Christmas—"He Shall Come into the World to Redeem His People"
From Come, Follow Me :
So during this Christmas season, as believers around the world celebrate the goodness and love of God in sending His Son, ponder how the Book of Mormon has strengthened your faith in Christ. As you think about His birth, ponder why He came and how His coming has changed your life. Then you can experience the true joy of Christmas—the gift that Jesus Christ gives to you.
It’s traditional to read the story of the Savior’s birth in the New Testament at Christmastime, but you can also find moving prophecies of this sacred event in the Book of Mormon ... How do the testimonies of these prophets in ancient America strengthen your testimony of Christ and His mission?
Ancient prophets continued the tradition of writing on metal plates because they knew that "whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away" (Jacob 4:2). Elder Christofferson states, "And we write according to our prophecies' suggests the wisdom of making a permanent record of our testimony of Christ. We understand that the testimonies we bear are 'recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over [us]' (D&C 62:3). Our own descendants and others may look upon and rejoice over our witness of Christ written or recorded for their benefit."Becoming a Witness of Christ, Ensign, Mar. 2008 Learn more about sharing testimonies in Week #1.
Record Testimonies of Jesus Christ
You can preserve your testimony using theFamilySearch Memories Audio App, the "Record My Story" feature onFamilySearch Discovery, or from FamilySearch memories on your computer (seethis link). Sharing will leave no question about what you know and love. What a blessing for generations to come to hear your voice sharing the message you want them to remember! Read morehere.
Read or retell your ancestors' stories. Preserve them at the same time using the audio feature on FamilySearch memories (see above).
Find stories in FamilySearch Memories or on yourfan chart, and share them. Check out theAll The Stories site to see a searchable list of all the stories anyone has placed on your branch of the FamilySearch tree. Check out10 Ways to Find Ancestor's Stories.
For those without many (or any) stories in your branch of an online family tree, an idea is to find church history stories that coincide with the timeline of your ancestors’ lives to read and record. When you record any story, you have created a family history moment--you have shared something dear to you. Your posterity and other loved ones will know that you cherished what you recorded.
You can organize your ancestors' stories on FamilySearch by creating albums in your memories for each surname and other categories such as, Adventure stories, Conversion Stories, etc. You may want to create individual books about a person, or a collection of stories.
We would have no reason to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ were it not for His atoning sacrifice, through which He saves us from sin and death, comforts us in afflictions, and helps us "be perfected in Him" (Moroni 10:32). What have you learned from the Book of Mormon this year about the Savior’s power to redeem you? ... What do you feel inspired to do to show Him your gratitude?
"Your effort on behalf of your ancestors is patterned after the work of the Savior, although on a much smaller scale. The Savior enables all of us to return to Heavenly Father’s presence through the Atonement. You can help your ancestors receive the blessings of the Atonement by making ordinances available to them. You do for them that they cannot do for themselves."The Purpose of Temple and Family History Work. See alsoThe Gratitude that Comes from Family History.
"Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work (emphasis added)." President Nelson,Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, General Conference April 2018
The Family History Guide is your "best friend" in discovering how to show gratitude to the Savior by gathering Israel on both sides of the veil in these latter days. Check out theLatter-day Saint Youth Page for specific invitations from our leaders and ideas to accept and carry them out.
"He Is the Gift"
From Come, Follow Me :
To help your family focus on the gift Heavenly Father gave us by sending His Son, you could wrap a picture of Jesus Christ like a Christmas present. Family members could talk about favorite Christmas gifts they have received or hope to receive. Then they could unwrap the picture of Christ and discuss how He has been a precious gift for us ...
Your family might also benefit from thinking about a "gift" they would like to give the Savior, such as making an effort to be kinder to others or working to overcome a bad habit. Consider inviting family members to write down their ideas, wrap them like a gift, and place their gifts around a picture of the Savior.
A Gift For The Savior
Watch the above clip from Mr. Krueger's Christmas, and try to feel what it would be like to be in the manger with the newborn Christ-child. Express to each other your feelings of how the Savior has changed your lives. What gifts has He given us and how can we show our gratitude? What traditions could you begin or continue that help you and your family focus on your gratitude for the Savior more at Christmastime, and how can you preserve them as part of your personal and family history for generations to come?
It might be fun to plan activities your family can do in the days leading up to Christmas to feel the Spirit of Christ, such as serving someone or singing Christmas hymns together. (For ideas, seeChristmas.ComeuntoChrist.org.)
The Six Days Of Christmas
Many of you may have heard of or participated in some variation of the "12 days of Christmas" gift giving for family or friends. Beginning December 13th, each day until Christmas, a gift is delivered (usually anonymously--but not always). With only a week to go, here are some ideas for the Six Days of Christmas, family history style!
Give one family history story each day. You could add a photo or related treasure. Stories can be shared on a Google doc, email, by mail or delivered. You could also make a booklet of your stories at the end.
As a gift to grandparents, grandchildren could take turns calling a grandparent each day to hear a story (or more!).
Your Personal History
This week's Weekly Family History Activities describes many ways to write about your life, record your testimony, and connect with your ancestors through their journals. As our study of The Book of Mormon through Come, Follow Me, draws to a close, Christmas is a perfect time to record your feelings and share them with those you love.
