Seek and Follow Savior, President Monson Counsels

“May we seek him. May we find him. May we follow him,” said President Thomas S. Monson, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, in the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on December 2.

He urged those who desire the peace that is possible through Christ’s atonement to follow Him throughout the year.

To the delight of all present in the Tabernacle on Temple Square and the many watching the televised proceedings, President Ezra Taft Benson presided at the devotional, which was conducted by President Gordon B. Hinckley, First Counselor in the First Presidency. The devotional was broadcast by satellite to stake centers throughout the United States and Canada, and rebroadcast in Utah via KBYU, Channel 11, later in the evening.

Music was provided by the Tabernacle Choir, and the audience joined in singing selected Christmas carols.

President Monson began by recalling a recent visit to the home of President and Sister Benson, where he felt the spirit of Christmas.

Reviewing events of the year that has passed since the last First Presidency devotional, President Monson said that this is a time to pray for peace in the Middle East. He noted that the Berlin Wall is no more, and that the borders of many central European countries are now open, allowing the Church to enter. “The work of God moves forward. The gospel of Jesus Christ blesses countless lives.”

President Monson reminded listeners that the supreme gift to be remembered at the Christmas season is the Savior’s sacrifice for us, so that we might be redeemed. In the same spirit in which Jesus gave, we can find greater rewards in the season if we concentrate not on getting but on giving.

He spoke of numerous ways in which people commonly give as the spirit of Christmas touches their hearts—by extending help to the needy, by reaching out compassionately to those who hurt inside, even by unexpectedly extending mercy or friendship.

“When we have the spirit of Christmas, we remember him whose birth it commemorates,” President Monson said. He reviewed scriptural prophecies and accounts of Christ’s birth and mission, and pointed out that the Savior gave his life in the service of others.

“As we follow in his footsteps, we, too, will have the opportunity to bless the lives of others,” President Monson said. But he cautioned that our opportunities are “perishable”—quickly gone if we do not take advantage of them. He told of the anguish of Marley’s ghost, in the Dickens tale A Christmas Carol, who lamented neglecting his opportunities to help others while he was in mortality. When the frightened Ebenezer Scrooge attempted to console him with the thought that at least he had been a good man of business, Marley replied, “Mankind was my business!”

President Monson urged each of his listeners to make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, so that we may come to know the Christ.

Members enjoyed seeing President Ezra Taft Benson at the Christmas devotional with President Gordon B. Hinckley, First Counselor in the First Presidency, left, and President Thomas S. Monson, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. (Photo by Peggy Jellinghausen.)