Every Christmas Eve, my wife’s family gathers to celebrate traditions that I’ve grown to love over the years. We share a meal, tell familiar and new stories, and reflect on the past year, often celebrating weddings, babies, new jobs, and meaningful experiences. We share life together, supporting and loving one another with joy and laughter. At the right time, we cross the street to hear the matriarch of the family read a “bedtime story.” No matter our age or how many times it has been read, we listen, laugh, and cherish the moment.
Family traditions matter. They give us something to hold onto and look forward to. Though they grow and change, they remind us of our roots and call us to what is good, kind, and pure.
“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
Every family is different, with its own traditions and leaders, each one special. The Church, however, is a family unlike any other. We are not united by blood or marriage, but by faith and obedience to Jesus. We are joined by the blood of our Savior, who took our place in judgment and gave us grace. We have received the greatest traditions of all, unchanging truths that require our deepest devotion. We cling to what is good, righteous, and holy, and flee from what is evil.
Though our earthly traditions change through the years, our spiritual and sacred traditions endure, echoing throughout time until Jesus calls us home. Although earthly traditions come and go, spiritual traditions live on and remind us of the greatest family head we could ever hope or long for, the Son of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we never take Him for granted or forget what He has done for us. Cling to Jesus, for He is good. Never let go of what God has commanded you.