A BOOK OF MORMON CHRISTMAS
This last year for the month of December we thought we would do something totally different for our “non-commercialized” Christmas. Non-commercialized for us means, no tree, forced gifts, hung stockings, and cheesy parties. Rather it has become a time to reflect on the ministry of servitude as both messiahs — Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ — had taught.
This year, however, I had wanted to experience the spirit in a greater abundance. In the last few months, it felt as though deep darkness was hovering over my home as relationships were under attack, contention with our fellow men was on the rise, and more distractions were diverting us than normal. I felt the need to immerse myself with the spirit more and more as the gloom would not lift and I began to wonder if others were feeling the same way. I felt like I was empty, my home felt cold and not because of the winter season, but because everything spiritually within me was now gone. When this is upon you it is said that there is no cure for the ills of the world except the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But what did that cure look like?
A READ-A-THON ?
A few days after Thanksgiving an idea came to me that seemed to fit perfectly and was inspired. The spirit had impressed upon me to gather my family to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. That this was a perfect event for my family for the month of December to “worship.” However, I won’t lie, I was a bit nervous contemplating how to make the experience special and one that my husband would stay awake through (as he suffers from sleep issues).
As I pondered about it, I felt the need to ask others to join, thinking that others might need the Book of Mormon as much as our family did, and it didn’t hurt to ask. Maybe other homes were feeling the dark cloud of Lucifer too and his stirring up of trouble.
After receiving the impression to do this we extended an invitation to others to join. I quickly and cowardly thought “no one is going to do this with us, not through and especially on Christmas Day!” But in obedience to the impression, I threw out the request. And to my surprise— 20 families joined!
We decided to do this Read-a-Thon in 19 days, starting on December 13th finishing on New Year’s Eve, with the hopes of beginning the first of the year with having just finished the Book of Mormon and a renewed opportunity for families to start out the year bearing testimony of the power and influence it has in their lives.
Each night families would jump onto Zoom and each would take turns reading in their designated time slot. We would read for an hour and then close the meeting with a prayer, followed by an online discussion for those who wished to linger longer and talk about selected passages or impressions that came to their minds.
OH MY SOUL HUNGERED
Every night the words and teachings from the prior night would sound forth in my home throughout the day. Each morning I would awake to a greater abundance of the spirit and a beautiful peace and calmness. Oh, how my soul hungered for this spirit that came in full force, loud as a trumpet and gentle like the wind. I became alive, and these people I was reading with I came to love as they wept and shared their love of God. Small children would join in and give prayers and recitings. Something was changing within me night after night as we learned from these stories together. Somehow, me thinking this would be a service to others, really turned out as a service to me! Friends I had never spent much time with now became dearer than others as humility was expressed across the screen each night.
A FAMILY REUNION
What started as a way to increase worship for our family, really became in all reality like an Israel family reunion. What I love about the Book of Mormon is that it starts with a family, and then you read and watch as that family grows into a large multi-generational family. A family like you and I with sibling rivalry, parent-child discord, and even marital conflict. Through this family, we are able to see the role of a righteous grandmother, grandfather, uncles, and cousins. In other words, a real family!
In an 1828 revelation, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph that righteous Nephites had survived the destruction of the Nephite nation. The Lord announced to Joseph Smith and to the world that Nephites are literally alive today.
“Nevertheless, my work shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the testimony of the Jews, even so, shall the knowledge of a Savior come unto my people—
And to the Nephites, and the Jacobites, and the Josephites, and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers—”
So, each night as a family of Father Lehi’s posterity we would gather to listen to the stories of our ancestors — Inspiring us as Latter-day Nephites how we must step forward and save the family, our heritage.
BE YE “IN” THE WORLD, BUT NOT “OF” THE WORLD
As Christmas rolled around I was curious if the other families would still join us online as it is a time of many traditions in the world. I was a little nervous thinking we would be all by ourselves reading, but as I sat there watching the screen one by one each family started popping online. I was so excited at how they too hungered for these readings and were willing to give up their holiday traditions to join us. The scripture “be ye in the world, but not of the world”(John 17:14-16) came often to my mind and how easily obtainable this was. Here the entire world from east to west stopped and for a few weeks indulged in traditions that are not set for us to do according to scripture. Christmas is a billion-dollar industry and one doesn’t just ignore it. The pull to participate has captured everyone from birth to the end of our lives as this is what we do, and nothing else. But, this year a small fraction of saints decided to break the red and green tradition and read the Book of Mormon for their Christmas activity, letting good ol’ Saint Nick pass on by without a blink of an eye.
THE GIFTS THAT WERE GIVEN
This year for Christmas we did not only have a greater gift of the spirit but we were given many other gifts. These gifts did not come from a man in a costume, or a retail store, but straight from God as our family took part nightly, reading the Book of Mormon. Here are just a few gifts that have been promised to you and me when you begin reading the Book of Mormon.
1. There will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord.
2. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments.
3. There will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.
4. You will have greater discernment, insight, conviction, and spirit than those who do not.
5. Will bring you ‘nearer to God’.
6. A power will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book.
7. Greater power to resist temptation.
8. Power to avoid deception.
9. Power to stay on the strait and narrow path.
10. You will find life in greater and greater abundance.
11. The spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein.
12. The spirit of reverence will increase.
13. Mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow.
14. The spirit of contention will depart.
15. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom.
16. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents.
17. Righteousness will increase.
18. Faith, hope, and charity–the pure love of Christ–will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.
19. Will give spiritual and intellectual unity to your whole life.
20. Your spirit will be lifted.
21. You will draw nearer to your Savior.
22. It will help you to be a student of the Gospel who can share great truths with others.
23. “…a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”
24. Young men, the Book of Mormon will change your life. It will fortify you against the evils of our day. It will bring spirituality into your life that no other book will. It will be the most important book you will read in preparation for a mission and for life. A young man who knows and loves the Book of Mormon, who has read it several times, who has an abiding testimony of its truthfulness, and who applies its teachings will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and will be a mighty tool in the hands of the Lord.
25. It is the only book that contains within its covers a promise that by divine power the reader may know with certainty of its truth.
26. Parents who do these things faithfully will be blessed to recognize early signals of spiritual growth in or challenges with their children and be better prepared to receive inspiration to strengthen and help those children.
27. The spiritual discernment and inspiration you will receive from the combination of these three holy habits will enable you to stand as watchmen on the tower for your families—” watching … with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18)—to the blessing of your immediate family and your future posterity. I promise and testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
28. The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention. (See 2 Ne. 3:12.) It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day. The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today. God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time.” (Ensign, Jan. 1988, p. 3.)
29. ..give us not only additional insight regarding spiritual things but also a confirming testimony that supports and is in harmony with what we already understand from our reading of the Bible.
30. reading it will have a profound effect on your life. It will expand your knowledge of the way God deals with man and will give you a greater desire to live in harmony with his gospel teaching. It will also provide for you a powerful testimony of Jesus.” (Ensign, May 1983, p. 16.)
YOU CAN HOST ONE TOO!
This readathon was a super easy event to do! Anyone can do it! To finish, the Book of Mormon will take 26 hours. You will need to read about 21 pages an hour to complete your read a-thon.
Every night we gathered on Zoom, chatted for a few minutes while families popped on, and then we had an opening prayer and went immediately into the chapters for the night assigned. We then closed it with prayer for those who needed to leave the meeting. For those wanting to discuss that night’s reading, we stayed on for another 45 mins. Families just left as they needed to go.
To make it a little fun, we invited special guest readers from the community. I chose people who stood boldly for the principles taught in the Book of Mormon. You do not have to do this to experience the beauty of the readathon. They would come and read the first 30 mins and then jump off, however, some ended up staying the entire time and even discussing the book and insights with us.
That’s it!
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