Day 12: Santa

I'm actually feeling really sad for this to be the last post in this series. I hope you have all been enjoying this Christmas season. I know it's been one of the most meaningful for me.

More and more as I've written these, I've felt the desire to know what the symbols of Christmas mean to you. I've also discovered how many additional symbols I could have chosen. I hope you don't stop with this series. I hope you continue to learn more about the symbols of Christmas which will ultimately lead you closer to Christ.

With it being Christmas Eve, I thought it fitting to talk about the symbol of Santa. Santa is a loving, kind man, whose only purpose is the happiness of the children of the world. When I think of him, my mind goes to our Father in Heaven. He loved the children of this world so much that He gave His Son. He gave us each a gift we could never obtain for ourselves. He didn't do this for the praise and honor and glory. All of that belongs to Him anyway. He did it because He loves us, and our welfare and happiness is His design and goal.

We write lists to Santa with our wishes, in the same way we pray to our Father in Heaven with the desires of our hearts. Santa grants our wishes if we've been "good". Our Father in Heaven blesses us as we seek after righteousness.

However, unlike Santa Claus, our Father in Heaven is very much a real and tangible part of our lives. The "magic" and "spirit" of Christmas we feel comes from Him and from our Savior. We will one day return home to our Father who created us. We will stand before Him to give an accounting of the use we made of the gift He provided for each of us.

I have so enjoyed being a part of your Christmas in this small way. I hope as you look at the Christmas symbols and decorations, your hearts will turn to our Savior and our Father in Heaven more fully
. The symbols of Christmas are a wonderful way to teach our children more about Christ, in a tangible way they can understand from a very young age. May each of us be full of the spirit of Christmas which comes from the little baby born in Bethlehem. May each of us make room in our hearts and lives for Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

All my love and Merry Christmas! Love, Taryn

Day 11: The Star

“And behold, there shall a new star arise, such as one as ye never have beheld.”

"And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word."

"And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was."

The star of Bethlehem was foretold long before Christ was born. The wise men who came seeking the Christ child had studied and learned to watch for the signs of His coming. As they watched steadfastly they were ready to move quickly when the new star appeared.

What I would ask you to reflect on when you think of the star of Bethlehem is this. Certainly our Father in Heaven could cause the star to appear spontaneously in the heavens.. But we know, from studying the scriptures, that our Father's house is a house of order. Knowing this about His character leads me to believe this exact star and it's life and light, were set in the heavens precisely and exactly where it needed to be so the light of the star would reach our atmosphere at the exact moment needed to announce the coming of The Son of God.

Our Father in Heaven is in the details of our lives. He truly has seen the end from the beginning. He knows how to lead and guide us through this mortal experience. If Heavenly Father was willing to have such attention to detail about one star, imagine the thought He has put into planning the timing of your life. Each element is set up to happen at the perfect time. Our responsibility is to make sure we know the signs and are watching for them. The star was visible in the heavens to thousands of Heavenly Father's children, but only a select few knew what to look for.

The star of Bethlehem led seekers of truth to the Savior of the world. We too have "stars" set in our lives to lead us to that same baby in a manger. We must know what to look for, we must know the signs to follow. As we do, we too will be lead to Him who is the author of our salvation, even Jesus Christ. In His holy name, amen.

Miss a day?
Day 1: The Colors
Day 2: Oh, Christmas Tree
Day 3: Snowflakes
Day 4: Bells
Day 5: Lights
Day 6: Candy Canes
Day 7: Gifts and Bows
Day 8: Angels
Day 9: Shepherds
Day 10: Wise Men

Day 10: Wise Men

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."

It's mistakenly believed that the wise men arrived the night of the Savior's birth. They actually didn't arrive until He was around 2 years old. This is really significant because it shows how long these men had been seeking the Son of God. We don't know exactly when they left "the east", but it must have been a really long journey.

What I love about this story is something we also learn from the shepherds. The visit to see and worship the Savior was brief, they had to quickly leave as Herod was searching for Him as well. But they still left behind what they knew and went to worship and seek out the Christ child.

We too must be like the wise men. We must, at times, travel far to end up where He is. Wherever we start in our life the journey must end with Him. The wise men brought gifts as they fell at His feet and worshiped Him. We too have gifts we can offer. Our time, our agency, our will, our sins, our service. We can submit it all and humbly wait for the direction given.

We too must know the signs to watch for. The wise men knew what the new star they followed meant. It brought them to the Savior, they were prepared and watching. Are we prepared and watching? Yes, there are signs of the times, but there are also signs for our lives. Promptings and direction from the Spirit are constantly available if we have prepared our hearts and minds for those lessons.

May we be like the wise men and seek after the Son of God, and when we find Him, may we offer all we have to Him, our very best gifts. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Day 9: Shepherds

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."

There is so much I want to share about the shepherds. I've had a hard time deciding what to include and what to leave out. First, I want to give you a little background on who these shepherds probably were.  Bible and historical scholars agree that the shepherds residing in Bethlehem would very likely be the shepherds of the temple flock. This special flock birthed and provided the lambs offered in the temple at Jerusalem for sacrifices in similitude of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Have you ever noticed in the story that the angels did not tell the shepherds where to go to find him? They told them He was born in the city of David (Bethlehem, where the shepherds were already abiding) and the only other direction given was that they would find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The angel didn't need to give more direction than this because the shepherds would have known exactly what manger and exactly the location. For the Savior was born in the very place where the lambs were born which were offered in His name.

When these young lambs were born, the shepherds would wrap them in swaddling clothes. This was done to keep them safe, pure and unblemished (requirements needed for an offered lamb). It shows deeper meaning and symbolism that Mary wrapped the Savior in swaddling clothes. She was symbolically the first Shepherd, wrapping the offered Lamb of God to prevent injury and protect purity.

Immediately after the angel's announcement, the scriptures tell us, "And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." They immediately left and came to see the Savior. This is symbolic because at the time of the Savior's birth (which we know from modern day revelation to be in April) the shepherds would have been looking after newborn lambs. It shows they understood how incredible this birth was, for them to leave these lambs which they had given their lives to raise and protect to go find the Savior. What happens next is even more humbling, "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds." These shepherds left the sacrifices of the Law of Moses, and became the first missionaries for the new covenant and law. The Law of Christ.

When we read the Christmas story and come to the account of the shepherds abiding in their fields, I hope our hearts and minds will remember that there is nothing more important than coming to find Christ. It doesn't matter what we leave behind, for coming to Him calls us to the work of proclaiming, along with the shepherds, that we too know the Christ child and to invite others to learn what we know. I testify that I know the Christ child and my life will never be the same because of it. And for that, I am profoundly grateful. In His name, Jesus Christ, amen.

Day 8: Angels

"Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God "

"Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

"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 suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

From the beginning of time, angels have served as the messengers of heaven. The word "angel" actually comes from a Latin and Greek word meaning messenger. I love reading these accounts. The angels in heaven knew these select and elect people, most of the time even using their names and reiterating to them how their Father in Heaven feels about them.

The symbol of angels at Christmas time reminds me that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us and there are promises each of us have made with our Father in Heaven which we must be willing and ready to fulfill. It also reminds us of the divine protection offered to those who seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven.

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

"And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;"

This Christmas, may we join our voices with those angels that first Christmas night in Bethlehem. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Day 7: Gifts and Bows

"It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags." 

The first Christmas morning came just as that Christmas morning came for "the Whos down in Whoville". There were no decorations, there were no presents under the tree. No warm cozy fire to curl up with family and friends. The first Christmas came quietly and simply surrounding a manger in Bethlehem. The first Christmas carolers were the angels from heaven. And the first Christmas gift was a tiny infant, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger by his angel mother. 

It's no surprise that the gifts of Christmas are meant to remind us of the gift Heavenly Father and our Savior gave us. As we celebrate and remember the birth of our Savior, the ultimate gift ever given, do we try and give in a way that would honor His life and His gift? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." As we give gifts in His name, what statements would be said of us? Or do we remember His name and His gift in the giving we do? Do we give of our selves and our lives in the same way He would if He were here?

Often our presents are tied together with a beautiful bow. The bow represents the unity we have through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our hearts and lives should be knit together as God's children. Our lives should be in harmony and tied together with His.

I hope it will be said of me that I so loved my God that I gave Him that which I had to give, my life, to be an instrument in His hand. That I received the gifts He offered me with fullness and gratitude and that all my offerings were done in His name. "Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas.....perhaps..... means a little bit more!" In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Miss a day?
Day 1: The colors 
Day 2: Oh, Christmas tree
Day 3: Snowflakes
Day 4: Bells
Day 5: Lights
Day 6: Candy Canes

Day 6: Candy Canes

When I started my research on the symbols of Christmas, I thought I had candy canes all figured out. I was very happy to be wrong (that may be the only time you hear me say that).

There is a lot of speculation as to how candy canes came to be associated with Christmas, whether the story is true or a legend, we don't know, but it's a fun story to tell either way. "About two hundred-thirty years ago at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, the children who attended church there were very irreverent. They often moved around and would not pay attention to the choirmaster. 

This was especially difficult for the choirmaster when they were supposed to be sitting still for the long living Nativity ceremony. So to keep the children quiet, he gave them a long, white, sugar candy stick. He bent the stick on the end to look like a cane. It was mean to remind the children of the shepherds at Jesus' birth." Over the years more symbolism was attached to the candy cane until it evolved into the symbol we have today. 

The original symbol of the shepherd staff reminds us that Christ is our Shepherd. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Christ will take care of us and feed us and nurture us as our Good Shepherd.

The hardness of the candy reminds us that Christ is the rock of our salvation. "And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence." "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

The white reminds us of the unblemished pure sacrifice He offered on our behalf. The red reminds us of the life He gave that we might live again. Organizing the red and white into stripes reminds us of the stripes He took that we might be spared from the same. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

This Christmas as we enjoy the sweetness of the candy cane. Let us remember the sweetness He offered us through the bitterness of His Atonement. Truly He will lead us and guide us as our Good Shepherd if we will but follow Him. In the holy name of Him who was the shepherd and the lamb of sacrifice, Jesus Christ, Amen.