1. We didn't think the library would be open today, so I didn't bring my journal with me when we left the apartment
and 2. Christmas is special, and so I want this email to focus on Christmas. So buckle up!
I love this time of year, so much. Everybody seems happier- although a bit stressed and hurried at times- and the Spirit is so strong. There are lights everywhere, decorations, family traditions, yummy food, and the whole world takes a step back to recognize the birth of the single most important person ever to be born on this earth- our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. However, after the season is over, we often forget and go on with our lives, forgetting the Spirit of Christmas that we felt. People! Christmas isn't just a once a year thing. Its a state of mind. Did people just forget about the Savior after he was born? Did the shepherds and the wise men travel to see the young Christ, and then forget about Him? No! Because Jesus Christ is so much more than just a beautiful Christmas story, and a lovely nativity scene.
It all started with a pure, young girl named Mary.
"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel... said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying...
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word...."
(Luke 1:26-38)
That is the beginning of the miracle of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine how Mary must have felt? Scared, maybe. Confused, maybe. But she trusted in the Lord, and let His will become her will. Think of how Joseph, who was also visited by the angel, must have felt. Perhaps much the same as Mary, yet he too allowed the will of Heavenly Father to become His will. He took care of Mary to the best of his ability, and brought Jesus Christ up as if he were his own son.
Then, we have the miracle of His birth.
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."
The Savior of the world was born in a lowly stable, laid in a small manger. His entrance to this earth was not grand, yet its something that we celebrate even now, thousands of years later. Because He is our Savior.
One question I pose to myself, and to you, is this: are one of the "inn" crowd, or part of the "stable" few?
The Nativity (A Bible Video called The Nativity)
Shepherds were told by an angel about the birth of the Savior, and immediately went to worship Him. The wisemen followed the star, and gave Him gifts when He was a young child. Thus, we have the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas. Everything points to Christ.
But does the story stop at His birth? No. What happened next is His miraculous life and ministry. He taught us to live a higher law, pleaded with us to follow His example. He healed the sick, the blind, the deaf, He brought the dead back to life. His life was lived for us. His life was for you. Jesus Christ is our older brother, our Savior, our Advocate with the Father, our Prince of Peace, our one true friend. His whole life shows this to us. He taught us to care for that one lost sheep. He is the Messiah.
Incredibly, people rejected our Savior, even Jesus Christ. They disregarded His many miracles, they disregarded all the prophecies that were fulfilled. They let pride rule their hearts, they let Satan influence them. They rejected the one person sent to save us all. His own apostle, Judas, betrayed Him, in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the garden where Christ prayed to the Father, asking God if there were any other way, and then, knowing that there wasn't, took on our sins, our pains, our sorrows. He felt everything we have ever felt. He saw us and what we each go through. And just after going through this, he was betrayed by Judas. Peter reacted as many of us might have reacted. As the guards stepped up to take his Master away, Peter attempted to defend Jesus by cutting off the ear of the guard. Yet, the Savior- right after suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane so intensely that He bled from every pore- stepped forward and healed His own captor.
What happened next is the greatest gift that has ever been given. Our Savior was whipped, a crown of thorns placed on His head. He was nailed to a cross on Calvary, through His wrists, hands and feet. He asked Heavenly Father to forgive the people who crucified Him. He made sure His mother would be cared for. Then, He died. The earth shook, thunder rolled, and all of creation mourned the death of its Creator. Christ's body was laid in a tomb. Three days later, He rose.
He lives! He is risen!
"His gift to us is what happens next. It is true, and He did it for you." -Rosemary M. Wixom
I echo her words. Jesus Christ is our Savior. He lived His life for us, He did for us, and He lives again for us.
Christmas is so much more than His birth. So, though the Christmas tradition of giving gifts may have indeed started with the wisemen, lets remember the greatest gift ever given- Him. His atonement. His life. Him.
His story doesn't stop at His birth, and Christmas shouldn't stop on December 26th.
Feliz Natal! Merry Christmas!!
I love y'all, and I can't wait to skype the fam tomorrow!!!
Remember to put the Christ in Christmas!
com amor,
Sister Kirsten Shell
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