Merry Christmas

Ida was a sweet little Mary in our nativity on Christmas Eve.

A friend gave a talk in our ward last Sunday, which was the only talk in sacrament meeting that day (the rest was music). I absolutely loved her talk and asked her for a copy of it. My favorite thing was her examination of 1 Nephi chapter 11 (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/11?lang=eng), wherein Nephi wants to know the meaning of his father Lehi's vision of the tree of life. Read the whole chapter to get the story--though if you're willing to click over there, you probably already know the story ;)--but for the basic gist I've excerpted some verses below.

My friend pointed out that when Nephi asked the Spirit for "the interpretation" of the tree of life--the answer to which in the end was the love of God--the first image he saw in vision was that of Mary, the mother of Jesus, first alone and then with her holy Son. And it was only then once he saw that image that he connected the concept of the tree of life with the love of God.

I loved this. Mormons don't worship Mary. And I personally don't. We/I worship Jesus and His Father. But I want to know more about Mary. I have always loved Mary, and felt like I especially identified more with her when I was very very pregnant with my own first baby during Christmas. But I realized that the shared experience of pregnancy isn't really what draws me to her. She herself is this amazing and basic symbol of the love of God. Really so is any mother, but especially the mother of the Savior, who raised him. I loved this. Maybe it was already obvious to others but it wasn't to me. And it's right there in 1 Nephi. In my own readings I always noticed that Jesus was there in Nephi's vision as a symbol of love, but I don't think I thought that hard about Mary being the first person Nephi saw. 

My friend talked about many other things which deserve further discussion, but that was how she opened her talk and I just loved it.

Merry Christmas.

 13 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.

 14 And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?

 15 And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.

 16 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?

 17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

 18 And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

 19 And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!

 20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

 21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

 22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.

 23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.