When we think on the Christ child at this
Christmas season, we remember the tender story surrounding his birth. Many of
the story’s elements are symbolic of the gospel principles we try to cultivate
in our lives.
We are reminded that we are all innkeepers. We
try to warmly welcome in the Savior with all our hearts rather than renting him
a single room. Hopefully he has come in to lodge as a permanent guest and not
as an itinerant traveler.
The shepherds were humble men who, while
keeping watch over their flocks, did not hesitate to put their business aside
to go with haste and find the babe. From them we learn when to put our own
temporal affairs aside and seek the more spiritual.
We remember the wise men from the east who
searched out the Son of God. These were spiritually sensitive men who came to
worship the King. After much searching, inquiry, and effort, they found Him. Truly,
wise men still seek Him.
These magi presented treasures to the Christ
child that were offerings from their hearts and hands. The gifts they bore were
their very best. When we offer a gift to the Savior from our hearts it is our
very best.
Light also abounds in this simple story. In
many instances the symbol of light was chosen to herald the Savior’s birth:
The shepherd witnessed the light of the Lord’s
glory as it shone round about them in their fields.
The wise men were directed by the light of the
new star in the east, that went before them until it came and stood over where
the young child was.
The
light of Christ is both real and symbolic. We see it in the faces of each other
and those who have come to accept His gospel.
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