Giving examples of Christmas Eve experiences throughout the scriptures and in her own life, Primary General President Susan H. Porter testified of the “everlasting light” of the Savior during the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional on Sunday, Dec. 7.
Christmas Eve is President Porter’s favorite night of the year. As the sun goes down, she reflects on the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Every Christmas Eve, she and her family read the story of Christ’s birth in Luke 2 in the New Testament. While thinking about the young couple traveling to Bethlehem, she also thinks of the events taking place in the land of Zarahemla on the American continent.
There, a group of believers is watching for prophecy to be fulfilled of a day and a night and a day without darkness. Without this sign of the Savior’s birth, all the believers would be put to death, and Nephi cried to God on behalf of his people.
As Nephi cried to God, the Lord said, “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world” (3 Nephi 1:13).
President Porter said every time she reads these verses, she stops and marvels that Jesus Christ would soon condescend to come to earth as an infant.
3 Nephi 1:15 says, “For behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness.”
Said President Porter: “What a powerful witness that Jesus Christ came to earth to save all who will believe on His name. The sun had set, but the sky was filled with light.”
Christ’s life-giving light
During life, there will be times “when the sun may go down on our hopes and dreams,” President Porter said, such as when experiencing loss or physical and emotional challenges.
“But because Jesus Christ came to earth and rose on the third day, triumphant over sin and death, there will be no permanent darkness at the going down of the sun. We can seek and find His life-giving light,” she said.
The shepherds keeping watch over their flocks the night that Jesus Christ was born saw the sky above them fill with light. Then, they “came with haste” (Luke 2:16) to see the Savior.
Like the shepherds, sometimes people follow the light of the Savior and find Him quickly. Others might feel more like the Wise Men, with a journey that can take weeks, months or even years.
“But as we keep following the light of His guiding star, no matter how faintly it flickers, we will draw closer to Him with each step. And then like the Wise Men, we can rejoice with great joy falling down to worship as we offer our gifts of gratitude and love,” President Porter said.
Two sacred Christmas Eves
President Porter spoke about how on two Christmas Eves, the light and love of God dispelled darkness for her and her family.
On Christmas Eve 2010, more than 2,000 miles from home, her husband, Elder Bruce D. Porter, General Authority Seventy, was in the hospital after a surgery. His health was collapsing, but doctors could not figure out why.
The Porter family had united in fasting and prayer. President Porter said in the middle of the night, a nurse walking by the door heard Elder Porter cough and had the idea to order a test for an unusual respiratory illness. Within hours of starting treatment, Elder Porter’s health began to improve.
“We knew that the Light of Christ had rested on that nurse, showing her the way that would restore Bruce’s health. The darkness we experienced was replaced by light and hope,” President Porter said.
Six years later, on Christmas Eve 2016, Elder Porter was in the hospital again.
Doctors shared a plan that might help him. But Elder Porter calmly told his wife that the Spirit had whispered to him that there was nothing to be done. A few days later, he died peacefully at home, surrounded by family.
She said she felt deep sorrow, loss and loneliness. But she also felt the light of God’s love. “At what felt like the going down of our sun in our lives, He gave us light and understanding.”
She continued: “As we keep our focus on the Savior of the world, He will light our way to hope and healing. Like the experience of the believers in Zarahemla, because of the triumph of the Savior over sin and death, there will be no permanent darkness when our nights come.”
In conclusion, President Porter testified that “the Lord is our everlasting light. … He lights our way home.”
