And all through the house
The boys were making mom crazy
And so was the mouse-(the one that lives in my pocket remember?)
Mom was a maniac, she was really stressed out
Her talk to prepare was the reason no doubt
The presents weren't wrapped, the shopping not done,
All of this chaos is really no fun.
Then Sunday it was, hallelulah it's here!
Mom gave her whole talk without hardly a tear.
The talk was all finished, the message complete
Now it was time to go home for a treat!-(See's Candy please!)
Thank goodness it's over, thank goodness that's through
Now maybe she can get to the real list of To Do's.
Laundry to do and presents to wrap,
Guess what-instead she went for a nap!
Here is my talk-it is pretty long so skip to the end if you want! Please excuse all the grammatical errors-it's not like I have to turn it in to my English teacher or anything! Oh and if you were at church and heard me give this talk today then you can just stop reading right now!
I think that I am the last person that should up be up here telling you about the spirit of Christmas and how to be calm and peaceful. Giving this talk is not up there on my list of things that help me to be calm and peaceful especially 4 days before Christmas. I think that Heavenly Father really gets a good laugh at me sometimes. So that being said-
How has your December been? Dashing through the snow. Deck the Halls. Haul out the Holly, Rocking around the Christmas tree, shop, wrap, bake, shop some more for those who I forgot to buy for, drive here, drive there, decorate, write lists, check lists once or twice or even three times, hurry Santa, run here run there, don’t be late. Hang the lights, decorate the tree, fill the stockings, School parties, work parties, neighborhood parties, Concerts, plays, programs. The Tabernacle Choir, The Nutcracker, Forgotten Carols, The Magic Forest, the Festival of Trees. Cocoa, eggnog, See’s candy, cookies, cake, caramel corn-exercising double time because of all that junk. Busy, busy, busy,! (deep breath) It’s only December 21 but I’ve been tired all month! What am I doing wrong? Something’s gotta give! Wait a minute I know another song.
(Slowly) Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright. What do these words mean? This is what I think of when I think of these words.
(slowly and quietly) Silent-still, hushed, quiet, noiseless, tranquil, solemn
Holy-sacred, consecrated, hallowed, blessed, divine, reverent
Calm-serene, peaceful, unruffled, composed, restful, comfort
Bright-clear, vivid, light, shine, sparkle, glowing
These words that we sing time after time, year after year have special meaning when we apply them to our own lives. Are there times in our lives that we are silent, quiet, and still? Do we make time to be holy, and consecrate our time, talents and abilities to our Heavenly Father? Can we find places to be calm and peaceful even amid the upheaval and uncertainty of this time? Where is the clear, vivid and bright light that should emanate from us as we try to become more like our Savior?
Jesus Christ, that highly anticipated infant whose birth has been celebrated with song and story, is a perfect example for us of how to feel still, divine, serene and shining. The circumstances of His life were anything but tranquil. His world was politically unstable. He and His family experienced life under Roman rule and a Jewish king who wanted Jesus dead. Jesus was challenged and criticized. He felt hunger, fatigue, sorrow, temptation, and frustration. He was mocked, abandoned, and betrayed. In the world where Jesus lived there were problems in families and people had severe illness, injuries, and tragic losses. Neighbors were not always kind to one another, at times business was bad, salt lost its savor, and tempests raged, lepers were ungrateful and occasionally folks ran out of refreshments during wedding receptions; and yet every incident we have recorded of the Savior’s life points to a life of tranquility.
After the birth of the Savior the Wise men wanted to bring to this King of Kings rare and precious gifts. After they had seen and worshipped the Holy child, they were warned to not return to Herod but to go a different way. Are there Herod’s in our lives that we need to turn from and go a different way. Do these Herods keep us from feeling silent and calm, radiating with light? Fear and anxiety, frustration, anger, despair, addiction, depression, sickness, greed, ingratitude, contention, self pity, pride, bad attitudes, guilt, impatience, sin and lack of faith can all be the form that our own Herods take. Herods that block our path to our Savior and restrict us from having silent nights, and holy experiences, from having calm feelings and from being bright examples. Whose plan is it that we are overly busy and hurried and harried and frustrated? Who rejoices in our stress and our anxiety? It certainly is not the Savior or our Heavenly Father. Do we like the Wisemen know of a different way and do we choose to go that different way rather than returning to those Herod’s that inevitably destroy us? Do we truly understand and recognize that our Savior while part deity was also mortal because of his mother Mary? Because of this mortality he was not immune from those same physical and emotional Herods that plague and thwart us. He was literally hunted by a wicked king but his wise and calm earthly father took Him and His mother and fled to another land. Later on in his life after seeing and walking with the meek and lowly of the earth, He unselfishly took upon himself our sins and our sorrows, our grief and our pain in the Garden of Gesthemane. Because of that great and selfless sacrifice, we have the ability to repent through the atonement and choose a different way also. While we each have our own Herods we can choose to think of others during this season of the year. Our hearts are softened at Christmas and our thoughts and desires turn to those that are lacking spiritually, emotionally and physically, just as our Savior did all of his life. Because we want to be like our Savior, we have according to Elder Bednar
the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us. Character is revealed in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. The Savior of the world is the perfect example of such a consistent and charitable character. Close quote
So we have the capacity- the ability-the gift to recognize and respond to other people’s needs. Do we choose to act on that ability?
In our desire to be like our Savior who was born tender and mild, these feelings of goodwill and love that surround and permeate the air during Christmas can and should be extended the whole year through. When we can accept and act upon the spiritual promptings that are given to us by the Holy Ghost we can feel calm and peaceful.
The song continues- Sleep in Heavenly peace, Sleep in Heavenly peace
On that sacred night of the birth of Jesus, the angels that came to the shepherds proclaimed peace and goodwill toward men. What initial fear and anxiety those shepherds’ felt. The scriptures tell us that they were “sore afraid” when visited by that heavenly being but those feelings were shortly replaced with calm and reverence. After this experience and their own visit to see the heavenly king, they spread the joyous word of the Messiah’s birth, “and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told".
Was there peace in the America’s the night of the Savior’s birth? Those that had believed and had waited and hoped for the promised sign of the day and a night and a day without darkness and for appearance of the new star were in fear for their lives. During the 5 years since the prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite some lost hope, doubting the words of the prophet. How did those that remained stalwart and faithful feel as the days and hours slipped by, wondering and waiting, still believing even while the dissenters plotted and prepared to kill them. In 3 Nephi 1:11-13 we read how their prophet Nephi “cried mightily [all that day] to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
… And behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
“Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets”
That night, Nephites in the New World witnessed an astonishing sight in the heavens, “for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness” (3 Ne. 1:15)—the prophesied sign of the Messiah’s birth.
Even after the sign appeared Satan still abounded in the hearts of the wicked and lies were spread to convince those that had witnessed the signs that they really hadn’t. The brightness and light did appear with the arrival of the new star but what peace was there to be found? Where was the silence, the holiness , and the calmness? It was found in the hearts of those that believed.
Okay now-everyone close your eyes. I want you to think of a time during the last 3 weeks that you have felt peace. Was it here at church-was it at one of the many beautiful concerts that you have attended. Did you go see the lights at Temple Square or at the St. George Temple? Have you been to the temple since December started? Maybe it has been early in the morning or late at night when the house is still. Now I want to tell you a story-a parable of sorts.
There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.
But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In it, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture.
"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace. "
Elder Worthlin said “While we yearn for peace, we live in a world burdened with hunger, pain, anguish, loneliness, sickness, and sorrow. We see divorce with all of its attendant conflict and heartache, especially among the innocent children caught in the middle. Wayward, disobedient children cause their parents grief and anxiety. Financial problems cause distress and loss of self-respect. Some loved ones slip into sin and wickedness, forsake their covenants, and walk in their “own way, and after the image of [their] own god.” (D&C 1:16.)
The value of peace within our hearts cannot be measured. When we are at peace, we can be free of worry and fear, knowing that with the Lord’s help, we can do all that is expected or required of us. We can approach every day, every task, and every challenge with assurance and confidence in the outcome. We have freedom of thought and action, freedom to be happy. Despite dismal conditions in the world and the personal challenges that come into every life, peace within can be a reality. We can be calm and serene regardless of the swirling turmoil all about us. Attaining harmony within ourselves depends upon our relationship with our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and our willingness to emulate him by living the principles he has given us. He has extended to us an invitation: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28–30.) close quote
As the song continues, Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God loves pure light
The pure light that the Son of God loves is charity. Is there more that we can do, can we give of ourselves and then as a blessing in return receive the gift of charity. Again I quote from Elder Bednar
Let me suggest that you and I must be praying and yearning and striving and working to cultivate a Christlike character if we hope to receive the spiritual gift of charity--the pure love of Christ. Charity is not a trait or characteristic we acquire exclusively through our own purposive persistence and determination. Indeed we must honor our covenants and live worthily and do all that we can do to qualify for the gift; but ultimately the gift of charity possesses us--we do not posses it (see Moroni 7:47). The Lord determines if and when we receive all spiritual gifts, but we must do all in our power to desire and yearn and invite and qualify for such gifts. As we increasingly act in a manner congruent with the character of Christ, then perhaps we are indicating to heaven in a most powerful manner our desire for the supernal spiritual gift of charity. And clearly we are being blessed with this marvelous gift as we increasingly reach outward when the natural man or woman in us would typically turn inward. Close quote.
No other time of the year is this more prevalent and evident. What evidence is there of the charitable and Christmas spirit that is the Christ spirit. The sending of cards to family or friends that you have not seen or heard from in years, the giving trees and the Toys for Tots, the Sub for Santa and the Christmas stockings that this ward participates in each year. The help of an office worker and a school teacher in the gathering of information on a family that needs help with Christmas. The gifts left on doorsteps, and the quiet distribution of hundred dollar bills at Deseret Industries. The Cub Scouts singing Silent Night so reverently to a sweet grandma who has served each one of them at school-when just the minute before were rough housing and hollering in the back of the car. The teacher’s quorum delivering goodies to someone who said thanks but then abruptly shuts the door. The Bishop who spends countless hours away from his home and family to see each of us at tithing settlement. The Stake President who stays at the bedside and with the family of a gravely ill member of the Stake. The Primary lessons and songs that are taught so that each child may feel of the spirit. The Sunday School Teacher who consistently and whole heartedly studies and prepares her lesson and takes the time to know and love each student under her stewardship. The Young Women who arrive at an ill sister’s home to straighten and brighten up her home. The blankets and quilts, the white shirts and ties, the hygiene kits and the school supplies, the wheelchairs and eye glasses that are purchased, or collected to be distributed to those in need. The few coins in the Salvation Army buckets, the handful of bills waved out of a car window to someone standing on the corner holding a sign pleading for any type of help. The homeless man who when offered a sack lunch asks for one more for his friend. The kind words of a shopper standing in a long line to a grumpy fellow shopper. The doors being held open and people waving others into traffic ahead of them. The gracious ward member who every year anonymously presents each family in the ward with some gift-oranges, clementines, or Preach My Gospel books. The sister who spends countless hours sewing quilt after quilt only to give them away as gifts to others. This list could go on and on and is just what I have seen what I know of that goes on each year. What have you seen that others have done to share that Christ spirit? More importantly-what have you done to share that Christ spirit? Because we want and need the Christ spirit-the spirit of charity we can do these things all year round. These acts of service of charity and goodwill lighten our own burdens and allow the light of the Savior to shine through us. “All things are created and bear record of me” the Savior said. That would include you and me. Our very lives stand as a witness that He lives. That to know him is to know peace. To love is to love all. To emulate Him is the greatest gift we can offer him.
Mary the mother of the Savior privately pondered in her heart the important and sacred things that happened that night. We too can privately reflect on the significance of the son of God in each of our lives. If we want the spirit of Christ and Christmas in our lives we need to find and make time to be still and silent, to be holy and divine, to be calm and serene and share our bright light with others. While we want to be the constant givers of charity, peace and goodwill, we still always receive more than we give. We receive the peace that surpasses all understanding, we receive the spirit of our Heavenly Father through the gift of the Holy Ghost and according to President James E. Faust “The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world….It will calm nerves; it will breathe peace to our souls.” (Ensign, May 1989, pp.32-33.) Above all, we receive into our hearts the greatest gift that the world has ever been given-the gift of the Savior of the World. My hope for myself and for each one of us this few days before Christmas is that we may understand and enjoy a more silent and holy Christas, the way that it is supposed to be. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
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