What I Think of Christmas

I was asked to speak on Christmas Sunday last year. I'm not sure why they asked the teary girl to speak on Christmas, but they did. I typically write out remarks to speak in church, or to speak professionally only in outline format, and yet this talk came out word for word.

Since I'm trying to hold on to Christmas for a little while longer, I thought I would share it with you:

When I think the birth of the Savior, I think of all of the people who were involved on that fateful night.

I think of Mary and Joseph who had been given an unheard of blessing and then were ridiculed and persecuted because they had seen an angel and understood the circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy, while others had not. I can’t imagine how isolating that would have been. And yet they continued on with brave and faithful hearts.

I think of the innkeeper, who’s business had never been better and yet didn’t know he was turning away the opportunity to house the king of the world. Instead the baby was born in a lowly stable.

At the time of his birth, Mary and Joseph were not surrounded and immediately embraced by family and friends. Instead they were surrounded by animals in less than desirable conditions, and placed that baby humbly in a manger.

I think of those who had heard for years that one day a Savior would come and atone for their sins. It was prophesied that the saving power would come in the form of a baby, and they would know of his arrival because they would see a star so bright in the sky they would know he was here. I can only imagine being in the field watching over a flock at night and seeing the star so bright in the sky it actually scared them, and yet witnessing a promise fulfilled. Then in the face of their fear, these humble folk were visited by an angel who promised good tidings of great joy to all the world.

I think of the three Wise men who also heard the prophesy and never doubted. They prepared for his arrival and made their journey to their King as soon as they heard. They gave up fame and fortune from a persuasive ruler, but trusting the promise of the king of the world, they willingly gave up all riches imaginable for the wealth the gospel brings. They brought gifts to the Lord, a symbol of the gift he is to us.

While this story happened many years ago, more than two thousand in fact, we live today with the blessing of know that he came humbly, and that promises were then fulfilled. We have scriptures that teach us that he led a perfect life and gave us a perfect example to follow. Yet he knew we couldn’t be perfect so he bled for our sins in Gethsemane and died for our eternal life in Calvary.

It’s not a distant story with historic characters, it’s a pattern and a metaphor for our life today.

Do you need faith and bravery? Just as Mary and Joseph suffered ridicule and persecution for what they know, we too, can (with confidence) continue on and make it our mission to help others love the Lord without hesitation.

Do you feel like your challenges and journey is long? Like the Wiseman we can give up worldly possessions and go great distances in the face of our own challenges and trials. We, can find the Savior in our every day life. Thomas S. Monson reminds us about the gifts we can give: “May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit. Taking with us a tender caring heart as our gift to the Savior.”

Do you need joy in the face of fear? Like the shepherds we can continue to have a humble faith and remember that Jesus Christ lives and will come again. And as we see the signs for his second coming, we can improve ourselves little by little so that we can be worthy to truly know him when he comes again.

Is business good? Do we find our personal circumstances booming or less than? Do we turn the Lord away when we don’t need him, but seek him out when things are hard? While the innkeeper didn’t know he was turning away the only begotten son of the father, we can make room for the savior in our life every day. In times of famine and in times of feast we can always make room. Former president of the quorum of the twelve apostles Neal A Maxwell reminds us, “Each of us is an innkeeper that decides if there is room enough for Jesus.”

The faithful men and women here reminds us that every story leads us to the Savior.

Finally, I hope that we will follow the example of the Savior himself. May we walk the streets as Jesus walked. May we love, lift, and serve so that when others see us, they can feel the love of God in their life and know that Jesus Christ is here for them, too.

Do you want more light? The star is gone, but Jesus is the light and life of the world. We live in difficult and challenging times. It can feel dark, hard and that the light will never come. In dark nights, and in dark times, we can look to the light of the Lord to bring us comfort and to guide our paths. As Frances Bacon once said. "In order for the light to shine so brightly, there must be darkness present." In the dark and in the hard we can choose to use Jesus Christ as our light.

"Oh come let us adore him" is my testimony and prayer.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Originally posted on Facebook on December 31, 2017