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The First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Yesterday evening I watched the Christmas Devotional at our stake center. It was absolutely beautiful! It opened with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and congregation singing "The First Noel" and then after the prayer the Choir singing "For unto Us a Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah. They sang with such contagious joyfulness.

President Uchtdorf spoke first about seeing Christ with the heart. He quoted from The Little Prince, "Anything essential is invisible to the eye." Although many saw Christ with their eyes, they did not see Him with their hearts and accept Him as their Savior and Redeemer. President Uchtdorf exhorted us to unclutter our lives and let it be the season of seeking the Savior with our hearts.

The Choir then sang "O Holy Night," my favorite Christmas hymn. I love when the Choir sings! President Eyring followed reminding us that the story of Christmas is a story of love. He advised us to create a small part of the Christmas story every day in our lives and make every day feel like the best of Christmas past.

The Choir sang "How Far Is It to Bethlehem?" and then President Monson addressed us. He talked about the spirit of Christmas, sharing a touching story as usual, and how joy comes from showing the love and compassion of the Savior. The Choir closed singing "Silent Night," with the congregation joining on the last verse.

I must admit, by the end of the devotional my Scrooge-like heart melted and I was touched with the spirit of Christmas.

Challenge: If you didn't watch the devotional, watch it at lds.org. Then choose something--seeking Christ, showing love, sharing the Christmas spirit--to work on this Christmas season.

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Anonymous said…
we watched it over 2 nights and enjoyed the above mentioned spiritual feelings and music - love the First Presidency
DAD
December 15, 2009 at 2:02 AM
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