Because He was born.

So grateful that I was able to have two Christmas-oriented sacrament meetings! My YSA ward last week, and my home ward this week. Both were absolutely beautiful meetings. So grateful for the power of music, and for the testimonies that were shared through the messages of the words sung today, as well as the Spirit that was felt throughout the whole meeting.

I would like to talk about Christ today, since this Friday is Christmas!! I can't believe it! It feels like I just started college, even though I literally just finished it on Friday. It's been a busy semester, and this month has been especially busy as I tried to balance school, work, and thinking about Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.

Jesus Christ was born in the humblest of places: He was born in a stable in Bethlehem. His first bed was a manger filled with hay/straw. His birth is the reason that we celebrate Christmas but Christmas is a time to remember the birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Last year, I found this quote that I love by Elder Holland:

“You can’t separate Bethlehem from Gethsemane or the hasty flight into Egypt from the slow journey to the summit of Calvary. It’s of one piece. It is a single plan. It considers ‘the fall and rising again of many in Israel’ [Luke 2:34], but always in that order. Christmas is joyful not because it is a season or decade or lifetime without pain and privation, but precisely because life does hold those moments for us." ~Jeffrey R. Holland ("Shepherds, Why this Jubilee?" 2000)

I love this quote. His birth and His Atonement are intertwined. They're part of the same plan. Because He was born, He was able to live a perfect life and be the perfect example to us. Because He was born, He was able to save us. Because He was born, He was able to die for us. Because He was born, He was able to be resurrected after His death. Because He was born, we can live again.

Christmas isn't just about His birth.

“You can’t separate Bethlehem from Gethsemane or the hasty flight into Egypt from the slow journey to the summit of Calvary. It’s of one piece. It is a single plan. It considers ‘the fall and rising again of many in Israel’ [Luke 2:34], but always in that order. Christmas is joyful not because it is a season or decade or lifetime without pain and privation, but precisely because life does hold those moments for us." ~Jeffrey R. Holland ("Shepherds, Why this Jubilee?" 2000)

I love this quote! Christmas isn't just about His birth, it is also about His life, and His Atonement. They're not separate plans; they are one and the same. Without His birth, there would have been no Atonement, and no example to look up to. They are interwoven events that can never be untangled. He agreed to come to Earth so that He could lead us by His example and so that He could save us with the Atonement because He loves us so much.