Ho, ho, ho! Good morning everyone! Next Sunday is Christmas. Is everyone ready?

This upcoming Wednesday, December 21, is this year's Winter Solstice. Is everyone ready with their pagan rituals for that one?

Yes, Sally. You are correct. Since next Sunday is Christmas, the Bishop has decided to just hold a brief sacrament meeting instead of the full three hour block. That means that this is the last lesson before Christmas.

This week's lesson is "Zion-The Pure in Heart." Since this is essentially the week that I have to cover a "Christmas" lesson, I thought I would see what I could do with the lesson materials that could highlight its emphasis on Jesus. Being one of those highly technically evolved guys, I looked at the lesson online and did one of those document search thingys, you know... I mean when you do "ctrl-f." I first did it for the word "Jesus." It returned a little window that said "Finished searching the document." In my highly technical language, that means that the word Jesus did not exist in the lesson. So I thought I would try the word "Christ." The result was the same. So in our lesson materials for the Sunday before Christmas there is no mention of Jesus Christ. Now that seems to be in line with the name of our church, The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, right? I did the same search for "Joseph Smith," and came up with eight matches. Hmmmmm..., well I guess Joseph's birthday is before the day we celebrate Jesus' birthday, right...?

Yes, Tom. Well, yes, I do know that some people are making a bigger celebration out of Smithsmas this year that Christmas. I am glad that we don't worship Joseph or put him on too high of a pedestal. After all, he is but a man, right?

Anyway, that is a long introduction to what I have opted to do today. I decided to bag the lesson materials and make my own mini-lesson on a couple of the important teaching of Jesus Christ. Much can be said of the theology of our Church, but if you go back and study the teachings of Christ, they are very basic and very simple. There is not a lot of fluff about the exacting performance of ordinances, or meeting for three hours on Sunday, or a lot of importance placed on the necessity to wear certain types of clothes or not wear certain types of jewelry. Jesus brought forth some very simple, basic messages, which if we all lived, would likely bring more peace and harmony to the world.

I would like to short-cut our lesson and read two scriptures. In the scriptures, lawyers are often portrayed as cunning and evil, so to represent our lawyers in this evil role, Sam, would you please read Matthew 22:36-40. Now you don't have to read this with an evil voice, mind you, just read it. This is where a lawyer that was a Pharisee was trying to trick or to "tempt" Jesus.

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

This is the type of teaching of Christ that I think is important to understand as we celebrate his birth. Now what did you think of this scripture?

Yes, Brent. These are the two great commandments, love God, and love your neighbor as thyself. Is everything else in the scriptures just commentary? If everyone followed these two great commandments, what would happen?

Yes, Penny. I agree, the world would be a better place. You potentially run into the problem of what it means to love God and which god, etc., etc., but by and large this is pretty profound.

A couple of years ago, I became aware of the universality of the Golden Rule. In the major religions across the world, there is always some reference to some version of the Golden Rule. In modern, perhaps American, English, the Golden Rule is state as, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I had often wondered if this was a scripture, stated as such, but it is not. But as in other religions, there is a representation of this concept in the New Testament. Ben, would you read Matthew 7:12?

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Yes, Jessica. Yes, this concept really has universal appeal amongst different religious and philosophical approaches. There is even a representation of this concept in game theory.

So, to my understanding, Christ lived a simple, unpretentious life. His teachings and his doctrines were simple. Man has tried to complicate what it was that Jesus actually taught. To celebrate Jesus' birthday, I wanted to celebrate the simplicity of his message and to honor him in that way.

I also had ulterior motives... I wanted to gather around the piano and sing Christmas carols. I also had my daughter make some of her famous sugar cookies. I brought decorated Christmas trees, Santas, stars, and angels. So everyone gather around the piano, grab a cookie or two, and let's sing some Christmas carols!

Does anyone want to choose our first carol? Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Joy to the World?

Yes, Sam. Up on the Housetop, okay. What? You mean Up on the Haystack? Sorry dude, you have to go out to the foyer to sing that one.

Yes, Sally. Okay, let's go with Sally's suggestion, Hark the Herald Angels Sing....

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!