Article December 24, 1955 Issue

THE GIFT ETERNAL

VIVA L. BESSE

"Christmas Gift" is a phrase heard and seen many times during the month of December in private and public places throughout the Christian world. To many, it brings thoughts of childhood happiness, loving home ties, and the like. To others, it brings thoughts of sadness for lost opportunities and of separation from loved ones who have gone on or who are on distant shores.

Generally speaking, however, the phrase "Christmas gift" stirs one to a desire to express more of love, charitableness, kindness, and consideration for his fellow men. This is well. Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, says in "Miscellaneous Writings (p. 127), "Wise sayings and garrulous talk may fall to the ground, rather than on the ear or heart of the hearer; but a tender sentiment felt, or a kind word spoken, at the right moment, is never wasted." She adds in the same paragraph, "The human heart, like a feather bed. needs often to be stirred, sometimes roughly, and given a variety of turns, else it grows hard and uncomfortable whereon to repose."

To the student of Christian Science, Christmas is more than a material gift day and a material celebration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Way-shower. At this time the student looks deep into reality and rejoices that Christ Jesus, through his knowledge of his true selfhood as inseparable from God, was able to present to all mankind the spiritual legacy of Christ, Truth. This is the gift eternal and priceless. This is the gift spoken of by James (1:17), "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning," This is the proof of God's love for his spiritual idea, man, and is expressed in terms of health, abundance of good, peace, harmony, and life eternal.

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