The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom.
Four leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with the faith’s world-famous choir, spent over an hour Sunday night focused on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
“Christmas is a time to remember that we are all children of a Father in Heaven, who gave his Only Begotten Son that all would be redeemed from death, and who has offered the blessings of salvation and exaltation to all mankind on the same conditions,” said President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency during the Church’s annual First Presidency Christmas devotional in the Conference Center on Temple Square.
“Christmas is a time to eliminate arrogance and provocation, to subdue criticism, to practice patience, and to de-emphasize differences among people,” President Oaks continued. “We have the incentive to extend sincere fellowship to all persons, those who are and those who are not of our faith.”
The First Counselor in the First Presidency told his Latter-day Saint listeners that, following the kind and inclusive spirit of Christ, “we ought to be the friendliest and most considerate of all people anywhere. We should teach our children to be kind and considerate of everyone. We should, of course, avoid the kinds of associations and activities that compromise our conduct or dilute our faith and worship. But that should not keep us from cooperative efforts with people of every persuasion — believers and non-believers.”
