Since I still have no clue where my camera is and have no fun pictures to post, I thought I would post my Christmas lesson that I gave in Young Women's on Sunday. I had a little wooden box that I told the girls to imagine was Mary's. Maybe Joseph had carved it for her, or, maybe even Jesus. I had the box filled with items that I thought Mary would have kept from the night Christ was born and then went through each of them one by one. Here's an idea of what I said about each item:
Straw: This piece of straw reminds us of the lowly circumstances in which the Savior of the world was born. Because there was no room in the inn, Joseph and Mary stayed in the stable, with the animals. When the Lamb of God was born, he was placed in a manger. A manger would have usually served as a feeding trough for the animals. Elevated from the floor of the contaminated stable, this was probably the cleanest place for the child to be placed.
Swaddling clothes: There are two references made in Luke 2 to His being wrapped in swaddling clothes. In a Christmas devotional, Elder Russell M Nelson said this:
“I sense significance beyond the use of an ordinary diaper and receiving blanket.
Instead of those four words: “wrapped in swaddling clothes” in the English text, only one word is needed in the Greek New Testament. That word is sparganoo, which means to envelop a newborn child with special cloth, strips of which were passed from side to side. The cloth would probably bear unique family identification. That procedure was especially applicable to the birth of a firstborn son.
You remember the announcement of an angel at the birth of Jesus: ‘This shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger’ (Luke 2:12). His wrappings surely would have been distinctive.” -Elder Russell M Nelson
Candle: The only light they would have had available to them in the stable is that of a candle. However, this candle symbolizes much more than that. On the night that the Savior was born, a new star appeared that was far brighter than the rest. This in part shows us that He is the light of the world and that He lights the way for us all.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the wise men traveled from a far, following the star with exceeding great joy. The star led them to where they saw the young child with his mother, Mary. They fell on their knees and worshipped him. They presented the gifts that they had brought, which revealed something of whom Jesus is and what he came to do.
The account of the wise men is given in Matthew. Why did Matthew go through the trouble of identifying the gifts that the wise men brought? Possibility: to fulfill the prophecy that Isaiah foretold that gold and incense would be brought by gentiles to honor the heavenly King
Gold: This gift was given to honor Christ as a King. Of course he had no need of a crown of gold to demonstrate to the world his kingship because His kingdom is not of this world. He was not a monarch like Caesar or Cleopatra who ruled over a limited territory for a limited amount of time. Christ was there at creation and is King over the entire universe. He does not rule by force, but by love. And, as King of Kings on earth he would wear a different kind of crown – a crown of thorns.
Frankincense: This gift symbolized Christ’s priestly role. This was used for worship in the temples. The function of a priest is to open the way to God for men. Jesus made it possible for man to enter into the very presence of God. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. This gift also signifies that Christ himself is worthy of worship. Not only would this child lead people to worship God, but he too would be worshipped.
Myrrh: This was a gift for a Savior. This is the strangest and most shocking gift. Like gold and frankincense, Myrrh was a valuable commodity, even more costly than gold. Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. Who would give embalming fluid to a King, much less a child king? What would this represent? But the gift was prophetic just like the others. Jesus came into the world to live for man, and in the end, to die for man. He came to give eternal life.
The gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus are the reason why we offer gifts to one another on Christmas day. As we contemplate the gifts of the wise men, we can give thanks and remember Him. We also present gifts to symbolize the gifts that Christ has given us. His gifts were freedom to the oppressed, forgiveness to the repentant, hope to the despairing, and light in the darkness. He gave us His love, His service, and His life. And most importantly, He gave us and all mortals resurrection, salvation, and eternal life. We should strive to give as He gave.I then told all of the girls this:
To give of oneself is a holy gift. This Christmas, I would like each of you to look inside your hearts and think of one gift that you can present to the Savior. It could be a character trait that you would like to develop (such as kindness or charity), to improve on a weakness that is hindering your relationship with Him, or a service that you would like to give. What is one thing that you can offer Him that will bring you closer to Him?
I gave them all a piece of paper and envelope and told them that when they had some quiet time at home, they should ponder what gift they would like to present to the Savior. Then they should write that down, put it in their envelope and place the envelope in their Christmas tree. After Christmas, they could take the envelope and keep it in their journal or scriptures to help them remember.
