#Lighttheworld

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a new video called The Christ Child: A Nativity.

Take a break from your Hallmark movies and Christmas shopping because it’s worth watching.

Since I learned a few new things from this new depiction of the Nativity story, I decided to post a blog about it in case someone else can learn something new too.

A few things I loved:

• Mary, Joseph and all the people in the story are shown as real human beings — flesh and blood people that really had these sacred experiences. The video shows their humanity. It helps us remember that the Nativity story is not a fictionalized holiday tale but something that actually happened and changed the world.
• Mary and Joseph did not travel alone on a donkey to Bethlehem like most depictions show. They traveled in a caravan of other people and animals.
• The actors speak in Aramaic, the language of the day, which makes it more authentic. (The only downside is I don’t speak or understand Aramaic but I could imagine their tender conversations.)
• Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. They planned to stay with Joseph’s family but because so many other people were also there to pay their taxes, it was very crowded.
• Bethlehem was built on a hillside full of caves and people often built their homes in front of the caves and used the caves for their animals and hay. When Mary went into labor, they were led to the cave behind the home where they were staying so they would have privacy.
• One of my favorite parts is that it shows men, women, and children following the star to see the baby Jesus. Sheepherding was a family business in Israel so families traveled together to see the Christ child. I loved seeing the women gathered around the Christ child.
• Christ was not a baby when the wise man arrived to worship him; he was a toddler. I love the visual of the wise men bowing to this little child, knowing who He was and what his gift would be to the world.
• I loved being reminded of the meaning of the gifts the wise men presented to Jesus. The gift of gold sparkled like the gold used in the temple — the house of God — and it was a symbol of kings. Christ, of course, was the King of Kings.

• Frankincense was a tree resin gathered in south Arabia and it was given because it provided a fragrance like that used in the temple.
• Myrrh also was a tree resin and it was used in the temple to anoint and consecrate the High Priest. Christ was the High Priest that brought eternal light, life and God’s presence from heaven to earth.

The Church has been encouraging us to Light the World this Christmas season with small acts of kindness.

We’re having fun trying to do some of them — along with following through on our own ideas!

If you need some ideas on how to light the world, go here. It’s not too late.

Light someone’s world this Christmas season. You might light up your own world while you’re at it.