meaning

The Story of the Birth of Christ
As told in Matthew

Matthew 1 16 And Jacob begat
Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Matthew 1:17 17 So all the generations
from Abraham to David [are]
fourteen generations;
and from David until the carrying
away into Babylon [are] fourteen generations;
and from the carrying away into Babylon unto
Christ [are] fourteen generations.

Matthew 1:18 18 ¶ Now the birth of
Jesus Christ was on this wise:
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together,
she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 1:19 19 Then Joseph her husband,
being a just [man],
and not willing to make her a publick example,
was minded to put her away privily.

Matthew 1:20 20 But while he thought on these things,
behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 1:21 21 And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:22 22 Now all this was done,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Matthew 1:23 23 Behold,
a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:24 24 Then Joseph being
raised from sleep did as the
angel of the Lord had bidden him,
and took unto him his wife:

Matthew 1:25 25 And knew her not
till she had brought forth her firstborn son:
and he called his name JESUS.

Chapter 2 Matthew 2:1 1 ¶ NOW when Jesus
was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the
days of Herod the king, behold,
there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:2 2 Saying, Where is he
that is born King of the Jews? f
or we have seen his star in the east,
and are come to worship him.

Matthew 2:3 3 When Herod the king had heard
[these things], he was troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.

Matthew 2:4 4 And when he had gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the people together,
he demanded of them where
Christ should be born.

Matthew 2:5 5 And they said unto him,
In Bethlehem of Judaea:
for thus it is written by the prophet,

Matthew 2:6 6 And thou Bethlehem,
[in] the land of Juda,
art not the least among
the princes of Juda:
for out of thee shall come a Governor,
that shall rule my people Israel.

Matthew 2:7 7 Then Herod,
when he had privily called the wise men,
enquired of them diligently
what time the star appeared.

Matthew 2:8 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem,
and said, Go and search
diligently for the young child;
and when ye have found [him],
bring me word again,
that I may come and worship him also.

Matthew 2:9 9 ¶ When they had heard the king,
they departed; and, lo, the star,
which they saw in the east, went before them,
till it came and stood over
where the young child was.

Matthew 2:10 10 When they saw the star,
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Matthew 2:11 11 And when they were
come into the house,
they saw the young child with Mary his mother,
and fell down, and worshipped him:
and when they had opened their treasures,
they presented unto him gifts;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Thoughts on
The True Meaning of Christmas

Christmas is a fitting time to renew our
desires and to strengthen our
determination to do all that lies
within our power to make real among
men the message heralded by the angels
when the Savior was born.
Let us glorify God by seeking the good,
the true, the beautiful!
Let us strive to establish peace on earth
by exercising that same good will
toward one another which
God has shown toward us!

In northern climes particularly,
Christmas is the happiest season of the year.
At first thought, it is strange that it is so.
The days are short and gloomy;
the nights, cold and long;
trees are leafless,
and the landscape barren or covered with snow.
Excepting the fur-clad
and a few other hardy animals,
all nature lies asleep.
No warbling songsters fill the air with music;
no flowers nor brilliant foliage gladdens the eye.
The rippling streams that lured the heart
in summer are frozen and still.
The pine-covered hills are uninviting,
if not quite inaccessible.
Everything is gone which made springtime joyous,
the summer delightful, and the autumn glorious!
Notwithstanding all this,
Christmas, in the depth of winter,
is full of happiness and cheer.

This is because in Christian lands
the yuletide festivity is impregnated
with the Spirit of the Christ.
At that time more than at any other,
we think of others and try to express
either in word or deed our desire
to make others happy.
Herein lies the secret of true happiness.
"He that will lose his life for my sake
and the gospel's shall find it,"
is sound philosophy,
which the true Christmas spirit
helps us to understand.

Love for God and for one another
should be the Christmas theme.
Such was the divine announcement
by the heavenly host that
first heralded the "glad tidings of great joy!

"Glory to God in the highest,
peace on earth, good will toward men!
How simple the words!
How deep, how comprehensive their significance!
At Christmas we celebrate his birth
in whose mission on earth

If every man born into the world
would have as the beacon of his life
these three glorious ideals --
how much sweeter and happier life would be!
With such an aim,
everyone would seek all that is pure,
just, honorable, virtuous, and true --
all that leads to perfection;
for these virtues he would glorify
who seeks to glorify God.
He would eschew that which is impure,
dishonorable, or vile.
If every man desired to show good will
toward his fellow men and strove to express
that desire in a thousand kind sayings
and little deeds that would reflect
unselfishness and self-sacrifice,
what a contribution each would make
toward universal peace on earth
and the happiness of mankind! --

David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.37

Well, once again it's Christmas time.
The stores are all stocked with Christmas trees,
Santa Clause, Elves, and Eight tiny reindeer.
All these things we now associate with Christmas
are practically the only thing we see.
But Christmas is more than that.
Christmas is about Jesus,
it is His birthday and that is what we celebrate
and the reason we give gifts on Christmas.
Let us take a look now,
at the typical modern Christmas
as compared to that night long ago.

The star that lead the wise men to the manger
has been replaced by thousands of
glowing Christmas lights.
The sheep and catle,
have all been replaced by reindeer.
The shepards have been replaced by elves.
Jesus himself has even been replaced
by a guy in a red suit who's name is Santa,
we all know what happens when the
letters are rearranged but let's not dwell on that.
Bethlehem has been relocated to the
North Pole for a modern Christmas.
Even the Salvation army wears santa suits
when they are a Christian group.

I don't mean to knock Santa or
any of the secular holiday hipe,
but it is too often that we forget
the true meaning of Christmas.
We get all caught up in what we're going
to give people to make them perfectly
happy on Christmas.
Well, you'll never do it.
You can't make someone perfectly happy with a gift.
Only Jesus can do that.
No gift on earth can measure up
to the gift he gave that Christmas. Eternal life.

Written by Brian Clark

A Day for Humble Supplication

At this very moment while I speak,
carolers are singing songs of praise
in memory of the Babe of Bethlehem
as they go from door to door in the chilly night.
Fires at many hearths are aglow with
cheerful flamewhile the traditional Christmas tree
is being dressed and countless children,
sent to bed, await the coming of the dawn
with wondering anticipation as to
what the day will bring to them
in the form of gifts from loving hands.

When the morrow comes
some will bow their heads
n humble supplication to the
Father of Lights for the blessings
they have received through
the sufferings of his beloved Son,
and will read the wondrous story
with grateful praise.
Others, unfortunately, who know little,
if anything at all,
of the debt they owe to the Son of God,
will celebrate, not in praise and humble prayer,
but in blasphemous drunken revelry,
without the least thought of the
significance of the birth of the Man of Galilee.
In the midst of all the celebration,
prayers and exhortations,
there will be hanging over the people
a cloud of sadness because of the
present condition of strife, hate and bloodshed
which has swept to all comers of the earth.
And all of this has come because mankind
has forgotten the Son of God
and ignored his sacred teachings.

How can anyone read this touching story
of the birth of Jesus Christ
without wishing to forsake his sins?
At this season of the year it is
well for one and all--
the king in his palace
if there are kings in palaces now--
the peasant in his humble cottage,
the rich and the poor alike,
to bow the knee and pay honor
to him who was without sin,
whose life was spent in sacrifice
and sorrow for the benefits of his fellow man;
whose blood was shed as a sacrifice for sin,
not any sin of his, for he was without sin,
but for the sins of all who will repent
and obey his voice that they might
be redeemed from their transgressions.

There is no story quite as beautiful,
or which can stir the soul
of the humble quite to the depths,
as this glorious story can of the
birth of our Redeemer.
No words that man may utter
can embellish or improve or add
to the eloquence of its humble simplicity.
It never grows old no matter how often told,
and the telling of it is by far too infrequent
in the homes of men.
Let us try to imagine ourselves
out with the shepherds who were watching
over their flock that memorable night.
These were humble men who
had not lost the faith of their fathers,
whose hearts had not become hardened
as were the hearts of the rulers of the Jews
in the days of our Lord's ministry, f
or had they been,
the angels would not have appeared
to them with their glorious message.
Let us repeat this wondrous story

And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone
round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you;
ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone
away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said one to another,
Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
and see this thing which is come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary,
and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

Can any soul read this and not be touched
with the spirit of humility and be
impressed with the simple truth of the story?
If so, then that man's soul surely is calloused
with unrepentant sin.
Cunningham Geikie, in his excellent work,
"Life and Words of Christ," in commenting
on this glorious scene, has said:
With this ever-memorable anthem--
the first and last melody of heaven
ever heard by mortal ears--
the light faded from the hills,
as the angels went away into heaven,
and left earth once more in the shadow of night,
knowing and thinking nothing of that
which so supremely interested distant worlds.
Wondering at such a vision,
and full of a simple trust,
the shepherds had only one thought --
to see the babe and its mother for themselves.
Climbing the hill, therefore,
with eager haste, they hurried to Bethlehem,
and there found Mary and Joseph,
and the babe lying in a manger,
as had been told them.

No details are given:
no heightening of the picture
of this first act of reverence to the new-
born Savior. Nor are they needed.
The lowliness of the visitors,
the pure image of the Virgin Mother
and her Child, are better left in their own simplicity.
Infancy is forever dignified by the
manger of Bethlehem:
womanhood is ennobled to its purest ideal in Mary:
man, as such, received abiding honor,
in the earliest accepted homage
to her Son being that of the simple poor.

But what of this wonderful story?
Have we permitted it to permeate
and influence our lives?
Have we accepted it in its f
ull meaning without reservations?
Do we believe that this babe was in very deed
the only begotten Son of God in the flesh?
Do we have abiding faith in his mission
and are we willing to obediently follow him?
If the world had so believed and
had sincerely heeded his teachings,
then it would not have been torn asunder
by strife and wickedness all down through the ages.
If the present world had sincerely
believed in his mission;
if the inhabitants of the earth who
have boasted that they were Christians
had sincerely followed the Prophet of Galilee,
and in the spirit of faith and humility
had truly believed in him,
then this great and terrible conflict
which has brought sorrow,
mourning and misery to many thousands of homes
never would have been inflicted upon the world.
There has been too much lip-
service among the professed followers
of the Son of God and too little real worship
based upon the integrity of his teachings.
The World's Refusal to Heed the Message

The angel declared to the shepherds on
that glorious night, that he brought tidings
of great joy which were for all people,
but quite generally the people everywhere
on the face of the earth, have refused
to receive the blessings of those tidings.
They have not been willing to forsake their sins,
to humble themselves and place their lives
in harmony with the Master's teachings.
The Lord said to his disciples as he sent them forth
to declare the words of eternal life:
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth:
I came not to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father,
and the daughter against her mother,
and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

And a man's foes shall be those of his
own household.
Matt. 10:34-35. Do you find in this a conflict
with the message delivered by the angel
thirty-odd years before?
There is no conflict.
The coming of the Son of God
was the message of good tidings of peace
and it has been the blessing of peace to all
those who sincerely have followed his teachings;
but among the wicked,
those who have rejected his teachings,
even though with their lips they have
professed to believe in him,
there has come the sword.

The preaching of the gospel has brought strife,
hatred, bloodshed among those who have
failed to grasp the significance of his mission
and among those who have opposed it.
Moreover, this strife and bloodshed has not
been confined to those who have not
professed belief in his name.
The greatest number of wars
and the greatest misery through wars,
during the past 1,000 years,
have been between those who have
professed to be his followers.
The Nations Without Divine Guidance
This fact has definitely proved that the
contending nations were without
the guidance of his Spirit and verily,
they have not been his followers, for Paul declared:
"For the fruit of the Spirit is
in all goodness and righteousness and truth";
and again, "The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith." Certainly these great qualities
have been lacking in the hearts of men
and nations through the intervening centuries
and because of this there has come to the world
an overwhelming spirit of hate,
bloodshed and war.
It seems, as one reflects upon the present
world conflict, that the mission of
Jesus Christ has not been understood;
or if understood, then there has been
a most wickedly wilful disregard of all that he gave
his life to accomplish, thus putting him again
to an open shame.

All of the European nations, as well as our own,
now at war, have professed to accept
the Son of God as their Redeemer,
but those professions of faith have
fallen like wormy apples to the ground.

The mission of Jesus Christ has been
proclaimed in clearness in the scriptures,
but to an unbelieving world.
Men have loved darkness rather than light
and the consequences of such action is now
being felt by every nation, tongue and people.

Jesus Came to Die The only begotten
Son of God in this world came in it primarily to die.
He is spoken of in the scriptures as the
"Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
The meaning of this is that he was chosen
to his mission as Redeemer of a fallen world,
even before the foundations of the earth were laid.
His great mission is twofold.
First, to redeem all men from death
irrespective of their obedience or disobedience,
their willingness to keep his commandments,
or their rejection of those commandments,
and this is done because since Adam,
all men have been innocent
of the cause of death in the world.
Therefore they are redeemed from
its consequences irrespective of their belief
or lack of belief in the Son of God.
Secondly, he came into the world to save all men
from the consequences of their own sins
if they are willing to repent.

He has said to the people in this generation:
For behold, I, God,
have suffered these things for all,
that they might not suffer if they would repent;
But if they would not repent they must suffer
even as I; Which suffering caused myself,
even God, the greatest of all,
to tremble because of pain,
and to bleed at every pore,
and to suffer both body and spirit--
and would that I might not drink the bitter cup,
and shrink -Nevertheless, glory be to the Father,
and I partook and finished my preparations
unto the children of men.

No man can be saved in the kingdom of God
who will not repent, but all men shall receive
the resurrection after the death of the body,
and then they will be assigned to their
proper place according to their works.

Here are some of the teachings of
the Son of God: 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.

But whosoever drinketh of the 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.

I am the bread of life:
he that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst. --John 6:35.

Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life,
and shall not come unto condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.--John 5:24.

Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
I am that bread of life.--John 6:47-48.

It is the spirit that quickeneth;
the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit and they are life.--John 6:63.

My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

If any man will do his will,
he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God,
or whether I speak of myself. John 7:16, 17.

I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life. John 8:12.

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.--John 8:31-32.

I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die.--John 11:25-26.

I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.--John 14:6.

These are a few of the testimonies which
Jesus bore of himself and his mission.
What a pity it is that they could not
have been followed!
What a world of strife and misery
could have been averted!
Now again in these days which the Lord
himself has called the days of
"wickedness and vengeance,"
he has again spoken and called upon men
everywhere to repent.
He has said through his servant,
Joseph Smith, in this present dispensation:
O ye nations of the earth,
how often would I have gathered you together
as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, but ye would not!

How oft have I called upon you by
the mouth of my servants,
and by the ministering of angels,
and by mine own voice,
and by the voice of thunderings,
and by the voice of lightnings,
and by the voice of tempests,
and by the voice of earthquakes,
and great hailstorms,
and by the voice of famines and
pestilences of every kind,
and by the great sound of a trump,
and by the voice of judgment,
and by the voice of mercy all the day tong,
and by the voice of glory and honor
and the riches of eternal life,
and would have saved you with
an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!

Once again I plead to all men everywhere:
Turn from your evil ways to the true worship
of the Son of God,
that your souls may be saved in his kingdom.

Joseph Fielding Smith,
The Restoration of All Things, p.286