Finding hope when there isn't much: Something to learn from Christmas

As I look in my area here in Freedom, NY right now, I see an overwhelming amount of frustration and demoralization. Even among people who have either striven to serve God their whole lives and those who have only just recently developed a relationship with Him, some things simply aren't going as happily as we would like them to. As Christmas comes to a close, and people begin talking New Years Resolutions, it is at times hard to look ahead to a new year with any hope. There's a story leading up to the very first Christmas that is worth looking at, though.

In the Book of Helaman, a prophet named Samuel, who was a Lamanite, came to the wicked Nephite city of Zarahemla, prophesying of Jesus Christ's birth. Indeed, it was to be a very happy message! Samuel says in Helaman 13:7, "I was sent unto you to declare it unto you also, that ye might have glad tidings." Glad tidings sounds like something to look forward to. Then, throughout chapter 14, Samuel tells all about the Savior's future birth and death and resurrection, and what it would mean for the world. 

Many people were entranced by this promise! Samuel said that those who would believe on the Son of God shall have eternal life! People were thrilled at the prospect. But, their joy didn't last long. 

In 3 Nephi, those who didn't believe Samuel's prophesies begin to mock the believers. The signs promised by Samuel hadn't come, and many were left to wonder if their hope had all been in vain, anyways. It was a far-fetched idea, in the

Which miracle do you teach your kids?

The miracle of Santa Claus is a magical thing. I truly mean that. Every year, Santa helps kids know someone truly cares about them and their behavior. It allows parents an easy chance for hidden charity. It leads to a fascination about the wonders of the world.

How could one man do so much? Not just for me, but for everyone on Earth. How could he be so caring? How could he know so well how good or bad we have been, but constantly hope that we can make his good list? How could he love children so much?

Parents spend extended amounts of time convincing and reconvincing their children of the miracle of Santa Claus. They answer their kids questions. They watch movies featuring Santa. They read stories of Santa's work and his busy Christmas Eve night. They have answers for everything, whether it is how so many Santas can be in so many malls or pinpointing exactly where Santa's sleigh is online.

But, what is the real miracle of Christmas? If you can't answer that on your own, please, go to Mormon.org/Christmas. But, I think you can guess it.

It is the birth of the Savior, in a small stable in the little town of Bethlehem. It is of Mary's miraculous pregnancy, of the miraculous appearance of angels to some unknowing shepherds, of the miraculous star which was understood by some men far off in the East. It is of the opportunity opened to all of mankind by the opening of Christ's mortal ministry.

Again, we might ask the same questions: How could one man do so much? Not just for me, but for everyone on Earth. How could he be so caring? How could he know so well how good or bad our lives have been, but constantly hope--and constantly work so hard to make sure--that we can return with our Father again? How could He love the children of God so much?

If only we put the emphasis in teaching children the story of Christ's birth as we do on teaching children the story of Santa Claus. Think of the difference that could be made! If we could only focus on the gift Christ brought into the world before we thought of all the gifts Santa might leave for us!

I love Santa Claus, and he truly embodies much of the Christmas spirit, if given the right emphasis. But this year, let us remember the true miracle of Christmas. Even while Santa might come into your home through the chimney this Christmas season, it would be even better if Christ could come into it through your children's hearts.

Good Timber

This is a poem that I got in the mail from the president of my fraternity back home. Yeah, it was probably a Christmas present that I opened too early, but I love the message here:

Good Timber - by Douglas Malloch

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

No room for whom?

We all know the story: the Son of God was born, not in an environment suited for a king, but instead in a stable. He lay, not in a golden crib, but in a manger full of hay. The simplicity of the situation has only increased the romanticism of the story, and has made its way into countless Christmas songs and every church's nativity program. Have you ever noticed, though, that Luke doesn't say, "There was no room in the inn"? Rather, Luke 2:7 reads (with emphasis added):

"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."

I don't know much about Mary and Joseph, but I do know from Luke 2:24 that they sacrificed two turtledoves at Jesus' purification, where most families were asked to sacrifice a lamb. Leviticus 12:8 specifically allows this only for mothers who cannot afford a lamb.

Perhaps, had Mary and Joseph been in the "right crowd," with a little thicker pocket books, there would have been plenty of room in the inn. At the very least, surely an inn keeper could have arranged to make room for them.

As we get ever-nearer to the Christmas season, underemployment is near 18%. While the economy is improving, many people simply do not have the money they wish they had for this holiday season.

It is worth noting that the Wise Men from the East came to Jesus in Matthew 2:11, it is described,

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child."

It is safe to say that if Jesus was a baby, he would have been described as a baby, not a child. It is also safe to say that if the Wise Men had arrived at a stable, Matthew would have said "stable," not "the house."

The bottom line is that the story of the first Christmas took place in a very joyous, although very modest situation. Yes, grand gifts did come, and I would be lying to say that gift giving (and yes, receiving) doesn't bring me much joy. But the gifts from the East came years after the night where Mary and Joseph were rejected from the inn, likely on the basis of their meager means.

My Sister and an Advent Calendar

Growing up, my family had a little advent calendar made of simple materials: felt, sequens, velcro, etc. Each day, we'd go into a little pocket associated with the day of the month and pull out one more character or object pertaining to the Nativity. For instance, one day we might pull out a sheep, the next one of the Wise Men, the next Joseph, etc.

For 24 days throughout December, my two sisters and I would anxiously see what the next character of the Nativity would be. Bit by bit, the scene would come together. Finally, on Christmas Eve, we would always pull out of the pocket marked "24" a little babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes--Jesus Christ.

I'll never forget one year, though, where the tradition took a drastic, yet very symbolic turn.

Emily, who is four years younger than me, kept on getting really aggravated every night. She wanted to skip ahead every single night. She seemingly wanted it to be Christmas Eve, NOW. Not in 24 days or in a couple weeks, NOW. My parents had to keep on telling her she had to wait, and that we had to put the characters up in order.

Eventually, something sunk in, and honestly made us all feel really dumb. I don't remember her exact words, but Emily at some point commented that she just really wanted Jesus to be hanging up already. The shepherds and angels were all great, and the animals were always fun to hang up on the calendar, but somehow my little sister knew better than the rest of her family what Christmas was really all about. The calendar to her seemed pretty pointless if Jesus wasn't centered in the scene.

Ever since, Baby Jesus is on our wall by December 1st.

Where is Christ in your December? The wise men brought gifts to Christ, the shepherds spent time gathering their flocks, Joseph and Mary travelled from inn to inn until finally settling with a stable. We, too, buy nice gifts for our loved ones. We, too, often spend a lot of time gathering family, decorations, traditions, or whatever it may be. We, too, might go from place to place to find some nice relaxing way to spend the holiday. But, in the end, whether we are in year 0 or year 2012, it doesn't mean a whole lot if we don't have Jesus up first.

The Last Straw

I know this is lengthy, but this is the story that always pops into my mind whenever anyone asks "What Christmas traditions does your family have, Elder Allen?" I promise you, if you read this (maybe even do this activity with your family), you will not have wasted your time:

It was another long, winter afternoon with everyone stuck in the house and the four McDonald children were at it again -- bickering, teasing, fighting over their toys. At times like these, Mother was almost ready to believe that her children didn’t love each other, though she knew that wasn’t really true. All brothers and sisters fight, of course, but lately her little lively bunch had been particularly horrible to each other, especially Eric and Kelly, who were just a year apart. They seemed determined to spend the whole winter making each other miserable.

“Gimme that. It’s mine!”

“Is not, fatso! I had it first!”

Mother sighed as she listened to the latest argument coming from the living room. With Christmas only a month away, the McDonald house seemed sadly lacking in Christmas spirit. This was supposed to be the season of sharing and love, of warm feelings and happy hearts. A home needed more than just pretty packages or twinkling lights on the tree to fill it with the Christmas spirit. But how could any mother convince her children that being kind to each other was the most important way top get ready for Christmas.

Mother had only one idea. Years ago her grandmother had told her about an old Christmas custom that helped people discover the real meaning of Christmas. Perhaps it would work for her family. It was worth a try. Mother gathered her four little rascals together and sat them down on the stairs, smallest to tallest -- Mike, Randi, Kelly and Eric.

“How would you kids like to start a new Christmas project this year?” she asked. “It’s like a game, but it can only be played by people who can keep a secret. Can everyone here do that?”

Listen to the Small Voice and Feel Christ

Any active Latter-day Saint is familiar with the story of 3 Nephi 11. However, since I hope at least some member of another faith is reading this, I will share the basis of this climatic tale of the Book of Mormon, and follow with a new insight I recently had on the story.

At the beginning of the chapter, the Nephites are in a state of panic after much calamity and destruction in Chapter 9. As the people are scurrying around, they hear a voice, but they couldn't understand it. 3 Nephi 11:3 reads:

"It was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center... yea, it did pierce them to the very soul and did cause their hearts to burn."

Anyone familiar with Luke 24 might take particular notice of the phrase "cause their hearts to burn," but even if not, it's worth mentioning that the Holy Ghost is often described as the "still, small voice."

As I said, the Nephites couldn't actually understand what the "small voice" was telling them. In Verse 4, they hear it again, yet still don't know what it's saying.

Finally in Verse 5, the Nephites not only hear the voice, but they understand it. In Verse 7, the voice says,

"Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well please, in whom I have glorified my name--hear ye him."

As they heard this, "they saw a Man descending out of heaven," who later declares that he is "Jesus Christ... the light and the life of the world." As the Nephites look at Jesus in shock, He invites them each to come and touch the scars in His side, His palms, and His feet. He then follows with one of the clearest, most beautifully spoken sermons on His doctrine.

Now, we often almost ignore the introduction of this chapter, and skip right to the good stuff. We want to read about the Savior coming to the Americas! We don't need to pay attention to the minutes leading up to it! I have often been the same, so no worries. My most recent time reading it, though, I found a deeper meaning in those first few verses, though.

We established that the "small voice" is very symbolic of--if not literally being--the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Notice that it is only after the Nephites recognize this voice that they truly understand what Heavenly Father wanted them to hear. Even more, as soon as they did, they could see and even feel Christ! They could know of a surety that He was their Savior, and could learn how to really use the Atonement which He had made for them.

In 4 Nephi 1:16, shortly following Christ's ascension from the Americas, we learn of the Nephites and Lamanites,

"Surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God."

Now, who doesn't want that?! How do you get there? Easy. Heed the Holy Ghost, hear what Heavenly Father is telling you, and feel Jesus Christ.