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From this Instagram account MrDaveButler
Showing posts with label Scripture Study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scripture Study. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2026
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
LOOK WHAT I FOUND - INCREDIBLE OLD TESTAMENT STUDY HELPS!! ENJOY!!
TWO AWEWSOME RESOURCES TO GLEAM FROM -
THIS IS SOOOOO AWESOME!!!
RESOURCE NUMBER ONE:
1973 October Ensign
Special Issue: Old Testament, Exodus to Malachi
It starts off with 3 wonderful articles - but then moves onto to snippets of wonderful info!! Find this on your gospel library app and you will enjoy learning so much!
LINK HERE You should get the option to open in the gospel library app, if you're on your phone or tablet.
And you can always find it in the old Ensign magazine on the app, too.
I found this in the Old Testament Institute Manual
There are 6 "Enrichment Sections" throughout the manual. I can't wait to get to them. I have posted the first one below:
Old Testament
Enrichment Section A
Who Is the God of the Old Testament?
Who Is the Lord?
The hardhearted pharaoh, impudent and proud, asked, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice … ? I know not the Lord” (Exodus 5:2). Many people today are just as ignorant of the God of the Old Testament as the pharaoh was. They regard Him as a being created by the minds of the ancients, a God of wrath and low religion who would destroy people with floods and plagues. Could this be the same God as the being of love in the New Testament revealed through the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ? Others contend that the Jehovah of Old Testament times was the same as God the Father in the New Testament. Why all this confusion? Who, really, was the God of Adam, of Enoch and Abraham, of Israel and Moses?
Jehovah, or Christ, Is the God of the Old Testament
Although for many it seems a paradox, Jehovah of the Old Testament was none other than the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He created the world under the authority and direction of God the Father. Later, Jehovah came to earth as the Savior and Redeemer of the world. This truth is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in the history of the world, despite the fact that the Old Testament and the other standard works are filled with evidence to support it.
Before looking at the scriptural evidence, it may be wise first to better understand the names and titles for God the Father and His Only Begotten Son. Generally, two Hebrew words for God are used throughout the Old Testament. These are Elohim and Jehovah, as it is presently pronounced. (Since the original Hebrew was written without vowels, scholars disagree on the original pronunciation of the name written YHWH in Hebrew. In modern revelation, however, Jesus accepted the title Jehovah [see D&C 110:3].)
Jehovah was the premortal name-title given to the Firstborn Son of God. He is now referred to as Jesus Christ. The meaning of the name Jehovah was explained by Elder Talmage:
“Jehovah is the Anglicized rendering of the Hebrew, Yahveh or Jahveh, signifying the Self-existent One, or The Eternal. This name is generally rendered in our English version of the Old Testament as LORD printed in capitals. The Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I Am, is related in meaning and through derivation with the term Yahveh or Jehovah.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 36.)
The Jews regarded the name of Jehovah as so sacred that it could not be spoken. Instead, they substituted for Jehovah the word Adonai, which signifies “the Lord.” (See Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 37.) The King James translators followed the same practice out of respect for the Jewish custom. Sometimes the word lord, however, is used to refer not to God but to royalty or other important people. To distinguish the sacred name from common usage, the translators capitalized lord when it referred to Jehovah and left it in lower case letters otherwise. (See 2 Samuel 15:21 for an example of both uses of the word lord.)
The word Elohim is a plural form of the Hebrew word for God, although modern scholars agree that it should be taken as a singular noun even though the im ending is a plural form. Joseph Smith, however, indicated the significance of the plural form:
“If we pursue the Hebrew text further, it reads, … ‘The head one of the Gods said, Let us make a man in our own image.’ I once asked a learned Jew, ‘If the Hebrew language compels us to render all words ending in heim in the plural, why not render the first Eloheim plural?’ He replied, ‘That is the rule with few exceptions; but in this case it would ruin the Bible.’ He acknowledged I was right.
“In the very beginning the Bible shows there is a plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation. It is a great subject I am dwelling on. The word Eloheim ought to be in the plural all the way through—Gods. The heads of the Gods appointed one God for us; and when you take [that] view of the subject, it sets one free to see all the beauty, holiness and perfection of the Gods.” (Teachings, p. 372.)
Elder James E. Talmage explained the special significance Elohim has for Latter-day Saints:
“The name Elohim … is expressive of supreme or absolute exaltation and power. Elohim, as understood and used in the restored Church of Jesus Christ, is the name-title of God the Eternal Father, whose firstborn Son in the spirit is Jehovah—the Only Begotten in the flesh, Jesus Christ.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 38.)
It is vital to remember the place of God the Father: He is the Father of our spirits (see Hebrews 12:9) and is our God. The existence of other Gods cannot alter that fact. He is the author and sponsor of the eternal plan of salvation. It is equally essential to note, however, that the agent by whom He administers His affairs on this earth is His Firstborn Son, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament. He gave Jesus the full “Fatherly” authority to organize and govern the earth, then through the Atonement Jesus became the Father of the faithful. The Savior thus became the chief advocate of the Father’s plan.
Because Jesus is one with God and is also God, the Old Testament prophets sometimes referred to Him as “Jehovah Elohim,” which the King James translators rendered “LORD God.” To avoid awkward repetition, “Lord GOD” was used to translate the Hebrew phrase “Adonai Jehovah,” which otherwise would translate as “Lord LORD” (see Genesis 15:2, 8; Deuteronomy 3:24). Thus, in the King James Version of the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for Jehovah is almost always translated just this way: LORD or GOD.
One other name or title of Jesus needs explanation. He is known as Jesus the Christ. The word Christ comes from the Greek word christos, which means “the anointed one.” The Greeks used the title Christos to translate the Hebrew word meshiach, which means “the anointed one.” The Hebrew word has been anglicized into messiah. Jesus the Christ means “Jesus the Messiah.”
Jesus Christ: The God of This World
There was confusion in the minds of the later Jews, Jesus’ own people, regarding the identity of their God because they no longer understood their own scriptures. That is likewise the problem today with most of the Christian world. The mystery of understanding the identity of the God of the Old Testament arose in both cases because of wickedness and the loss of many plain and precious truths from the scriptures. By contrast, Jesus said that life eternal consisted of gaining a full knowledge of the Father and the Son (see John 17:3). In the final analysis the individual comes to know the true God through experiences that train him to be like Him, and thus he understands, or knows, Him (see 1 John 2:3; 3:1–2; Ether 2–3).
By the time Christ came, the Jews had lost the knowledge of the three distinct members of the Godhead. They had lost the truth that Jehovah, who had given them the law of Moses, would come into the world as the Redeemer of all mankind, even though the prophets had clearly taught this principle (see 1 Corinthians 10:4; 3 Nephi 15:10; Isaiah 41:14; 44:6). They yearned for the appearance of the promised Messiah as a political savior to free them from Roman rule. But Matthew testified that John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus, was “he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, … Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3). This is a reference to Isaiah 40:3, where the word LORD is used to mean Jehovah. Christ Himself told the Jews in Jerusalem that “before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). The people considered this blasphemy and picked up stones to kill Him, because they realized that His using the phrase I am in this way was another way of saying “I am Jehovah” (see v. 59).
All scriptures point to Christ.
Scriptural Evidence That Jesus Christ Is the God of the Old Testament
Abinadi, testifying before the court of the wicked King Noah, bore witness that all the prophets from the earliest times had testified that God (Jehovah) would “come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man” (Mosiah 13:34; see also v. 33). Latter-day Saints, who have the benefit of additional scripture, are taught this truth very clearly. For example, the Doctrine and Covenants shows that Jesus Christ is Jehovah and the great “I Am” (see D&C 110:3–4; 29:1).
But many in the Christian world have not carefully considered the evidence found in the Bible, which clearly teaches that Jehovah is the premortal Jesus. The following scriptures are only a sampling of the biblical evidence. (Remember that LORD means that Jehovah is the Hebrew word used.)
Statement Graph with OLD and NEW Testament - I've made screenshots - to make it easier to see - but it is best to see GRAPH ON COMPUTER OR TABLET
The Importance of Knowing the Identity of the God of the Old Testament
Many people, including numerous Bible scholars, have concluded that the God depicted in the Old Testament was the product of the superstitions and primitive beliefs of a primitive and superstitious people. They come to this conclusion because they see things that seem contradictory to their conception of the God of the New Testament. To know that the Lord of the Old Testament was the premortal Jesus Christ has tremendous implications, however, not only for a correct understanding of the Old Testament and the New Testament, but also for a correct understanding of the nature and purposes of God and of man’s relationship to each member of the Godhead.
For example, the same Person who said, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44), said of the Canaanites in the land of promise, “Thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: but thou shalt utterly destroy them” (Deuteronomy 20:16–17). The same Savior who said to forgive “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22) destroyed the entire population of the earth with the exception of eight souls (see Genesis 7–8).
On the other hand, the Jesus of the New Testament who said that one who refuses to forgive another’s trespasses will be “delivered … to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due” (Matthew 18:34–35) is the Lord of the Old Testament who said, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). And the Christ depicted in the book of Revelation, who is shown with the great sickle ready to reap the grapes of the earth and tread them in the winepress (see Revelation 14:14, 20), is the same God of the Old Testament who said to Micah, “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).
There is no inconsistency in the nature of God. He is always perfectly merciful and loving, but He is also perfectly just and will not “look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (D&C 1:31). As He said to Joseph Smith, “God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, … his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2). In the Old Testament is the same perfectly consistent God found in all scripture. In the Old Testament great richness is added to the understanding of God and how He deals with His children, blessing them according to their obedience and receptivity, or punishing them for rebellion and wickedness. If one would get to know Christ better, one must study the Old Testament, for in His role as Jehovah He permeates the whole record. Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament just as He is the God of the earth today. Keeping this important fact constantly in mind is one of the keys to understanding both the Old Testament and the nature of God.
Old Testament
Enrichment Section A
Who Is the God of the Old Testament?
Who Is the Lord?
The hardhearted pharaoh, impudent and proud, asked, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice … ? I know not the Lord” (Exodus 5:2). Many people today are just as ignorant of the God of the Old Testament as the pharaoh was. They regard Him as a being created by the minds of the ancients, a God of wrath and low religion who would destroy people with floods and plagues. Could this be the same God as the being of love in the New Testament revealed through the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ? Others contend that the Jehovah of Old Testament times was the same as God the Father in the New Testament. Why all this confusion? Who, really, was the God of Adam, of Enoch and Abraham, of Israel and Moses?
Jehovah, or Christ, Is the God of the Old Testament
Although for many it seems a paradox, Jehovah of the Old Testament was none other than the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He created the world under the authority and direction of God the Father. Later, Jehovah came to earth as the Savior and Redeemer of the world. This truth is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in the history of the world, despite the fact that the Old Testament and the other standard works are filled with evidence to support it.
Before looking at the scriptural evidence, it may be wise first to better understand the names and titles for God the Father and His Only Begotten Son. Generally, two Hebrew words for God are used throughout the Old Testament. These are Elohim and Jehovah, as it is presently pronounced. (Since the original Hebrew was written without vowels, scholars disagree on the original pronunciation of the name written YHWH in Hebrew. In modern revelation, however, Jesus accepted the title Jehovah [see D&C 110:3].)
Jehovah was the premortal name-title given to the Firstborn Son of God. He is now referred to as Jesus Christ. The meaning of the name Jehovah was explained by Elder Talmage:
“Jehovah is the Anglicized rendering of the Hebrew, Yahveh or Jahveh, signifying the Self-existent One, or The Eternal. This name is generally rendered in our English version of the Old Testament as LORD printed in capitals. The Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I Am, is related in meaning and through derivation with the term Yahveh or Jehovah.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 36.)
The Jews regarded the name of Jehovah as so sacred that it could not be spoken. Instead, they substituted for Jehovah the word Adonai, which signifies “the Lord.” (See Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 37.) The King James translators followed the same practice out of respect for the Jewish custom. Sometimes the word lord, however, is used to refer not to God but to royalty or other important people. To distinguish the sacred name from common usage, the translators capitalized lord when it referred to Jehovah and left it in lower case letters otherwise. (See 2 Samuel 15:21 for an example of both uses of the word lord.)
The word Elohim is a plural form of the Hebrew word for God, although modern scholars agree that it should be taken as a singular noun even though the im ending is a plural form. Joseph Smith, however, indicated the significance of the plural form:
“If we pursue the Hebrew text further, it reads, … ‘The head one of the Gods said, Let us make a man in our own image.’ I once asked a learned Jew, ‘If the Hebrew language compels us to render all words ending in heim in the plural, why not render the first Eloheim plural?’ He replied, ‘That is the rule with few exceptions; but in this case it would ruin the Bible.’ He acknowledged I was right.
“In the very beginning the Bible shows there is a plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation. It is a great subject I am dwelling on. The word Eloheim ought to be in the plural all the way through—Gods. The heads of the Gods appointed one God for us; and when you take [that] view of the subject, it sets one free to see all the beauty, holiness and perfection of the Gods.” (Teachings, p. 372.)
Elder James E. Talmage explained the special significance Elohim has for Latter-day Saints:
“The name Elohim … is expressive of supreme or absolute exaltation and power. Elohim, as understood and used in the restored Church of Jesus Christ, is the name-title of God the Eternal Father, whose firstborn Son in the spirit is Jehovah—the Only Begotten in the flesh, Jesus Christ.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 38.)
It is vital to remember the place of God the Father: He is the Father of our spirits (see Hebrews 12:9) and is our God. The existence of other Gods cannot alter that fact. He is the author and sponsor of the eternal plan of salvation. It is equally essential to note, however, that the agent by whom He administers His affairs on this earth is His Firstborn Son, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament. He gave Jesus the full “Fatherly” authority to organize and govern the earth, then through the Atonement Jesus became the Father of the faithful. The Savior thus became the chief advocate of the Father’s plan.
Because Jesus is one with God and is also God, the Old Testament prophets sometimes referred to Him as “Jehovah Elohim,” which the King James translators rendered “LORD God.” To avoid awkward repetition, “Lord GOD” was used to translate the Hebrew phrase “Adonai Jehovah,” which otherwise would translate as “Lord LORD” (see Genesis 15:2, 8; Deuteronomy 3:24). Thus, in the King James Version of the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for Jehovah is almost always translated just this way: LORD or GOD.
One other name or title of Jesus needs explanation. He is known as Jesus the Christ. The word Christ comes from the Greek word christos, which means “the anointed one.” The Greeks used the title Christos to translate the Hebrew word meshiach, which means “the anointed one.” The Hebrew word has been anglicized into messiah. Jesus the Christ means “Jesus the Messiah.”
Jesus Christ: The God of This World
There was confusion in the minds of the later Jews, Jesus’ own people, regarding the identity of their God because they no longer understood their own scriptures. That is likewise the problem today with most of the Christian world. The mystery of understanding the identity of the God of the Old Testament arose in both cases because of wickedness and the loss of many plain and precious truths from the scriptures. By contrast, Jesus said that life eternal consisted of gaining a full knowledge of the Father and the Son (see John 17:3). In the final analysis the individual comes to know the true God through experiences that train him to be like Him, and thus he understands, or knows, Him (see 1 John 2:3; 3:1–2; Ether 2–3).
By the time Christ came, the Jews had lost the knowledge of the three distinct members of the Godhead. They had lost the truth that Jehovah, who had given them the law of Moses, would come into the world as the Redeemer of all mankind, even though the prophets had clearly taught this principle (see 1 Corinthians 10:4; 3 Nephi 15:10; Isaiah 41:14; 44:6). They yearned for the appearance of the promised Messiah as a political savior to free them from Roman rule. But Matthew testified that John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus, was “he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, … Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3). This is a reference to Isaiah 40:3, where the word LORD is used to mean Jehovah. Christ Himself told the Jews in Jerusalem that “before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). The people considered this blasphemy and picked up stones to kill Him, because they realized that His using the phrase I am in this way was another way of saying “I am Jehovah” (see v. 59).
All scriptures point to Christ.
Scriptural Evidence That Jesus Christ Is the God of the Old Testament
Abinadi, testifying before the court of the wicked King Noah, bore witness that all the prophets from the earliest times had testified that God (Jehovah) would “come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man” (Mosiah 13:34; see also v. 33). Latter-day Saints, who have the benefit of additional scripture, are taught this truth very clearly. For example, the Doctrine and Covenants shows that Jesus Christ is Jehovah and the great “I Am” (see D&C 110:3–4; 29:1).
But many in the Christian world have not carefully considered the evidence found in the Bible, which clearly teaches that Jehovah is the premortal Jesus. The following scriptures are only a sampling of the biblical evidence. (Remember that LORD means that Jehovah is the Hebrew word used.)
Statement Graph with OLD and NEW Testament - I've made screenshots - to make it easier to see - but it is best to see GRAPH ON COMPUTER OR TABLET
The Importance of Knowing the Identity of the God of the Old Testament
Many people, including numerous Bible scholars, have concluded that the God depicted in the Old Testament was the product of the superstitions and primitive beliefs of a primitive and superstitious people. They come to this conclusion because they see things that seem contradictory to their conception of the God of the New Testament. To know that the Lord of the Old Testament was the premortal Jesus Christ has tremendous implications, however, not only for a correct understanding of the Old Testament and the New Testament, but also for a correct understanding of the nature and purposes of God and of man’s relationship to each member of the Godhead.
For example, the same Person who said, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44), said of the Canaanites in the land of promise, “Thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: but thou shalt utterly destroy them” (Deuteronomy 20:16–17). The same Savior who said to forgive “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22) destroyed the entire population of the earth with the exception of eight souls (see Genesis 7–8).
On the other hand, the Jesus of the New Testament who said that one who refuses to forgive another’s trespasses will be “delivered … to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due” (Matthew 18:34–35) is the Lord of the Old Testament who said, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). And the Christ depicted in the book of Revelation, who is shown with the great sickle ready to reap the grapes of the earth and tread them in the winepress (see Revelation 14:14, 20), is the same God of the Old Testament who said to Micah, “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).
There is no inconsistency in the nature of God. He is always perfectly merciful and loving, but He is also perfectly just and will not “look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (D&C 1:31). As He said to Joseph Smith, “God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, … his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2). In the Old Testament is the same perfectly consistent God found in all scripture. In the Old Testament great richness is added to the understanding of God and how He deals with His children, blessing them according to their obedience and receptivity, or punishing them for rebellion and wickedness. If one would get to know Christ better, one must study the Old Testament, for in His role as Jehovah He permeates the whole record. Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament just as He is the God of the earth today. Keeping this important fact constantly in mind is one of the keys to understanding both the Old Testament and the nature of God.
Monday, June 2, 2025
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
2024 Christmas Study Plan
Find the below study guide online at:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/christmas-study-plan-2024/01?lang=eng
You'll have to click on the links provided to see the music and videos shown below - some of them are too big to upload here. Sorry about that!
Or access on your gospel library app
Thursday, December 19
Prophets Foretold the Birth of Jesus
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).
Prophets testify of God’s plan of salvation so they can help build the faith of others. President Russell M. Nelson said, “[Jesus Christ’s birth was] foreseen by prophets since the days of Adam [and Eve].” Study the testimonies of God’s prophets who foresaw and foretold the birth of Jesus Christ.
Scriptures and Questions
Isaiah prophesied about the birth of Jesus Christ during a time of great trouble and uncertainty for the people of Judah. How might Isaiah’s words have given the people hope?
Nephi, one of the first prophets in the Book of Mormon, was shown the Savior’s birth by an angel. What do you think the angel wanted Nephi to understand about Jesus Christ?
King Benjamin was another Book of Mormon prophet who learned from an angel about the Savior’s coming. Note the names, titles, and words the angel uses to teach about Christ and His mission. Which words seem especially important to you and why?
Samuel the Lamanite, who lived just before Christ’s birth, told of great signs in the heavens that would appear on the day the Son of God was born. Look for them in these verses and ponder what these signs might symbolize. What do they teach you about Jesus Christ?
Video “Samuel the Lamanite Prophesies of Jesus Christ”
Samuel the Lamanite Prophesies of Jesus Christ
“Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, 36
Activity for Children
Service Ideas
- Invite a neighbor to a worship service.
- Ask a coworker how you can lighten their load.
- Go caroling with a group.
Friday, December 20
An Angel Appeared to Mary and to Joseph
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38).
Mary was humble and had great faith in accepting her role in God’s plan of salvation as the mother of the Son of God. President Jeffrey R. Holland noted, “[Her] courage and conspicuous faith are as striking as anything ever recorded in scripture.” Similarly, Joseph was a man of integrity and humility and was divinely appointed to support Mary and raise the Savior of the world alongside her.
Scriptures and Questions
What impresses you about Mary’s responses to the angel? What evidence do you see of her courage and faith?
Video “An Angel Foretells Christ’s Birth to Mary”
As you read about Joseph’s experience, consider why he might have chosen to break his engagement with Mary privately rather than publicly (“to put her away privily” [Matthew 1:19]). What does this tell you about Joseph’s character? What else do you learn about him from his response to the angel’s message?
“When Joseph Went to Bethlehem,” Children’s Songbook, 38
Activity for Children
The angel Gabriel told Mary and Joseph that Mary would give birth to Jesus Christ, and the angel brought them comfort. We can be angels for others by helping them feel God’s love! Cut out slips of paper. On each slip of paper write a message of love, and share it with a friend or family member.
Service Ideas
- Text someone you are grateful for.
- Be kind to yourself. Practice self-care.
- Help someone research their family history.
Saturday, December 21
Elisabeth Bore John, and Zacharias Testified
“And he shall go before him in … spirit and power… to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).
Elisabeth and her husband, Zacharias, “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). Yet, despite their faithfulness, they were unable to have children. How do you show faith in God’s promises even when you aren’t experiencing blessings as you hoped?
Scriptures and Questions
Compare Zacharias’s words before he couldn’t speak and after he regained his speech. What did Zacharias learn? What can you learn from Zacharias’s experience?
After Mary learned that she would be the mother of the Son of God, she visited her cousin Elisabeth, who was also experiencing a miraculous pregnancy. How did Mary and Elisabeth support each other? Consider how you, your friends, or your family support each other.
Video "Mary and Elisabeth Rejoice Together”
Song
“Joy to the World,” Hymns, no. 201
Activity for Children
When Elisabeth and Mary were waiting for John the Baptist and Jesus to be born, they helped each other. Stand in a circle. Toss a ball or crumpled piece of paper to someone else in the circle. When the person catches the ball, they shout out a quality of a good friend (like kind, fun, or thoughtful).
Service Ideas
- Tell a loved one they matter to you.
- Visit with an elderly neighbor.
- Invite others to a Christmas celebration.
Sunday, December 22
Angels Announced Jesus’s Birth to the Shepherds
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
The angelic announcement to the shepherds was a divine declaration that the Savior’s birth is a cause to celebrate! It replaces fear with joy, glory, peace, and goodwill. The angel said this good news “shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10), so the shepherds “made [it] known abroad” (verse 17).
Elder Neil L. Andersen observed: “What comfort and reassurance Joseph and Mary must have felt as they realized there was purpose in the difficulty that surrounded them. The angels had declared His coming and His noble mission.” As humble shepherds worshipped at the manger, they were adding their witness to Mary’s and Joseph’s that this baby was God’s Son and a divine plan was at work.
Scriptures and Questions
What words and phrases stand out as you study the angels’ message to the shepherds?
What good news has God given you that you want to share?
Video “Shepherds Learn of the Birth of Christ”
Shepherds Learn of the Birth of Christ
Song
“Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains,” Hymns, no. 212
Activity for Children
Service Ideas
- Help a loved one clean their home.
- Leave a gift on a neighbor’s doorstep.
- Make a Christmas playlist and share it with a friend.
- You can also share the Gift of Christmas Music playlist from The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square with family and friends.
Monday, December 23
The Lord Provides a Night Without Darkness in the Americas
“Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, … and on the morrow come I into the world” (3 Nephi 1:13).
“The scriptural story of Jesus Christ,” President Russell M. Nelson taught, “is indeed a two-hemisphere story. While Mary and Joseph in the East were making preparations for the holy child’s birth in Bethlehem, Nephi in the West was being taught by the premortal Messiah. To Nephi the Lord said, ‘Be of good cheer; … on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets’ [3 Nephi 1:13].”
As you reflect on the birth of Christ, consider the convergence of heavenly signs and earthly witnesses testifying that Jesus was born to save.
Scriptures and Questions
These verses describe what happened in the Americas on the eve of Jesus Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. As you read them, imagine yourself among the believers on that sacred night. What might you have felt or thought or done?
What does this Book of Mormon event add to your understanding of Jesus Christ and His mission?
Video “Nephi Prays and Signs of Christ’s Birth Appear”
Song
“Star Bright,” Hymns—For Home and Church, no. 1204
Activity for Children
Service Ideas
- Take a walk with a friend.
- Volunteer at your local library.
- Clean up trash in your community.
Tuesday, December 24
Jesus Christ Was Born and Presented in the Temple
“She brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:7).
Jesus Christ was born to be the Savior of the world. Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem. Away from the crowded inn, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable. Angels appeared to shepherds, who then went to see the baby Jesus. After the shepherds left to tell everyone what they had seen and heard, “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
Video “The Christ Child”
Simeon had been waiting for the Messiah, and he finally received a personal prompting that the day had come. Following that prompting to the temple, Simeon was blessed with a one-on-one encounter with the Messiah he had been seeking.
Anna spent much of her time in the temple. One day, Anna had a unique and personal experience with the Savior.
Scriptures and Questions
What have you felt or learned about as you read the Christmas story?
What do you think individuals who saw baby Jesus (such as the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna) shared with others about their firsthand experiences? What do you feel inspired to tell people about Him?
Song
“What Child Is This?,” Hymns—For Home and Church, no. 1203
Activity for Children
Use the Nativity cutouts to make your own Nativity scene. You can also use a prepared play script to tell the Nativity story or use your imagination to create your own script.
Service Ideas
- Pray for someone by name.
- Call someone you miss.
- Give a friend a hug.
Wednesday, December 25
The Wise Men Worshipped Jesus and Gave Gifts
“Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).
We don’t know much about the Wise Men mentioned in Matthew 2, but we know they looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. They were willing to travel far to worship Him. And their gifts have inspired a long tradition of giving at Christmastime. “We cannot doubt,” President Dallin H. Oaks said, “that they were led by the Lord for His sacred purpose. … These wise men were of another land and culture, so a witness to them was a reminder that the Messiah was born for all people.”
Their simple story reminds us to reflect on our hope in Christ’s coming, our diligence in worshipping Him, and the gifts we can give to Him.
Scriptures and Questions
How might the Wise Men’s journey apply to you?
How do you seek, find, or worship Jesus Christ?
Video “The Wise Men Seek Jesus”
Song
“With Wondering Awe,” Hymns, no. 210
Activity for Children
The Wise Men found Jesus in Bethlehem and worshipped Him. Can you find all these hidden items?
Service Ideas
- Give your favorite book to a loved one.
- Give your neighbor a compliment.
- Donate to a local charity.
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