In September Elder David Bednar of the Twelve spoke to Saints in the Preston, England, area and urged them to study the "Five Gospels" (as he put it) and look closely at the way the Lord said and did things. Elder Bednar promised that if the Saints did a serious study in this way they would find a different Lord and Savior than the one they think they know. I can testify to that, and the discovery is not only marvelous and life-changing, but is crucial to our coming to know the Lord Jesus.

Often in the Four Gospels accounts of the Savior's ministry we find Him issuing gentle but firm corrections. These are often prefaced with "Yea, but rather, . . ." or simply, "But . . . ."

This is clear in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5--7) for He is teaching the need to transition from the Law of Moses to His law, the Law of Christ, or from a terrestrial level to celestial.

But more to our point here is when He corrects elsewhere to raise the sights of His disciples to things which they never had supposed. He said through the prophet Isaiah, "For my ways are not your ways, neither are your thoughts my thoughts. . . ." (55:8--9). For instance, look closely at Matthew 12:46--50, where His mother and brothers come along wishing to speak with Him. We would expect, in the natural man, that He is going to accommodate His mother and family. . . . Not so. . . . Look at the first word of verse 48, then follow His words as He refocuses us and realigns.

Also, in Luke 11:27--28, He deflects the praise from His mother toward His . . . well, you have a look for yourself. It is a great moment. I often think of this woman in verse 27 as perhaps the first Catholic, given her emphasis in the words she utters!

Also, in Matthew 19:16--17. Do you see the subtle but firm and clear correction? There are many other examples. He is different from the world's view of Him, and unless we search the scriptures for ourselves we shall just see Him the way the world sees Him,---we'll have only hearsay evidence of Him---and that won't do; we won't know Him. And that will have serious consequences, For "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." We each must come to know Him; our salvation in families depends on it.

That rather lengthy introduction is meant to explain why and where we have placed emphasis in the Christmas story. We get the Christmas story wrong, whether it is the wise men, the shepherds in the field, Mary on the donkey (they were likely too poor to own a donkey), the date of His birth, or the stable scene. Do we get other things wrong about the Savior and His ministry and His gospel? Our point is that we do. We rely on our traditions instead of getting the story right. We see things as we are instead of how they really are.

A quick further illustration: our missionaries report that on occasion they chat with someone at a doorstep as they explain their purpose, and the home owner rejects the message with words like these, "Oh, I have my own church; if Jesus Himself came down and told me to join the Mormon church, I wouldn't do it; I have my own church." I call that Exhibit A in the evidence that natural man, in this fallen world, because of his traditions and comfort zone, is dozy and resistant to what is best for him. Does that describe me on what is vitally important to my family, our well being and salvation? Does it describe you?

Let's give room for an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ: Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: "Joseph [the carpenter] made the decision to sleep in the courtyard with the animals, in the stable if you will, and we cannot think but that there was a divine providence in this. The great God, the Father of us all, intended that His Only Begotten Son should be born in the lowest of circumstances and subject to the most demeaning of surroundings. There, amid the lowing of cattle and the bleating of sheep; there, where the calm of the night was filled with the sounds of braying asses and yelping dogs; there, where the stench of urine and the stink of dung fouled the nostrils of delicate souls; there in a stable the Son of God was born. Why was this night different from all others? Because on it was born He who was different than all others: a God was born."

Elder McConkie echoes the description of the "stable" we saw earlier from President Brigham Young when he spoke of Mary "crawling in her distress among the litter left by the cattle" to give birth to her holy Son. President Young also said, "It is written of the Savior that he descended below all things. If he did, he descended in capacity. I will merely tell you what I believe on this point. I believe that there never was a child born on this earth with any less capacity than dwelt in the child that was born in a manger of his mother Mary . . . that there never was a child that descended lower in capacity, or that knew less" (JD 7:286).

We are all born reduced, or fallen from the ability and capacity we had in the premortal sphere. But Jesus most of all, and He becomes our model and example in all things as a result. This doctrine finds expression in Paul's letter to the Philippians 2:7 where Paul says He "made himself of no reputation . . . ." (see verses 5--8). The Anchor Bible translates that phrase as He "emptied himself." The Lord Jesus, Who is Jehovah, the Creator of the Earth under His Father, the most intelligent and wonderful being in the family of God, emptied Himself of His premortal intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, status, glory, majesty, and capacity, to be born among us in a stable.

Do we get the story, really? . . . In the way it really happened? . . . Do we see our place in it all? . . . He does. Remember, He is the gift. But "what doth it profit a man [or woman] if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. . . . because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:33, 32, emphasis added).

We say here again: the true meaning of Christmas is receiving. . . . Receiving Him. How do we do that? It is as if the Gift comes to us in a locked box, and we need to find the key. . . . What is the key? . . . Well, that is the purpose of the gospel and of the priesthood, and of the temple, and of the Birth and Atonement of the Lord Jesus, the Son of the Living God.

A final thought on how Father feels about all this: "For behold, . . : Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son" (Alma 33:16).

There are probably more gaps in our understanding and appreciation of these sacred things, more holes to be plugged, than we realize. Let's be humble and teachable enough to let Him correct them, to find the Truth in all of it, and discard the error and mere tradition that abounds. "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

"And I will be found of you, saith the Lord . . . ." (Jeremiah 29:13--14).

God bless us all, everyone, to find Him while He can be found.

Steve