Pres. Hinckley: 'We join in singing praises to the Son of God'
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Wherever the Spirit of Christ is known there is much of good will, of mutual respect, of love and appreciation and kindness, said President Gordon B. Hinckley Dec. 1.
"We do not wonder that there is conflict in the world," he said. "There is now, and has been from the time that Cain slew Abel, so much of hatred. And yet, is it not a miracle, an absolute miracle, that in so many parts of the earth, in so many places under so many different circumstances, there is peace and love and a vast measure of goodness?"
Speaking during the annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional, President Hinckley offered a message of peace and hope to a capacity congregation in the Conference Center, which was adorned with Christmas lights, trees and poinsettias. His counselors in the First Presidency, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust, also offered holiday messages centered on the Savior and His gospel.
Hundreds of thousands of Church members around the world heard the devotional, broadcast on the Church satellite system, BYUTV, and on KBYU in Utah.
Music for the evening was provided by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square. Directed by Craig Jessop and Barlow Bradford, the choir and orchestra performed several traditional Christmas hymns and carols.
"How pleasant and wonderful it is when in many areas of the world we join together in singing praises to the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind," said President Hinckley. "Tonight, altogether, we speak many tongues, but our voices are as one as we pay homage to our King, the Lord Immanuel."
At this time of year, he continued, Church members retell the story of the star that guided the Wise Men to the infant born in Bethlehem. "It is interesting to me that the star described by Matthew has become one of the symbols of Christmas," he said. "It is found on our cards, on the tops of our trees, in the decorations of our streets."
The star, he said, speaks in an indirect way of another great and wonderful truth.
President Hinckley said as a young boy he would lay on his back and look up at the North Star. Known as the Lodestar because of its constancy, the North Star "is as the God of Heaven Himself, fixed and immovable, certain, sure, unchanging."
A week earlier, President Hinckley said, he visited St. George, Utah, and again looked at the stars. "The breadth of the sky enthralled me," he declared. "The innumerable quantity of stars amazed me. I watched in utter wonder, marveling at what I could see. How could anyone doubt that there is a great Creator who brought all of this together and who governs it? How marvelous and grand His design. How infinite His works. How marvelous His creations."
The heavens tell the glory of God, the wonder and majesty of His firmament and the vastness of the universe over which He presides, said President Hinckley.
"And yet His great concern is with His children, His sons and daughters, of whom we are a few who worship together tonight. It is a thing of wonder to me that He can listen to us when we pray and that He answers those prayers."
President Hinckley said among His wonderful creations, God established a plan under which He permits His children to come to earth to exercise their agency. "Under this plan He has sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, who was His agent in the creation of this earth. He came in the humblest of circumstances, born in a stable in a conquered nation. That Son was born into the world that holy night when angels sang and shepherds came. . . .
"He walked about the land teaching the people, performing miracles through His infinite power, laying a foundation of apostles and prophets on which His Church could be established.
"On complaint of the Pharisees He was taken by brutal men, mocked and beaten, accused and evil spoken of. He was crucified on Calvary's Hill between two thieves. Could anything be more ignominious?
"In His terrible agony He cried out, 'Father forgive them; for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34).
"The earth trembled, and hope fled from His followers. He was buried in Joseph's tomb.
"And then, miracle of miracles, and yet in fulfillment of His promise, He arose and left His place of burial, a resurrected, glorious being. . . .
"Centuries passed, and then, with His Beloved Father, He appeared to the boy Joseph and parted the curtains to open this, the grandest of all dispensations, the dispensation of the fulness of times.
"He has restored His work. He has restored His priesthood. He has granted the keys of that priesthood.
"His work moves on. That which we do, you and I, as members of this Church and as His sons and daughters, we do in His Holy name and in tribute to Him.
"Great is His glory, endless is His estate. His has been the grandest of all gifts. He is our King of Kings. He is our Lord of Lords. He is the Son of God incarnate. He reigns with His Father in the realms on high.
"I cannot look at the pristine beauty of the earth without marveling at His creations. I cannot think of the eternal journey of man and of that which He has prepared for them that love Him without saying thanks be to God, for Him who has redeemed and purchased us with His blood.
"May we ever walk in remembrance of Him, paying homage to Him by the goodness of our lives and the outreach of our service."
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