At the close of Canada’s sesquicentennial year, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints join with Christian denominations throughout Canada in commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world.
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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
What we choose to celebrate indicates what we feel is important. This Christmas season we celebrate gifts of the Saviour. Christ is the best gift that has ever been given in the history of mankind. The gifts He gives to us are everlasting and eternal. It is in remembering, receiving and giving those gifts of the Saviour that our lives are transformed. Some of those gifts are:
The Gift of Faith
Faith is a universal gift, irrespective of language, race, color or nationality. Dr. Andrew Bennett, senior fellow and chair in the Cabinet of Canadians and former Ambassador of Religious Freedom for Canada, speaks of the need for including religious belief in the public square at the 24th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium held at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
The Gift of Revelation
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5). Dr. Aileen Van Ginkel, Canadian Interfaith Conversation co-chair and vice president of ministry service for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, says, “We ask for God’s wisdom in sorting out the best path to take in the faith that Jesus leads us on as we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.”
The Gift of God’s Word
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Old Testament scholar Reverend Dr. Karen Hamilton, former General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches and co-chair of the Board of the Parliament of the World's Religions, speaks about interfaith dialogue and the use of the Bible in church and global justice during an interfaith lecture series held at the Hinckley Center at BYU in Provo, Utah.
The Gift of Agency
Elder Alain L. Allard of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who resides in Montreal, Quebec, says: “The freedom to decide for ourselves is a most important gift, which came because of the sacred Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. Showing faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, repenting of our mistakes and making sincere efforts to honour our promises to the Lord are all meaningful ‘offerings of our heart.’ I know rich blessings await each one of us as we strive to keep our commitments to come to Him” (“That He Might Know All That Was in His Heart”).
The Gift of Love
At the heart of all people of faith is a desire to love God and to love our neighbour. All of us, irrespective of our personal beliefs, can love one another. “Love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34).
“A gift of love came softly in the night,
A tiny babe, to bring the world His light.
A gift of love in sweetest, purest form,
For on that night, the King of Love was born.”
—Jenny W. Francis