Christmas Talk 2021:

 December 26, 2021 Talk

First-century Nazareth and Bethlehem were not bustling, prosperous towns. Most of their inhabitants, numbering just a few hundred each, labored for their daily subsistence and little more. They were shepherds, farmers, fishermen, carpenters. No one expected anything particularly good to come of those places or people. (John 1:45-46), but these are the people and places who raised the Son of God.

His toddlerhood was spent as a refugee in a foreign land. His youth was spent laboring beside his stepfather and his earthly family, growing from grace to grace. 

His ministry began far from the seats of power and his chosen aides did not come from the exalted or admired, but were chosen from the margins. He was unafraid to mingle with the rejected, the sin-stained, the unclean, and He saw in them a capacity for love and gratitude and service that exceeded the depth of those who felt they had little need for forgiveness. (Luke 7:40-50) He saw past each individual’s outward circumstance to know the thoughts and desires of their hearts, their strengths and weaknesses. Being seen and known this way, some went away sorrowing from their interactions. Others ran to Him, trusting Him to forgive much, to love mercy, and to help their unbelief.

As I savor the last echoes of this Christmas season and look into another year as one under covenant to follow the path Christ walked, I am inclined to keep trying to shift my focus away from the externalities of life and even of discipleship. Because we are not called to look or talk a certain way, to have certain things or uphold a certain image. I am, however, under covenant to mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort. To be with people in our imperfect world, seeing the best of their potential and trusting that God will use the best of theirs and mine for His purposes even when we all get it wrong so regularly. As Hayley so beautifully sang,

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is Love and His gospel is Peace; 

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, and in his name all oppression shall cease,

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we; let all within us praise His Holy name.

I am thankful for a Savior who carried our sorrows and bore our griefs and burdens, and who then allows us to know Him by inviting us to do that work with Him. We can pick up a tiny part of our neighbor’s load, minister to their needs, listen to understand their life experiences and perspectives so we can see and build on every good intention of their hearts. We can do this in our homes with our children and family members, in our ward family, and in our communities. I know that doing so can expand our hearts and allow us to feel His love for others and for us as well. Life eternal is knowing our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ whom he sent, and there seems to me to be no better way to get to know them than to do their work and love as Christ did.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2019/01/mary-the-mother-of-jesus?lang=eng