Nativity

Now that Christmas is over, we all focus on the birth of the Savior a little less. Instead of posting this at Christmas time and it becoming white noise with all of the other celebrations, I wanted to wait until things settled down after the holidays to talk about one of my favorite scripture stories. It's fascinating. It's miraculous. It's humbling.

The most important aspect of this story is, of course, the Savior. Jesus Christ was born. He is the son of a mortal mother and immortal Father. He was born to fulfill a specific purpose and was perfectly obedient to His Father's will. His mortality helped Him to become the only one to be able to understand each of us individually. His humble entrance to the world didn't give away His divine nature or mission. He left this world as quietly as I like to think he entered it. Because of His birth and his fulfillment of the Atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins and return to live with our Heavenly Father. Because of His birth, we can be with our families forever. Because of His birth, we can fulfill the missions we were sent to carry out.

I could talk about Mary for days. I love reading her story. She was called to be the mother of the Son of God. She wasn't married when she conceived Jesus Christ. She could have easily been turned away by Joseph and stoned to death. She was called to help teach Him and help Him understand His role. Can you imagine that kind of pressure? If that wasn't enough, she had to watch as her Son was crucified for the world. She knew that it was necessary. I don't think anything prepares you for that moment. One of my favorite scriptures is Luke 2:19. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. She is such an example of remaining faithful when faced with trials. I think she is an incredible example of humility. She was the mother of the Savior of the World. She could have spent her time making sure people knew that and gave her credit. She was the kind of woman and mother we need in this world: spiritually sensitive, loving, meek, obedient, and supportive.

Joseph. What a man of faith! He was told that his fiancee was going to give birth to a son and that she was a virgin. It takes a humble man to listen to an explanation of that and still be able to trust and love his significant other. He wasn't going to make it known publicly that she was pregnant. He listened to the Spirit and took on the responsibility of being the earthly father of Savior. We know that Joseph listened to the Spirit in order to save the life of the Savior more than once. The only other thing we know about him is that he was a carpenter. He worked to support his family. That covers all three of the responsibilities listed in The Family: A Proclamation to the World: preside, provide, and protect.

The shepherds. It was night and they were watching their flocks. These were the lambs used in sacrifice. The shepherds needed to ensure that they were the firstborn without blemish. (Of course they would be called upon to witness this Firstborn who would be the final sacrifice.) They were visited by an angel, and were understandably afraid. They were taught about the Savior being born and were told to go and find Him. They went with "haste" to find Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. After they witnessed the truth of the angel's words, they went and told people. They were missionaries. They gained a testimony and desired to make those things known to others.

We don't know much about they wise men. We always assume there were three and they nativity scene always pictures them. We don't know how many there were (we only know how many gifts they offered) and we know that they saw Jesus as a young child into the house of Mary and Joseph. They knew enough about the Savior that they came specifically to worship Him. They were warned by God in a dream and obeyed Him. They came looking for Jesus after they saw the sign of His birth, so they had been taught about Him at sometime by someone.

I love looking at the stars. I think they are one of my favorite creations. I've often wondered why a star was given as the sign of the Savior's birth. It was a new star - one that would shine brighter than the rest. Stars can't just appear out of thin air. This star appeared the night that Jesus Christ was born. It was visible from different parts of the world and was still visible when the wise meant were searching for the Him.

I think that same light is available today. As we look for Jesus Christ in our lives, we will be filled with that light. With His light. It is the only thing that can make us whole. It is the only way we can be filled with peace. It is the only source of joy. I love reading about and remembering the miraculous things the Savior did during His ministry, but I think it is important to remember the miraculous way He came to Earth. I wonder if we were part of the Heavenly choir that announced His birth. Because we all knew that in order for Him to understand mortality and its affect on our spirits, He needed to have a body and experience it Himself. In order for Him to overcome death and sin, he needed to be born first. I am grateful for that humble birth and wondrous life. I am grateful that we can carry His light with us all year and not just focus on Him during the Christmas season.