Christmas in January

It's no longer looking a lot like Christmas in our apartment. This week, the Christmas trees came down--all five of them, including the Charlie Brown tree (there were too many to fit into one picture). It's nice to have things back to "normal," but it's also a little disappointing to think about how far away the next Christmas is.

So let's do our best to keep Christmas from ever ending! In honor of Elvis Presley, who would've turned 78 last Monday (just because I want perpetual Christmas doesn't mean I'm going to overlook other reasons to celebrate), here's the story of the birth of the King of Kings if it were told using song titles from the king of rock and roll:

When Mary and Joseph reached Bethlehem, it was "Heartbreak Hotel"--no room at the inn. Mary had to give birth "In the Ghetto," or its Judaen equivalent, a stable. Meanwhile, an angel gave the good news to some shepherds, which left them "All Shook Up," since they were used to "A Little Less Conversation" from the heavens. They came to worship the newborn babe, and Mary kept all these things "Always On (Her) Mind" (see Luke 2:19). Wise men came from afar as well, and after seeing the Lord were told in a dream not to "Return to Sender"--Herod the king. He and others had "Suspicious Minds" and wished to kill Jesus. The wise men "Follow(ed) That Dream," and Herod was prevented from turning the joyous occasion into a "Blue Christmas." Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, others who waited for Christ's birth were also in danger, and were saved by that "One Night" that stayed light even after the sun went down. When that happened, people all over the Americas were compelled to say "I Just Can't Help Believing." Jesus had come, and His "Burning Love" would save us all and make the spiritual "Jailhouse Rock."

Monday was also the birthday of another king: David Bowie, the Goblin King from Labyrinth. He sings my all-time favorite Christmas pop song. Such synergy!

If you want to read more accurate and important teachings about Christ and His mission, please use these scripture passages and discussion points as your guide. Then come to Sunday School and share what you learned!

[This week's BASOTRUSSL is adapted from an email I sent to my YSA Ward on January 12, 2011, while serving as the Sunday School president. We were studying the New Testament this year. The Doctrine and Covenants is far less narrative-driven than the other books of scripture covered in the four-year Gospel Doctrine rotation, and thus far I've struggled to come up with original ideas for these posts. I'll have to step up my game!]