A spiritual Advent Calendar

Here is the advent calendar that was passed out at Enrichment night this week. You are a couple days behind, but that is ok. Just do what you can. Merry Chirstmas!

This is an ADVENT calendar designed to bring Christ in to your life daily. The verses are short, yet very meaningful. Take time to ponder and meditate on these verses and they will bring you true JOY this Christmas season.

Dec 1st
SCRIPTURE: Remember the Savior's promise: Matthew 18:20
SUGGESTION: Invite your family to join you in each day's reading and singing.
SONG: "O Come All Ye Faithful" --- Hymns 1985, Page 202

Dec 2 - At Christmas we celebrate much more than the birth of a baby -- we celebrate who that child already was, and what he would yet become. Christmas is a time of looking to the past and to the future, with its promise of eternity.

SCRIPTURE: Mosiah 3:5, 8-10
SUGGESTION: As you decorate for Christmas, choose or make a decoration that will remind you of the Savior and his mission.
SONG: "I Believe in Christ" ---Hymns 1985, Page 134

Dec. 3 - All that we have, the air we breathe, the light by which we see, are gifts from a loving Father and his Son. In this season of giving, let us give one of the greatest gifts we can offer, a grateful, humble heart.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 17:12-17
SUGGESTION: In one of your prayers today, give thanks for every blessing you can name, without asking anything.
SONG: "Count Your Many Blessings"---Hymns 1985, page 241

Dec.4 - Many people are hungry--not just for food but for love, for acceptance, for support. Some are starving spiritually; Jesus knew how to feed every kind of hunger. In our small way we can do the same.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 14:15-19
SUGGESTION: Share your testimony of the Joy you feel of your knowledge of Christ.
SONG: "Angels We have Herd on High”---Hymns, page 203

Dec.5 - Christmas shines with lights -- on trees and houses and city streets. As you recall the bright star over Bethlehem, do we remember the Source of all light?

SCRIPTURE: D & C 88:6-13
SUGGESTION: Look up at the heavens and think about who made the sun, moon and stars. Record your feelings in your journal.
SONG: "Stars Were Gleaming” ---Children’s Songbook, Page 37

Dec.6 - Jesus was a healer. He touched away blindness and filled withered limbs with new life. He restored the mind and soul. Surrounded by much hurt and sorrow, we can, in our own way, be healers also. Sometimes a kind word and a helping hand are all that is needed.

SCRIPTURE: 3 Nephi 17:5-9
SUGGESTION: Try to be as kind as possible to others today.
SONG: "The Shepherd’s Carol” ---Children’s Songbook, page 40- (try this as a round)

Dec.7 - The Savior knows the weight of our suffering and the depth of our pain. He has suffered for us, and he loves us without reservation. There is no problem so hard or despair so dark that he can't help us if we let him.

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 53:3-5, Matthew 11:28-30
SUGGESTION: Go out of your way to befriend someone who needs a friend. Follow through in the days and weeks to come.
SONG: “Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains” ---Hymn page 212

Dec.8 -The greatest blessings aren't those of getting but those of becoming. Jesus taught:

SCRIPTURE: 3 Nephi 12:3-9
SUGGESTION: Foster peace on earth by not quarreling with others.
SONG: "It Came upon the Midnight Clear”, Hymns, Page 207

Dec.9 - In a world divided by national, religious, political, and racial hatreds, it's time everyone reviewed Jesus' answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?"

SCRIPTURE: Luke 10:30-34,36
SUGGESTION: Do a good deed anonymously
SONG: "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” Hymns, page 209

Dec.10 - We take our free agency for granted, but it was seriously challenged before our mortal lives began. This Christmas let's give thanks for the one who defended our freedom.

SCRIPTURE: Moses 4:1-3
SUGGESTION: Use your free agency to set some goals for yourself. Seal a copy in an envelope to be opened in a year.
SONG: "With Wondering Awe", Hymns, page 210

Dec.11 - We could labor every day of our lives and still not repay the kindness of our Lord. But he has shown for us that there is a way to serve him.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:37-40
SUGGESTION: Visit someone who is sick or lonely.
SONG: "Away in a Manger", Children’s Songbook page 42

Dec.12 - The Master taught that it isn't what you have that counts; it's what you give. Giving of yourself can fill your world with joy, not only at Christmas, but all year long.

SCRIPTURE: 3 Nephi 13:19-20
SUGGESTION: You'll treasure the time you spend helping others. Do volunteer work for some worthy cause.
SONG: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", Hymns, Page 214

Dec.13 - We don't like to think of illness or death at Christmas time, but these shadows can fall on any season. Jesus taught us an unforgettable lesson in empathy when he shared the grief of his friends after the death of Lazarus.

SCRIPTURE: John 11:35-44
SUGGESTION: Do something to bring cheer to someone who has a reason to feel sad.
SONG: “The First Noel”, Hymns, Page 213

Dec.14 - Have you ever wished you could be baptized again and start over fresh? Thanks to Jesus and the Atonement, when we repent of our sins and partake of the sacrament worthily, we renew our covenants and are clean.

SCRIPTURE: 3 Nephi 18:1-11
SUGGESTION: As you partake of the sacrament, make a special effort to think about the Savior.
SONG: "I Stand All Amazed”, Hymns, Page 193


Dec.15 - Turmoil and strife combat and competition-- our world is full of the consequences of man. But the Savior told us how to try to succeed, through peace on earth and good will toward men.

SCRIPTURE: John 14:15 Matthew 7:12 Mark 10:43-44 John 13:34-35
SUGGESTION: Today tell someone that you love them. Express love for the Lord in your prayers.
SONG: "Love One Another", Hymns, page 308

Dec.16 - Jesus came to lift our burdens. One of the heaviest burdens we carry is that of hate. In teaching us to forgive, the Lord set us free.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 18:21-22 Matthew 6:14-15 3 Nephi 12:44
SUGGESTION: Try to forgive someone who has wronged you. If appropriate go to him today and be reconciled.
SONG: "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem " Hymns, Page 208

Dec.17 - Christmas could hardly be Christmas without children. They are so much of the magic in the season. The Savior also loved children. In both the New World and the old, he called the little ones to him.

SCRIPTURE: 3 Nephi 17:12, 21-24
SUGGESTION: Do something fun with a child.
SONG" Oh, Hush Thee, My Baby", Children's Songbook, Page 48

Dec.18 - We all have storms in our lives -- storms of fear and anger and regret -- storms at home and work and at school. The Master's hand can calm all our tempers.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 8:23-26
SUGGESTION: Be a calming influence today. Be a peace maker rather than easy to anger.
SONG: "Master, The Tempest Is Raging", Hymns, Page 105.

Dec.19 - The greatest victory of all time was not won on a battle field but in a quiet hillside garden. We cannot fully understand the cost of that triumph, but as Christmas draws near we should at least try.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:39 D&C 19:16-19
SUGGESTION: Accept the gift of forgiveness. Pray to Heavenly Father about some weakness and ask for help in repenting of it.
SONG: “How Great Thou Art", Hymns, Page 86

Dec.20 - Some things are almost too painful to think about. To see our Savior mocked and murdered is one such thing. And yet, through the Scriptures, we should visit Calvary from time to time. We must never forget Jesus died so that we might live and live more abundantly.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27-30 Luke 23:33-34Mark 15:29-32
SUGGESTION: Read the accounts of the crucifixion in the four Gospels, and then write your feelings in your journal.
SONG: "There Is A Green Hill Far Away", Hymns, page 194

Dec.21 - The morning of Christ's resurrection was the brightest morning in all history -- a time of transcendent joy following the gloom of the crucifixion. The words of the angel still echo down the centuries undiminished. He is risen! Those words signaled more that the triumph of a God. They proclaimed the supremacy of life over death. As we celebrate Christmas, we also celebrate the free gift of immortality for all mankind.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:1-6 Isaiah 25:8
SUGGESTION: Read the accounts of the Resurrection in the 4 Gospels and 3Nephi and then record your feelings in your journal (see Matt.28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20 and 3 Nephi 11).
SONG: “He Is Risen", Hymns, Page 199

Dec.22 - As the holidays get busier and busier, we become involved in so many things -- running errands, attending parties, buying presents, choosing wrapping paper and ribbons. It's easy to become focused on material things. Instead, let's remember where our lives ought to be centered.

SCRIPTURE: John 6:35 John 10:14 John 11:25 John 8:12
SUGGESTION: Go look at Christmas lights and think about where all light really comes from.
SONG: “The First Noel”, Hymns, Page 213

Dec.23 - Jesus is no mere figure from the past, captive in the pages of SCRIPTURE. He lives today! He holds the universe to its course, and guides the work of his servants on the earth.

SCRIPTURE: D & C 76:19-20, 22-24
SUGGESTION: Go out singing Christmas carols, but add some hymns about other aspects of Christ's ministry.

Dec.24 - Jesus came to Bethlehem a humble babe, born in poverty. But he has promised to return to earth in majesty. Then heaven and earth will be reconciled, and the King of Kings will reign.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:27,29-30,36,42
SUGGESTION: Try to live this day as if it were the day of Christ’s second coming.
SONG: “Silent Night” ---Hymns page 204

Dec.25 - Jesus was born in the meridian of time, thus giving an ideal vantage point from which to look both backward and forward. For the last 24 days you have stood, as it were, in Bethlehem, gazing in both directions. You have heard the Master's voice in premarital councils. You have seen him suffer, die and rise again. You have watched him return triumphant in the clouds of heaven. Now you are ready to focus with greater joy on that moment when heaven came down to earth.

SCRIPTURE: 1 Nephi 11:14-21 Luke 1:30-32- 38 Luke 2:1-16
SUGGESTION: Consider what gift you could give the Savior and determine to give it all year long.
SONG: "Joy To The World", Hymns, Page 201

We hope you've enjoyed this Christmas pilgrimage through the life of the savior. If you have, there is still on last gift to open.

Open your LDS edition of the Bible to the Topical Guide and look under "Jesus Christ." You will have 18 1/2 pages of references!

Christmas may be past, but you can go right on reading about the Savior's mission.

In fact, what you received here was only a small taste of the scriptural feast available.

The suggested activity for this day and the rest of your life is to read and enjoy the word of God as found in the Holy Scriptures. Give yourself a gift that fills every day of your life with the JOY of the real spirit of Christmas.