The 'miracle of Christmas' continues
The wonderful message of Christmas is that God, divine Love, is here, now, present for every one of us to experience. And the greatest illustration of this Love is the life of Christ Jesus.
Jesus embodied the divine, devoting himself to sharing with humanity the deepest love possible. We could say it’s a miracle that this happened—it’s as if a bird came underwater to teach fish to fly. Like the lives of birds and fish, spiritual life and material life do not particularly relate. The Gospel of John describes this incompatibility as light relating to darkness: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5 ). Spiritual life relates to divine Spirit; to the expression of spiritual qualities of God such as wisdom, purpose, and love. Material life is about the notion that all is matter. Christmas commemorates the fact that into this apparently material experience came the message and proof, and impetus for us all to prove, that life is really Spirit.
Jesus came into the world without material conception, but as a result of Mary’s communion with God. Later, Jesus would overcome death and then ascend, or spiritually rise above earthly life. He beheld spiritual life where humanity saw material existence. Right where there appeared to be limited lives, Jesus saw expressions of God’s love and goodness—and the effect was to revolutionize the human story.
The healings and wonders that the Bible records before Jesus’ time indicated something of spiritual reality. But through Jesus’ magnificent acts, this reality was most convincingly displayed and taught so that all of us could demonstrate it ourselves. On this subject, Mary Baker Eddy explained: “ ‘The Word was made flesh.’ Divine Truth must be known by its effects on the body as well as on the mind, before the Science of being can be demonstrated. Hence its embodiment in the incarnate Jesus,—that life-link forming the connection through which the real reaches the unreal, Soul rebukes sense, and Truth destroys error” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 350 ).
Jesus’ life provided us the bridge between two opposing views of the world, leading the way from material consciousness to the glory of spiritual reality. But this wonderful story didn’t end 2,000 years ago—because Jesus’ example extends far beyond his human life. Jesus embodied and demonstrated the spiritual laws of perfection that God, through His Christ, was bringing to humanity’s thought. The impact was felt around the globe. A new definition of life—of men and women and everything—was reverberating in human consciousness.
St. Paul said: “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 5:16–18 .)
All things become new. That true definition of life is still today enabling a reconciliation with God, the divine Principle of the universe. The miracle of Christmas continues, long after Jesus’ departure, and we witness this miracle through modern-day spiritual healings and wonders.
Where there appeared to be limited lives, Jesus saw expressions of God's love and goodness—and the effect was revolutionary.
As miraculous as it can sound, anyone can grasp the reality of Life constituted of the divine Spirit—and can literally experience that reality, in increasing degrees, through the healings that follow. Spiritual truth can be demonstrated right where a material experience appears to be, because the Christ comes to bear on our lives now, not just in some hereafter. A little more of God’s spiritual idea of life is introduced to humanity with each healing we have. If we’re watching for this, it will certainly happen.
Several Decembers ago, I witnessed something along this line. I was working in Italy and living with a family who gave me room and board in exchange for help with their English. One morning, we bundled up to go Christmas shopping and went out to the car in the driveway. There, we came across a bird lying flat and motionless on the ground.
The family prepared to bury the bird. But while I stood there waiting for them to return, it occurred to me that what I saw lying on the ground was not the reality of the bird. It was only what the material senses told of the bird. The actual bird was a spiritual idea that was soaring and singing—that was what it was created to do. Furthermore, that was the reality of the bird, which God was maintaining for us right where we were, even though our physical senses denied it.
The family soon returned with a shovel. But before they could scoop up the bird, it stood up and flew off.
“Miracolo,” they all said. And I knew just how they felt. I recall having goose bumps all over.
I can’t say how much impact my inspiration had on that bird, or how much the experience could be compared to the wonderful events shared in the Bible—but I know something special took place. It was the experience of appreciating something of spiritual reality, while still having what appeared to be an experience in matter. And since that moment, Christmas has more and more meant to me this embrace of the spiritual idea of life, and of the effects that come from it.
Mary Baker Eddy writes: “Let the sentinels of Zion’s watch-towers shout once again, ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.’
“In different ages the divine idea assumes different forms, according to humanity’s needs. In this age it assumes, more intelligently than ever before, the form of Christian healing. This is the babe we are to cherish” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 370 ).
God’s child, or the spiritual idea of Him, appears to us today through Christian healing. There’s nothing like it. There’s nothing more profound or revolutionary. Human reasoning will quickly go along with the glory of things working out harmoniously, like a safe and pleasant trip during the holidays. But changes to body and behavior that follow from spiritualized thought are life-shaking awakenings to spiritual reality. If we want to be a part of that reality—of the divine Spirit appearing to humanity—we can find it right now in the “miracle” of spiritual healing.
There’s at least one other important point here: Spiritual healing really isn’t miraculous. Spiritual healing doesn’t defy God’s laws or the fundamentals of the universe. In fact, it is in perfect accord with God’s laws. Eddy defines miracle as: “That which is divinely natural, but must be learned humanly; a phenomenon of Science” (Science and Health, p. 591 ). So spiritual healing is natural, if we take the view that the material sense of our universe is ultimately an illusion. The perfect, spiritual man or woman is already the established essence of life, so it shouldn’t be surprising if we keep feeling drawn to a model of thinking and living that’s independent of material appearances and that brings healing into our lives.
Right here, there is the eternal reality of a spiritually driven universe. And as we listen for God’s direction, this reality will become more apparent to us. God’s Christmas present to you is the opportunity to prove the present fact of your perfect, spiritual life at one with Him.
