Book of Mormon
"From Nephi to Moroni, every Book of Mormon prophet was committed to the sacred purpose summarized on the book's title page: 'The convincing of [all people] that Jesus is the Christ.'" -Come Follow Me Manual, 2020
What is the Book of Mormon's purpose?
"My heart is subdued when I think of the great love of my Heavenly Father. How grateful I am to know that God loves us. The incomprehensible depth of that love found expression in the gift of His Only Begotten Son to come into the world to bring hope into our hearts, to bring kindness and courtesy into our relationships, and above all to save us from our sins and guide us on the way that leads to eternal life." - Gordon B. Hinkley
How much does our Heavenly Father love us, and how does he show us His love?
"Not being able to see the sacred either with the eyes or with the heart has been a fault of the human condition since the beginning.
"Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we become so preoccupied with responsibilities, commitments, and stress of our many tasks that we fail to see with our hearts that which is essential and most sacred." -Elder Uchtdorf
Why can it be hard to see the sacred?
The rabbis of ancient Israel had a saying: "Judea is wheat, Galilee straw, and beyond Jordan, only chaff. The urbane and worldly wise Jerusalemites, privileged to dwell in the Holy City, looked down on all others with condencension; but especially viewed the Galileans as crude, unlearned, and earthly peasants." -Gerald N. Lund
"Can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46)
I got _________________ for Christmas.
What did you get for Christmas?
"So during this Christmas season, as believers around the world celebrate the goodness and love of God in sending His Son, ponder how the Book of Mormon has strengthened your faith in Christ. As you think about His birth, ponder why He came and how His coming has changed your life. Then you can experience the true joy of Christmas-the gift that Jesus Christ gives you." -Come Follow Me, Manual 2020
What can you do to experience the gift of Jesus Christ?
"Marvelous is the chronicle that began with the singing of angels at Bethlehem and ended on Golgotha's cruel cross. There is no other life to compare with His life. He was the one perfect man to walk the earth, the paragon of excellence, the singular example of perfection."
Who lived a perfect life?
"The Sophisticated and the proud, those who placed their trust in worldly learning, could not see Him.
"The wealthy and the influential, those who were caught up in their buys affairs of commerce and government, could not see Him.
"The self-righteous and unteachable, those whose hearts were closed to the Spirit, could not see Him." -Elder Uchtdorf
Why can't some people see the Savior?
"Speaking of the typical man, one rabbi described the stages of development as follows: At five he began study of Torah; at ten, study of the Mishnah (oral laws); at fifteen, the study of Talmud (the extensive commentaries on the scriptures). At eighteen he married; and at twenty he pursued a trade or business. For a girl, probably the most common age of marriage was fifteen or sixteen. Sometimes it was later, sometimes earlier, but it was likely that Mary was around sixteen, and Joseph, her espoused husband, only two or three years older." -Gerald N. Lund
How old could Mary and Joseph have been when they were "espoused"?
The funnies thing that happened over Christmas break was _________________.
What was the funniest thing that happened over Christmas break?
Mosiah 3:5-10
Why did Jesus Christ come to earth?
Listen to President Gordon B. Hinkley's story of the Virginia Schoolhouse.
Who doesn't love a good story?
"Simeon, an elderly, devout, and just man, saw the Christ.
"Humble fishermen and laborers saw Him. The ailing, the humble, and the distraught saw Him and recognized Him as the Salvation of Israel. But there were those among the rich and powerful who were teachable and therefore could see the Christ." -Elder Uchtdorf
Who has seen the Christ?
"Though His birth is celebrated in December, latter-day revelation explains that it actually occurred during the spring. (See D&C 20:1) The time would have been late march or early April when Joseph moved southward with Mary at his side, heavy with the living treasure in her womb." -Gerald N. Lund
When was Jesus born according to latter-day revelation?
The best part of Christmas dinner was _____________.
What was the best part of Christmas dinner?
Alma 7:7-13
What will the Son of God do for His people?
Listen to President Gordon B. Hinkley's story of the Virginia Schoolhouse.
Who doesn't love a good story?
"But do we also let distractions obstruct our view of the Savior-during this Christmas season and throughout the year? Some are external distractions, but often it is what is inside us that blinds us from seeing the Christ.
"Some may feel a certain level of intellectual aloofness that distances them from Christ. The familiar story of Jesus the Christ can get lost amid the flood of scientific advances, pressing news, or the latest popular movies or books.
"Some are so caught up in the details of running their lives that they don't make time for much else. They may pay lip service to the things of the Spirit, but their hearts are so focused on the world that they cannot see the Christ.
"Some, like the Pharisees, seek for the Christ, but their hearts are so set upon their own theories, spiritual hobbies, and opinions that they fail to recognize Him. In spite of their good intentions, they miss the transforming revelations of the Holy Spirit and thereby miss the only way to receive a certain testimony of Jesus Christ." - Elder Uchtdorf
Can we see the Christ?
"Because the Paschal Lamb had to be totally consumed by the family in the ritual meal (See Exodus 12:10), tradition stated that no fewer than ten, and no more than twenty could gather for each lamb sacrificed. Josephus tells us that during one Passover of his time (about a.d. 70), 256,500 lambs were sacrificed. Even using the more conservative figure of ten, that still means the population of Jerusalem at Passover had swollen by more than 1,000 percent to the staggering number of nearly three million people." -Gerald N. Lund
Why was there "no room for them in the inn"?
My takeaways from this year's study of the Book of Mormon are ______________________.
What are your takeaways from this year's study of the Book of Mormon?
2 Nephi 25:23, 26
Why did Book of Mormon prophets write down their revelations?
"I offer my witness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal, Living God. None so great has ever walked the earth. None other has made a comparable sacrifice or granted a comparable blessing. He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity without equivocation or compromise. I love Him. I speak His name in reverence and wonder. I worship Him as I worship His Father, in spirit and in truth. I thank Him and kneel before His Beloved Son, who reached out long ago and said to each of us, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11:28)." -Gordon B. Hinkley
What is your testimony of Jesus Christ?
"I promise that if we unclutter our lives a little bit and in sincerity and humility seek the pure and gentle Christ with our hearts, we will see Him, we will find Him-on Christmas and throughout the year." -Elder Uchtdorf
How can we see Christ in our own lives?
"Now we begin to sense the impact of the angel's works upon these shepherds. In essence, here is the pronouncement: 'Unto you is born this day in the city prophesied to be the birthplace of the Messiah, Yeshua (or Jesus), the Savior, who is the Anointed One (the Messiah), and who is also Jehovah, the God of your fathers.'
"'In the city of David.' Micah, who centuries before had specified the place. (See Micah 5:2)
"'Is born a Savior.' The word, in Aramaic, that meant 'Savior' was Yeshua, or Jesus in English.
"'Which is Christ.' Our English word Christ is derived directly from the Greek, Christos. It means 'the anointed one.' Christos was a direct translation of the Hebrew word, Messhiach -the anointed one, transliterated into English as 'Messiah."
"'The Lord.' In the Old Testament the name of God was written with four Hebrew Consonants: YHVH. Modern scholars often write it as Yahweh, but the King James translators wrote it as Jehovah. The translators of the King James Version of the Old Testament honored that tradition of the Jews (not saying Jehovah aloud), and where they found the name YHVH, they write in (with very few exceptions) 'the Lord.' The declaration of the angel to the shepherds used Lord or Adonai in reference to deity; literally, it could be translated Jehovah." - Gerald N. Lund
What did the announcement of the Savior's birth really mean?
My testimony of Jesus Christ is ________________.
What is your testimony of Jesus Christ?