A Christmas Testimony

Recently I was asked to participate in the Christmas Sacrament program by sharing my testimony of how the birth of the Savior is important to me. It sort of turned from a testimonoy into a short talk - but that was only because they gave me a 5 minute time frame. So, here is that talk for those of you who may want to read it. I hope that I can keep that spirit of the importance of the real reason for Christmas in my home this week. (P.S. We are really loving the beautiful white snowflakes falling here in Idaho!)

How The Savior’s Birth is Important to Me
Sunday 12/21/08 Woodruff 1st Ward

This season seems to be filled with angels. They once sang to mortals, and now we sing about them, and we have heard about them many times in the scriptures in relation to the birth of the Lord Jesus. They spoke to Mary, to Joseph, and to the shepherds. So… Why were angels so prominent at the Savior’s birth? And why were they such an important part of His life and ministry?” There are 2 reasons: First, because they were heralding the Son of God, the Only Begotten who came to save ALL of God’s children. Secondly because they were heralding the beginning of a new dispensation, when the gospel would be restored in its fullness.

I have often heard of the term “meridian of time”. But just what does this phrase mean? In astronomy, the meridian is a north-south line passing exactly overhead that divides the sky in half. Meridian literally means “midday.”
{The sun culminates (reaches its high point) as it passes over the meridian. Time before that “passover” is called ante meridiem (a.m., or “before midday”), and afterward it is post meridiem (p.m., or “after midday”) – excerpts from a talk by John P.Pratt}

The scriptural meaning of “the meridian of time” has been interpreted by Church leaders to be essentially the same as the astronomical meaning: that is, the coming of Christ marked the high noon, so to speak, of the earth’s temporal existence. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “The meridian of time is the middle or high point of that portion of eternity which is considered to be mortal time. Since Christ lived, ministered, and worked out the atonement in time’s meridian, such era was truly the high point of history.”

So – that is what Christmas is all about – about celebrating the time of Christ’s birth and life – or the ‘meridian of time’.

Although none of us were there in that stable or even alive on the Earth at that momentous occasion, we were all witness to it from our pre-mortal state. As we have heard mention today – I am also positive that each of us rejoiced when Christ was born.

People often wonder why the Savior of the World came as a tiny baby in humble circumstances. We understand that this is all part of God’s great design. The nature of birth is the way he planned for the natural order of life here in mortality – but I believe that there is also a symbolic side to the Savior coming as a baby. It may be a gentle reminder to us of pure and innocent nature, of goodness and cleanliness, of unadulterated, raw, holy love that we all must seek to obtain in order for us to attain our destiny in an eternal life with Heavenly Father.

Having had the honor of giving birth to mortal children, I can somewhat relate to the joy that I imagine Mary must have had in delivering her firstborn, in wrapping him in swaddling clothes and holding him next to her and in presenting him to the adoring visitors of shepherds and wise men. But none of us can ever know the feelings she deeply pondered in her heart as she looked at her special baby, knowing who he was, who his Father was, and what his mission here on the Earth was. When I think of that moment, of that mother, holding that baby, of those people who had been waiting for centuries… I feel a desire to join them in ‘welcoming’ that sweet baby to the Earth. The following words of a song are brought to my mind:

Tears are falling
Hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised
We've been waiting
Welcome, Holy Child
Welcome, Holy Child

Hope that You don't
Mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited
Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace
Into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile fingers
Sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorns
Tiny heart
Whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured
Flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin
And make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world (‘Welcome to our World’ by Amy Grant)

I think of all that I love that I hold dearly in my heart. I think of my testimony, the scriptures, the many experiences that I have lived, my friends, my family, my temple covenants, my own precious babies and my eternal sweetheart. Then I think of how all of these things would mean nothing, would not last forever, would all be null and void if it weren’t for the very greatest of all… the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What a blessing it is for us to have this knowledge, to understand in small portion what the condescension of God is.

The birth of Jesus Christ was extraordinary in that it involved the condescension of both the Father and the Son—two eternal beings. The Father condescended in sending His Son; the Savior condescended in taking upon Himself a mortal body and offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin.

Jesus, having been born of an immortal Father and a mortal mother, thus had an infinite and eternal nature. And because of that He had the capacity to atone for the sins of all mankind and the power to rise from the grave and make possible a resurrection for every person who had or would live on the earth. This perfect lamb has the power to bless each of US with life and with Godliness.

When we see the joy in our loved one’s eyes as they receive and open presents given to them in love this week, and each day as we continue in our busy mortal lives, I pray that we will take a small moment to express gratitude to our Heavenly Father for this greatest of all gifts – his Only Begotten Son.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen