As Christmastime approached, a young boy carefully counts a handful of coins and bills. This is money he has earned by doing odd jobs around the house and around the neighborhood. It is also his Christmas-giving fund. As much as he enjoys receiving gifts for Christmas, he loves giving them even more. His fund isn’t particularly large, but his heart is. And soon he will take that money and roam through a store looking for the perfect gift for each person on his list. In some cases, he’ll find that nothing in the store is quite right, so he will hand-make a gift that properly represents the love in his heart.
What makes a young boy do all of this? He would simply say that his heart was full of Christmas.
A heart full of Christmas is a heart full of love and joy. Even small gifts given with love bring joy—to both the receiver and the giver.
A heart full of Christmas is a heart full of hope. Every birth of a new baby brings new hope, but the birth of the baby Jesus brought hope on an infinite scale—hope for the whole word, in this life and eternally.
A heart full of Christmas is a heart full of the spirit of giving. On that first Christmas, Mary gave her baby the gift of life. Soon, the Wise Men gave gifts of adoration. And Jesus Himself came into the world to give us the gift of peace. He said, “My peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”[1] Through the gift of His grace, we can overcome the fears that so often rob us of peace.
Unfortunately, one of those thieves of peace can be the stress of shopping for Christmas gifts—including worries about what we can and can’t afford. But we can all afford to observe a Christmas season that truly comes from the heart. With a heart full of Christmas, the joy of the season will go on long after we turn off the holiday lights and put away the decorations. A heart full of Christmas brings the lasting, peaceful feelings of love, joy, hope, and the spirit of giving, even the Spirit of Christ.
[1] John 14:27.
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December 04, 2022
Broadcast Number 4,864
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductors
Mack Wilberg
Ryan Murphy
Organist
Richard Elliott
Host
Lloyd Newell
I Saw Three Ships
Traditional English carol; Arr. Mack Wilberg
Carol to the King
French carol; Arr. Mack Wilberg
Postlude sur un Noël (Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella)
French carol; Arr. Denis Bédard
How Far Is It to Bethlehem?
English carol; Arr. Mack Wilberg
There Are Angels Hov’ring Round
Traditional American spiritual; Arr. Ryan Murphy
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Felix Mendelssohn; Arr. Mack Wilberg