Area Presidency Message
To This End Was I Born
As I have pondered the things we have done to cement good family memories of Christmas, a consideration of the fullness of the opportunity that Christ’s birth has provided has awakened in me a greater desire to do more.
On several occasions during His mortal ministry, Christ found it expedient to state why He was on earth.
Soon after Satan departed from Him following the unsuccessful attempt to tempt Him and frustrate His mission, Jesus went to a synagogue in Nazareth. He stood up and, choosing a scripture that served His purpose from the book of Isaiah, He announced to the congregation:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
“To preach the acceptable year of the Lord . . .
“And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:18–19, 21).
On another occasion, responding to His disciples regarding His seeming indifference to the cries of a Canaanite woman seeking His compassion upon her daughter who was vexed with a devil, He taught: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (see Matthew 15:24).
He used this episode that ended with the healing of the woman’s daughter to communicate the purpose of His earthly ministry and to identify who was His target audience. The house of Israel was not just those who belonged by family descent. It included all those who belonged by faith in Him, as the Canaanite woman had demonstrated. On yet another occasion He took the time to edify Nicodemus about the purpose of His life on earth:
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
“For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
“But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:14–21).
In His final days on earth, as He responded to Pontius Pilate’s question if He was the King of the Jews, He declared once again the purpose of His birth:
“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:36–37).
Celebrating the arrival of Jesus Christ on earth through the experience of human birth that we all share with Him, but in His case with the accompanying miracle of a virgin conception, should cause us to pay special attention to the significance of His mortal life to us personally. The above scriptures invite us to individual introspection:
In what ways are we in need of the healing that Christ’s birth secured for us and that we can access at any time through a commitment of unwavering faith in Him?
In what ways are we factoring into our activities, the demonstration of faith in Him that qualifies us to be of the house of Israel as did the Canaanite woman?
As we consider the decisions we have made and actions we have taken this year, can we say with confidence that we have always walked in truth, and that, as a consequence, we have been blessed with more light and wisdom? And if not, are we willing to commit to do so from now on?
How shall we continue to hear His voice?
Hopefully, these questions help us to position Christmas not just as an event that we mark during the last month of the year and then settle into other activities as we wait for the next December to come around again. Christmas should help us to take stock and make an inventory of who we really are as disciples of Christ. We should use this opportunity to seek to understand better what more we can do to make His birth count to greater effect and blessing in our individual and family lives.
Most years, our family makes efforts to celebrate Christmas together. Between December 25 and 31 of each year, we choose a day when we gather in one place and spend time with one another. We update each other on the finer details of what has happened with each family during the year. As more children have been born and grown, we have included fun activities that have added to the sense of joy of each occasion. Although we all count ourselves disciples of Christ, because of the differences in religious faith and practice, normally each family has a Christmas service at home before coming to the larger family gathering. A more recent and evolving practice is that sometimes someone brings gifts, especially for the children, which adds to their expectations of the occasion. These are good times.
As I have pondered the good things we have done to cement such good family memories of Christmas, consideration of the fullness of the opportunity that Christ’s birth has provided for me have awakened me to a greater desire to help everyone to do more.
Yes, every member of our family needs more of the Savior’s healing power. And we can each do more to qualify as members of the house of Israel. We all need to walk more steadfastly in the truth and wisdom provided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, even as we strive to hear His voice more often. So, I seize the opportunity of commemorating Christmas this year to do more to focus our extended family gathering on how we can each do this.
I invite you to do the same.
Joseph W. Sitati was sustained as a General Authority Seventy in April 2009. He is married to Gladys Nangoni; they are the parents of five children.