First Presidency's Christmas Devotional
Celebrates the Birth of Jesus Christ

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remembered the birth of Christ during the annual First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional. The program originated from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, December 7, 2014, and featured music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. It was also broadcast on radio, television and the Internet, as well as to local Church meetinghouses.

Speakers included President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency; Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Presidency of the Seventy; and Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women general president.

“We appreciate those who have turned this Conference Center into a perfect place to honor the glorious birth into mortality of the Savior, the Son of God, and to deepen our commitment to love and follow Him,” said President Eyring, who focused his comments on the Light of Christ. 

“What [shepherds] saw with their physical eyes was a tiny baby. But what they wished to verify was visible only through spiritual sight,” he explained.

“I felt joy in that way just days ago,” said President Eyring. “Our first great-grandchild was born. I looked down on her and thought, ‘She seems to glow with a beauty I didn't think was possible in a newborn.’ In an instant I realized that the beauty I saw and the glow I felt when I looked at her face came from her purity and, to me, by the Light of Christ.”

“It is my prayer that each of us will continue in the light we have received and follow the Lord's example in choosing to do good,” he said.

“We find it remarkable that the very Son of God, the great Jehovah of old, should be born into this mortal world in the humblest of circumstances,” said Elder Christofferson.

He shared the story of four-year-old Ethan Van Leuven of West Jordan, Utah, who lost his battle with cancer a few weeks ago. His neighbors banded together to share Halloween, his birthday, and Christmas, his favorite holiday, all in one week. He died a few days later.  

“And so at Christmas, the stories of sacrifice and ministering multiply across the world,” said Elder Christofferson. “Our gifts and service may gladden hearts; the kindness of others pours healing balm into our own wounds. It is living the Savior’s way of life.”  

“The Christmas story is a story of a family that connects heaven and earth,” said Elder Maynes. “Each member of Jesus’s earthly family — Mary, Joseph and Jesus — stand as supernal examples of God’s Christmas gift to all mankind.”

“When we live the attributes demonstrated by this holy family on a daily basis, we will, in fact, be celebrating Christmas every day of the year, and we will come to understand the Christmas story as it truly is, a family history story that teaches us how to find joy in this life and in the life to come," taught Elder Maynes.

“This is a magical time of the year when miracles happen, hearts are softened, and the pure love of Christ is felt and experienced like no other time of the year,” exclaimed Sister Oscarson. “As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this season, let us also celebrate all that His birth symbolizes, especially the love.”

"The way to increase the Christmas spirit is to reach out generously to those around us and give of ourselves," added Sister Oscarson. "The best gifts are not material things, but gifts of listening, of showing kindness, of remembering, of visiting, of forgiving, of giving time." 

Video and audio recordings of the more than hour long devotional will be available online in 58 languages within a week.