Christmas talk

I was asked to speak in church for Christmas day 2016.
This is the talk I gave.
I had half a dozen folks stop me and thank me and tell me they appreciated it, in fact the former stake pres/recently released 2Q70/local Mormon celebrity ran into me at work and proclaimed it to be the best sermon he'd ever heard preached in a Sacrament meeting.  Of course, the other 90% of the ward won't even look at me anymore (let alone talk to me), so I'm not convinced it was really all that - lol

I'm here to wish you a very heartfelt Christmas.   
  
Hopefully by the time I'm finished today, that expression will have some meaning for you.   
  
When I was asked to speak today my first thought was, Bro. [1st C] should have asked [My wife]. She loves Christmas. It's her favorite holiday.   
  
Me on the other hand, I'm somewhat conflicted. I see most of what is celebrated at this time of year as. . . well the word my dad would use is folderol.   
I'd say capitalist, or natural man like, or selfish.   
  
So when I thought of speaking to you all on Christmas, I thought of 2 things that are traditionally Mormon about Christmas.   
  
The first thing is we know this isn't really Jesus's birthday. Shepherds aren't in the fields with their flocks in the winter. Yet we still go along with the rest of the 'world' in ignoring the facts and following the tradition. D&C 21 implies that Christ's real birthday might be April 6, but there's no actual revelation for the date of birth of the Lord. (You might ponder why that is)   
  
Second, if Christmas didn't fall on a Sunday, none of us would be here today. Yet most other denominations have services that started last night, and rather than cutting out 2/3 of their meetings, they add 2 or 3 extra. In fact, Christmas and Easter are traditionally the times that most “less active” folks of other denominations actually attend church. But even when Christmas falls on our regular day of worship, we Mormons uses it as an excuse to abbreviate our block of meetings. (You might ponder why that is too)   
  
Then the Lord told me what he wants you to know about Christmas.   
  
I'll tell you what that is later. It's not very, long. But it is very important, and worthy of your attention and serious contemplation.   
  
Once I knew the Lord's message for you, my thoughts turned to MY favorite thing about Christmas, the Grinch. 
  
If you've seen me here at church in December, you'll know that I've worn a different Grinch tie each Sunday. The children in the nursery seem to enjoy them, and so do I. Because I see Dr. Suess' story as the epitome of the true spirit of Christmas.   
  
If you'll remember with me, the Grinch lived up above Whoville, where he looked down on the Whos, and hated the commercialism that he perceived to be Christmas.   
  
Dr. Suess tells us that the reason the Grinch was such a mean one was because his heart was 2 sizes too small. (Either that or his shoes were too tight)   
  
So the Grinch gets a wonderful awful idea, and decides to steal all the stuff that he thinks makes up Christmas.   
And he does.   
  
But at the end the story we find the true sprit of Christmas - It happens when the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!   
(Imagine that, learning new things can change someone’s perspective.)   
  
And he realized that "Maybe Christmas, doesn't come from a store."   
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"   
And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say,   
That the Grinch's small heart Grew 3 sizes that day!   
  
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,   
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light,   
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!   
And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!   
  
This CHANGE of heart (or growth of heart in the Grinch's case) is the gift that the Lord would have us give him not just today, but every day.   
  
Growing up my dad always was quick to point out that the literal translation of gospel is "good news." The "good news" of the gospel is that Jesus IS the Christ, the Messiah, our Savior and Redeemer.  
  
Understanding what those roles are, and why they are imperative, is vital to our having real faith in Christ.   
  
And once we have real faith in Christ, then we can change (or grow) our hearts.   
And that change of heart is what real repentance is.   
And those principles of the gospel (Faith in Christ and Repentance) are what the Lord really wants from us. Not just when we go along with celebrating his birth today, but every day.   
  
A little over a week ago I was in the temple for my nephews sealing. I'd already written what I thought was this talk, but I saw a framed print of a document titled "the living Christ." 16 years ago the 1st presidency and quorum of the 12, released this document about this time of year. It says:   
  
"As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.   
He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come."   
  
It is the person of the Lord, not his name, but his actual person, of whom we celebrate today. And he has asked me to tell you what he thinks of Christmas.   
  
It's nothing you don't already know.   
  
In Isaiah 29 he told Isaiah this, when he was revealing the apostasy (even before his advent)   
  
After his birth both Matthew, in chapter 15, and Mark, in chapter 7, of their respective gosples, record that he said it about those who were more interested in following tradition, than the actual commandments.   
  
He also said it to Nephi, in 2 Nephi 27, who preserved it for us today. Let me emphasize that for those of you who missed it the first time I said it. Nephi preserved it FOR US TODAY.  
  
And the Lord said it to Joseph Smith in the official account of the first vision.   
  
I'm here to tell you those same words today.   
  
"They draw near me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."   
  
Lets turn to the scriptures I just summarized for you and actually read them.   
  
Revealing the great apostasy to Isaiah in Isaiah 29:13 we read   
  
Wherefore the Lord said: "Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men."   
  
The Lord said the exact same thing, word-for-word to Nephi in 2 Nephi 27, which he then preserved FOR US TODAY.   
  
In the flesh, when the scribes and pharisees asked the Lord why he didn't instruct his disciples to follow the traditions of the elders Mark 7:6 says: "Jesus said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."   
  
And in Matthew we get the same story with a little more detail. starting in 15:3 . . .Jesus said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?   
then in versus 6-8 he continues:   
"6 . . . Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.   
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,   
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me."   
  
And finally speaking of the churches of the day to Joseph Smith at the first vision, the Lord said in JSH 1:19 . . . “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”   
  
And today, he has asked me to reiterate those same words to all of us about Christmas.   
  
Apart from speaking his name, what do we do at Christmas (or any time) to actually emulate the teachings or the example of the Lord?   
  
Do we congratulate ourselves for loving them which love us?   
For serving each other here in the ward?   
Christ taught that everybody, even the publicans do that.   
  
In fact he rhetorically asked in Matt 5:47 “If ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? ”  
  
Make no mistake, the Lord loves you.   
And whether you return that love, or not, he wants you to have joy.   
But he knows that real joy comes, not from material possessions, or serving those you already love, but from knowing him and putting-off our natural man, and becoming a saint, by repenting and changing our hearts. By softening our hearts, so that we can receive the holy ghost, and allow that gift to bless both ourselves, and more importantly, others. By making our hearts one. Not with others we have common beliefs with, but one with him and his teachings and example.   
  
I invite you to do good, not just to those who love you, but to all, not because you’re supposed to, or because you seek some blessing, but BECAUSE you love him too.   
  
I bear you my witness that Jesus IS the Christ. He is our creator. The vastness of his creation is beyond our comprehension. Yet he is still not only mindful of us, but we are the object of his infinite and eternal sacrifice. The 'good news' of the gospel and the reason we should celebrate his birth, is because that event signaled the beginning of his mortal ministry. He taught us, both by word, and deed, how to treat others. And then he submitted himself to the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, so that he could be our advocate with our father.   
  
It is my prayer this Christmas morning, and always, the we will be blessed with the desire to actually know our savior, that we may grow our faith, and change our hearts. That today our Christmas may truly be heartfelt.