The
Christmas season is time of gift giving, a tradition that stems from the magi
who traveled from the east and gave the Christ child gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. Contemporarily, children look
under trees with anticipation of receiving games, toys, and sweets. The true root of gift giving is a much older
story however. Before men were born;
before the world was forged, there was another gift for which every child of
God yearned, and our Heavenly Father wanted very much to give it to us. The
gift is immortality and eternal life, but it is not a gift that is easily
received. In fact, almost no one was
eligible to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God. Our Heavenly Father called for the sacrifice
of one that would be able to not only save himself, but to condescend below all
things, that he might lift the sons of men above all things. Jesus Christ stood and declared “Here am I…
send me.” As our Father accepted him as
worthy and able, he became to us a God, the only hope of salvation, and the joy
of mans’ desiring.
Even
children have the benefit of Christmas traditions that teach at an early age
the characters of the Nativity story. We
have known from our youth of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and the
Christ child… but what if we had not known?
What if we had to be taught these things without the benefit of
Christmas symbols? Nephi was a prophet
that lived 600 years before the birth of Christ. He did not have any holiday traditions when
he was taught the Christmas story. An
angel of God showed him a vision and asked what he beheld. He replied, “A virgin, most beautiful and
fair above all other virgins.” The angel
asked a profound question… “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” Nephi replied, “I know that he loveth his
children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” The angel then showed him the virgin bearing
a child in her arms. With a single
concise phrase, Nephi learned the true meaning of Christmas: “Behold, the
condescension of God!”
Most
people eagerly anticipate Christmas day, perhaps because of proximity to
friends and loved ones, perhaps because of the hope of a chocolate-filled
stocking, or something special underneath the tree. The first Christmas was also anticipated
greatly, but for other reasons. The
people in the promised land that believed in Jesus had been given that day as a
deadline to justify their faith, and if the prophesied signs of Christ’s birth
did not appear, they would be killed.
How anxious they must have been to see that their faith was not in
vain. But even as the wicked prepared to
spill the blood of the righteous, the prayers of Christians reached the
heavens. When the sun set that night,
the light did not wane away into the darkness of night. In the very act of condescending, the light
of the world saved those that had faith in him.
Christmas does not always bring
tidings of comfort and joy. Every year,
people brave crowds at local retailers, and amid the pushing, shoving, and
dirty looks, they seek meaningful gifts for loved ones. Husbands scratch their heads and ask themselves
"If I buy these shoes for her, do I also have to buy those
earrings?" Wives seek the
assistance of unmotivated seasonal sales associates to ask "Do I need a
nunchuck controller with the Legend of Zelda?" It is not difficult to become so preoccupied
with the hustle and bustle that Christ becomes disassociated with the majority
of our Christmas season. Perhaps it was
the same hustle and bustle that caused innkeepers of Bethlehem to experience
difficulty in finding room for a young expectant mother and her husband. Perhaps they thought they were doing the best
they could when they sent Mary to a pen of animals, it was tax season after
all. Whatever the reasons, when Mary gave
birth to her son, she had only swaddling clothes in a stable to warm him. When she laid him down, the trough where
animals chewed hay was his bed. While
men of wealth and prestige sat in the company of peers, the King of Kings moved
from a throne in the high heavens in the presence of our Heavenly Father, to a
stable in the company of livestock.
Somehow, when everyone else was busy, the most High God descended down
to the most humble place on Earth.
Even to the adults that understand
the principles of electricity, and know the effort of stringing them up, there
is a feeling of happiness that Christmas lights bring. To children who do not understand these
things, it is even more so. It is not so
much because understanding ruins things, but perhaps because innocence is so
frequently accompanied by humility, which magnifies appreciation. Even in ancient times it was so. SPQR are the letters that every soldier's
banner bore in the land to which Christ came.
Senatus Populusque Romanus... The senate and the people of Rome. The empire was arguably the most powerful and
prestigious that was ever on the earth, and it was filled with wise, powerful,
strong, and wealthy people; and none more so than its emperor, Caesar
Augustus. However, it was not Caesar, or
any of his appointed, or any philosophers or warriors to whom God sent word of
his condescension. Luke tells us that
there were in the same country shepherds, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. And they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 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, which is Christ, the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you: ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
As commercial and cold as the retail
experience of Christmas can be, the season also brings a renewed desire to help
those in need. Few experiences are as
memorable as seeing the gratitude of someone receiving the very thing they
require. Perhaps there are those among
us who have played the roles both of giver, and of recipient. Called by some the true meaning of Christmas,
it is in a truer sense the true meaning of Christianity. Because he condescended below all men, he
knows what it means to be hungry, to be hurt, to be fatigued. He knows what it means to be lonely, and
hated, and betrayed. Is it any wonder he
declared that "by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples: if ye
have love one to another"?
There is a Christmas hymn in which a man sorrows that "Hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on Earth, good will to men..." He is answered by Christmas bells, that seem to say with faith and power "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep." Two of the characters most forgotten in the old Christmas story are the two that knew that best. Anna and Simeon saw no angel, they did not follow a new star in the east; instead they stayed at the temple. They did not need the persuasion of fictional spirits of Christmas Past, Present, or Future; they followed the Spirit of God, and because of their faith, Christ came to them. Two thousand years later, the same spirit that guided them pleads with us not to despair... for God is not dead, nor doth he sleep. The Holy Spirit of God guides us, just as it did Anna and Simeon; and it brings the power of Jesus Christ across time to our hearts here and now: not just a story of a child in a manger, or a choir of angels in the fields near Bethlehem, but the power of his atoning sacrifice. And it is the faith, penitence, and humility of men that give purpose to his sacrifice... for it is only with our consent that we can be redeemed. My brothers and sisters... especially during this time when we celebrate the coming of Christ... let us be as Anna and Simeon and follow the guidance of his Holy Spirit. Let our penitence give cause to his sacrifice. Let us do all things that we might have the gift for which we sought in that grand council before the world was: the gift of eternal life! Oh come all ye faithful... joyful and triumphant... Oh come let us adore him! Come and behold him: born the King of Angels! Come and celebrate the condescension of God!
