A lesson from the Christmas story

Isaiah writes of Christ's Birth from https://www.lds.org

I was invited to speak as part of the Christmas program at church. I was given the first paragraph to read, then was invited to share a few thoughts about the topic. 

Isaiah spoke of the event more than 700 years earlier: Isaiah 7:14. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Mosiah 3:8. King Benjamin prophesied, “He shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.”

From the very beginning, Heavenly Father promised to send His son. And from the beginning prophets have taught us that the Savior would come. Not only was his birth foretold, but also much of what he would do during his life. Prophets taught that he would go about doing good, healing the sick and afflicted and even raising the dead. Prophets taught that he would suffer for our sins and pains and that he would die, and rise again. And through prophets we know that all of these things, from Christ's birth to his resurrection did in fact occur.

For me, the Christmas story is a reminder of a Loving Father who fulfills his promises perfectly. He promised to send his Beloved Son, and he did. Heavenly Father promises us that Christ will come again, and we can know with a certainty that He will.

I also think of promises the Lord has given that are more personal. I think of promises we receive in the temple, and promises we hear in priesthood and patriarchal blessings. These promises may be fulfilled in a different time or way than we expect, but if we are faithful they will all be fulfilled. 

I shared the experience of Liz's birth. I told about how early on in my hospital stay I was given a Priesthood blessing, and in that blessing the Lord promised that I would hold my baby in my arms. I told of how this blessing gave me incredible peace at a time that could have been really scary, and I told how after I had sufficiently recovered from her delivery, I was wheeled to Liz's bedside. I could barely lift my arms, but with them resting on a pillow the nurse placed Liz on top of my arms, and the Lord's promise had been fulfilled. 

I was so grateful for the opportunity to speak on this special Christmas Sunday. When the invitation was extended to me, the Spirit touched my heart and tears filled my eyes. I knew that this invitation was coming from my Heavenly Father. At that time I was also led right away to what I should say. I am grateful for this opportunity and the lesson I learned from the Christmas story.