Article December 15, 1986 Issue

A larger view of Christmas

Barbara R. Banks

On Christmas Eve a thick fog descended and covered the countryside. We could not even go out walking to explore our new surroundings. We felt enclosed in a strangely gray and silent world. My mother and I had found ourselves a few days before Christmas in a town in England where we knew no one and were a long way from family and friends. We had been unemployed for several months and were there to start new work. With none of the usual Christmas preparations, it seemed bleak.

But these very circumstances encouraged us to take another step back from the typical holiday festivities and seek to discover more about the true—the spiritual —significance of Christmas. We spent our time reading the much-loved Bible narratives of the Christmas story; also we read what is said about Christmas, as well as some of the passages about the Christ, in the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. In such quiet watchfulness we found it was easier to hear the angels' song, the impartation of divine Mind.

It stayed foggy all Christmas Day and the day after—Boxing Day But the next morning the fog suddenly lifted, the sun shone, and we realized that we had, after all, spent a truly happy Christmas. What had loomed as a trial proved to offer lessons that have never left me.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Poem
Fulfillment
December 15, 1986
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit