Local Leader Message
Christmas: “The Hope of Israel”
The message of Christmas is that those who have hope can receive love, light, life and the plan and purpose of God into their lives.
The covenant or proper name of God is the God of Israel. It denotes “the eternal I Am” (see Exodus 3:14; John 8:58). Jehovah is the premortal Jesus Christ and came to earth as the son of Mary (See Mosiah 3:8; 15:1; 3 Nephi 15:1–5). Usually, when the word “Lord” appears in the Old Testament, it means “Jehovah.”
The gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary. In Luke, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus is born there and laid in a manger. Angels proclaimed him a Saviour for all people, and shepherds went to the stable to worship him.
Matthew adds that the magi followed a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the King of the Jews.
Why is Christmas important?
Christmas is important to many Christians because it reminds them that Jesus, the Son of God, came to Earth for all people, symbolised through the visits of the wise men and the shepherds. Mary and Joseph both had strong faith in God, despite the difficulties they faced.
The message of Christmas is that those who have hope can receive love, light, life and the plan and purpose of God into their lives.
Hope
In the language of the gospel, the word “hope” denotes something that is sure, unwavering, and active. Prophets speak of having a “firm hope” (see Alma 34:41) and a “lively hope” (see 1 Peter 1:3). The prophet Moroni taught, “Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world” (Ether 12:4).
When we have hope, we trust God’s promises. We have a quiet assurance that if we do “the works of righteousness,” we “shall receive [our] reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23). Mormon taught: “ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ” (Moroni 7:41).
As we strive to live the gospel, we grow in our ability to “abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13). We increase in hope as we pray and seek God’s forgiveness. In the Book of Mormon, a missionary named Aaron assured a Lamanite king of this hope gained through repentance. “If thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest,” he said (Alma 22:16). We also gain hope as we study the scriptures and follow the teachings therein. (See Romans 15:4.)
Love
Love is a feeling of deep devotion, concern, and affection. The greatest example of God’s love for His children is found in the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ. Love for God and our fellow men are characteristics of disciples of Jesus Christ. We are reminded of these principles in the scriptures:
We are told that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (see John 3:16 and Doctrine and Covenants 138:3).
Jesus commands us to “love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34; See also John 15:12, 17; and Moses 7:33).
The Lord tells us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15; See also D&C 42:29).
Love for God includes devotion, adoration, reverence, tenderness, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, grace, service, gratitude, and kindness. The greatest example of God’s love for His children is found in the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ. (See 2 Nephi 10:24.)
Light
Jesus Christ is the light. He himself said in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” He later added in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
He taught us by example and showed us the higher purpose of mortal life. He pointed to where this life will lead if we follow and live in His light.
The light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things.
Our consciences are a manifestation of the light of Christ, enabling us to judge good from evil (see Moroni 7:16, 18).
That light prepares us to receive and understand the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives.
The plan of salvation becomes clear and our own personal “plan of salvation” as part of the bigger “plan” gives us purpose and direction. For the members of the Church, that light and understanding of God’s plan leads to making and keeping sacred covenants with God. Such covenants were enabled by Christ’s Atonement who gives life and light to all things and to all we do in the restored gospel. Making and keeping such covenants will ultimately lead us to eternal life with God and Jesus Christ.
Life
When the scriptures talk about life in a broader meaning, it usually refers to life eternal. Jesus Christ came to the world to save our lives (see John 3:17) and to give us access to eternal life.
Christ’s birth as a symbol of hope is key to understanding why He is the life. This mortal life is short and can end at any time and in unexpected ways.
Christ is life because through His exemplary and perfect life, He qualified to win over death and sin.
King Benjamin taught this to the Nephites in Mosiah 3:7–11—that through His Resurrection, all mankind will obtain immortality and live forever. Through His Atonement, He enabled eternal life in the presence of God the Father and the Lamb (Jesus Christ) which we call exaltation. That brings the “continuation of lives” (see D&C 132:22–23).
Brothers and sisters, let’s celebrate Christmas and its central figure, Jesus Christ. Let’s choose today to do what our prophet recently invited us to do and “let God prevail in our lives.”1
By so doing, where He is we will also be.
He is literally the Hope of Israel.
Artur Jose de Matos Miranda was called as an Area Seventy in April 2017. He is married to Mónica Tulia Granja Cardoso. They are the parents of two children and currently reside in Lusaka, Zambia.