Finding Christ in Christmas

It's the Christmas Season and I love listening to Christmas music in my car. Today was no exception as I headed off to church. It was a great 3 hours worth of meetings, lessons and ultimately... people just talking about Christ and their love for him.

On my way home, I was thinking about what I had just partaken of at church and about my love for the Savior. I wasn't really listening to the music until I stopped at a light and tuned in to this song. Here it is on youtube

Here are the lyrics:
How Many Kings by Downhere

Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl
Just a child
Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn savior
All that we have whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for his honor and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he’ll suffer
Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?
It’s who we’ve waited for

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me

All for me
All for you
All for me
All for you

....

So, yet again, I was in tears listening to these lyrics in the car. Recently, I was reading a talk about the Savior from our church's 2009 Christmas Devotional. Here's a link to it: In summary, it's about "Seeing the Savior"... or "Seeing Christ in Christmas". President Uctdorf describes how the Savior didn't appear as many thought He would when He was here on earth. He was born in a humble stable to a carpenter. He was not given a worldly education. He was not wealthy and didn't hold a political office. He walked among the poor and humble.

Many yearned for the day the Christ would come... but, yet, when He walked among them they were blinded by their interpretation of what He would be... that they missed seeing him. They remained self-righteous and didn't let the Spirit touch their hearts.

As the song states:

"Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl
Just a child
Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?"

I got to thinking... If I had lived here when the Savior was on the earth, would I have been blinded by my own vision of who He was and by my own personal pursuits? And, even today? Do I let the glitz and glamor of the season get in the way of me realizing WHAT I am really celebrating? Do my lips talk of the Savior, but my actions lead to worldly pursuits?

Because, SERIOUSLY:

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

In answer to all of these: None that I can think of...

But ONE

Only one did that for me!!!

All for me
All for you
All for me
All for you!!!!

I am SO GRATEFUL for my elder brother, Savior, and friend. I am so GRATEFUL for those who DID see the Savior for who he was when he lived here on the earth, and that we can read about their journey and experience with him. I am so GRATEFUL that my Savior died for ME so that I could return to him again. I am SO GRATEFUL for the Christmas season every year to take the time to seek "the Lamb of God, the King of Glory, the Everlasting Light of the World, the Great Hope of Mankind, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls!"