First Presidency Christmas Devotional set for Sunday

SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will hold its annual Christmas Devotional on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. (MST) in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

The hour-long devotional is a long-standing holiday tradition that features Christmas messages from members of the First Presidency along with music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square.

For many years, tickets for the annual Christmas Devotional were distributed only to LDS Church employees. Today they are available to the general public through the church's random ticket distribution process, and the demand is high — tickets for this year's devotional have long since been distributed. However, standby tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The standby line forms at the north gate of Temple Square.

All those attending at the Conference Center — or hoping to do so — should be aware that seating is limited to ages 8 and older, and that best dress is requested.

For those not attending at the Conference Center, the program will also be available through various broadcast, cable, satellite and Internet entities (please check local listings). BYU-TV will air the devotional live, and will repeat it on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. (MST) and on Saturday, Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. (MST).

Information about viewing or listening to the program on the Internet can be found at mormonchannel.org, byubroadcasting.org, or ksl.com. The program will also be available in the audio video archives on lds.org shortly after the completion of the devotional.

For LDS Church members, the church satellite system will broadcast the devotional to meetinghouses in various locations and languages. The devotional will also be rebroadcast at various times for those affected by significant time differences. Please check with local church leaders to see if the program is being carried in your area.

Email: jwalker@desnews.com