Today’s devotional guest post is from Jared, long-time friend of the blog.
What think ye of Christ? His name has been used for good and evil for millennia. Hardly a week goes by where we don’t hear his name used profanely. Conversely, his name has inspired the creation of beautiful music and art. This time of year, we recognize his birth, and in the spring, his death. Can you think of another name that has endured so long and in such a variety of ways?
I’m a follower of Jesus Christ. I have reason to believe he is the son of God who died for the sins of mankind. Following is a short list, a resume of sorts, which helps us remember what he has done for you and me.
The First Born of the Father (D&C 93:21). At some point in the eternities, God the Father progressed to become a God (the word God means exalted man or woman). There was a “first day” in what we now call premortality. In that day, there were no spirit children born. At some point, there was a first-born spirit son of our Heavenly Parents who came into existence. He was named Jesus Christ–the first born.
The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). In the premortal council, Satan rebelled against God’s plan and presented a plan that the Father rejected. Satan’s plan destroyed the agency of mankind. Jesus Christ was chosen from the beginning to be the Redeemer of mankind (Moses 4:1-3).
Mentored by God the Father (John 8:28). Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19). Jesus often taught that he received training and instruction from his Father, meaning his Heavenly Father. This is a reference to His life in premortality.
Creator of all things (John 1:3). Jesus Christ, under the Father, is the creator of all things. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. He created worlds without number (Moses 1:33). He created mankind, male and female, after his own image and in his own likeness, created he them (D&C 20:18).
Jesus Satisfied the Demands of Justice (Mosiah 15:9). To put it another way, he stands betwixt you and me and the demands of justice. This is why we call him our Redeemer, the Atoning One, the Holy One of Israel.
He is our Advocate, our Mediator (1 John 2:1, John 14:6). Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom (D&C 29:5). We can be among those who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood (D&C 76:69).
We are His Work and Glory (Moses 1:39). His work and glory are to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of mankind. In other words, to make those willing, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), to eventually reach perfection (3: Nephi 12:48), so that “all my Father hath” shall be given unto them (D&C 84:38).
I’ll end with one of my favorite scriptures:
And now my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.
Omni 1:26
Wheat & Tares 
This really doesn’t define the Christ I worship. I view Christ as a nonviolent (mostly) anarchist. And a strong advocate for the poor and disenfranchised. I would like to see the LDS Church develop a liberation theology.
A list of messianic titles is certainly appropriate for a Christmas post.
Another approach is one of contrasts. Jesus on the Cross versus the Resurrected Jesus of Glory. The Historical Jesus as opposed to the Cosmic Christ. The theology of the cross versus the theology of glory. Mormonism tends to reject the cross and suffering while embracing glory and the resurrection, but larger Christianity embraces them both, which is one of the attractions of Christianity.
God means “exalted man.”
Source?
“His name has been used for good and evil for millennia.”
Evil? Such as people committing atrocities in the name of Jesus, like the Crusades?
“Hardly a week goes by where we don’t hear his name used profanely”
Is people saying, “Jesus Christ” as an interjection what you had in mind for an act of “evil”? (Shaking head).
John said, “God means exalted man”.
I think many LDS would say the same, however, on a little deeper reflection LDS theology doesn’t leave room for single men becoming God’s in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom.
1 IN the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 131:1 – 4)
…St. Paul, “the man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord.” In other words, there can be no God except he is composed of the man and woman united, and there is not in all the eternities that exist, nor ever will be, a God in any other way. I have another description: There never was a God, and there never will be in all eternities, except they are made of these two component parts; a man and a woman; the male and the female.
Erastus Snow, JD 19:270-71
John W, atrocities such as forced conversions of native peoples, executions of witches, and yes, the Crusades were all done in the name of Jesus. Using the name of Jesus profanely is commonplace. I’m not sure what you’re shaking your head about, unless it’s just anti-Jared bias
I thought it was a nice little post, and I appreciate it. For Christians like me, it’s nice to have a little “Christ-mass” on Christmas Eve, even if it isn’t a genuine mass. I have nothing against other people celebrating “The Holidays”, but to me, Christmas and Easter really should be Holy Days, at least in part.
As a professional musician who has played at many Christian Christmas Eve services and has attended even more just because I love the idea of celebrating the birth of Christ through hymn singing, beautiful classical and contemporary music and the reading of Luke 2 on Christmas Eve with a group of people. Our church has a tradition of wards and branches putting on a “program” the Sunday before Christmas, but depending on the bishop and the ward choir these programs can range from excellent to beyond mediocre. From year to year it’s a crapshoot. In our quest to be different than other Christian denominations we miss out on the opportunity to celebrate the nativity together at the correct time-Christmas Eve as opposed to 1-6 days before then. I also wish that we worshipped the Savior a lot more on regular Sundays and not just at Christmas and Easter-if Easter doesn’t fall on April General Conference Sunday. I long to worship Christ at church as He is encountered in scripture and not as mediated by a GA or member of the Q15 and boring or overly simplistic correlated lesson materials . Am I asking for too much from a church that has His holy name in its title?
Well, Stranger, I’m off to play a couple Catholic masses this morning for an organist quarantined with covid. 🙂 (He had to find someone else for Christmas Eve because we had a guest at home.) I’ve generally made a practice of celebrating Christmas and Easter at selected Protestant churches for the reasons you outline. But I’ve been much happier with our Church since I lowered my expectations. With really low expectations I can always find something worshipful or inspiring to be pleased with, rather than finding myself trapped in boredom or irritation with what is not there. Of course, that doesn’t work for everyone. Merry Christmas!