Gloria in excelsis Deo: et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis

Today is Christmas. A day on which we reflect on the Great Gift of our Heavenly Father: He gave us His Only Son, to suffer and die for our sins; to reconcile us to Him.

For Mormons, Christmas is a wonderful time. Traditionally, everyone thinks about family and happiness close to us. For Mormons, Christmas is the festival par excellence where we reflect on the two things that form the core of our faith: Christ and our eternal family.

On a day like today I want to share with you some things that I always share with my family. The first is a composite text about the birth of Christ. There are several parts from the Bible and the Book of Mormon that testify about the birth of Christ:

There was in the days of Herod king of Judea a priest named Zacharias, of the house of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. They were both righteous before God and lived according to all the commandments and requirements of the Lord blamelessly. And they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both old.

And it came to pass, as he performed the priestly service before God in the order of his division, that he was appointed by lot, according to the rule of the priestly service, to go into the temple of the Lord, and to offer incense. And all the people were praying without at the hour of incense. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled at the sight, and fear seized him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And joy and gladness will be yours, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and in the power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the mind of the righteous, to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.

And Zechariah said to the angel, How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife has come to an old age. And the angel answered and said unto him, I am Gabriel, which stand in the presence of God, and I am sent to speak unto thee, and to declare unto thee these good things. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you have not believed my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.

And the people waited for Zacharias, and they marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. So when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they understood that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he beckoned to them and remained mute. And it came to pass, when the days of his service were fulfilled, that he departed into his house.

After those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and she hid herself five months: for she said, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days that he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And when he was come in to her, he said, Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you. She was moved by that word and pondered what the meaning of that greeting might be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.

And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing that I have not known man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore also the holy thing that is begotten will be called the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elisabeth is also pregnant with a son in her old age, and this is already the sixth month for her who was called barren. For no word that comes from God will be without power. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.

Then Mary arose in those days and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah. And she went into Zacharias's house, and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, it came to pass that the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And to what do I owe this, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting sounded in my ears, the child leaped for joy in my womb. And blessed is she who has believed, for what was spoken to her from the Lord will be accomplished.

And Mary said:

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because He has regarded the low estate of His handmaid. For behold, from henceforth all generations will call me blessed,

because the Mighty One has done great things for me. And holy is his name, 50 and his mercy from generation to generation to those who fear him. He hath wrought a mighty work with his arm, and hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts: He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has attracted to Himself His servant Israel, to remember mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

When the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had increased his mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her.

And it came to pass, when the eighth day was come, that they came to circumcise the child, and would call his name Zachariah after the name of his father. But his mother answered and said, Nay, but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they told his father to decide what he wanted the child to be called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote these words: His name is John. And they all marveled. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, praising God.

Now the child grew and was strengthened by the Spirit. And he tarried in the deserts until the day that he appeared to Israel.

And behold, it came to pass in the beginning of the ninety-second year, that the prophecies of the prophets began more and more to be fulfilled; for greater signs came, and greater wonders were wrought among the people.

But there were those who began to say that the time had passed for the fulfillment of the words which Samuel the Lamanite had spoken.

And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying, Behold, the time is expired, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; so your joy and your faith therein have been in vain.

And it came to pass that they made the whole land a great commotion; and the people who believed began to be very grieved, lest those things which were said should come to pass.

But behold, they looked steadfastly for that day and that night and that day, which should be as one day, as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith was not in vain.

Now it came to pass that a day had been appointed by the unbelievers, when all who believed in those traditions should be put to death, unless the sign appeared which was given by Samuel the prophet.

Now it came to pass, when Nephi the son of Nephi saw the wickedness of his people, that his heart was exceedingly grieved.

And it came to pass that he went out, and bowed himself to the ground, and cried mightily unto his God in behalf of his people, even of them that were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying,

Lift up your heads and be of good cheer; for behold, the time has come, and this night the sign is given, and tomorrow I come into the world to shew the world that I will fulfill all that I have spoken through my holy prophets.

Behold, I come unto mine own to fulfill all things which I have declared unto the children of men since the foundation of the world, and to do the will both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of myself, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time has come, and the sign is given this night.

And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled as they were spoken; for behold, when the sun went down there was no darkness; and the people began to wonder because there was no darkness when the night came.

And there were many who had not believed the words of the prophets, and fell to the ground and lay as if dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had formed against those who believed the words of the prophets was frustrated; for the sign that was given was already there.

And they began to perceive that the Son of God must soon appear; yea, in short, all the people upon the face of the whole earth, from the west even to the east, both in the north country and in the south country, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the ground.

For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already come; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.

And it came to pass that there was no darkness all that night, but it was as light as it were midday. And it came to pass that the sun rose again in the morning according to its due order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign that had been given.

And it was come to pass, yea, all things in every respect, according to the words of the prophets.

And it came to pass also that a new star appeared, according to the word.

And it came to pass in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that the whole kingdom should be enrolled. This registration took place for the first time when Quirinius ruled Syria. 3 And they all went to be registered, every man to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.

And it came to pass, while they were there, that the days were come that she should be delivered: and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And there were shepherds in the same country, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared with great fear. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people: To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, even Christ the Lord. And this is the sign to you: You will find a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a great host of heaven, praising God, saying:

Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace toward men.

And it came to pass, when the angels were gone up from them into heaven, that the shepherds said one to another, Let us go therefore to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. And when they had seen it, they declared what had been spoken to them concerning this child. And all who heard of it were amazed at what was said to them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, praising and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard of this, he was dismayed, and all Jerusalem with him. And he gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and sought to learn from them where Christ should be born. They said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet:

En gij, Betlehem, land van Juda, zijt GeensZins de minste onder de leiders van Juda,

for from you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

Then Herod called the wise men secretly and inquired of them carefully as to the time when the star had shone. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and inquire after the child; and as soon as you find it, report it to me, so that I too may pay tribute to him. They heard the king and went away; and behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, until it came and stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy. And they entered the house, and saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. And they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their country by another way.

And when they had gone away, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and tarry there until I tell you. for Herod will do everything he can to destroy the child. And he arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt, and abode there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which the LORD spake by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son.

When Herod saw that he had been deceived by the wise men, he was very angry and sent orders to kill all the boys from two years old and under in Bethlehem and all its region, according to the time which he had found out from the wise men. Then was fulfilled the word spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, when he said:

A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lamentation:

Rachel, weeping for her children, refuses to be comforted because they are no more.

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the child's life are dead. And he arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was king of Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he went into the region of Galilee, and when he came there, he settled in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that He should be called a Nazorean.

In those days John the Baptist came and preached in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he of whom Isaiah the prophet spoke, saying:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Now he, John, wore a robe of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around Jordan went out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Now when he saw that many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to be baptized, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who has given you a sign to escape the wrath to come?” Bring forth therefore fruit that corresponds to repentance; and do not imagine that you can say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say to you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Already the ax is laid at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to wear after Him His shoes; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and gather His grain into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. But he tried to keep him from doing so, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and will you come to me?"

But Jesus answered and said unto him, Suffer me now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he let Him become. Immediately after Jesus was baptized, He came up out of the water. And behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

I also have a video for my children that I show because images often give an extra impression of the text I have read above:

It is also a moment when we want to reflect on what we have that others do not have. Christmas is a wonderful time with many presents, but the real big gift we received from our Heavenly Father:

We wish you all a Merry Christmas, have fun with your families and pray that the birth of Christ will be a great gift for all of you.