"Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room" ("Joy to the World" - Hymn No. 201)

One of the aspects of the Savior's birth which too often is left unmentioned is the tremendous amount of preparation and anticipation which accompanied it. From the moment Jehovah declared "Here am I, send me" eternity and all the spirits in it had been preparing for a certain night. This holiest of nights very easily could have gone unnoticed by one not seeking for the signs which accompanied it. To those more prepared however it could only be responded to with shouts of joy and prayers of thanksgiving. The sacred preparation associated with this night was begun by the child himself when, in a premortal council, he lovingly offered himself as the great and last sacrifice on behalf of a yet uncreated world which would quickly develop a desperate need for redemption. As the first man and woman of this new world Adam and Eve prepared in their own way by opening the door to mortality for all who would be sent to this earth by bearing children and raising them to the Lord in righteousness. Hosts of prophets prepared by teaching, testifying and prophesying of this child and this very night many thousands of years before it occurred.

On the night of The Messiah's birth this pattern of preparation became even more urgent and literal as a fallen world quaked in anticipation of its Creator's arrival. A virtuous mother prepared not only for the physical burden of bringing a child into the world but also for the spiritual and emotional burden of teaching the Redeemer and caring for a son who would become her Savior. A mortal father, who is too often overlooked in this story, urgently sought to prepare a place worthy to receive the Prince of Peace into mortality but who surely must have felt his throat tighten in panic as his attempts proved vain. In the heavens above our Heavenly Father, whom this newborn babe always sought to serve, prepared to place a new star in the sky as a testament to all that the Light of the World had come to conquer the world of darkness. High above the pastoral scenes below a multitude of angelic hosts prepared with baited breath to exclaim the most joyous of all announcements "Glory to God in the highest! And on earth, peace, good will toward men." After such a wonderful declaration had been received a group of shepherds needed very little preparation to rush to the cradle of their king as they had already spent a lifetime in anticipation of this moment. Wise men, likewise, had been preparing for this moment with eyes trained on the sky in search of a promised sign and lost no time in beginning a long and dangerous journey to see the King of kings. Far removed from these scenes in Jerusalem a group of Nephite believers prepared for the death their enemies had decreed on them then felt the relief only the presence of The Savior can provide as a night without darkness provided renewed hope not only for eventually spiritual deliverance but for a very immediate physical deliverance from a martyr's death.

But what about you and me? Where were we among all these scenes of preparation and celebration? I did not stare at the night sky in reverent awe as a new star was hung there. I did not watch a young couple's plight as even before he had taken his first breath in mortality their child was "hated and cast out in the house of [His] friends." Nor did you and I travel through the desert with kings from the east or kneel in worship among a group of lowly shepherds. Surely we were among the multitude of heavenly hosts. Undoubtedly we watched all of this unfold from behind the veil in reverence and joy. Nonetheless, we were not physically present on that quiet night in Bethlehem. On that night of wondering awe we were not given the opportunity to extend a vessel of frankincense or see the fear of shepherds turn into joy. Rather, our contribution to these sacred preparations must occur in retrospect. Our opportunity during this modern Christmas season is not only to celebrate that the Savior Jesus Christ was born but that death could not hold him and that he still lives today.

During the Christmas season the world is more collectively focused on Jesus Christ than at any other time or at any other season. Though it is never easy to be a disciple, it becomes a more broadly sought after goal for these few weeks. Men, women and children seem for a time to hear the Master command them to "come forth" and allow themselves to be raised from the spiritual stupor they are trapped in. However, Christmas will be over all too soon and the cloud of darkness which seemed in abeyance for a time will return. Our opportunity and the 21st century preparation we may choose to complete this Christmas season is to become a disciple whose discipleship is not dependent on seasons or dates. One who follows the Master in December because we will always follow the Savior. One who exclaims "Glory to God in the highest" in August as readily as in December. One who "comes and adores on bended knee" during the heat of summer as well as the chill of winter. One who chooses to be anchored to the Savior of the World "at all times and in all seasons and in all places [they] may be in even until death." This is our modern preparation.

My hope is that we are already the type of disciples I have just described. If we are not, my invitation and plea at the onset of this Christmas season is that we will use this sacred time of year to become such a disciple. I pray we will use the music and gatherings, the symbols and gifts, as tools to solidify our devotion in such a way it will remain and grow stronger when such fleeting things are removed.

My prayer is that when January arrives and another Christmas season fades into our memories we will look back on these next four weeks and proclaim with the ancient apostles "Did not our hearts burn within us?"

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.