If it's OK with you, we'll leave the Little Town of Bethlehem and Mary and Joseph for today and see what has been happening on the other side of the world.
I hope you all realize that the purpose for the Book of Mormon, that record of the Lord's dealings with the people on the Western continents, is to help convince everyone that "Jesus is the Christ (we talked about that a bit yesterday), the Eternal Father manifesting himself unto all nations...". While we have been following Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds and all in the Holy Land there has been trouble in the New World. Nephi had been teaching the people about the Savior and trying to get them to change and repent. Samuel the Lamanite came to the Nephites and prophesied about the coming of the Savior and also called for repentance and returning to the Lord. He was actually with them for some time before they drove him out. He was prompted to return, and that was when he gave his great sermon on the wall. He told the people that not five years should pass before the Son of Man came to earth. He also told them of a new star and of a day, a night, and a day without darkness at the time of his birth. Then Samuel left without further record of him.
Nephi continued his enduring work to try to get the Nephites to repent and come to the Lord, but didn't have great success. Satan stirred up the hearts of the people to the point of those in charge issuing an edict that all the believers would be killed on a certain day if the signs of the Savior's birth had not happened. As the fateful day approached, Nephi "..bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers. And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the lord all that day: and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, an on this night shall the sign be given , and on the morrow come I int the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. Behold, I come unto my own...to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son..."
And, what do you know-the next day it did not get dark at sundown, and there appeared a new star, just as had been prophesied. The people were astonished and many unbelievers fell to the earth. Everyone began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear. "And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets."
Now you might think that all the people had mighty heart changes because of these signs, right? Well, they did, most of them. For a time. Withing four or five years the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven", leading to hardening hearts.
OK-this has taken too long to get to the point. Signs and wonders from Heaven don't guarantee our faithfulness in following The Good Shepherd. In the Holy Land and the New World both, people who had seen miracles and prophecies fulfilled....forgot. And wandered on other paths.
Two suggestions from Mary and Shepherds. When we see God's hand in our lives, let us ponder these things in our hearts, and, let others know of the wonderful things we see hear and feel. Maybe especially at Christmas.
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