Merry Christmas!

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7

Merry Christmas! Today was an awesome day, it felt like it was another Sunday during the week which was nice. It was great to spend time with the Family, which is definitely what Christmas should be about, that, and even more importantly our Savior. Christmas is full of symbolism, my thoughts today dwelt heavily in John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

God gave the greatest gift we could ever hope to receive, his only begotten Son, who would, through his death and resurrection, break the bands of sin and death and redeem all mankind. I am grateful for that gift this Christmas, that in his blood my sins may be washed clean and become white as snow:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
"Surely he hath bourne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
Isaiah 53:3-5

Without him we cannot return to the presence of the Father, and cannot partake in our Eternal Salvation.

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:10

How symbolic it was for the angels to appear to the Shepherds first, for Christ was the greatest Shepherd of all. He who would leave the ninety and nine to find me in the barren wilderness. He is my elder brother, the living and eternal Jesus Christ.

"And also that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and that ye might know of the signs of his coming, to the intent that ye might believe on his name. And if ye believe on his name ye may have a remission of them through his merits."
Helaman 14:12-13