This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson points out a stark contrast in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. After the shepherds visited the stable, they wanted everyone to know what they had seen. Luke says, “They made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child” (Luke 2:17). Meanwhile, Jesus’s mother, Mary, “kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
The enthusiasm is understandable, and so is the introspection. Of course we want to share good news, and of course we want to some time to think it through, to really understand it.
The lesson manual suggests that we do both:
Perhaps it would be good to follow Mary’s example this Christmas: to ponder in your heart the things you have learned about the Savior this year. How did He fulfill His mission of redemption in the accounts you have read? And more important, how has His mission changed your life? Then you might feel inspired to follow the example of the shepherds: how will you make it “known abroad” what Jesus Christ has done for you?
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023, “December 18–24. Christmas: ‘Good Tidings of Great Joy‘”
Here are my thoughts:
- After hearing his father teach, Nephi wanted to understand the gospel better. He saw a glorious vision as he “sat pondering in [his] heart” (1 Nephi 11:1). This week, I will find time to be alone with no distractions and to think about the impact of the Savior on my life.
- After spending a day with Jesus, and knowing that He was to return the following day, “it was noised abroad among the people immediately, before it was yet dark, that the multitude had seen Jesus.” This communication continued throughout the night. (See 3 Nephi 20:2-3.) I imagine these people desperately wanting their loved ones to see what they had seen and to feel what they had felt. This week, I will invite other people to participate in activities which will bring them closer to the Savior.
Sharing and meditating: there’s time for both. This week, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, I’ll find joy in sharing the gospel with others and in quietly contemplating the gospel alone.