Alma 7 = Priesthood Meeting = Christmas

This morning, I read Alma 7. In this chapter, Alma shares that Jesus will be born of Mary. He will come to Earth to redeem us from our sins.

Although we have no way to verify this, I think this is a Priesthood Meeting. Two reasons: 

  1. In verse 27, Alma gives an apostolic blessing to the people in Gideon. In that blessing, he blesses their houses, flocks and herds, and "your women and your children". Could it be that it was just custom to have the men come to such conferences? Sure. But we know there were primarily just men there.
  2. In verse 22, Alma exhorts the people to "walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received." What is this holy order of God? I can see two answers to this: (1) the priesthood as described in Alma 13, or (2) what we refer to as the "new and everlasting covenant", or the order created through temple covenants. Although I can see (2) being very applicable here, seeing verses 22 and 27 together makes me believe it's a priesthood meeting.
But this isn't the most important point. Here's the doctrinal point: Jesus was born of Mary and came to suffer for all sins, pains, afflictions, sorrows, infirmities, etc. Why did Alma share the Christmas story? Alma 7:22 says,

"And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that

    1. I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, 
    2. that ye may walk blameless before him, 
    3. that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received."
The Christmas story is one of encouragement. It is a reminder of our duty to God. It is a call to walk (or act) in a higher and holier way, following the covenants (priesthood and temple) that we have entered into.

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