The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Joel 3:16
I think this is the best new Christmas arrangement and performance this year:
And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to full assurance of hope unto the end.
Hebrews 6:11
But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
Jacob 2:19
But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work.
Doctrine and Covenants 3:10
Sometimes the tempest that surrounds us is our own fault because our poor choices make us miserable. But God is merciful! We can repent. We are still chosen and can get back to work for the Lord. “Peace, be still,” is something the Savior has power to say to the winds and rain, and also to our broken hearts when we repent. I love this message of hope.
Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
Doctrine and Covenants 123:17
Good people all, this Christmas time
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved son
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God’s angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear,
‘Prepare and go,’ the angels said
‘To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you’ll find, this happy morn
A princely babe, sweet Jesus born’
With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went, this babe to find
And as God’s angel had foretold
They did our saviour Christ behold
Within a manger he was laid
And by his side the virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of life
Who came on earth to end all strife
Good people all, this Christmas time
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved Son
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas day
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
1 Peter 3:15
In deciding what to post this month, I realized my perfectionism paralysis about posting my violin recordings was NOT the meekness and fear Peter is talking about. When I play the violin for people, it is one way I share hope and testimony, but probably never perfection.
The memory of playing this song with Daniel is perfect. We played this in 2016 in church and also in people’s homes that Christmas. I have sweet memories of Daniel and me loading and unloading his keyboard into the trunk to carry it through the snow into homes of the elderly in the neighborhood so we could play this song. I cherish those moments with my friends that I will not have this year, but at least now I have a link I can share with them. I think Peter is asking us to be be brave and give, right through our fears.
And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.
Ether 12:32
In ancient Jewish tradition, an engaged bridegroom would build or prepare his own home within his father’s property, a house in the “mansion of his father” to present to his bride. In figurative terms in the scriptures, Christ is the bridegroom, and his church is his bride.
About the custom of building a home for the bride,
“The new home was built under the direct personal supervision of the groom’s father. In that culture, a son is considered to be a representative of his father, and everything that the son does reflects either favorably or unfavorably on the father. Every aspect of the son’s daily life was considered an extension of his father’s training and teachings.” (Beloved Bridegroom by Donna B. Nielsen, p. 34.)
The house he prepares for us is with the toil of His Atonement. As the bride, we are to watch and wait in worthiness for his coming. In Jewish tradition, the arrival of the bridegroom was a surprise, as the coming of the Savior will be someday. Our task is to wait, with hope, for all the good things he has prepared for us.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
I have always loved this scripture, and recently, I studied what “things he [had] spoken unto [them]” so they could have peace and be of good cheer. His teachings leading up to this statement of be of good cheer are all about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost coming to our aid. I like this quote from Elder Holland,
“Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish…Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations … is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: ‘I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].’ (John 14:18)”
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “None Were With Him,” Ensign, May 2009.
Today, here is hope in the form of dance. Covid has unleashed new ways to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The dancers in this video are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this is a tribute to a sister missionary who passed away recently. It’s also an expression of their testimonies. Whether you like the style of dance or not, I think it’s a beautiful way to share hope.
I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.
Doctrine and Covenants 84:88
My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may the showing of his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.
Moroni 9:25
I really love this video. I like how they convey music transporting them to another time, and experiencing the same feelings as the shepherds and wise men. “May Christ lift thee up.”