Thursday, December 11, 2008

December's Seminary Devotional

It's time for another devotional - already.... I get so excited, Brady gets so excited and also his fellow classmembers, because they get treats!! Here is what Brady is going to say:

For my devotional, I would like to talk about the symbols of Christmas, which are many of the decorations and traditions we have at Christmastime that are there to help us remember Jesus Christ
Tree: Christmas trees are evergreen trees. They do not die in the winter, but stay green all year through. This is a symbol of eternal life. Christ has made it possible for us to live in heaven after we die. Scripture: Moses 1:39. For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man
Lights (small stars) and Star: We often use lights, candles, and stars in our Christmas decorations. These represent the new star that appeared when Christ was born.Scripture: Matthew 2: 9-10. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy
Candy Canes: This candy is made in the shape of a shepherd's staff. The shepherds came to see baby Jesus. Christ is known as the good shepherd. Scriptures: Luke 2:8-9;. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. John 10:11 Jesus said: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Angels: Angels announced Christ's birth to the shepherds. Scripture: Luke 2: 10-11 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Red, White, and Green Ornaments: Christmas colors are symbols of jesus Christ. Red represents the blood of Christ. Green represents eternal life. White represents the purity of Christ (he was perfect). Scriptures: Luke 22:44;.And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 3 Nephi 12:48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
Gifts (to put under the tree): Gifts represent the gifts the wise men brought to the Christ child. Scriptures: Matthew 2:1, 11; 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 1 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. Another symbol of the gifts is the gift of the savior that Heavenly Father gave to the world, in John 3:16. 16 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.
I hope that as we look at all the sites of Christmas, that we will remember what Christmas truly means. Let these symbols remind us that Jesus was the greatest gift given to me and you.

For my treat this time, I have candy cane reindeer, and sugar cookie stars, that will help us remember some of the many symbols of Christmas.
Brady will be giving out Star Sugar cookies.. He will also be giving Reindeer candy canes with this poem attached: You can find the print out for the candy cane book mark here:  (I just print off page 1 of the PDF file.)

The Symbolism of the Candy Cane
Turned upside down,
the cane makes a “J”
for Jesus who was
born on Christmas Day.
Turn it upright like
the Good Shepherd’s staff
who pleads to the
Father on your behalf.
At the top you’ll see
the saving crook,
used on the lost sheep
He never forsook.
The stripes whisper softly
“By his stripes we are healed,”
and the red represents
His blood that was spilled.
The white gives us hope
to become pure as He,
by forsaking our sins,
white as snow they will be.
The peppermint oil
that flavors this treat,
is known for its strong
healing properties.
Now each time you see the
striped candy cane,
remember, dear child,
He knows your name.
by Alana Lee

2 comments:

Scrappy Girl said...

How fun! I enjoyed reading all about the Christmas symbols. When I homeschooled Manga Dork we always studied these. I learned so much while homeschooling!

Those candy cane reindeer are so cute! You are such a great mom and I am sure Brady appreciates your enthusiasm and help with his presentation.

Scrappy Girl said...

My love/hate relationship with my inlaws confuses me too. I am nice and treat them as my own parents/siblings. I am completely fair with our time and gift giving. I do not make a difference AT ALL! They can be SO nice one minute and completely insensitive and frustrating the next. It can drive me nuts! They will be nice and I will start spending more time with them and open myself up to a friendship with them. Then EVERY single time they do something to make me so stressed out and frustrated. For example one year my thing was that I was going to give everyone a birthday party. Cause we all know I LOVE a good party! LOL! Well, it was SO hurtful. For every one of them I could tell you a story of their very ungrateful RUDE actions (from showing up 30 minutes late to acting like a party was "beneath them." One birthday boy even ATE before his party when he knew I was fixing dinner as part of the celebration! By the last birthday my heart was no longer in it, but I did it. Actually this was the same year my birthday was on Thanksgiving...they stuck candles (that they found in MY drawer) in the brownies and sang Happy Bday To Me.
I wish we could be close friends but I think it is best to keep my distance (as much as I can living on the same farm).
The thing with SIL and her sudden Twilight Addiction was just something that really annoyed me...it was not a big deal, but it seems so odd since she was so UN-Twilighty for my bday. It may have been a little immature to let it ruffle my feathers.

Now I have written a novel for you...we are even...actually I LOVE your long comments...I look forward to them.

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