often comes with Christmas. But all of that hoopla is not what Christmas is all about! I am reminded of my favorite Christmas movies. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Ron Howard. I love this movie. It simply makes me happy! With it being a full-feature film (an adaptation of the original cartoon) a lot of things are added to the movie to fill some space. I love it all! But the moral principles of the original are conveyed just the same - making the movie both funny and touching. Jim Carrey plays the role of the Grinch and he does a great job. The Grinch hates Christmas. He finds that a good portion of the whole town of Whoville is stuck in the "gifts rut". The Grinch finally "succeeds" in stealing Christmas. He takes all of the presents of all of the Whos in Whoville. However, when the town begins singing in spite of their lack of gifts (and through the help of young Cindy Lou Who). It is all about love! It's all about heart! BUT when he climbs to the top of Mt. Crumpit he finds that Christmas "came just the same" and he realizes something very important. Here's a scene from the Ron Howard classic:
The Grinch was able to see that Christmas is all about love. When he did that his heart grew three sizes! When we take it a step further than the Grinch and realize that the true meaning of Christmas is the love of Christ and the miracle of His Atonement...our hearts will grow infinitely. We will have the capacity to endure all trials, conquer all fears, and dismiss all darkness. When we allow Christ into our hearts and partake of that "living water" we will have an unending supply of love. "But whosoever drinketh of this water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).
Christ is the ultimate supply of love, compassion, and mercy. Let us celebrate Him not only once a year...but every minute of every day! So please...let us have Christmas in July!
