Merry Christmas!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

This blog is full of good stuff on the Joy of Christmas: Facts, Fun and Fantasy, for all those who love and can't get enough of Christmas!

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- Story of Christ's Birth
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More will also be added. Let me know if there's something that should be here. Comments are appreciated!

To test your Christmas knowledge, see the trivia quiz at the bottom of this page!

1/3/15

The Sacred Life of the Savior: The True Meaning of Christmas


Over 2 millenia ago, a tiny baby was born into the most humble of circumstances. This royal son, the only begotten of the Father, was not clothed in silken robes, but was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. He was prophecied of by many ancient prophets. He was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Truly unto us a child was born, and the Government of Heaven and earth was upon his shoulders. His name truly is Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Of his kingdom there is no end, for his coming into the world had been planned from before the foundations of the world, and the effects of his life will give life to all of humankind and will stretch into the eternities and beyond.

But his life was not to be easy. He taught with power, performed miracles, and showed the love of God to all he met. His love knew no bounds, and he freely gave to all who came humbly seeking him. He taught us that he was the way, the truth, and the life, and to come unto him. Yet the Pharisees and Saduccees, instead of accepting him as the promised Messiah, said his miracles and teachings were done by the power of the Devil, that he was a blasphemer and worse.

But this was foretold as well. As Isaiah says, he was despised, rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…and with his stripes we are healed.

Betrayed by his own, abandoned by all, he faced the indescribable agony of the atonement, where his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. Then he faced the abuse of the Jewish leaders, the flogging of the Roman troops, and yet meekly he still succumbed to the horrors of crucifixion.

He was laid to rest in a borrowed tomb. During that time he went to his father, and to the world of the Spirits of the just. He organized his work there, that others might know of the good news of his triumph over sin and death.

After 3 days, the prison doors were rent, and he became the firstfruits of them that slept. Angels rolled back the door of the tomb, and reported he is not here, he is risen, and beckoned all who came to the tomb to come and see the place where the Lord lay.

He appeared to many, apostles and disciples alike, and then went to visit the other sheep in his fold, the people of the Americas and other places. Prophets in those places had testified of his coming and death, had seen in vision what the Savior, the fulfillment of prophecy, would do.

He taught them his gospel, and organized his church there, with all of the saving ordinances that he brought to the old world, and then ascended into heaven.

This once tiny baby still lives today as the Savior and Redeemer of the World. And he has restored his gospel, once lost for millennia, to the earth today. The lord whom ye seek has suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant.

Prophecies are again being fulfilled at his hand, inspiring the minds and hearts of men and women all over the world. His greatest desire is to draw men to him so that they might feel of the love of God that emanates from him and through the spirit. That each person on the face of the earth might feel of his love through the spirit is his hope for us. The fullness of his New Testament Gospel is again on the Earth, to bless the lives of all who come unto him. And it touches each individual heart with the tenderness of a God who is aware of each of us, and involved in our lives more than we know, but can if we open our hearts to him, and do his work.

He said to Peter that if he loved him to feed his sheep. There are many out there who need the bread and water of life. As the prophet says, we are God’s hands on earth, with a mandate to serve. As we serve others, they are able to feel of the love of God as well. It softens them.

This is one of the keys that Christ knew, and was willing to give his life for. He tirelessly served others, and as we serve others too, we will come to know this great key to happiness in this life and in the next. And we will become like Christ as we do.

When we meet him face to face, how wonderful a time that will be for us as we see that we have become like him. To embrace him and to join with him in rejoicing as we realize that we have been dependent upon him our whole lives, and his power has lifted us, and will for eternity.

And how wonderful it will be to know that those whose lives we have touched will also be able to dwell with the Savior and us again. That is the secret of life. To become connected to those around us, bound together by the Love of the Savior.

That is just a few parts of what the birth of the Savior means to us. His gospel is on the earth again, and to find out more, go to http://www.mormon.org

When Christ was born, the people in the American continent saw the star, and had another sign of his birth, a night of light, even though the sun had set. This was prophesied by prophets in the Americas. Read more by clicking here http://bit.ly/J8J59P

More questions? Click here to chat online http://bit.ly/14NQosW or, to meet with representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, go to http://bit.ly/10t9mW7

Picture is Light of the World, by Brent Borup, available athttp://www.brentborupstudio.com/lightoftheworld.html


-This post was shared from ldsprinciples.blogspot.com

1 comment:

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Christmas Trivia: True or False?

The answers to the following can be found within the various posts on this blog...

Holiday Names and Greetings

1. “X-mas” is an irreverent, non-Christian name for the holiday.

2. “Noel” comes from Old French, meaning “new birth”.

3. “Yule” comes from an ancient Viking celebration of the turning of the sun.

4. “Feliz Navidad” directly translated into English means “Happy Birth”.

5. “Mele Kalikimaka” is Hawaiian for “enjoy the holiday feast”.

The Nativity of Jesus

6. Modern calendar years are based on the verified year of the birth of Christ.

7. The number of visitors, known as Magi, Wise Men or Kings, was three.

8. The Wise Men, or Kings, came to see the newborn baby lying in the manger.

9. Early Christians believed Christ was born on December 25th.

10. Shepherds watched their flocks on the cold winter’s night of Christ’s birth.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

11. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 13th.

12. The gifts given on each day in the song represent items at a Christmas party.

13. The “Two Turtle Doves” represented the Old and New Testaments.

14. The last two gifts were 11 lords a leaping and 12 drummers drumming.

Santa Claus

15. St. Nicholas, who preceded Santa Claus, was born in Germany in 1622.

16. Santa’s flying sleigh and reindeer originated from stories in the 1800’s.

17. Although he’s known by many names in many places, Santa is always a man.

18. Kris Kringle was the name of an early Dutch Santa Claus figure.

19. Santa Claus is largely unknown in places like Japan and China.

Reindeer

20. Rudolph’s story was a promotional creation of Montgomery Ward stores.

21. Blixen is the name of Santa’s eighth reindeer.

22. Donner, the seventh reindeer, is sometimes incorrectly called Donder.

23. The reindeer were first named in “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

24. Instead of reindeer, in Sweden, a goat pulls Santa’s (Tomten’s) sled.

Christmas Trees

25. The custom of decorating trees for Christmas originated in Germany.

26. Before the 1500’s, Christmas trees were considered a pagan custom.

27. Martin Luther is credited with first putting candles, or lights, on the tree.

28. There is no mention of a Christmas tree in Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.”

29. Hanging the tree upside down from the ceiling used to be popular.

Miscellaneous

30. The first Christmas card was created and sent in London in 1840.

31. The most popular selling Christmas Carol of all time is “Silent Night”.

32. Mistletoe used to be hung for enemies to meet under and call a truce.

33. Poinsettias were first brought to the U.S. from Mexico by Mr. Poinsett.

34. Christmas mince pie contained rabbit, pheasant and partridge meat.

35. “Nog” in eggnog refers to a heavy noggin (head) from drinking too much.

36. The tradition of filling stockings originated in the country of Turkey.

37. Sleigh rides with jingle bells is a favorite Christmas activity in Australia.

38. Celebrating Christmas was once outlawed in Merry Olde England.

39. Candy canes were created to keep children quiet during church services.

40. Swedish Christmas celebrates St. Lucia, who helped needy people in Italy.

Answers:

1. False. “X” comes from the Greek letter that start’s Christ’s name and represents Christ.
2. True. Oui, oui. Noel is tres French, an old word which is related to the nouvelle, meaning “new”.
3. True. The word “yule” is old Norse for wheel, meaning the wheel in the sky that turns to give more light.
4. True. “Feliz” means “happy”. “Navidad” translates to nativity, which also means birth.
5. False. It means nothing in Hawaiian. It is an attempt to spell English “Merry Christmas” using Hawaiian letters.
6. False. There is no historical verification to the year of Christ’s birth. Some scholars believe it was in 2 to 4 B.C.
7. False. Three gifts are mentioned, but no number of the visitors is given. Some believe there were 12 or more.
8. False. They arrived well after Christ was born, and most likely saw him inside a home in a regular bed.
9. False. No exact date was known. When Romans became Christian, the Dec. 25th date replaced a pagan holiday.
10. False. Shepherds were not in the fields with their flocks during winter. This most likely occurred in the spring.
11. False. They start on Christmas Day, Dec. 25th, and last until Jan. 6th, the Eastern Orthodox Christmas Day.
12. True. In Old England, a party was held on “12th Night”. All the gifts were represented through food or fun.
13. True. The gifts and numbers were created to represent / disguise gospel principles for early persecuted believers.
14. False. There are 10 lords a leaping, not 11. Correct answer: 11 pipers piping, 12 drummers drumming.
15. False. St. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor, now known as Turkey, sometime during the 3rd Century.
16. False. The idea originated from early legends of Viking gods flying through the skies on animal-pulled sleighs.
17. False. In Italy, the gift giver is an old woman known as La Befana. In parts of Russia, she is known as Babushka.
18. False. Kris Kringle is an Americanization of the German gift giver “Christ-kindl”, or “Christ Child”.
19. False. Santa Claus has become a popular holiday figure in both Japan and China, not necessarily for Christmas.
20. True. It was a 1939 promotional gimmick given to those who did Christmas shopping at Montgomery Ward.
21. False. The name of the eighth reindeer is spelled Blitzen, not Blixen.
22. False. The original text of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” spells the seventh reindeer’s name as Donder.
23. True. “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore was the first text that named the eight reindeer.
24. True. Although many reindeer are in Northern Sweden, Tomten rides a sled through the forest pulled by a goat.
25. False. The Germans adapted modern tree traditions from customs of the ancient Romans and Celtic druids.
26. False. 7th Century Catholic monk St. Boniface used the indoor evergreen’s triangle shape to teach of the Godhead.
27. True. Legend claims Martin Luther first put candles on his tree, to represent the light of Christ for his children.
28. True. Christmas trees did not become popular in England until after Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol”.
29. True. Many trees were originally hung upside down in Old Europe and in early Pennsylvania settlements.
30. True. John C. Horsley created his own card in 1840. The idea caught on, and his card was re-printed in 1843.
31. False. Although “Silent Night” is popular in many countries, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is the top seller.
32. True. Used for many things, mistletoe brought people together, including those who needed to kiss and make-up.
33. True. Joel Roberts Poinsett, Ambassador to Mexico, introduced the “Holy Night Flowers” to the U.S. in 1825.
34. True. Originally, mince pie was a meat pie. Fruits and spices were later added, and then the meat was dropped.
35. False. “Nog” is another term for “grog”, which is a rum-based drink. Eggnog is sometimes served with rum.
36. True. St. Nicholas, who lived in Turkey, is claimed to have assisted the needy by leaving gold coins in stockings.
37. False. Christmas in Australia occurs during summertime. A beach barbecue is a popular Christmas Day event.
38. True. From 1645 to 1660, because of Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans, celebrating Christmas was illegal.
39. True. A Cologne Cathedral Choirmaster gave shepherds crook-shaped candy to kids during long nativity services.
40. True. Though celebrated in Sweden, Lucia’s legend began with her Christian services and martyrdom in Italy.

Correct Answers Rating:
40 - Cheater, you peeked! Not even Santa knew all of these.
35 to 39 - Next in line to be Santa. How’s your “ho, ho, ho”?
30 to 34 - A true Christmas elf. Santa’s looking to promote you.
25 to 29 - On Santa’s Nice List, but you could do better.
20 to 24 - Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, but you’re missing some good stuff.
15 to 19 - You like Christmas, but your favorite holiday is Halloween, right?
10 to 14 - Christmas is coming, and you haven’t got a ha’penny. God bless you.
Less than 10 - Bah humbug. You need to pay more attention if you want more than coal in your stocking. Better watch out or you’ll get run over by a reindeer.