Articles

"Good Tidings of Great Joy"

by Rob Swanson

On Christmas Day, 1865, Wilford Woodruff noted the following in his journal: “25 Christmass I spent the day at home & took supper then went to the Theater in the Evening."

This small and plain entry is very similar to other Christmas day entries throughout the 1860s. When first reading entries such as the one above, I was confused by how a man who loved and served Christ with all his heart could write so little on one of the holiest of days in the Christian calendar. Yet, as I read and reread the simple entries throughout the 1860s, a thought struck me. This simple entry, as well as its fellows scattered throughout Wilford Woodruff’s journals, contains a simple sermon that is profound and beautiful. His small entry reminded me of the importance of family during the Christmas season.

“I Did Not Feel the Cold”

by Maddie Christensen

“On the 31st of Dec I with my Brother Azmon Woodruff . . . went forward in baptism.”1

Sam Day, professional artist and illustrator, was commissioned to create a work of art detailing Wilford Woodruff’s baptism for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Conference, “Building Latter-day Faith.” Having been an artist for over forty-five years, Sam has extensive experience in painting spiritual topics and portraits.

Before this commission, the only known painting of Wilford Woodruff’s baptism was of a beautiful spring day. However, Wilford was baptized on December 31, 1833, in upstate New York, where over three feet of snow blanketed the ground at the time—unlike the scenario depicted in the earlier spring painting.