Mormon opens a letter to his son about the innocence of children by referring to Jesus as God’s “Holy Child” (Moroni 8:3). This echoes the prayer of the apostles in Jerusalem “that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:30).
There’s something powerful about remembering Jesus as a baby, particularly in light of Mormon’s declaration that “little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin” (Moroni 8:8) and that “little children are alive in Christ” (Moroni 8:12, 22). Jesus was as innocent and guileless as a child throughout His life, of course, but maybe seeing Him in His infant state helps us to remember those childlike attributes more easily. Jesus said that we must “receive the kingdom of God as a little child” (Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17), and Mormon urged parents to “humble themselves as their little children,” with a promise that “they shall all be saved with their little children” (Moroni 8:10).
I wrote yesterday about the Savior’s lowliness of heart. One manifestation of that lowliness was His condition as a newborn infant, lying in a feeding trough, “because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
The Polish Christmas Carol “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly,” with English lyrics by Edith Margaret Gellibrand Reed, emphasizes both of these characteristics of the Savior. It contrasts His modest and vulnerable state as a baby with His eternal identity as “Lord of all.” I hope you enjoy this performance of Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of the carol, as performed by the Tabernacle Choir last Sunday evening:
Today, I will remember Jesus as God’s Holy Child, worthy of emulation because of His innocence and humility. I will strive this Christmas season to emulate the Savior’s perfect holiness and the guilelessness of little children.