“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) The scene is filled with awe-God of worlds without number, Creator and Savior, come to earth as a helpless babe, born in a stable and laid in a manger. There are no words to describe the stunning condescension, but there is a humble word full of layered meaning to describe the motivation: love. From His premortal existence, to His birth; from His walk and ministry on Earth to His atoning sacrifice, the Savior’s entire purpose, His primary characteristic and the sum of all of His wondrous acts is love.
Beginning even before that holy night, He would show us in every way that His and the Father’s love are all encompassing, everlasting and unchanging. His life as a mortal, including His birth, demonstrates His dedication to truly see and understand our experience; His ability to aid, comfort and relieve us in our infirmities. Christmas reminds us that his (and HE) is an offering, born of love, to know, to teach, to heal, to rescue, to carry, to reconcile, to save. It is that spirit of love that envelops our season of celebration and fills our hearts with a wonder and gratitude that create the real magic of Christmas. The image of a baby in a manger, or in a young mother’s arms, manifest all of these truths in a breathtaking moment of pure love.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16) and “for unto you is born this day, in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11) are the intertwined ‘good tidings of great joy’ that forever illustrate the depth and breadth and eternal nature of that love for each of us.
