First Presidency Christmas Greeting 1985

To all people everywhere, we send our love and greetings during this holy season. As witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ we proclaim that He truly is the Savior of all. He whose birth the Christian world celebrates is indeed the Son of God, the Redeemer, the promised Messiah.

No message is more significant than the one He brought. No event is of greater importance than His atoning sacrifice and subsequent resurrection. And no mortal tongue can express sufficient thanks for all that Jesus has done for us.

We are aware that even during this happy season there are those who sorrow or are otherwise burdened. To such especially we extend our love and compassion.

To those who yearn for peace, we announce that it may be found with the Prince of Peace. Even in these tumultuous times the individual who turns to Christ can find the inner peace that surpasses understanding.

To those who mourn we speak comfort. Know that your Savior is well acquainted with grief. He who notes the sparrow’s fall is aware of you and desires to comfort and bless you. Turn to Him and lay your burden at His feet.

To those burdened and sorrowing with guilt, we offer hope. Your Redeemer loves you with a perfect love. He died to pay for the sins of all who truly repent and follow the course He prescribed. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” He promised. (Isa. 1:18.) Accept the healing of spirit that He alone can give.

To those who are lonely, we extend the hand of friendship and fellowship. We invite you to become one with us in worship and in the service of the Master.

Finally, we encourage those who recognize the Lord’s blessings and great mercy in their lives to reach out and bless the lives of others. By so doing, you can go beyond the mere custom and ritual of the season. You can become instruments through which the Lord blesses the poor, the lonely, the despairing. You will have a greater sense of the reality of the Savior’s existence. And your celebration of his birth will indeed be joyous.