The First Presidency’s annual Christmas devotional for 2021 featured inspiring holiday messages from four Church leaders. Here’s a brief summary of each of their addresses.
Sister Michelle D. Craig
Sister Craig of the Young Women General Presidency encouraged listeners to expand and share our God-given talents and gifts. She also highlighted some unique and oft-overlooked gifts from God like the gift of listening, the gift of avoiding contention, the gift of kindness, the gift of weeping, the gift of teaching, the gift of thinking, and the gift of praying. She especially emphasized using these holy gifts to lift and serve others.
Elder W. Mark Bassett
Elder Bassett of the Seventy invited Latter-day Saints to be peacemakers. He shared stories of his family’s annual reenactment of the nativity scene, which he said frequently becomes “pandemonium in the manger.” He contrasted this scene of jovial chaos with Isaiah’s invitation to publish peace in our actions and words, and to “love, share and invite others to partake of the hope and peace found in the good news of Jesus Christ.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund
Elder Renlund shared touching stories of Christmases in his home growing up, and his stoic father’s tender testimony of the Savior’s existence and love. He also described how he came to know important doctrinal truths by reading the Book of Mormon as a young man and invited us all to take advantage of the Holy Ghost’s ability to testify of the truthfulness of the gospel.
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President Henry B. Eyring
President Eyring’s message centered on the spirit of Christmas and the joy that comes when we study the scriptures and better learn who the Savior was and is. He read verses from the Old Testament that teach about Jesus Christ’s role in the Creation of the world, His willingness to submit to the will of the Father, and the exemplary way He taught and loved others. He shared quotes from the Book of Mormon about the Savior’s Atonement and His ability to help us through every mortal experience. And he read from the Doctrine and Covenants about the power of prayer and God’s promise of peace.
Music for the devotional was performed by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. They performed “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “In the Bleak Midwinter,” “O Holy Night,” and “Silent Night.”
You can now watch the full broadcast on-demand in the player below, or on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the Church’s YouTube channel, BYUtv and the Latter-day Saints Channel.
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