It's Christmas, and this may feel like an awkward lesson to have in the discussion of the Old Testament, at least that's how I've held initially.

But in considering the topic more deeply, I can't think of a better way to prepare for celebrating the Savior's birth.

We spent the year reading the scriptures that he read, that he fulfilled, that he discussed, and recognizing the ways that ancient Israel expected a

savior to redeem them. In this week's episode of Abide, a Maxwell Institute podcast, we discussed

the Old Testament in light of the promised Lamb of God, who came in the person of Jesus Christ.

My name is Joseph Stewart. I'm the Public Communications Specialist of the Ne Neil A. Maxwell Institute for religious scholarship of Brigham Young University.

Christian Hill is a research fellow at the Institute.

In each week, we discuss the week's block of reading from the Church of Jesus Christ's Latter-day Saints, Come Follow Me curriculum.

We aren't here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block so as to help fulfill the Maxwell Institute's mission to inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints and their testimonies of the

restored gospel of Jesus Christ and engage the world of religious ideas.

Today we are once again joined by Abby Ellis, a research assistant here at the Maxwell

Institute.

Abby is a junior at BYU from Caysville, Utah, studying editing and publishing.

Her interests generally revolve around stories, watching them, reading them, and telling them.

And after she graduates, she hopes to help others tell their stories, too.

Welcome back, Abby.

Thank you.

So, Christian, despite what I said at the top, I am still in some ways having misgivings

talking about the Old Testament at Christmas time. What are some things that we should know

that may give me a better perspective on this?

So the Jesus whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season was an Old Testament prophet,

priest and king, an Old Testament judge

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