[RST] Faith, Hope and Charity at Christmas

At this Christmas time I’ve been reflecting on the key characters in the Christmas story, and how faith, hope and charity are central to their actions and motivations.

Think first of Mary: what faith she must have had to accept God’s trust in her, saying “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word”. Did she anticipate the trials that would come, such as the probable innuendoes associated with her pregnancy, the flight into Egypt, the worry when the 12 year old Jesus went missing, and his criminals’ death. Yet she said “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Do we have faith that God trusts us to fulfil our callings? Do we have the charity to love those entrusted to our care?

Joseph, too, had divine revelation about his calling but not before he had shown charity in his treatment of Mary. His faith, too, was sufficient to accept the further revelation to abandon his home and his livelihood and flee to Egypt. Do we have the charity to be slow to judge and condemn? Do we have the faith that God might know the best path for us?

The shepherds, humble and ready to accept word of the coming of the Christ, understood the significance of the angelic message to such a degree that “they came with haste”. Do we have the faith to abandon our fields and flocks and “come with haste” in seeking the Saviour? Do we hope, as the shepherds must have done, that the babe in the manger can redeem us?

The wise men were seekers, for they knew the sign that was the portent of the Saviour’s birth, and had the faith to make what appears to have been a long journey. Their love and desire to worship the newborn king caused them to bring precious gifts, and then, as they headed homeward, they heeded the revelation that warned them of Herod’s duplicity. Do we have faith to anticipate the Saviour’s second coming, and to heed the warnings of our times? Do we have the charity – the pure love of Christ – to offer Him the gift of a broken heart and a contrite spirit?

The innkeeper is the enigma in the story (so much so that he isn’t actually mentioned in the New Testament, despite being included in so many retellings). For him there are only unanswered questions. Did he really do all that he could to find room for the holy family? Was he the one who managed to locate a stable for them? Did he know just how important these potential guests were, and would that have made a difference to his actions? We do not know his role in the story, but we are the protagonists in our own stories and we get to choose the nature of our relationship with the Lord. Do we have the faith to make room for Him? Do we have the charity to share with those in need? Do we have hope that we will be blessed for our efforts, no matter how seemingly trivial they may be?

At this Christmas season, may we be filled with faith, hope and charity, that we may draw nearer to our Saviour and feel His love for us and accept the gifts He offers.

Note: The Relief Society Thoughts posts are reprints of little mini-sermon/parable/homily-thingies that I’ve been writing for the women in my Relief Society group at Church. I write them when inspiration strikes and email them out as well as posting them to our facebook page. I thought I’d add them to my blog as well. You can find others by clicking on the “Relief Society Thoughts” category label, in the grey box at the end of this post, and the most recent of the thoughts should have a list of all the posts by title at the end. Previous posts are:

Charity and hebe (Oct 2014)
Getting our priorities straight: Mary, Martha and us (Sep 2014)
The stinging nettles in my garden (Aug 2014)
The black Sunday shoes (Jul 2014)
An unspectacular sunset (Jul 2014)
On not doing ALL the things (Jun 2014)
Gulp! I didn’t see that coming (Mar 2014, which sort of explains the job of “Relief Society President”)