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 that holds feed for 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, clean straw to make a soft nesting place for the baby. I picture Mary swaddled the baby and she and Joseph praying over the child. 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 so that he was the one who first placed the baby in the manger.

Whoever did it, I doubt that at the moment the significance of what they did registered with them. They were in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, placing The Bread of Life on a feeding trough.

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 reminded that the Bethlehem manger offers eternal sustenance to all who "partake of it" (D&C 20:77).

I'm Thankful for Salt

Yesterday I found myself thinking about my Savior all day long. While Thanksgiving usually makes me think of the Savior, this was more. As I salted the food I was cooking it reminded me of the Atonement. As I filled salt shakers for dinner I was reminded of the covenants I had made. As I ate dinner and put more salt on my mashed potatoes, I thought about Mary salting and swaddling her baby, my Savior. Last night as the kids got hungry again and broke out the potato chips I thought about how I should be more "salted." I have so, so much to be thankful for and I need to be better at reaching out to others.

My study of salt has been amazing because of the many things I have learned, but the best part is that like yesterday I don't go through a single day without being reminded many times of the covenants and the Atonement. Studying salt has turned out to be such a blessing in my life.

Who'd have thought that going into In and Out Burger and ordering a grilled cheese would be a spiritual experience? It was on Wednesday when I pumped a little cup full of catchup and suddenly saw a container of little salt packets next to the catchup. My heart jumped at the sight and my mind suddenly filled with so many good thoughts. I love salt!

Lot's Wife

Many of the symbols we find in the scriptures have duel meanings. They are good for the godly and turn into evil for the sinful. For example, water is a symbol of purification, through washings and baptism, but water can also flood and destroy the land and a people as it did in Noah's day. Fire is a symbol of the Holy Ghost and like water a symbol of purification, but fire can also destroy as it did in Sodom and Gomorrah. In many places in the New Testament leaven is a symbol of corruption and decay and the spreading of evil, but in other places it is used to mean the expansion and spreading of something good. This dualism is also true with salt. Salt is necessary to sustain life, can preserve, purify, enhance, and is permanent. But too much salt can kill, make the land infertile, or cause health problems.

This is illustrated in the story of Lot's wife. When Lot and his family were commanded to leave Sodom and Gomorrah they were told not to look back, but for some reason not explained in the scriptures Lot's wife looked back and was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. (The picture above is of a woman shaped pillar of salt that to this day locals claim is Lot's wife.)

By looking back, Lot's wife disobeyed God, she broke her covenant to obey, and a broken covenant is the opposite of purifying and enhancing. Broken covenants destroy us. The condition we inherit from either keeping or breaking covenants is eternal--it is permanent. Thus the story of Lot's wife is a warning that rebellion and disobedience can lead to permanent, eternal conditions.

A Covenant of Salt

Several places in the scriptures it speaks of a "covenant of salt" (For example, 2 Chronicles 13:5; Numbers 18:19). And, as I've pointed out in earlier posts, all sacrifices under the law of Moses were made with salt. This tells us that salt was very important. But what exactly is meant by a "covenant of salt?"

Among the many meanings in the symbolism of salt is the fact that salt is permanent. If you crush it you simply get finer salt. It takes a fire of over 1,400 degrees F to melt it. As a matter of fact, salt poured on a grease fire extinguishes the fire. Salt dissolved in water can be recovered by evaporating the water. Salt buried in tombs that archeologists have uncovered is thousands of years old but still good and perfectly edible. The only way to make salt useless, to make it unsavory, is to pollute it with dirt or sand.

Thus covenants made with salt are permanent and can be broken only by pollution from sin. Obviously that means that God who does not sin will never break a covenant. Only we mortals sin and break covenants. Thus a "covenant of salt" is a permanent, lasting covenant that if not broken brings great blessings into our lives.

The Baby Jesus Is Welcomed

Usually when we tell the Christmas story we include the shepherds and wise men, but there are other important characters in the story that we too often forget about. But the gospel writers must have thought they were important because unlike the shepherds and wise men we know these people by name; Simeon and Anna.

Simeon was “just and devout” and had been “waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was upon him” (Luke 2:25). The Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah and on the day that Joseph and Mary came to present Jesus, Simeon was led by the Spirit to go to the temple. As he beheld the child, he took him into his arms and joyfully cried, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Luke tells us that these words caused Mary and Joseph to marvel. We can imagine how much joy and comfort this must have given them after all the gossip and persecution they had experienced to encounter someone who believed and shared in their secret.

But the comfort was short lived as Simeon turned to Mary and prophesied, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).

Also in the temple that day was the prophetess Anna who had been a widow for eighty-four years and who lived at the temple serving “God with fastings and prayers night and day”(Luke 2:37). When she heard Simeon proclaim the Messiah, the Spirit also bore witness to her of the divinity of the child and she gave thanks to the Lord that at last the long awaited Redeemer of Israel had been born.

Both Simeon and Anna were ready and waiting so that they recognized their Messiah when he came into their lives. Likewise the promise to all of us is that if we are ready and waiting, Jesus Christ will come into our lives and we will know Him.

The Wise Men's Gift of Gold

The symbolism in the Wise Men’s gift of gold is obvious. Since the beginning of time, gold has been the most sought after of all precious metals. It is the metal of kings. But even more important it is a symbol of the celestial kingdom with silver being a symbol of the terrestrial kingdom and brass or bronze of the telestial kingdom. Therefore, it was only natural that to celebrate the birth of the King of Kings, the Wise Men would bring a gift of gold.


But there are other things about gold that make this gift especially fitting for our Savior. The chemical symbol for gold is Au derived from the Latin word aurum which is related in several languages to words that refer to dawn an example being the Latin word aurora.

Gold is dense, soft, shiny, and the most malleable and ductile pure metal known. In addition, gold maintains its color without oxidizing in air or water which means it is non-corrodible. Chemically gold is known as a transition metal and of all the metals, pure gold is the least reactive and is able to resist most acids. Gold is an excellent conductor of electricity and has also provided the basis for monetary standards for many countries throughout history.

So there was much more meaning in the gift of gold than the fact that this infant was King. The Baby presented the gold would grow to be the Savior of the world. He was the “dawn” of salvation for all mankind. Through His atoning sacrifice we would be empowered to “transition” or make the mighty change from the carnal, sensual and devilish life to the spiritual and righteous life. He would be the only One to ever live a life “non-corroded” by sin, the One who would set the “standard” of righteousness for all who wished to return to God to follow. He was and is the “conductor” of the Light of Life. Yes, gold was a fitting gift for a King who would be much more than a King. He is our Savior.

The Gift of Myrrh

Another royal gift given to the baby Jesus by the Wise Men was myrrh. Like frankincense, myrrh is harvested by cutting into the trunk of the myrrh bush and letting the wound bleed. The sap that oozes out hardens and is then picked from the tree and used for perfumes, incense, and embalming. The principle species is Commiphora myrrha, but a related species Commiphora gileadensis is referred to in the Bible as the “balm of Gilead.”


The word myrrh comes from the Aramaic word murr which means “bitter.”

Hundreds of years before Christ, myrrh was used and valued for its powerful fragrance. It was also used to heal wounds, but the most famous of its uses was that it was the principal ingredient in ointments used in embalming mummies in Egypt. At the time of the Savior it was used in Palestine to anoint dead bodies in preparation for burial. Because of all these uses, myrrh was often as valuable ounce per ounce as gold. As a matter of fact, sometimes the price of myrrh rose higher than that of gold.

The most interesting thing to me, however, is that the myrrh bush has long, spiky thorns. Thus the myrrh branch foreshadows the crown of thorns placed upon the Savior at the time of His death. The gift at his birth was a symbol of His royalty—The King of Kings. But at the same time it reminds us that at His death the soldiers would reject their King. Instead of crowning Him with gold and jewels they would crown Him with thorns.

Thus myrrh is a symbolic reminder that this Royal Baby would suffer and die for us.

The Gift of Frankincense



Frankincense



We don’t actually know how many Wise Men came to worship the baby Jesus. Tradition maintains that there were three but that is because there were three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. All three are significant in that they are gifts befitting a king. But in addition, all three have symbolic significance.

Frankincense is found in the scraggly, but hardy, Boswellia tree, and is harvested by slashing the bark and allowing the resins to bleed out and harden. The hardened resins are called tears. Frankincense trees grow in very difficult environments where most plant life could never exist such as out of solid rock. How it attaches to the stone is unknown, but a bulbous disk-like swelling of the trunk at the base of the tree allows it to adhere and grow. This growth prevents it from being ripped from the rock during violent storms that frequent the places the trees grow in. The bulbous swelling is slight or absent in trees grown in rocky soil or gravel.

Frankincense is used as a perfume, but more significantly it was used as incense and burned on the altar of the Jewish temple. Think about the last time you saw smoke rising and how it forms a “ribbon,” that connects heaven to earth. This is why incense became a symbol of prayers which when uttered rise to God.

Frankincense is also a symbol of another connection between heaven and earth, priesthood, which is the power of God shared with mankind.

What a fitting gift, then, frankincense was for the King of Kings, the great High Priest, who is our mediator, connection to heaven.

Christmas Angels



"Heavenly Hands" by Greg Olsen (click here)



There is one thread that weaves through the entire Nativity story—the angels. The English word angel comes from the Greek word angelos which means “messenger.” A messenger is someone who carries a message from one person to another and these messengers carried the Glad Tidings or Good News from God to man.

First the angel Gabriel delivered the message to Mary that she would be the mother of the long awaited child. Next Joseph received a visit from Gabriel and was told to “fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20).

But when we think of angels at Christmas time, we usually think of the angel who appeared to the shepherds tending their sheep in fields near Bethlehem. He delivers his message, “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 Savior, 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).

As soon as he made the announcement the heavens opened—as if the joy was more than heaven could contain any longer—and suddenly a great multitude of angels burst forth in song.

For a moment imagine with me that you were one of those angels—a messenger. You knew that your Savior had been born. You knew that because of that birth the misery, depravity, abuse, and horrors of a mortal world now had a cure. The Light of the world had been born to put all things right and the joy of that knowledge filled you until like an erupting volcano the joy spewed forth. Imagine how you felt. This wasn’t just good news; this was the greatest news of all time. And you couldn’t contain the happiness you felt. As the heavens opened you sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). 

What a choir that must have been—the sound of heaven rejoicing!

But you don’t have to imagine. The same thread that ties the Nativity story together, ties you to the story. You are the angel--the messenger! Christmas is the opportunity for you to sing, or pray, or shout your praises or in any way you can to convey the Good News to all those around you that a Savior has come to save the world. 

The Swaddling

During New Testament times babies, especially male babies, were considered a great blessing, the very “salt of the earth.” Therefore when a baby was born into a family it was washed with water, rubbed with finely pulverized salt, then rubbed with oil, and lastly swaddled. An illegitimate baby could not be salted or swaddled.

The swaddling was done by first placing the washed baby diagonally on a swaddle cloth. The infant was then rubbed with finely powdered salt and oil. The cloth was then brought up and over the baby’s arms, legs, and torso. Next the end of the swaddle band, made by tying together strips of linen cloth about four or five inches wide and up to six yards long, was held under the baby’s chin, then wrapped up over the forehead and then around and around the infant all the way down to the feet. Swaddling kept the child warm, restricted movement, and it was also thought that it ensured the baby would grow strong without deformity.

Because of this a swaddled baby is a metaphor for a legitimate child that is loved and properly cared for. Thus Ezekiel says when chastising Israel, “Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee: thou was not salted at all, nor swaddled at all” (Ezekiel 16:4). 

In other words, Israel is so wicked they have become illegitimate children. They have chosen to be children of the Hittites and the Amorites (children of the world) rather than be legitimate children of their Heavenly Father who would have swaddled and loved and cared for them.

 I love this small detail about Mary swaddling her baby because it tells us so much. First of all it gives us a glimpse into the heart of Mary who cared for her child in the best possible way. To us Jesus Christ is our Master, our Savior, our Protector, but for a time to Mary He was a dependent child. That is a relationship no one else will ever share with Him.

But there is something else. Of all people, Mary knew the significance of this child and the circumstances concerning His conception. She knew that despite the rumors and hatemongers this child was legitimate and so by swaddling Him she proclaims to the entire world that her baby is God’s legitimate Son.

One can only imagine what Mary thought as she wrapped Him. From the moment of the miraculous conception, if not before, Mary must have sought for any information about the fate of this child. There were many prophecies, and Mary must have hung on every word the rabbis and others said about the coming Messiah. She must have asked questions and in the answers would have discovered the terrible fate that awaited her little boy.

Therefore, did wrapping Him in swaddling clothes make her think about the fact that one day He would be wrapped in similar looking grave clothes? Did seeing him wrapped tightly in the bands of birth make her think of the bands of death that would surely come to Him? 

Whether she thought about any of these things or not, the bands Mary swaddled her Son in remind us of the day He was wrapped in burial linens and placed in a tomb. He was born to die for us, and by so doing He “swaddled” us, proclaiming us His legitimate children and providing a way to take away our “deformity.” But most important, Jesus Christ has changed our burial linens into the swaddling bands of new birth.

Celebrating Christmas - Bethlehem

"Journey to Bethlehm" by Joseph Brickey (click here)

The Nativity begins with the decree that the people of Palestine must participate in an enrollment or census to facilitate the assessing and collecting of taxes. For Joseph and his young bride that meant they must travel about ninety miles south to the town of Bethlehem which would have been at least a five day journey—especially for a pregnant woman. If they traveled the most likely route this meant they went through Jericho (the lowest point on the earth) and then up the hill country to Bethlehem, a hike of 3,500 feet. Having given birth to ten children, the thought of Mary making such a journey shortly before giving birth amazes me.

Bethlehem, years ago

But it was important that she go to 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). 

But it is not just prophecy that makes the place significant. The word bethlehem means “house of bread.” I will never forget the amazing feelings that surged through me the first time it struck me that the Bread of Life was born in the House of Bread. Ever since then I can’t think about those words or hear the hymn “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” without feeling the swelling warmth within me once again especially when I hear the last phrase of the hymn, “The dear Christ enters in.”

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem today

Physically the Bread of Life was born in the House of Bread. Spiritually the Bread of Life is born again in everyone who chooses to partake of Him.

New Light

I love the symbolism in the scriptures and today I found something I’ve never noticed before. In the account of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden, we are told that after they left, God placed “at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).

The Cherubim (The “s” on the end in the Genesis account is a King James translation error because “im” is already plural in Hebrew.) “turn every way” so they guard the north, the south, the east, and the west. But we are specifically told that they were placed at the east. From this scholars have assumed that Adam and Eve were expelled to the east. But why not expelled to the north or south or west? And why, when so much other detail is left out, are we told the specific place in which the Cherubim were placed? The story would be easily understood by just saying they were cast out.

The reason details matter is always the same. When there are details, God is trying to teach us something. And what is He teaching us here? By casting them out to the east, He sent them in the direction of the light. He had to cast them out because of their disobedience, but because He loved them, He sent them on a path that moved them toward the sun.

Thus even though mankind has fallen from paradise or been cast out of Eden, if we will walk toward The Light, the place where the Son rises, we will find the Promised Land and be safe again.

Celebrating Christmas Because. . .

This has been the best Christmas ever. I hope yours has been the same.

Thanks for celebrating with me.  But there is one last thing to celebrate. 

Everything we’ve talked about the last two weeks was for us.

That is the most important part.  

If Jesus Christ had not been born and had not died for us, 

no light, 

no sign,

no gifts,

no bread,

no star

would be enough.  

 We would spend our lives in futility and then perish. 

But because of Jesus Christ,

we live and will live.  

 Because of Him, 

all who desire will find light and life.  

 Because of Him, 

all who seek with pure intent will find and live with God again. 

There is so much to celebrate!  So. . .

Merry Christmas and much love to you all!

Celebrating Christmas—Angels

There is one thread that weaves through the entire nativity story—the angels. The English word angel comes from the Greek word angelos which means “messenger.” And messengers are important threads that weave the story together. A messenger is someone who carries a message from one person to another and these messengers carried the message or Good News from God to man.

The angel Gabriel told Mary and then Joseph that the baby would be coming. An angel appeared to proclaim the glad tidings of joy to the shepherds and as soon as he made the announcement it was as if the heavens could not be restrained—the joy was more than even heaven could contain and suddenly a whole multitude of angels burst forth in song.

Close your eyes and imagine with me that you were one of those angels. You knew that your Savior had been born. You knew that because of that birth the misery, depravity, abuse, and horrors of a mortal world now had a cure. The Light of the world had been born to put all things right and the joy of that knowledge filled you until like a volcano it erupted out. Imagine how you felt. This wasn’t just good news; this was the greatest news of all time. And you couldn’t contain the happiness you felt. Breaking into song, you praised God by singing your gratitude and joy. What a choir that must have been—the sound of heaven rejoicing.

Heavenly Hands by Greg Olsen

But now you don’t have to imagine. You can rejoice. You can sing or shout or pray your gratitude to God. Today you are the messenger—the angel carrying the Good News from God to man that a Savior has been born. 

(painting can be found at: http://susuangels.com/pro867954.html)

Celebrating Christmas—The Gift of Gold

The symbolism in the Wise Men’s gift of gold is obvious. 

Since the beginning of time, gold has been the most sought after of precious metals. 

It is the metal of kings and is also a symbol of the celestial kingdom 

with silver being a symbol of the terrestrial kingdom

and brass of the telestial kingdom. 

Therefore, it was only natural that the Wise Men bring to the King of Kings a gift of gold.

But there are other things about gold that make this gift especially fitting for our Savior. 

The chemical symbol for gold is Au derived from the Latin word aurum 

which is related to words that refer to dawn in several languages

(such as the Latin word aurora). 

Gold is dense, soft, shiny and the most malleable and ductile pure metal known. 

In addition, gold maintains its color without oxidizing in air or water 

which means it is non corrodible. 

Chemically gold is known as a transition metal and of all the metals, 

pure gold is the least reactive and is able to resist most acids. 

Gold is an excellent conductor of electricity 

and has also provided the basis for monetary standards

for many countries throughout history.

How fitting, then, that the Savior of the world the “dawn” of salvation for mankind,

the One who would perform the Atonement 

which would make possible our “transition” from the carnal, sensual and devilish life 

to the spiritual and righteous life, 

the only One to ever live a life “non corroded” by sin,

the “conductor” of the Light of Life,

the One who set the “standard” of righteousness, 

would be given gold as a gift at His birth.

Celebrating Christmas—The Gift of Myrrh

The second gift given to the baby Jesus by the Wise Men was myrrh. Like frankincense, myrrh is harvested by cutting into the trunk of the myrrh bush and letting the wound bleed. The sap that oozes out and then hardens is picked from the tree and used for perfumes, incense, and embalming. The principle species is Commiphora myrrha, but a related species Commiphora gileadensis is referred to in the Bible as the “balm of Gilead.”

The word myrrh comes from the Aramaic word murr which means “bitter.”

Hundreds of years before Christ, myrrh was used and valued for its powerful fragrance. It was also used to heal wounds, but the most famous of its uses was that it was the principal ingredient in ointments used in embalming mummies in Egypt. At the time of the Savior it was used in Palestine to anoint dead bodies in preparation for burial. Because of all these uses, myrrh was often as valuable ounce per ounce as gold. As a matter of fact, sometimes the price of myrrh rose higher than that of gold. 

The most interesting thing to me, however, is the myrrh bush which has long, spiky thorns which can’t help but remind one of the crown of thorns placed upon the Savior at the time of His death.

Thus myrrh is a symbolic reminder that this little baby would grow to suffer and die for us.

Celebrating Christmas—The Star

How fitting that the Light of the World was introduced to the world by a new star. 

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine being in a dark, dark room 

when suddenly a speck of light appears. 

It is amazing how much hope and love 

even just a tiny bit of light introduces in a dark place.

On that first Christmas, a new star appeared. 

Piercing the darkness, it stood above all nations, 

far above and untouched by anything worldly, 

and like the tiny light in a dark place it brought with it hope, love, and joy

to all who would pay attention. 

It was a visible testimony that the Son of God had at last 

been born to pierce the moral darkness of the world.

But this symbol is more than metaphor. 

Christ is the Light of the World. His light, the light of Christ, 

still shines to guide wise men and women to their promised land,

where they can live forever in a place where there is no darkness but only light.

Lessons From The Font

I love symbolism and am especially captivated by all that can be conveyed by symbols. I saw this picture of the Salt Lake Temple baptismal font as it looked in about 1912 and loved pondering and learning.

The font sits of the backs of 12 oxen. We all know that the twelve oxen represent the 12 tribes of Israel. But why 12 tribes and 12 apostles? The answer is that 12 is the number that represents the priesthood. The next question is why did the Lord require the baptismal font to be placed on oxen. Why not horses or camels or elephants? The answer is that each of the 12 tribes had a symbol that represent the tribe. The tribe of Judah is represented by the lion and the tribe of Benjamin by a wolf, but not all of the tribal symbols were animals. For example, the symbol for the tribe of Zebulon was a ship and for Asher a goblet. But the tribe of Ephraim was an animal—a work beast known to carry heavy burdens—the ox.

Therefore, as we look at a temple baptismal font the message is clear. It is the task of the tribe of Ephraim through the priesthood power to find and bring the 12 tribes of Israel into the covenant through the waters of baptism.

Symbols can teach us so much! Ponder on this a little longer and see what else you learn!