I wanted to share a Christmas miracle I learned this year from my studies of the Book of Mormon. I want you to think back to Samuel the Lamanite's prophecy. He declared that in five years they would witness the sign of the Christ Child’s birth, which we know was a day and a night and a day without any darkness. However, he didn’t give an exact month or day of the sign. As you recall the wickedness had increased upon the land and the non-believers of the time wanted to prove that there would be no Christ nor sign of his birth by punishing the believers, even to death. The non-believers were sure the time had already passed for Samuel’s prophecy to be fulfilled. So they picked a day and declared all believers would be killed if the sign hadn’t come by that day. The believers were scared that maybe the sign wouldn’t come but they continued to look steadfast toward the heavens for the sign of his birth. Nephi’s heart was heavy because of the wickedness of the nonbelievers and he prayed to the Lord for those who believed and were about to be destroyed because of their faith. The Lord answered him and told Nephi that on that very night the sign would be given. Sure enough, the words of the prophet had been fulfilled. The sign came! Jesus Christ’s very first miracle, even his miraculous birth in a small obscure town, saved the lives of thousands of believers in a land far away. I think about that small intimate setting with Mary and Joseph bringing this sweet little baby into this world. How could they have known about these people so far away in a foreign land that they probably didn’t even know existed whose very lives were saved because of Jesus’ birth? And not only were physical lives saved but because of the sign, many souls were saved. Their hearts were softened and many of the nonbelievers repented and were baptized and peace was restored in the land once more.
