Oh Holy Night! Rather than images of the sacred night when our Savior was born I was filled with images of the sacred night when Mark passed away. This is my all-time favorite Christmas Carol and I was enjoying a Gentri Christmas Concert with Greg and Jackie. These new thoughts were unexpected and somewhat unwelcome. Nevertheless it had been a holy night and some time in the future I will share what I can.

What I will share now comes from Mark. He was invited to speak in church last December and I found his notes tucked into his Bible. While I struggled at the concert to compose myself I recalled his notes and hoped that I would remember to share his talk with our friends. Fifteen months ago they told us he would not make it until Christmas. Twelve months ago he stood, newly bald and struggling to breathe, and testified of what he knew to be true.

He has bullet points which I was going to try to make into sentences. Instead I will keep it as I found it and I hope that you can hear his voice as he shares his witness of Christmas:

Images of Christmas by Mark Andrus, December 2023

It is wonderful to stand here and be with you today.

• My simple act of standing at this podium today is a testament that God has heard your prayers and has witnessed your fasting on my behalf.
• It is my absolute privilege to be the target and recipient of your faith
• Thank you!
• Christmas is a time of wonderful stories, sights, sounds, tastes and imagery.
• It is a time to reflect and ponder like no other.
• Let’s take a short mental journal and invite the Holy Ghost into our hearts and minds.

Winter Solstice

• For 87% of earth’s habitants this occurs in December
• The crops are in, the trees are without leaves
• The sun is at its lowest elevation in the sky
• We have the longest night of the year
• Consider this imagery “In Bleak Midwinter”
• For centuries cultures have equated Winter Solstice with death and a separation from God
• **In 336, the Roman Emperor Constantine started celebrating Christmas on December 25. This corresponded with the celebration of Sol Invictus or “The Unconquered Sun”
• **We now have this beautiful Festival of Lights, feasts, family and life in the middle of the darkest season of the year.
• This contrasting imagery in one of the gifts of Christmas

Oh Holy Night

• I love the carol “Oh Holy Night”
• It speaks of the contrast between the darkness of Winter Solstice ad the Light of Christmas
• Let this familiar line from the first verse run through your mind
  • “Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Savior’s birth”
• You may be less familiar with the second verse – what impressions come to you with this imagery?
  • Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming… with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
  • The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger… in all our trials born to be our friend
  • He knows our need… to our weakness he is no stranger
  • Behold you King… before Him lowly bend… (repeat)
• Is the light of faith glowing in your heart leading you to Jesus Christ?
  • This is the miracle of Christmas!

Light of Faith

• Quoting [and perhaps paraphrasing] J. Reuben Clark, Jr. 1936
  • Every human being is born with the light of faith kindled in his heart as on an altar, and that light burns and the Lord sees that it burns, during the period before we are accountable.
  • When accountability comes then each of determines how we shall feed and care for that light.
    • If we live righteously that light will glow until is suffuses the whole body, giving it to health and strength and spiritual light as well as bodily health.
    • If we live unrighteously that light will dwindle and finally almost flicker out.
  • Yet it is my belief that the Lord never permits the light of faith wholly to be extinguished in any human heart, however faint the light may glow.
  • The Lord has provided that there shall still be there a spark which, with teaching, with the spirit of righteousness, with love, with tenderness, with example, with living the Gospel [of Jesus Christ], shall brighten and glow again, however darkened the mind may have been.

What is this light of faith?

• Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
• His light is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
• The scriptures call this universal light “the light of truth,” “the light of Christ,” and the “Spirit of Christ” which can be defined as: knowledge, an uplifting, enabling, preserving influence that comes from Christ
• This is the light that quickens our understanding
• It “is given to every man, that he may know good from evil.”
• It is the light of faith that leads us to Christ
• It will leave the honest soul who follows its influence to find the true gospeal and receive the Holy Ghost

How do we feed and care for our light of faith?

• We make and keep sacred covenants
• We repent and try to more closely follow His example each day
• We sit with Him in holy places and listen to His voice in our hearts and minds

Christ was born to be our friend!

• And Oh What a Friend He Is!
  • He suffered through the atonement so that we can become like Him and live with Him forever. Who does that?

Back to Corinne – at this point Mark would have testified about Jesus being our friend. He spoke of this concept often during these past years. It has probably helped me more than I know to think of Him this way.

I am amazed that Mark wrote out so much of this talk because I rarely saw him use more than an index card. He was probably beginning to feel some “chemo brain” but I am glad that he did because it preserved his words for us to ponder this Christmas.

When loved ones are far from us at Christmas we can call, text, send photos, etc. Mark may not be as far as he seems. I hope that Heaven pauses for a moment at Christmas to honor their King. I hope that Mark will take advantage of that pause and check in on his family that loves him and misses him. I hope that he knows his family is trying to feed and care for our light of faith. I hope he knows that his reminder about Jesus being our friend has sustained us for months and will continue to be a source of strength for months to come.

Later…. I wrote this blog post five day ago. In the meantime I have heard two choirs perform “Oh Holy Night.” First was Millenial Choirs and Orchestras. I wish that I could include a copy of their new and improved rendition. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was woven throughout and a soprano soloist captivated the audience. Jackie said they just announced that it would soon be released any day now. What a stunning performance!

This morning during church services with the family in New Mexico we heard a sweet and humble choir of about 12 sing “Oh Holy Night.” They were accompanied by piano and flute. The flutist was also a wonderful addition which helped to captivate. Their simplicity and sincerity brought a sweet spirit for another beautiful performance.

In Mark’s talk he asked if the light of faith was glowing in our hearts. This is an apt description of what I was feeling today and I hope everyone I know has an opportunity to open their hearts to this Light during this week of celebration! Joy to the World!!