Keeping Christ in Christmas: Day 1

For Christmas this year, we decided that we wanted to give a gift that would keep Christ in Christmas.  So we came up with the idea of an advent calendar where each day our families would open an envelope, find a goodie inside to munch on as they read about someone who witnessed or was associated with the birth of Christ.  These individuals are found in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible.  

We call our gift: Keeping Christ in Christmas and invite each of you to join us in remembering our Savior each and every day this Christmas season.  

Please note that the messages are found on lds.org and are from our own religious beliefs.  They may or may not comply with your own religious beliefs.  We hope that you will still be able to enjoy our journey of Keeping Christ in Christmas. 

Seeing as how today is December 1st, we had better open our first envelope.

Amelie is representing the Angel Gabriel.  (note the halo *wink wink* and the angel wings).

This excerpt is taken from the December 1990 Ensign

Article Titled: Twelve Witnesses of Christ's Birth

By: Joseph Fielding McConkie

Our first New Testament witness of the birth of Christ is a messenger from the presence of God: Gabriel. Appropriately, this messenger makes his initial appearance in the temple to a faithful priest of the Aaronic order, Zacharias, who is performing a ritual function on behalf of his nation—burning incense on the altar within the Holy Place.

In performing this duty, Zacharias represented the combined faith of Israel. His prayer was their prayer for an everlasting deliverance from all their enemies at the hands of their promised Messiah. The ascending flames of incense symbolized the ascension of that united prayer. As Zacharias prayed, his fellow priests and all within the walls of the temple united their amens to his appeal.

In response to Israel’s prayer, an “angel of the Lord” appeared before Zacharias, standing on the right side of the altar of incense and identifying himself as Gabriel, one who stood “in the presence of God.” (Luke 1:11, 19.) By modern revelation we know that Gabriel was known on earth as Noah, that he “stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 157), and that he holds the keys of the “restoration of all things” (D&C 27:6–7.)

The keys held by Gabriel made him an Elias to prepare the way before the Lord. How perfectly appropriate, then, for him to announce the birth of the earthly Elias, John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for the Messiah.