Christmas: With the Beginning, Middle, and End in Mind

As we tell the Christmas story this year, I hope we might ponder on the significance of this event.  This was not just any baby laid in the manger, this was the King of Heaven and earth, the Creator of worlds, Jehovah of the Old Testament, and the Savior of all mankind who would accomplish the atonement and resurrection to save the world from sin and death.  As President Gordon B. Hinckley so perfectly put it, “There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Calvary and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection.”  The birth of Christ is the centerpiece of the earth’s existence, and a story worth telling, retelling, and pondering all the year through.  In the end, we know that the Risen Lord will come again, to rule on this earth as the Promised Messiah.  So let us consider the story of Christmas with the beginning, the middle, and the end in mind.

THE BEGINNING:

In 1 Nephi 11, Nephi is shown in vision Mary, the mother of the Son of God, “a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins,” and then he sees her “bearing a child in her arms.”   The angel asks him, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?”  To condescend is to lower oneself or humble oneself unnecessarily.  This is a key in the story of the birth of Jesus.  To Nephi, it is revealed that the fruit on the Tree of Life represented, “the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men.”  The condescension is a gift of love from the Son of God, and because of that gift, Nephi “saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.”

Knowing the reason for the condescension is to understand beginning of the story.  Jesus Christ was already God, one with the Father.  In the beginning, He was the creator of this world.  His word caused the galaxies, our beautiful earth in all its splendor, and every plant and animal here to come into being.  When baby Jesus was born, a God in every sense of the word “condescended,” lowered Himself or humbled himself out of love to come to this world as a tiny, helpless baby.

And when he came to the earth, where was he born?  We read that Mary “brought forth her firstborn son… and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inns”  (JST Luke 2:7).  Mary was taken to a stable to have her baby.  In that part of the world, it was a cave where the animals were kept.  It was away from the brashness and noise of the crowds, and seems the perfect Christmas story now, but it makes me sad to think that when the God who created this world came to the earth, there was no room for Him.  He should have been born in a glorious palace, but in His meekness, he chose these quiet, humble circumstances for His coming.  It helps us understand His love, His meekness, and His condescension even better.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell has written, “Jesus, the God of the whole earth, the very God who created ‘the heavens and the earth and all that in them are’ was born in a cave.  The executor of the Father’s word who created worlds without number and brought myriads of planets whirling into existence—born in a cave.  The Mighty Jehovah, by whom the suns and planets course through the heavens and are sustained in orbit by His power, the divine source and redeemer of all life teeming on worlds innumerable to man—born in a cave.  He was in a sense, cradled by His own creations.” 

Indeed, it was the shepherds, so close to nature and his creations, who were first made aware of his birth.  They were on the hills near Bethlehem, keeping watch over the Passover lambs, destined for sacrifice as a type of Christ.  Under the night sky, the angel proclaimed to the shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this is the way you shall find the babe, he is wrapped in swaddling clothes, and is lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of heavenly host, praising God” (JST, Luke 2:9-13).

When the angel departed, “the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go, even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.  And they came with haste.”  The shepherds came unto Him with haste.  Do we respond so quickly to the invitation to come unto Him?  I can see them run in haste to find Him, and then arriving at the stable, halt suddenly, struck with awe at the sight before them.  The shepherds “found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”  I can see them come slowly, hesitantly closer to the manger to see the promised Savior for themselves, and then- one by one- bow in reverence and adoration in worship before Him.   I’m sure they were changed by this experience.  Knowing who this baby was and where He had just been, how could they ever be the same?  What they did then is very telling.  “And when they had seen, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  All they who heard it, wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (JST, Luke 2:15-18).  The shepherds, having known and seen for themselves, became witnesses to bring others to Christ.

THE MIDDLE:

Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said that “Christ’s birth is the centerpiece of Christmas.”  But it is also the centerpiece of the Father’s plan, the centerpiece all of history as he came in the Meridian of time, and in fact all of the world’s time is measured after this one event.  So should His teachings be the centerpiece of our lives.

  

We know how the child Jesus grew “grace by grace,” and ministered to His people one by one, healing, loving, teaching, and giving every hour of His life in their service.  He lived a perfect life, experiencing the temptation, sadness, fatigue of mortality, but never succumbing to sin and always doing the will of His Father.  We look to Him as our exemplar, and pattern our lives after His.

And as the Christmas and Easter story are so intertwined, let us remember the last days of the Savior’s life.  In His sinless and perfect state, Jesus Christ went into a garden and experienced our sins, pain, and agony in our place, wrestled with everything Satan could throw at Him, and emerged the victor.  He conquered Satan, not just for Himself, but for all of us who would be lost if facing this test on our own.  Will we accept this gift –the opportunity to repent and return to live with God again, as well as the enabling power of His grace to get through each day—the gift of the Atonement?

He submitted Himself to the Father’s will and plan, and then submitted Himself to the rulers of the day to be beaten and humiliated and eventually crucified.  

With power over death as the Father’s literal Son, He allowed His life to be taken from Him, and then reclaimed it when he arose with a resurrected body three days later.  He gives this gift of resurrection to every soul to have ever lived.

THE END:

At the time of Christ’s birth, righteous men, who knew the prophecies of the birth of the Christ, were able to discern the sign, a new star in the heavens.  “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is the child that is born, the Messiah of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him” (JST, Matthew 3:1-2).  They recognized the signs, knew the King of the Jews had been born, and came to kneel and bow before this infant king, present Him gifts, and left as witnesses of His divinity.  “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child, with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (JST, Matthew 3:11).

Living in these last days, we can recognize the signs of the times that will precede the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior.  With living prophets to guide us, like the star guided the wise men, our eyes can be pointed to watch for the Savior.

Just as Mary bid the wise men to come into the house, the Savior Himself ever calls to us, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28).  After His resurrection, the Savior of the World descended from heaven clothed in a pure white robe and walked among the Nephites, who fell to the earth in His presence.  He told them, “arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world” (3 Nephi 11:14).

His intimate invitation to come one by one unto Him echoes today, and will be repeated when He comes again in all His glory.  We may not have seen the baby Jesus, and knelt before Him in worship as the shepherds and wise men did.  However, we know that He will come again, and that “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess,” that He is the risen Lord of heaven and earth. (D&C 88:104)  The Savior’s welcoming arms are open to all, but we must put forth the effort to come unto Him to be cleansed and healed, witness for ourselves, and be saved, ever after offering our own lives in service in His Kingdom.

The Savior has made me whole, and I kneel before Him in worship and gratitude, offering a gift of my own broken heart and my own stubborn will as my offering.  This Christmas, I hope we can all ponder the Christmas story—with the beginning, middle, and end in mind.

One Red Leaf

One day a few weeks ago, when the weather had just turned cold, I was reminded of something I noticed last year.  The days of beautiful, brilliant fall colors and sunshiny days had given way to bare limbs and frigid winds.  I was driving to work, and there along the side of the road were three identical trees.  Their leaves had all fallen prey to the cold and to gravity, and had let go.  The leaves had all fallen, and the wind had blown them away.  But on the very tip top of the highest branch of the center tree, there was this one big, beautiful, vibrant, red leaf.  This one red leaf was clinging tightly, and the afternoon sun was like a spotlight on this leaf.  It was beautiful and it was like it was shining just for me.

 

The lesson was very clear to me, and I found myself crying.   As the world gets more and more wicked, with storms raging all around us, and as everyone else it seems gives in to what is easy and accepted and falls off the tree, what will I do?  Will I give in and let go or will I cling to my values and faith with I you have? 

Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of 12 Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has said, “Testimony alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of darkness and evil in which we are living…not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and protection we need.”

Elder Bednar taught that there is a difference between having a testimony and being fully converted to the Lord.  He said, “Knowing the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony.  Consistently being true to the gospel (clinging to the uppermost branch) is the essence of conversion.  True conversion brings a change in one’s beliefs, heart, and life to accept and conform to the will of God… and includes a conscious commitment to become a disciple of Christ.…  Conversion requires all of our heart, all of our might, and all of our mind and strength.”

So when life gets hard, and maybe the world will ridicule me for holding to higher ground, I am going to remember that one red leaf clinging to the highest branch of that tree.  Even if I am the last leaf left on the whole street as the wind whips through the branches, I am going to cling to the gospel of Jesus Christ and hold firm to its truth.

At Sunrise

I rarely get up and out the door in time to see a true sunrise.  One Saturday recently, though, I was taking my daughter to a softball tournament and we had to get an early start.  It was just barely getting light outside.  As I walked out my front door to put some things in the trunk, I was stopped in my tracks by the most beautiful pink and orange sky I have ever seen.  It was like a “Push-up” had melted above the mountains to the east of our home and was smeared in all directions.  I took a few minutes to look around and enjoy the sight, and marveled at God’s handiwork in creating such a beautiful earth and sunrise for me that morning.

I wish I had taken pictures that morning.  These were the most similar ones I could find online.
Thanks to those with photography talents who took these beautiful pictures and shared them.

Then, as I moved to the car, I felt a raindrop, and then a few more.  It was raining.  I love summer rainstorms, so I looked up at the drops coming down from this beautiful sky.  There, catching the sun’s first rays was a rainbow across the western sky in pastel pink, orange, green, and blue.  With the pink and orange clouds as a backdrop, it was so unique.  Also, when we see a rainbow, it is across the mountains to the east of us, but because of the sun’s direction that morning, it was uniquely positioned just to the west over our neighborhood.  This caught my attention even more.  I thought of the promise made by God to Noah to never again flood the earth, symbolized by the rainbow, and of the many promises He has made.  I knew in my heart that the Lord will fulfill all of His promises.

I was contemplating this, when suddenly I heard thunder, and a streak of lightning flashed across the pink-orange sky.  It was remarkable to see lightning when the sky was light.  A lightning storm is almost always accompanied by a darkened sky.  Today, however, I was having such a unique experience, I laughed out loud in delight.  The thunder and lightning made me think that God was really showing off for me now, demonstrating his power and might.  I remembered the judgment and justice that is also promised in scripture in the last days.  I thought with surety how the Lord will deliver on those promises, as well.

I was in awe of the glory, beauty, power, and majesty of God, and moved that I am one of His children.   My experiences of that morning bring to mind the words of the beloved hymn, How Great Thou Art, written by Carl Gustav Boberg:

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

The beauty and peace of a sunrise, the many promises represented in a perfect rainbow, and the power and might of thunder and lightning – what a morning I had experienced!  God is good, He is powerful, He is merciful, and He loves His children.  I hope we will all, "bow in humble adoration and ... proclaim, How great Thou art!" 

Circle of Sisters

Volleyball is my favorite sport to watch my daughter play.  There is such teamwork and camaraderie among the players that I haven’t seen in other sports.  Every person has their position to play, their job to do, and the group’s success depends on each individual’s effort and execution.

Now I don’t know if every team does this, but I was intrigued at something my daughter’s team does.  After each volley, whether it is a point or side out, or even if the ball is turned over to the other team, they all come together from their various positions in a little huddle.  

With their arms around each other’s backs, they encourage each other with positive comments and cheer each other on.  What I especially admire is that whenever there is a mistake made, the person who made the mistake pats their chest in a “my bad” gesture, acknowledging their error, and in an unspoken way, pledging that they are going to try harder.  Their coach is on the sidelines calling plays and giving instructions, but they have to really listen to hear her voice above the noise of the crowd.  And except when a timeout is called, she cannot come onto the court to help.  It is only the girls on the court who can help their teammates to know what they are doing right and what correction needs to be made.  Their continued support and encouragement makes all the difference to each other in the success of the game. 

One Sunday as I sat in Relief Society, the women’s organization for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I thought of this volleyball circle and a talk by President Boyd K. Packer.  During the Cold War, President Packer visited a Relief Society Meeting behind the Iron Curtain.  When asked if he could take a message to a conference of their Relief Society Sisters, they gave him this message to deliver, "A small circle of sisters send their own hearts and thoughts to all the sisters and begs the Lord to help us go forward."  I realized how our circle of sisters in Relief Society is a lot like this volleyball team's huddle.

In our busy lives, we each go about our various roles and responsibilities all week long doing the best we can, but we inevitably make errors and get caught up in the game of life.  At the end of the week, however, we all come together as “a small circle of sisters” on Sunday.  We encourage each other and cheer each other on.  No matter how rough the week has been, we know that someone will put their arms around us and tell us that we can do it.  We all make mistakes and no one else is going to point them out to us, but we acknowledge them ourselves and pledge to do better.  The Lord, Jesus Christ is our coach, and hopefully we are following the plays He lays out for us, but sometimes it is hard to hear that still, small voice.  I am so grateful for my sisters in the gospel, who huddle up with me each Sunday, and remind me how important the gospel of Jesus Christ is and help me see how to follow its teachings during the next week. We need each other, and I am so much the better for it!

Circle of Sisters, by David Dibble. © David Dibble.

My Kid is the Quarterback!

We are a football family.  All three of my boys have played football.  (My daughter wished she could, and is counting down to the high school powder puff game.)  

My oldest and youngest sons have both played the position of quarterback.  This is either a really, really good thing or a really, really bad thing.  There have been many highs where my kid is the one who throws the amazing pass down the field or runs for a touchdown, and everyone loves him.  However, most of the time he is the one getting beat up, and is criticized for his every move.

Yesterday was one of those beating up times for my youngest son, Marshall.  Their game against our rivals didn’t go so well, ending 30-0.  Our offensive line couldn’t hold our opponent back at all, and Marshall didn’t have 2 seconds to make a play before he was sacked – over and over and over again.  As I watched him struggle to rise once again and limp back to the huddle, I was frustrated.  I was ready to go get my son, drag him off the field, and quit this game of football once and for all!  (Imagine the horror!)

Then, I thought of our oldest son, Mitchell, and how the game of football instilled in him the discipline, the perseverance, the fight and grit to do hard things.  I have watched him grow into a man, serve a two-year mission for our church in Nicaragua (which was anything but easy), and now return and work hard to reach his goals.  I can see how getting beat down in his 10 years of football, and rising each time he fell to try again, has made him into the person he is today.

I thought of Marshall’s life, and the struggles he will face.  Life is a fight sometimes, and I hope he won’t succumb to the opposition he faces and take the easy road or listen to the naysayers that always seem to be there when we are getting close to our goals.  I hope he will, as I watched him do today, get up after each setback, more determined and with a fire inside to fight for success. 

This game left him muddy, bruised, sore, and worn out!  How many times does life do this to us?  Marshall was such an example and inspiration to me today.  I am going to remember the look in his eyes the next time I face a really difficult challenge, fail, or just feel exhausted by life.  I hope I can with renewed determination get up and fight on. 

Weeds

I love summer rainstorms- the sudden cool in the midst of sweltering days and the smell of fresh, wet earth.  I also have discovered that right after a summer rain is the perfect time to pull the weeds that seem to turn up overnight at these times.  With the ground soft and the morning cool, I head out to pluck the weeds around my flowers.  One morning as I did this, I was probably grumbling, “Why do we have to have weeds anyway?”  (My silent prayers often go on like this throughout the day.)  On this particular day, the words came into my mind that the Lord told Adam in the Garden of Eden, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake…thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:17-19 KJV).   I had never really thought about those words, that these things were for Adam’s sake.  Somehow weeds, thorns, thistles – having to get up and work hard to accomplish something – would be for our sake, for our good, for our progression and improvement.

We live in a day when leisure, entertainment, weekends, vacations, and retiring early are valued and celebrated.  Work – in and of itself- is seen as drudgery and punishment.  And getting something for nothing, working the system, and living off the government are becoming more and more common.  Now, I am the first to admit that my ultimate goal in life is to have a gardener to make my yard beautiful without having to contribute my own time, sweat, and backaches.  However, on this summer morning, I realized why that may not be a blessing.  The satisfaction of working for a goal, seeing it through even when it’s not easy, having a purpose, and serving our families and communities – and the character and personal progression gained in the process - these are the true blessings.  Maybe weeds truly are for my sake.

But why do we have to have mosquitoes?

Sewage or Fertilizer

This entry was written with my husband Mont and distributed last Sunday as a message to members of our church congregation:

Recently, my husband and I were in the car, and we broke down…right in front of the sewage treatment plant.  We called for help, and started to wait.  We immediately recognized that this was not going to be a pleasant place to wait in the summer heat.   A few jokes about the aroma helped lighten the mood.  However, as help arrived, we realized that we were not just out of gas, and that this was going to be a more difficult problem to fix.  That’s when the silent prayers for help and strength from above began.  With one more car in need of repair on top of our other current challenges, it was clear that our new situation was a little like our break- down.  We were stuck in an unpleasant place, not wanting to be there, and not knowing why or how long before we would be delivered from our many stresses.  It was easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged.

We all face trials now and then, yet sometimes we feel like Job, being assaulted with problems on every side.  One of my favorite quotes is this: "If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart.  So it has been with the best people who ever lived” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland).  Perhaps a few reminders we learned from this experience can help us get through difficult times:

1. Choose your attitude.   When bad things happen, how we respond can determine our happiness, and the attitude in our home and family.  Perhaps a little humor about the “stinky situation” can help keep things in perspective.  Definitely, turning to the Lord for strength to deal with our present tests is the best way to keep a good attitude.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said, “When some people face adversity, they complain and become bitter. They ask questions like ‘Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this now? What have I done to deserve this?’ But these questions have the power to dominate their thoughts. Such questions can overtake their vision, absorb their energy, and deprive them of the experiences the Lord wants them to receive. Rather than responding in this way, people should consider asking questions such as, ‘What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?’”

2.  Ask for and accept help.  We were so grateful to our good friend coming to our aid when we called, and he willingly stood with me under the hood of the car in the hot sun with the sewage odor in the air.  We were doubly blessed with another friend who offered to loan us her car until ours was repaired.  We love to see the care and service that we give our neighbor, but we have also sometimes seen friends struggle needlessly, because they feel they are not that bad off and don’t want to bother someone else by asking for help.  However, when we ask the Lord for help, who does He send?  President Spencer W. Kimball said, “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.”  What a joy it is to feel the love of the Lord through others when we accept the service offered to us. 

3. Trust in the Lord. Elder Richard G. Scott reminds us that, “Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more.  He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”  The lessons of life are not always fun, sometimes life just stinks!  But we can trust in the Lord that this “fertilizer” in life is for our good - it will help us grow stronger, forge our roots deep in Him, and bear beautiful fruit in our lives.