Article December 24, 1932 Issue

The Coming of the Christ

ARTHUR L. SLATER

The recurring Christmas season presents a blessed occasion wherein one not only may celebrate the coming to earth of Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, but also may take the measure of his own receptiveness and devotion to Christ, Truth, and of the extent to which he is demonstrating the truth. Christmas commemorates the birth of the human child, Jesus; but the Christ, the spiritual idea of Truth and Love, is ever present, and comes hourly and continually to all whose hearts are open to receive it.

In the Preface to "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. vii) Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, refers to "the Bethlehem babe" as "the human herald of Christ, Truth;" and later in the same volume she writes (p. 333): "The advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked the first century of the Christian era, but the Christ is without beginning of years or end of days. Throughout all generations both before and after the Christian era, the Christ, as the spiritual idea,—the reflection of God,—has come with some measure of power and grace to all prepared to receive Christ, Truth."

It is this ever present Christ which is saying, in the words of the Revelator, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Were the human consciousness to be instantly and completely emptied of all erroneous beliefs, then Christ, Truth, would be found to be filling that consciousness with the fullest "measure of power and grace." Salvation from material belief, however, is worked out, or recognized, by degrees; and thus it is that the first appearing of Truth in human consciousness may be likened to a spiritual birth; for so appears the Christ to the individual consciousness. Even though at first its appearing may be but so faintly developed as to be hardly recognized, the true idea is nevertheless the offspring of our Father-Mother God, having the heritage of infinite power. The time and manner of Truth's appearing no one can foretell, but the effect of its coming is always to bless and heal. Should we not, indeed, cherish the divine idea, which comes to take away not only the sins of the world, but also the sicknesses, the griefs, the poverty, the fears, and all the errors of human thought?

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