The Greatest Gift

BYU-Idaho President Kim B. Clark's 2010 Christmas Message

Read below or watch the video here

Merry Christmas!

"The Christmas season is here again. With it come the memories and traditions that create such a tender place in our hearts for this cherished holiday: cold winter weather and warm family gatherings, the sound of favorite Christmas carols and the flavor of home-cooked meals, the lights of a glowing tree made brighter by gifts trimmed with shiny paper and bows.

Of all the familiar scenes of Christmas, I find myself particularly drawn to the gifts. Not just because of the enjoyment we find when we give and receive, but because the gifts are one of the most powerful and instructive symbols of Christmas. The treasured tradition of giving and receiving gifts is rooted in a profound gospel truth: as sons and daughters of God, we are the recipients of the greatest gift ever given.

It happened more than 2,000 years ago, when a baby boy was born in a lowly Bethlehem stable. He came into the world in a very ordinary way, though He was anything but ordinary. He was Jesus Christ, God's own Son, given as a gift to the world to be the Savior and Redeemer of us all. His story is ingrained in our hearts and minds: the humble birth, the incomparable life and ministry, the grueling death, and the triumphant resurrection.

By giving us His Son Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father gave us the gift of immortality and the potential for eternal life – a wondrous gift whose power takes effect when we repent of our sins and follow the Savior's example by keeping His commandments. By giving us His Son, God prepared the path that, if followed, will lead us back home to Him.

Is it possible to fully express our gratitude to our Father in Heaven for His gift? Is there anything we can give Him in return? When everything we have comes from God, what gift could we possibly give Him that is of any value?

The scriptural account of the Savior's birth includes the story of three wise men who were led from the east by the star that heralded His arrival. “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” they asked, “for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

When the wise men finally came upon the baby Jesus, scripture tells us, they “fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts…”

These gifts were the kind typically reserved for royalty: gold, a symbol of riches and abundance; frankincense, treasured for its pleasing aroma; and myrrh, valued for its medicinal qualities. They may seem to us like simple gifts, but they were the most priceless gifts available to the wise men, and they brought them to the newborn Messiah in honor and worship.

What, then, is the most priceless gift we can give to our Heavenly Father and His Son?
There is really only one thing we can give – only one thing that is truly ours to give.

Ourselves.

When we give our heart, our will, our very soul to God completely and without reservation, we show Him the depth of our devotion to Him and the true measure of the gratitude and love we feel for Him. That is the greatest gift we can give.

Jesus Christ, our great exemplar, surrendered all – including His own life – to bring our Father in Heaven's plan of happiness to fruition. The unyielding determination with which Christ gave His gift is the pattern for how we must give ours.

“If ye will come unto me,” the Savior said, “ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God.“

It is my prayer that as we gather around the tree to give and receive gifts on Christmas morning, we will pause to remember and give thanks for the first Christmas morning, when the greatest gift ever was given, and that the joy and peace of the Christmas season will renew our resolve to give our greatest gift."