The Handmaid of the Lord....

Courtesy of KSL

It is Christmas time.  I am sure that I have been just as busy as the rest of you. I made the mistake of going to Costco today....in the afternoon....with all the craziness.  I found that I had to exercise great patience with people who would just stop in the middle of the aisle and were totally oblivious to the many people lined up behind them trying to get by.  I tried to be courteous..."Excuse me, can I get around you please"...but I was muttering under my breath....'don't block the aisles please....please do not block the aisles.....you're going to block the aisle and trap all of us if you do that".  I decided I wasn't carrying any type of Christmas Spirit as I was being the muttering fool.  So, I went home.

I did some housekeeping duties, went out to dinner with my husband and some wonderful Young Single Adults from our Ward, and then came home.  I am supposed to teach a lesson tomorrow during our Relief Society Meeting (Adult women's Sunday Meeting).  I am going to teach the lesson on what an elect woman Mary was.  As I have looked into what a remarkable young woman she was, I have decided to share some of the things I have learned with you.

Selected in the Pre-mortal life...

"...Mary and Joseph were selected in those ancient councils by the Father to be the earthly guardians of Jesus. Mary was given the unique privilege and responsibility of bringing the great Jehovah into the world, in which he would obtain a body of flesh and bones, experience mortality, and continue his mission for the redemption of mankind." (Robert J Matthews)

Reference to Mary in the Scriptures....

Over time, the scriptures foretold of Mary beginning in the Old Testament:  

The Old Testament:  Isaiah 700 BC:  Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isa. 7:14.) The New Testament identifies this as a prophecy referring to Mary and the birth of Jesus. (See Matt. 1:22–23.)

The Book of Mormon:  Nephi 600 BC: “… I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.

“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: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

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

“And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!” (1 Ne. 11:13–15, 18, 20–21.)

King Benjamin 124 years:  the Redeemer should “be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.” (Mosiah 3:8.)

Alma 80 years: “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.” (Alma 7:10.)

(Timeline courtesy of Robert J Matthews).

Royal Lineage:

Maybe you are more informed than I am, but I always thought that any lineage associated with the Mortal Savior would have been through Joseph.  So not! Mary was of the Royal line of David.  

Since Jesus was not begotten by mortal man, his descent from David would, by necessity, be through his mother. Thus, when Mary came to earth, she was born into that royal lineage so she could transmit it to her son Jesus. That Mary was of Davidic descent is plainly set forth in the scriptures. Jesus was frequently addressed as “Son of David”; he did not disclaim that title. (Robert J Matthews)

Joseph was also royalty and Jesus inherited the royal line through Joseph as well. 

“Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 87.)

Being where we should be...

I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Mary to be informed that she was to be the mortal mother of the Savior. She too had experienced 'the veil' of forgetfulness when she was born, but must have been taught and trained by loving parents to prepare her for such a moment.  

The Angel Gabriel...

“… Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women … for thou hast found favour with God.
“And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
“And he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
“And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:28–33.)

So, I offer this wonderful Video for you to see.  The miracle of Christmas began long before the birth of the Savior.  It began in the pre-mortal existence where Mary was most likely selected to be the Mother of the Savior of the world.  She lived her life in such a way, that she was in a position to have this great opportunity.

I think that when I go back to Costco in a few days (and yes I have too, they only had half of my order), I will try to remember where I came from and where everyone else in that giant store came from in their Pre-mortal life.  I will do my best to remember that these were the valiant and good who were saved to come forth to the earth at this time.  I will be prepared to to be more patient, smile, and offer a "Merry Christmas" to people that I do not know.

Being prepared isn't just the 'stuff' or temporal preparation, it is primarily the Spiritual Preparation.  I need to put myself in the right place, mindset, and position to be worthy of the tremendous blessings that I have been given.

Let me offer this early "Merry Christmas" to you all!