New Testament Assignment

In my new testament class we had an assignment with various options to share what we had learned and one was to post it to our blog. This is what I learned from this assignment.

Choice 4: Luke 1:39–45; 2:8–38; Matthew 2:1–18. Others Who Learned of the Birth of Jesus Christ

1. Fill in the chart below as you study the scriptures indicated:

Who	How they learned about the Savior	What they knew about the Savior	What they did with their knowledge
Elisabeth (Luke 1:39-45)	Mary came to visit her and when she heard Mary's voice John leaped inside her womb	She knew that he was her Lord.	She had Mary Stay with her for several months. She also raised a son that prepared the way for the savior.
Shepherds (Luke 2:8-18)	An angel appeared to them as well as a heavenly choir.	They knew he was a savior and that he was their Lord.	They HASTENED to go see him and be allowed to meet him.
Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)	The Holy Ghost revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Savior.	He knew that Jesus was his salvation and that the Lord had prepared him before the face of all people. that he was a light unto the gentiles.	He told everyone around him of the miracle of Jesus and who the child was.
Anna (Luke 2:36-38)	She was a prophetess who spent her time at the temple.	She knew similar things to what Simeon knew	She told the people who looked for redemption to look to Christ.
Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12)	They saw a new star and knew that it was meant for the king of the Jews. They know because of the writings of the prophets.	They knew that he would be the ruler of the people of Israel and the savior	They brought him gifts and they saved his life by listening to a prompting to not return to Herod.
Herod (Matthew 2:1-18)	He found out about Jesus from the Wise men, the chief priests and the scribes	He worried that Jesus would take over as ruler of his people/land	He tried to have Jesus killed and instead killed all the other male children around that age.
Chief Priests (Matthew 2:1-6)	They knew because of the scriptures	They knew that he was in Bethlehem and that he would be a governor to rule the people of Israel.	They told Herod a general place to look for the savior.
Nephites (3 Nephi 1:12-22)	They knew because the prophets had told them.	They knew he was was the savior and when he was supposed to be born	The bad guys fell to the ground because their plans had been frustrated.

2. Write a response to the question: What do I know about the Savior, how have ​I learned it, and what am I doing with what I know?
1. I have learned many things about the Savior from my experience growing up in the Gospel. I recently had a crisis of faith where everything I had believed and been taught came into question. I honestly wasn't even sure if I believed there was a God. I had to start at Ground Zero to rebuild my testimony. So when I tell you what I know of the savior it will be in reference to everything I know about him NOW, rather than before. I know that he is real. I know that his atonement is real. I know that he cares about me and that he has suffered every pain I have suffered so that I wouldn't have to feel alone. I know that his atonement covers sin as well. I know that Grace is so real that it is actually tangible to me. I know that the entire reason we were sent a savior is because God knew we would make mistake after mistake that would disqualify us to return into his presence, so they sent us savior to make it possible for us to repent of our sins. Everything I know about the savior since that crisis of faith, I know because I have spent months and months praying and searching my soul to know what truth was. I have had to literally fight for every inch gained on my testimony, and I don't claim to know things I am still uncertain about, but I know that the atonement is real and accessible.....maybe even more accessible than we typically make it seem. I believe that Christ is standing on the other side of the door BEGGING us to let him in so he can heal us and cleanse us. I am teaching my children what I know. They are growing up without a father in their lives through no fault of their own and that is BOUND to leave scars. I need them to understand how real the power of the atonement is. The only way I was able to forgive their father for abandoning us, and primarily them was the knowledge that the savior has the power to heal their eventual broken hearts and it is MY job to teach them how to access that miraculous power of the atonement.