As you see to the left I've chosen an image of a Christmas Wreath. The wreath has significant meaning for the season. The circular shape represents Heavenly Father, who is eternal and never ending, and the immortality of the soul. They are traditionally made from evergreens which are the symbol of strength and life, and they represent Jesus Christ.
Today's blog theme is the Christlike attribute of Christian Service. In Matthew 25:40 we read "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
What a powerful motivation for serving others. Service is one way in which we can attempt to repay the Lord for all that he has done for us. As we learn from the scripture above when we serve we are representing Christ himself. When I think about service as it relates to the Christmas story my thoughts turn to Joseph.
Joseph was just an ordinary man who-- in God's design-- got caught up in the most extraordinary events in human history. He wasn't seeking notoriety or a place in history. He was just a regular Joe (pun intended) who wouldn't have suspected that he had the qualifications to be the earthly father to the Son of God.
Joseph wasn't a scholar or prominent member of his community. He certainly lacked the credentials of Zechariah, who was a priest in the temple in Jerusalem. The scriptures tell us that Zechariah and Elizabeth were "righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." That's a stunning endorsement etched in the pages of scripture. It doesn't mean they were perfect, but it does imply that they were sincere in their love of God, and that their obedience to God was motivated out of love for Him.
Not much is known of Joseph before he was thrust into the limelight. We do know that he was an humble and obedient man. It's doubtful that Mary's father would have sanctioned an engagement to his daughter if Joseph was not worthy of her.
Joseph wasn't particularly successful, and certainly not prosperous. He was a tradesman in a rural town. Nazareth was little more than a stop-over on the trade route between much better places and it wasn't held in high regard at the time. In a culture that had clearly-defined socioeconomic separations, Joseph became engaged to a young girl from a poor family. That tells us that his net worth was pretty paltry. If there was a flourishing business in Nazareth, it wasn't Joseph's carpentry shop.
We do know that Joseph was an honorable and just man and attempted to do the right thing. This is evident in his gesture to quietly release Mary from their engagement contract rather than following the tradition of putting her through a public humiliation.
But in Heavenly Father's paradigm, credentials, qualifications, and past accomplishments are basically irrelevant. He is more interested in our attitude about serving Him. And in this category, Joseph was stellar. The scriptures capture the essence of Joseph's heart for God with this single sentence: "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife."
That is exactly what Heavenly Father is looking for. Ordinary people who simply obey when God calls them. Joseph was not asked to assume an easy assignment. But he didn't try to dodge the work by pleading unworthiness or incompetence. He didn't protest or try to negotiate the terms of the task. He didn't suggest the names of others who could do a better job. He simply responded in the manner that God had requested.
What I find humbling when I think about Joseph and his commitment to serving the Lord is that Heavenly Father hasn't changed his tactics in the last two thousand years. He is still looking for ordinary people to be part of His extraordinary plan. He isn't recruiting the best qualified and the most successful candidates. He specializes using obscure people with obedient hearts. People like you mom. Heavenly Father wants to use people who--like Joseph--will wake up and do what He commands. God cares more about our attitude than our aptitude.
I know you read the article in the September Ensign about Senior Missionaries. There is a quote by Elder Holland that I just love and so aptly describes what you are doing mom.
"What greater gift could grandparents give their posterity than to say by deed as well as word, 'In this family we serve missions!"
You have always been a wonderful example to me and my family of service and showing love through your actions and not just your words. As I have already mentioned I am so grateful for the times when you included me in your efforts to serve others, especially at Christmas time.
Service and sharing our blessings with others is something that me and my family have tried to do each year. We try to look for opportunities to serve all through the year but there always seem to be an abundance of opportunities during the holidays.
This year we decided to participate in our local Salvation Army stocking drive. Dane, Lucy and I pooled our resources and filled two stockings for underprivileged children in our community. We had so much fun shopping for little children again. It really helped to take our mind off of our own struggles and to pay forward in some small part the kindness and generosity that has been shown to our family.
I think President Howard W. Hunter summed up Christian and Christmas service best with this quote.
"The Spirit of Christmas is a desire to sacrifice for others, to render service, and to possess a feeling of universal brotherhood. It consists of a willingness to forget what you have done for others, and to remember only what others have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and think only of...your duties in the middle distance, and your chance to do good and aid your fellow-men in the foreground--to see that your fellow-men are just as good as you are, and to try to look behind their faces to their hearts--to close your book of grievances against the universe, and look about you for a place to sow a few seeds of happiness and go your way unobserved."
Til Tomorrow,
Love - Holley
P.S. Here is a little video from our family birthday lunch for Wes and a family picture.
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