The babe that lay in the manger 2021 years ago came for two reasons: to secure our salvation and to reveal to us the Father. Until Christ came people mainly understood God’s power, His holiness and His anger and judgment but when Christ came, He showed them the Father’s deep devotion and His merciful love towards His children. This He did through himself because that’s the way He was. He has said that He and the Father are one to the Jews, to the Nephites and to us (John 14:9-11; 3 Nephi 11:27; D&C 50:43; 93:3) therefore the way He is, is the way the Father is. I highly recommend that you read this Christmas Elder Holland’s conference talk of 2003 entitled “The Grandeur of God” to fully understand this.
There is a strong depiction of father-son relationships in the Book of Mormon. This is rightfully obvious because the records were kept by men and handed down to their sons. What else can be seen, however, is the spiritual legacy passed on from father to son. Consider for a moment just these few sons who had been righteously influenced by their fathers: Nephi, who believed all the words of his father Lehi (1 Nephi 2:16) and became crucial to preserving the tribe of Joseph in Americas; Enos who allowed the words of his father Jacob to sink deep into his heart (Enos 1:3) and because of which he was led to such mighty prayer that God could not be restrained from covenanting with him regarding the preservation of records and imminent salvation of the Lamanites (Enos 1:16); Alma the Younger's concern for his son Corinaton which prompted an entire discourse on God's justice, mercy and resurrection spanning three chapters of his book (Alma 40,1,2); Moroni who accepted the incredible responsibility to safeguard the records and who gave us the discourse on faith, hope and charity as taught by his father Mormon (Moroni 7:1).
What do we learn from these family associations? That the testimony of righteous fathers could never be expunged from their sons' souls. There is one relationship that stands out the most in the Book of Mormon but this time it is the son-father relationship. Nobody has been a greater son to his father than Jesus, who fulfilled the will of the Father in all things (3 Nephi 1:14); the son who 'does always those things that please him" (John 8:29) and was consequently called by the Father "Well Beloved" (Helaman 5:47). During His visit to the Americas, according to my calculations, Jesus made 148 references to the Father. He came not only to affirm his divine Sonship but to teach the people to worship the Father. It is the Saviour's love for the Father, more than His love for us, that motivated Him to become the author of our salvation. He is the perfect son because of the perfect father.
The men of the Book of Mormon leave me enthralled, the father-son relationships even more so for is there a more heart searing declaration than this: "I am Helaman, the son of Alma" (Alma 58:41)......except, there is this one: "I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (3 Nephi 9:15).
I wish to gift you my heart
Eternal Father of mine;
I wish to glorify Thy name
Through endless moments of time.
I wish to worship you each day that I greet,
I wish to honour you with each breath that I breathe.
Then one day soon when I kneel at your throne
And bring you my deeds from my earthly home;
Accept them with mercy,
Consider them bliss,
And greet me joyfully
With an holy kiss.
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