Dear Sisters,
Each year at Christmastime our minds go to a pilgrimage back to the little town of Bethlehem, which has nestled among the Judean hills for so many centuries. It is wondefully rich in its long and interesting history. It is here that Jacob buried his wife Rachel. Bethlehem is where Ruth gleaned in the wheat fields of Boaz. It was also here that Ruth's great grandson David was born and where he tended the sheep of his father, Jesse. It was here that he was annointed by Samuel to be the king of Israel. This little town finally called itself by the name of its most famous son and was thereafter known as the City of David.
The Old Testament prophet Micah had foretold that one greater than David should also be born in Bethlehem and that the most important event in the history of the world should here take place to distinguish little Bethlehem above all of the great cities of the world. Since the meridian of time, Bethlehem has been remembered primarily as the birthplace of the Savior of all mankind.
For that first Christmas, Mary and Joseph had come some 65 miles from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea in response to the decree of Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed, each in his own city. They arrived in Bethlehem at about the time that Jesus was to be born. And Luke says of Mary, "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)
As we think back to the birth of Jesus, we feel a certain sense of shame and regret that there was no room in the inn for the Savior of the world to be born. It is also a very interesting thought that the King of kings and Lord of lords should be born in a stable. With his Heavenly Father, he had created the earth in the first place, and yet there was no room in it for him to be born. But this fact is something more than an isolated event of interesting significance; it indicates what almost amounts to a theme song for his life. "No room" was one of the chief characteristics of his entire mortal existence. He himself summed up his experiences by saying, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20)
The birth and death of Jesus are now both ancient history. The great Roman Empire has long since become more than a memory. The problems of the religious leaders who brought about his death have long been buried. But Jesus did not give his life for his contemporaries alone; his mission applied with equal significance to us. It was our sins as well as theirs that made him volunteer his own death. What is our attitude about his life?
Many of the doors with which Jesus was familar had the latch only on the inside and could not be opened from without. The door to the heart is still opened from within. The invitation for Jesus to enter our lives must still come from the inside. The door to the heart is not easily broken down by anyone beating upon it from without; the release must be operated from within.
At Christmas time we sing the most beautiful songs and even though he stands at the door of our lives and knocks, not many doors are being opened. Too frequently we merely send back the ancient reply, "No room, no room."
As the spirit of Christmas fills our lives and as we are haunted by the embarrassment of centuries past, we should consider the advisability of making room for him in our own present. If we are too busy to serve God, we are much too busy. If our lives are so filled as to crowd him out, then we should empty our lives and relieve the congestion that threatens to overtake us.
Dear sisters, my Christmas wish is that we may change that ancient Christmas pageant of Bethlehem so that we may really hear the angels' song and make room for the Redeemer of the world in our personal lives. We will be blessed and our families will be blessed beyond measure if we do this. May you be blessed in all of your efforts to serve Him, our Lord and Master, our Savior, the Son of God.
Love,
Sister Sallye Johnston
Stake Relief Society President
