Stories behind the story

Kim Shippey, Senior Editor

Stephanie Paulsell, who teaches at Harvard Divinity School, once wrote that when the first candle is lit and the voices of Advent sing out across the church, “Wake up! It’s time to begin again!” it feels like the most graceful invitation she’s ever heard. She describes this as a “fresh opportunity to become the people God intends us to be” (Christian Century, December 1, 2009).

I feel pretty much the same when I hear the strains of “I love to tell the story” (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 414), the theme we’ve adopted for this Christmas issue of the Sentinel. (Letters housed in The Mary Baker Eddy Library confirm that this was one of Mrs. Eddy’s favorites.)

The writers in this issue assure us that the story of the Nativity is alive and well, and bursting to be retold. In our lead article, Maryl Walters makes the point that while it’s a narrative central to Christianity, its essence embraces all: “It’s the story of God loving all of God’s children no matter where they are or how they worship” (p. 7).

A poem by Kay Weed, titled “What it doesn’t say,” poses some thought-provoking questions about the story behind the story (p. 15), while Suzanne Connolly tells us how the story lifted her out of what had looked like a bleak and joyless Christmas Day without her family (p. 12).

There are several other special features in this issue, including kids’ and teens’ pages, a Spiritual Lens that came to us from London, and lots of healings. And in keeping with Sentinel tradition, we share Mrs. Eddy’s thoughts on this time of year (p. 17). This is what Christmas means to us, too!

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