A Christmas Message

Seminary Amigos:

A few thoughts from my study of John over the past few days.

In John chapter 1 we read of the invitation given by Christ to Andrew and John. Elder Holland summarized this event as follows:

"When Andrew and John first heard Christ speak, they were so moved they followed Him as He walked away from the crowd. Sensing He was being pursued, Jesus turned and asked the two men, "What seek ye?" They answered, "Where dwellest thou?" And Christ said, "Come and see." The next day He found another disciple, Philip, and said to him, "Follow me."4 Just a short time later He formally called Peter and others of the new Apostles with the same spirit of invitation. Come, "follow me,"5 He said."

We begin to sense something of how powerfully the Savior taught as his words moved his disciples to have faith in Him, and act righteously. The invitation described by Elder Holland above and given twice in John chapter 1 is "come and see." This was the same invitation given to shepherds who "watched their flocks by night" - remember this event is described in Luke 2:

"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us."

The shepherds were invited to "come and see." Consider also how this invitation was given to Nephi in 1 Nephi 11:

"And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow."

The Spirit invited Nephi to draw nearer to God, or to "come". The invitation to "look" is an invitation to "see".

This is the same invitation He extends to us today.

Furthermore, this is the invitation we extend to the world. What do we believe? How do we live? What do we learn in seminary? To all (2 Nephi 26:24), our invitation is: come and see. My beloved brothers and sisters, this Christmas and every day, let us come unto the Savior, and He will help us see.