Lesson for December 1, 2013

December 1, 2013 Today our lesson was given by Paige Gibson on the “Symbols of Christmas.” Paige loves to see symbols and see that they have a deeper meaning and Christmas has many symbols. Symbols don’t just have one meaning. They can be specific to you. She found that many Christmas symbols originated in pagan beliefs. She believes that God came before pagans and gave us symbols to remind us of his gospel and the pagans just caught onto His meaning. Moses 6:63 talks about how all things have been created to bear record of God—everything. So we should look beyond what pagans said and see God in everything. Paige wanted all of us to tell what we see in Christmas symbols. First are the colors—red and green and white, silver, and gold. Red represents the blood of Christ. We are fortunate to have the sacrament every Sunday. D&C 76:69 tells that the just men who are made perfect through the atonement and blood of Christ. Green symbolizes life—eternal life. Moses 1:39 tells about God’s purpose being our eternal life. White is often a symbol of purity, as Christ was pure and perfect. Snowflakes is that we are all individuals and our souls are worth having Christ die for us. Another symbol is gifts like the Magi gave to Jesus and that God gave Jesus to us. John 3:16—God gave his only Begotten Son to the world. Jesus did not give material things, but eyes to the blind, legs to the lame, light in darkness, and his service and his life. We should give as Jesus gave. Even Santa Claus and his good attributes can help us see that the Spirit of giving is important. President Faust said that Santa Claus is a symbol of joy, giving, and childlike—attributes we should have—just like the Savior. One sister said her grandson prayed in thanks for Santa Claus, but to give him a bigger budget. However, he said that Jesus is the real reason for Christmas. You can remind your kids of the wise men and how they are the ones who brought gifts. Another symbol is light. It symbolizes the light of Christ, the star of Bethlehem. So many scriptures about light. Helaman 3 when Samuel the Lamanite told the Nephites about the day and a night and a day of light. 3 Nephi 9:18 tells about when the Savior had been crucified and the people in darkness heard His voice, saying He is the light of the world. Lots of scriptures about us letting our light shine and having hope. Candy canes have the colors of Christmas and the shepherds’ crook. The rod that shepherds used was to beat off predators and guide us. So the crook guides us and helps us go the right way. The atonement helps us overcome problems. Other symbols are shepherds, who are humble, work hard, guide their sheep and they know their shepherd and follow them through gentleness. They were the first to hear about Jesus, not the kings. The wise men are symbols of giving and they were kings, but they were steadfast in looking for Christ and rejoiced to find Jesus. There are lots of important symbols in the nativity, including the baby Jesus. First and foremost there was a little family with a baby—in purity, faith, and hope. Except you become as a little child, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Christmas is for children. Our greatest symbol should be our life as it reflects like a mirror how we live like Christ.