"Let us now go... and see this thing" - Following the Example of the Shepherds

In my last post, I talked a lot about the Wise Men. I quite liked thinking through the idea that I wrote about, so if you haven't read it, you should. Just click here!

But, if we are going to talk about one stereotypical aspect of the Nativity scene and pull out some deeper meaning, we have to do the other, as well. I want to talk about the Shepherds.

Anyone who has seen A Charlie Brown Christmas has heard Linus perfectly recite the classic announcement of the angels to the "shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8):

"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 Saviour, 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" (Luke 2:10-12).

Immediately following, concourses of angels appeared, praising God, thrilled at the peace that was soon coming to the Earth.

Put yourself in the shepherds' shoes (sandals?). It was springtime, the sheep were in birthing season. It was the middle of night, the shepherds were busy and tired. They had things to do, lambs to birth, excuses that could easily be made. But, rather than making excuses, they said, "Let us now go... and see this thing" (Luke 2:15). They "made haste" (Luke 2:16) and came to the find the Son of God laying in a manger, just as the angels had said.

Here is where I want us to think. The Messiah had been awaited throughout the history of Judaism. However, the scribes at this time were expecting something flashy, something grand. They didn't just want a Redeemer, they wanted a Deliverer. They wanted a King who would eradicate foreign powers from Jerusalem.

They did not want a baby boy born to poor parents in a manure-ridden stable.

However, when the Shepherds saw Jesus and His mother, something clicked for them. The very next verse says they ran all over Jerusalem telling everyone about this new Boy. It's interesting, for we see the exact same thing at the beginning of John, when Phillip invites Nathanael to "come and see" the Christ (John 1:46). Within verses, Nathanael is testifying that Jesus is surely the Son of God.

As missionaries, we don't go around toting titles as the smartest most educated scholars. We can only invite people to "come and see," asking them to "now go... and see this thing." Just as the Shepherds and

Seeing the New Stars

Starting yesterday, I embarked on reading the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) as well as tidbits of 3 Nephi by Christmas. In one month, reading just about six pages a day, I'll have read the most intimate accounts of the Savior's personal ministry on the Earth. Because of that, expect a whole bunch of blog posts focused on those five books over the next month!

The first one, though, is very Christmasy. One of my favorite parts of the whole Nativity story is the Wise Men. In the opening four verses of Matthew 2, we read:

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born."

Many wonderful things have been and should be said about the diligence of the Wise Men seeking the infant Son of God, traveling long and far to meet this promised Child. But something slightly different hit me this time around.

See, let's go through all who are involved in these passages: The Wise Men, obviously. Herod. All of Jerusalem. All the chief priests and scribes of the people.

The Gospel According to Matthew was aimed primarily at showing Jews that Jesus of Nazareth really was the long-awaited Messiah. As such, he constantly refers to Biblical prophesies which Jesus fulfills.

The point is, the prophesies were there, yet neither Herod nor anyone in Jerusalem including those to whom the responsibility belonged to understand the scriptures recognized the new star. They didn't even notice.

In the pictures of this scene that I've included thus far, I don't really believe anyone would miss the star. It's obnoxiously huge. That's how the art always portrays it, though, right?

What hit me as I read this story, though, is that the star likely was not nearly so noticeable. No one in Jerusalem apparently noticed it. Not even the priests and scribes! The Wise Men must have been looking for it. Consider the following pictures:

I feel like our lives are often like a starry night. There are so many stars, it is almost impossible to differentiate one star from the next, let alone notice any new ones. Whether those stars are random distractions (television, video games), genuine good uses of time (family matters, careers), or even full-on gospel activities (church, scripture study), it really doesn't make a difference. Less remarkable to me than the fact that the Wise Men followed the star is that they noticed the star. Let's be real, who in their right mind wouldn't go

Do Scriptural Miracles REALLY Matter?

Here are a few quick questions, easy enough to answer. Answer them personally.

• Does it matter that Jesus Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene three days after being laid dead in a tomb?
  
• Does it matter that the Savior and His Father appeared to Joseph Smith in a grove of trees behind Joseph's farm house?
  
• Does it matter that we have the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other accounts of God's dealings with men and women here on Earth?
  

I could ask a few other questions, but you get the point. Or so you think. I'm going to give an answer that you might find surprising: Maybe not. 

Now, don't get to uppity, I will explain!

Spiritual experiences are powerful. They allow us to feel God's love, grace, and almighty power. They show
us that there is a Being out there who knows us, hears us, and is willing and maybe even eager to interact with us. They can confirm our hopes or they can point us in directions that we have never imagined. 

But the three questions all refer to other people's spiritual experiences. I'm sure having a resurrected Messiah appear to Mary was pivotal for Mary. I'm sure having the "two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description" was life changing for Joseph. Other stories found in scripture show people who develop dramatic and powerful relationships with deity, be it the story of Moses, of the Brother of Jared, of Nephi, or of Paul the Apostle.

Here's the real kicker, though: None of this matters if we don't have our own spiritual experience as a result of these events. By this, I mean solely as pertains to our life here on Earth. Clearly, if the account of the Savior's resurrection is true and if the story of the Restoration is true, they will affect all of us in the end. So, like I said, for the sake of this post, I mean these things only matter in mortality if they lead to a spiritual experience of our own. If we don't get a spiritual confirmation, a witness from our Heavenly Father that these events are real, then they will never change us here in mortality.

2 Nephi 33:1 teaches, "For when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men." See, when we teach with the Spirit, the Spirit testifies of truth. When I learned of the resurrection of the long-

Alma War Chapters - Maybe they are worth something after all! - Part Three: Go Back the Way You Came

The first time I ever sat down to really read from the Book of Mormon was at a church campout years back. They challenged us to read Alma chapters 43 through 63. This covers a whole series of battles between two ancient American people. At the time, I was a high schooler and was just pleased that the scriptures actually had some cool action. In these chapters, I learned that there were some people who were both God fearing and still pretty cool. In high school, that was about all I needed to know.

Later, I started loving doctrine. Therefore, I started dreading the war chapters of Alma. I wanted to learn, not just be entertained. 

This time through the Book of Mormon, though, I'm realizing how silly I am.

In the next few posts, I want to discuss some real doctrines and lessons that I have learned by applying the stories of the Alma War Chapters into my life.

For Part One of this series, click here.

Go Back the Way You Came

This one I'm going to go a little unorthodox. We are going to be the Lamanites. I know that isn't what you aspired to become in Primary, but go with it just this once.

In Alma 58, Helaman leads a little chess match. He is strongly outnumbered in a battle that he knows he can't avoid. (In fact, that's another great lesson... I might do that for my next post!!) After he receives comfort from the Lord, he gets together with Gid and Teomner and they come up with a strategy to lure the Lamanites out of their strongholds. While Gid and Teomner are hiding in the woods, Helaman takes a small army towards the Lamanite city Manti. The Lamanites, seeing that the Nephites "were not strong, according to [their] numbers," (Alma 58:15) thought it well to leave their fortresses and attack.

See that? The Lamanites left their fortresses. They left the place where they were strongest. Now, we could
use the analogy that that is leaving the Church. That would be detrimental. But I want to focus on more subtle abandonment of safe-places. When we lower our standards just a bit, we lose the Holy Ghost and are left largely alone. We leave the spiritual protection that has held us up. I could apply any number of commandments here, be it chastity, Word of Wisdom, Sabbath Day observance, the law of tithing, honoring our parents, raising an eternal family, pornography, backbiting, murmuring, and on and on and on. The principal is the same.

As you probably could foresee, Helaman calls for his army to retreat, right into the woods where Gid and Teomner are waiting with backup. Rather than just attacking the Lamanite force, though, the Nephites did even more. Gid and Teomner killed a few important stragglers in the army, then went right for the heart. Rather than paying any attention to the army now chasing Helaman, they went and overtook the entire city of Manti. Verse 22 explains this wonderfully:

"Now this was done because the Lamanites did suffer their whole army, save a few guards only, to be led away into the wilderness."

"Led away." Alma had used that same phrase when counselling his son, Corianton. In Alma 39:11, Alma says, "Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish things; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart."

Satan likes to lure us out of our fortresses by making the armies seem small.

"Everyone else is doing it."

Alma War Chapters - Maybe they are worth something after all! Part Two: Your Response is Your Choice

The first time I ever sat down to really read from the Book of Mormon was at a church campout years back. They challenged us to read Alma chapters 43 through 63. This covers a whole series of battles between two ancient American people. At the time, I was a high schooler and was just pleased that the scriptures actually had some cool action. In these chapters, I learned that there were some people who were both God fearing and still pretty cool. In high school, that was about all I needed to know.

Later, I started loving doctrine. Therefore, I started dreading the war chapters of Alma. I wanted to learn, not just be entertained. 

This time through the Book of Mormon, though, I'm realizing how silly I am.

In the next few posts, I want to discuss some real doctrines and lessons that I have learned by applying the stories of the Alma War Chapters into my life.

For Part One of this series, click here.

Your Response is Your Choice

After nearly 20 years of war, we can only assume everyone, Nephite and Lamanite alike, was sick of war. Can you really blame them? Sons and husbands had died in battle. Daughters and wives had been massacred at home. Lives had been altered, ruined, and ended. The fighting had gone further than just nation against nation; even at home, the kingmen and freemen were in a constant feud. Virtually everyone had been affected in one way or another.

This brings up one of the most powerful lessons of all the war chapters. While we may not choose what happens to us, we can certainly choose how to respond. 

"But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility" (Alma 62:41).

See that? Everyone was worn out. They were sick of putting up a fight. Everyone. The fight left people hardened. "If there really is a loving God out there, my son would be alive... My house would be standing... My life would be easier," they might have said. Have you not said the same thing? Have you never looked at your circumstances and been left remarkably disturbed by what you see? I would be lying if I said I had not.

People leave the church over this all the time. They abandon God and cannot accept the existence of a higher power who would allow such sorrow. They, as President Eyring said, create a pavilion, blocking themselves from feeling God's love.

Perhaps the wiser question we could ask, though, would be to say little more than, "Father, since you are out there, then why?"

This is the question the second group of people must have asked. These are they who were softened. They responded with the exact opposite reaction of the first group. They humbled themselves before God and