Christmas Eve

It is Christmas Eve! Years ago that meant magic, wonder, excitement, anticipation, and joy knowing Santa Clause was about to come. Now it means magic, wonder, excitement, anticipation, and especially joy knowing that my Savior came.

The other day I had one of those everything-goes-wrong days that tend to push me into the Pit of Illusion. I was fighting against the feelings and trying to get back into the Realm of Truth as I went to bed. I usually fall asleep listening to something and that night I put on Susan Boyle’s Christmas album. As I lay in the dark fighting the negative feelings within me I suddenly became aware of the words being sung, “Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.” And with those words came the feeling that the negative thoughts I was plagued with were temporary because of Jesus Christ. What a gift! These bad dayswill have an end. All I need to do is hang on and He will do the rest. He was born to conquer all negative, bad, evil, horrible things. He will set all things right and that means make all things good. Because of Him we are being “fit for heaven” where none of that negative things will exist. I went to sleep firmly planted in the Realm of Truth, and rejoicing in that First Noel.

I love the fact that this Christmas comes on a Sunday. Besides the normal celebrating, we can go to His house and worship Him. Tomorrow I’ll sing songs of praise to Himwith neighbors and friends and people I love, and with them I'm I'll partake of His holiness. Tomorrow I'll have a few moments to think about all the things I've written about this month, but most importantly on His birthday I'll partake of the sacrament and remember how Mary in the House of Bread, placed that Bread of Life on the feeding trough--a symbolic offering, a feast for me.

My heart is full to overflowing with the magic, wonder, excitement, anticipation, and especially joy that is Christ.

"Away in a Manger"

When I was a child my favorite Christmas carol was “Away in A Manger.” We sang a version in which the chorus divided into two parts and half of us would sing “asleep” and then the other half would echo “asleep” in lower tones. Then all together we’d sing, “Asleep the Lord of all.” I loved hearing the volley of voices, but I especially loved thinking about that new born baby in his straw bed, the animals looking on, his mother tenderly swaddling him.

Being a city girl, for me the word manger was synonymous with bed or cradle. No one ever explained to me that a manger is a box used to feed animals. In other words, it is a feeding tough. Our word manger comes from the French word manger which means “to eat.” In Bethlehem the manger in which Mary placed her Son would most probably have been carved out of stone.

stone manger

As I learned these facts about the manger my earlier imaginings began to grow. I now picture Joseph carefully cleaning out the feeding trough worrying about his young wife and the responsibility he had to protect her and the child. I see him gathering the best straw to make a soft nesting place for the baby. I wonder if Mary swaddled the baby herself or if someone was there to help her. According to the law of Moses it was unlawful for a man to witness child birth, but if no one else was available perhaps Joseph had to serve as midwife and nurse. Perhaps he first swaddled the baby and placed Him in the manger.

Whoever did it, I doubt that at the moment the significance of what they did registered with them. Here they were in the House of Bread placing The Bread of Life not in a cradle, but on a feeding trough, a symbolic offering that invites you and I to partake of the Eternal Bread.

I can’t think of that manger cradling the Bread of Life now without being reminded of the weekly feeding tough—the Sacrament table—I visit to partake of the Bread of Life. As I ponder on it, I can hear the words, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger" (John 6:35). "He that eatheth of this bread shall live for ever" (John 6:58), and I am remind that the Bethlehem manger offers Eternal sustenance to all mankind.

Celebrating Christmas--Bethlehem

The Good News! for today is Christmas. That is the best news in the entire history of mankind. And to celebrate, I am going to be discussing one of the symbols of Christmas each day until the 25^th. I hope you will enjoy.

I’ll start with Bethlehem. It was well known at the time of the Savior’s birth that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. When the wise men traveled to Jerusalem and inquired of Herod about the new king, Herod assembled his wise men and leaders and “demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel” (Matthew 2:4-6). 

The name Bethlehem means “house of bread” and I will never forget the amazing feelings that surged through me the moment it struck me that the Bread of Life was born in the House of Bread. Ever since then I can’t hear the hymn “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” without feeling the feelings again especially with the last phrase, “The dear Christ enters in.”

Physically Christ was born in Bethlehem. Spiritually He is born in every heart that will let Him enter in. Therefore, I want my heart to be a House of Bread—a place where the Bread of Life lives.