Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
“Christmas as Devotional”: Christ appeared in order to reconcile us

“Christmas as Devotional”: Christ appeared in order to reconcile us

Last updated on: December 28, 2020 at 5:10 pm by Dan Peterson

“Christmas as Devotional”: Christ appeared in order to reconcile us 2020-12-28T17:10:14-07:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Israel is a very Christmas-relevant place, but most of it scarcely ever gets snow (which, for some reason, many people — not including me, a Californian — regard as a holiday drawback). Here, though, is a scene in Jerusalem following an unusually heavy snowfall in 2013.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

First of all, I wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas!

***

Cherry Bushman Silver wrote the Interpreter Foundation’s Christmas essay for 2020. That essay appeared today in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship:

Christmas as Devotional: A Time of Commitment

Abstract: Christmas is more than a time for celebrations and traditions — it is an occasion to remember the blessings and miracles in our lives. From the joy of friends and family to the peace inspired by devotion and dedication Christmas offers us a time to marvel at the mercies of God; let us remember the holier anthems of the season.

***

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel. . . .

Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.

The phrase “Mild he lays his glory by,” coupled with what has already been said in the carol about Christ’s divine and exalted antemortal status, puts me in mind of the angel’s question recorded in 1 Nephi 11:16: “Knowest thou the condescension of God?”

For modern readers and speakers of English, the word condescension primarily conjures up patronizing behavior or attitudes. However, the oldest or, at least, the earliest attested sense of the word signifies (according to Merriam-Webster) “voluntary descent from one’s rank or dignity in relations with an inferior.” That usage is documented as early as 1647, and it is with that meaning that the term is used in the English of 1 Nephi 11:16.

Divine condescension, in that sense of the word, is one of the principal themes of a Christian understanding of Christmas. See, on this subject, my 22 December 2011 Deseret News column “Pure love led Christ to descend the courts of glory.”

And a major theme of Christ’s incarnation and mortal life is that of atonement, or reconciliation. For a long time, I resisted the suggested that our English word atonement derives from at-one-ment. I thought it a cute folk etymology and a helpful teaching device, but no more. I expected some sort of Latin origin for the word. I just hadn’t learned it yet. But I was wrong. The term atonement was coined in the early sixteenth century from, precisely, at+one+ment.

How is atonement a Christmas theme? Well, here’s at least one way:

Among the most beloved German-language Christmas carols — at least, it was one of the most popular in German-speaking Switzerland during the time that I lived there — is “O du fröhliche.” You can listen to a performance of it here, while enjoying a nighttime photograph of Vienna’s city hall at the Christmas season:

“O du fröhliche”

Here are the lyrics, both in the contemporary German version and in my English translation:

O du fröhliche, o du selige,
gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit!
Welt ging verloren, Christ ist geboren:
Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!

O du fröhliche, o du selige,
gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit!
Christ ist erschienen, uns zu versühnen:
Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!

O du fröhliche, o du selige,
gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit!
Himmlische Heere jauchzen Dir Ehre:
Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!

O thou joyful, O thou blessed,
Grace-bringing Christmas time!
The world was lost, Christ is born:
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christendom!

O thou joyful, O thou blessed,
Grace-bringing Christmas time!
Christ appeared, to reconcile us:
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christendom!

O thou joyful, O thou blessed,
Grace-bringing Christmas time!
Heavenly hosts rejoice in thine honor:
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christendom!

I’m struck by the line “Christ ist erschienen, uns zu versühnen,” which I’ve rendered “Christ appeared, to reconcile us.”

The German verb versühnen (synonymous with versöhnen) means “to reconcile.”

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

In our current climate, it seems to me that there are few things that we need more than reconciliation, both with God and with each other.

***

This is the note that I sent out a couple of days ago to leaders, volunteers, and others associated with the Interpreter Foundation:

Dear friends of the Interpreter Foundation:

As I write, it’s the two hundred and fifteenth anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Tomorrow will be Christmas Eve. And, obviously, Christmas itself follows the next morning.

These anniversaries and holidays fill me with gratitude.

I’m grateful at this season, too, for all of those who have given time, energy, talent, and money to make possible the remarkable success and flourishing of the Interpreter Foundation.

We continue to post blog entries and do our weekly Interpreter Radio Show. Depending upon the state of the pandemic, we’re looking forward to the theatrical premiere of our essentially complete Witnesses dramatic film and the broadcast of its accompanying documentary film somewhere between mid-May and early July. On New Year’s Day*, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship* will have published at least one article each week for four hundred and forty-one consecutive weeks.

During this past year alone, Interpreter sponsored conferences on the Book of Moses and on temples, as well as publishing Sacred Time, Sacred Space, and Sacred Meaning (volume four in The Temple on Mount Zion series) and Seek Ye Words of Wisdom: Studies of the Book of Mormon, Bible, and Temple in Honor of Stephen D. Ricks (which is not yet generally available for purchase).

All of this represents an effort to commend and defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whose nativity we’ll celebrate on Friday, as it was restored through Joseph Smith, his latter-day witness.

Thank you for your friendship and your help. I pray that you will have a joyous Christmas and a blessed 2021.

Sincerely,

Dan Peterson

President, The Interpreter Foundation

Posted from Bountiful, Utah

Interpreter Foundation

Jesus

Mild he lays his glory by

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

versöhnen

versühnen

Previous Post

December 24, 2020

Some favorite music for the season (3)

Next Post

December 26, 2020 Revision 8.9 Students occupy the BYU Jerusalem Center (plus a Christmas wrap-up)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Jezebel" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daughter of Baal The Lord reigns Unexalted Queen of the people