Godly Gifts

There were few that were hoping for the Mayan apocalypse to take place than me, unfortunately, I survived and now I stand before you today.

"As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ over two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice.  None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon this earth."

As we approach the Christmas holiday this week, we are often reminded of the corporate definition of our Lord Jesus Christ's birthday celebration:  a temporally driven gift-a-thon promising the newest, fastest, and brightest technologies and toys, whose limits are dictated only by the depths of one's pocketbook, the maximum line of credit allowable, or the closing up of shops on Christmas Eve signaling the end of the holiday spending season.  We must ask ourselves however, of the nearly $36 billion dollars that will be spent this holiday season, how much of this truly reminds us of our Savior, and how much of this do we acknowledge to be given by Him?  Were we to be brought to stand at His feet, would we be able to recognize the gifts that He has already given to us?

The prophet Isaiah gives us the Lord's counsel which we read first in Isaiah 55:2:

"Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."

And again from the Prophet Nephi in 2nd Nephi 9:51

"Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness."

Though it is certainly not a problem to share gifts with others and to enjoy the spirit that the holiday season brings into our homes, we must first consider the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts, recognize the blessings with which we are blessed, and then consider the depth at which we participate in the gift giving to others.  My message today focuses on the many gifts that we have already been given by the Savior, both as a result of His coming and as a result of His bounteous blessings  in our daily lives.  I invite you to allow the spirit to teach us as we explore the many areas in which we are blessed.

The Gift of the Gospel

Throughout the holiday season, we often turn to the scriptures and read various parts of the Christmas story, from the announcement of his birth to Joseph, to the tribulations of the wearied Mary as she sought respite from the long travels of the day, to the pronouncement of the Savior's First Coming to the many peoples of the world. 

Of the many significant accounts and stories that are shared of the Lord's coming in the scriptures, among the most significant is that of the account in Luke 2:9-11 where we read:

"9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

This is an account with which most of us familiar with, but we are offered additional insight into this as we consider the definition for the word "gospel" provided to us in the Bible Dictionary which tells us that word gospel means "good news."  As we consider the Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew translations for this, we realize that the two are interchangeable.  Thus, while the shepherds in the fields marveled the heavenly messengers announcing the birth of the Son of God, it is likely that they did not fully recognize the true meaning of the angel's announcement to them, for it was not just that the Christ child was born but that he had brought with Him to the earth the fullness of the gospel!

This is also alluded to in the Doctrine and Covenants in the 128th section, in the 19th verse where we read:

19 Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!

Further, the true significance of the Savior's birth and his gift to man is somewhat lost to many modern scholars because of the English language translation of the bible.  In both Matthew 1:21 and Luke 2:21 we read that the name of the Savior was to be Jesus, however, the original Greek indicates that the true name of the Savior is Yeshua, or in other words, Joshua mean "salvation of man" in the Greek form.  Thus either of the scriptures is to be read "And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name 'salvation of man' for he shall save his people from their sins."

These two examples show us the great importance of the birth of the Savior.  What greater gift has he bestowed upon us than the gift of the gospel?  What greater gift can we share with our friends and family than the Savior's most precious to the world?  Let us first consider this the most important gift of this Christmas season!

Spiritual Gifts

As we further explore the topic of godly gifts, we must turn our search to the many revealed to us through modern revelation to the Prophet Joseph.  In the 46th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, we are given the following counsel:

"8 Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;

 9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.

 10 And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.

 11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

 12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby."

Starting in the 13th verse, the Lord provides a list of some of the many gifts bestowed upon individuals of the Church such as:

"To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.

 to know the differences of administration,

to know the diversities of operations,

the word of wisdom.

word of knowledge

to have faith to be healed;

to have faith to heal.

the working of miracles;

to prophesy;

the discerning of spirits.

to speak with tongues;

the interpretation of tongues.

And unto the bishop of the church, and unto such as God shall appoint and ordain to watch over the church and to be elders unto the church, are to have it given unto them to discern all those gifts lest there shall be any among you professing and yet be not of God."

While it is not necessarily apparent what gifts each individual bestows, it is up to each one of us to discover the talents and gifts that lie deep within each of us.  How blessed we are with this holiday season to be reminded of the many spiritual gifts available to us from our Savior and for the moments we have each Sabbath Day that we have to commune with our Savior and further strengthen our Spirits!

The Gift of Music

Perhaps the most favorite gift of mine is the gift of music and the part that it plays in both the Church and in my life personally.

My wife Alexa told me a story sometime after we began dating that is summarized as follows:

Growing up, Alexa and her family were in charge of the audio/visual duties for their stake in Washington, which included all broadcasts of General Conference.  As a part of this, this included Priesthood Session, which Alexa often had the chance to view.  In April 2009, prior to her transfer to BYU-Idaho the following fall, Alexa and her mother were viewing the Priesthood Session in the High Council room of her Stake Center, when it was announced that the music would be provided by a combined Priesthood Choir from BYU-Idaho.  Her mother jokingly  commented that she should find one of the young men in the choir to date and possibly marry someday.  Little did Alexa's mother realize that the joke was on her:  there standing in the front row of that choir near the Conference Center organ stood the man that would become future husband!

Music has been such a wonderful gift in my life, and it is the very reason that I treat music the way that I do.  I sat down and figured out one day that I have played, led, or sung (in some special form) the music in over 2000 Church meetings or events.  Now, this may come as a surprise to many of you, but I now present an even bigger surprise that very few people know:  1) I have never had professional training on the piano, organ, or in leading the music.  2) I am nearly 70% deaf in my right ear, and 40% deaf in my left ear.

When I was just past 11 years old, I decided that I was tired of playing the piano by ear and memorization.  To that point, I had only ever had musical training in beginning band while learning how to play the saxophone.  I determined at that time that the best way to learn was to pull out a hymn book, write the note names along the left of the staff, and begin memorizing what notes went to which places on the keyboard, much like one would learn typing.  Through several painful renditions of The Spirit of God and How Great Thou Art, I eventually apparently learned enough that I was called as a Priesthood Pianist at the tender age of 12 and a half.  I continued to learn and train and observe my father during the many times that he played the piano and the organ.  As I approached 16 years of age, my father's job with the military put him on the road a lot, and an absence of available organists in the Beavercreek ward forced me to make a few baptism by fire appearances as the organist, which led me to being called as their Ward Organist at only 16 and a half.

I had always been taught the basics of leading the music from my father, but often found myself watching intently during General Conferences, as Brother Craig Jessop, then the conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir led them, and as I discreetly imitated his movements.  (To this day, he would be the number one person that I would love to meet!)  When in High School I sought to become the drum major of my marching band two years running.  After the second year, my band director pulled me aside and told me that he didn't think that I had the talent or skill to ever become the director of any musical group, much less a large one.  Let's just say that being the Ward Chorister and serving as BYU-Idaho's longest tenured director of Stadium Singing for over four years in two different languages probably proves him just a little wrong.

In all of this, many have asked why I never pursued a music major in college and / or have not put out any kind of albums or done concerts, and I always give them this reason:  because what I have is a gift, and I've always been afraid that if I did that it would be something that the Lord would withdraw from me.  I am not suggesting that anyone with the gift and talent for music shouldn't share it, but for me personally, I've found it to be such a special and sacred gift that I should share it only in a certain way.  Additionally, because of my hearing difficulties, music for me has become somewhat of a journal because it is the only way that I can normally interact with the hearing world.

It is especially around the Christmas season though that I am reminded of this wonderful gift and how grateful I am to have it as a part of my life!  I cannot imagine where my life would be without it!

I am truly grateful for the Christmas holiday, because it not only allows me to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the gospel and Atonement that he has brought to the world, but for the reminder of the many gifts that he has already given each of us.  With the number of gifts that we already have, it makes it easier to appreciate the small temporal things that we find under the tree each year that much more.  May we find it all in our hearts to seek out the many gifts bestowed upon each of us, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.