Scripture of the Week: Glad Tidings

(We'll try bringing this Scripture of the Week thing back...)
I was reading in Mosiah 3 this morning, and I realized that the message that the angel brought to King Benjamin is really quite Christmas-y! We read of all the angels who brought glad tidings of great joy to many saints in the decades leading up to Christ's birth, and this is certainly one of them! Here is part of that message:

3) And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy.
4) For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.
5) For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
6) And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
7) And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
8) And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.
9) And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
10) And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

Also, I think this is what I need to focus on more at Christmas time.... the actual mission of our Savior, not just His miraculous birth. The true joy of celebrating His birth is in remembering His Atonement and Resurrection, and the marvelous gifts He has made available to us.

Scripture of the Week: Mosiah 2:41

This has always been my mom's favorite scripture:

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

These words of King Benjamin are jam-packed with hope! Not only are the righteous "immediately" blessed by the Lord (see Mosiah 2:24) with temporal and spiritual blessings, but, if they endure to the end, they are brought back to Heavenly Father's presence in a state of never-ending happiness.
Doesn't that sound so awesome?