Report on the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional/Overview of Definite Projects Which Will Be Posted on This Blog Before 2018 Ends

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency's Christmas Devotional concluded about 2 hours ago, and I am pleased to be able to bring you a report on what occurred during that event. As expected, music was provided by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.

President Nelson asked President Oaks to conduct the devotional, which began with the Choir singing Joy to the World. An invocation was then offered by Brother Tad R. Callister, who serves as the Sunday School General President, after which the Choir sang "The First Noel". I should interject here that this year's devotional was more in line with previous traditions than the one held last year, with one speaker each from among the general officers of the Church, the Presidency of the Seventy, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the First Presidency.

The first speaker at the devotional this year was Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, whose remarks are summarized here.

The next hymn the Choir performed was somewhat of a surprise to me. It has been a tradition for most of the last several years for the devotional to end with the Choir singing Silent Night (and with the congregation being asked to join in on the final verse), but that occurred following Sister Eubank's remarks. I should perhaps amend my previous statement. The surprising thing was not in the fact that this hymn should be part of the devotional (as that has been somewhat standard in recent years), but rather because it was performed in the midst of the devotional rather than at its' conclusion.

The second speaker was Elder Terence M. Vinson, whose call to the Presidency of the Seventy was announced in General Conference last April, and who formally began that assignment on August 1. As some of you may be aware, he was born in Australia and has lived in various surrounding nations. Prior to his call in the Presidency of the Seventy, he had been serving in the presidency of the Church's Africa West Area, to which service he referred during his remarks.

It appears that there were additional opportunities for the Choir to sing in this year's devotional than there have been in years past. Directly following Elder Vinson's address, the Choir sang "How Far is it to Bethlehem?" After that, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (who was one of the Quorum members I projected might speak to us during this devotional) addressed us.

As anticipated, President Nelson was the concluding speaker. He talked about 4 gifts from the Savior. The Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square then concluded the meeting with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. The benediction was offered by Sister Becky L. Craven, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency.

There were a few common themes I noticed in each of the four addresses which were given. Those themes included: memories of past Christmas experience, the life and mission of the Savior, how many Saints rose above hardships to make Christmas more meaningful in their lives, and the vital role of Christ as the reason for the Christmas season. But more than that, I continued to marvel at how energetic and awe-inspiring our beloved prophet really is, and how much he adds a gentle, grandfatherly, and very personal and personable tone to everything he says.

I am personally very happy to have the current group of 15 men whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators standing as special witnesses of Christ at this time. And although the passing of each apostle or prophet does cause some feelings of sadness and loss for so many of us, as was observed a few different times in last April's General Conference, the new apostles and prophets who are called in their stead  can and will become as equally beloved to each of us as were their predecessors.

It has been a great honor for me to pass along this summary of tonight's Christmas Devotional. One more observation, if I may, by way of reiterating something I have previously noted. For the last several years, this devotional has almost always been held on the first Sunday in December. Next year, that devotional has been set to be held on the second Sunday.

My theory as to why it will be held on the second Sunday of December 2019 is that the First Presidency may be potentially wanting to keep that first Sunday open next year for either a temple dedication or rededication, which would allow such an event to occur without distracting or detracting from the Church's emphasis on Christ as the reason for the season.

And in that regard, I should also mention that I have begun the preliminary process of updating my more specific estimates for those near-future temple events that will occur, which I hope to publish here within the next few days. Likewise in the works is, as previously noted, another post which will, if all goes well, be published within the next 12-15 hours (but hopefully less) in honor of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's 78th birthday, which he will be observing tomorrow.

As time and circumstances allow, I will also be hard at work on finalizing my April 2019 General Conference predictions, which I am hoping to get published on this blog at some point before December 16, the day on which I have promised to bring you an update on the latest apostolic statistics and upcoming milestones. One week later (two days before Christmas, I will be posting the final apostolic birthday tribute for 2018 in honor of Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who will be marking his 65th birthday on that day.

And as per my usual tradition, 8 days after that, which will coincide with New Year's Eve 2018, I will be providing a look back at how much progress has been made on temples during this year. Of course, I will also do my level best to keep bringing word of any major Church news stories or temple developments. As you can see, I have my work cut out for me on this blog for the remainder of this year. And I would not in any way be shocked to find out about a few more breaking news updates which I am also committed to passing along to you all here as I become aware of them.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.