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Show I Greetings From Stake Presidency As Christmas-Tide approaches our minds revert to that never to be forgotten for-gotten night, when shepherds who were watching their flocks on the hills of Judea were startled as the Glory of the Lord shone round about them, and the angel of the Lord stood before them and said: "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy; which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will toward men." The birth of Christ our Lord was ;in epoch. in the history of the world to which prophets had looked forward, for-ward, of which poets had sung, and in which angels joined their voices n-ith mortals in praise to God. j He. came to teach us 1lie character j of God, and by example and precept pninted out the path which, if we walk in it will lead us bark Into His preprnee. He broke the bonds of ('-a'!i v.i'h which men were bound, and Ta'le pos'hlo the resurrection. AfW th crucifixion of Christ and he rUnih of the Apostles, It appeared '-! mr:oii had failed, but as '- ' jTecf1. and the doctrines of C'sr'rt' n'iy l.c-rtTi's b'-'tcr und'T- '-"!. thou -1 ' f;il nn turned to him '-:r yv.r'-t. r.f l'?h' and ptrenirth, vr"Tvi- f-n'h in l:;s mission 1 r -1 nV r i iL t ery . fii-f'ns'ons arose :"' " T-'i:':Vn rhur'-h. The laws ... .-f ..-: z ;t rh-irrlT of nte Redeern-t Redeern-t ver" i -n '-z-rr .-ed the ordinances r'.-i n :;r., n d the everlasting rrtxt-nnrA wis broken. Spiritual :'-! covered the ear'h and gross darkness the minds of the people. Then another epoch was ushered in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. In answer to 'the prayer of faith of the boy Joseph Sniith, the Heavens were opened and the Lord and His son Jesus Christ appeared to him 'felling him that none of the churches were right, a"hd that he would be the instrument In the hands of the Ixird in establishing the true Church of Christ on the earth. Again the heavens rejoiced, again heavenly beings bring messages from the Ixrd to his children. The Church of Jesus Christ is established In Its fullness. As a result, thousands of people have gathered out from the nations of the earth where the Gospel has been preached and have gathered to Zlon, established in the tops of the mountains moun-tains the place designated by the Ixird as the gathering place of His people. The desert has been made to blossom as the rose. Music and the voices of children are heard where ! silence had reigned supreme. We should get Hie Christmas spirit i into our hearts, not for one day alon but for all time Christ came to 'ho world lo establish peace, and to save mankind not In sin but from sin. May we appreciate the many blessings bless-ings He has given us. We approve of the plan of holding sarTed service in each ward on Christmas Day to foster this spirit. We trust all our people will give this movement, their whole hearted support and cooperation. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas Christ-mas and a Happy New Year. Your Brethern, Wilford W. Warnick, Edmund Cragnn, Martin S. Christiansen. |