3. Becoming Human- A New Christmas Story – Part Three of Five

Visiting God before He sends His Son to earth is more thrilling and more illuminating than visiting Santa in the North Pole. As it turned out, it wasn’t for my benefit or even yours, the reader, that my pal and I made this mystical journey. God sent for us.  

“Lord! I am amazed that there is actually something we can do for You that you can’t do for Yourself? You want us to help prepare You to become human! I can’t imagine a more magnificent honor. Where shall we begin?”

The Lord replied, “I am not ignorant about humanity; after all, I made you in My image and likeness. I have loved and guided men and women since the beginning of time. I know about your tendency to self exaltation because you love yourselves as much as I love you; to lying because you want to create a world of your own design, just as I have done, and to unrelenting criticism of others because I am the Judge you want to be also. However, my child-in-training, human self-centeredness perverts My image.

“I have spent these millennia since creating Adam studying humanity. There is enough goodness in people to believe that the perfect model will reunite us. But I wonder how having a body will affect Us? I want to be prepared. I don’t want My Son to depend on His divinity or to be a unique species.”

The Lord continued. “Please tell Me; is there something in particular we must know about being human?”

Dumbstruck and in awe, I asked for a moment to think.

Before saying, “It will be good for you to become an infant first. For all of us to start as infants who strive for knowledge and power was natural. We grew. However, prepare Yourself to shrink. Being entirely dependent and ignorant will be most unnatural, and most difficult. To a lesser degree the elderly experience the kind of loss in aging that you will experience at birth. Consider observing them carefully before you go. Perhaps you will find someone who can show you how to handle the condescension gracefully. When you are an infant rest in the sleep of ignorance.”

I dared to go on. “Lord God, Your humility which is apparent in pursuing this grand Mission will serve you well. As You know, humanity is frail when compared to your omnipotence. I read in the Torah about Your frustration and anger. I hope Your human experience will show you our limitations to help You to deal with humanity with less frustration. Hopefully, there will be no more earth opening up to swallow people, okay?”

I sensed in my spirit, since we had no form to see or be seen during this most unique conversation, that the Lord God was sincerely attentive to my words. An inner strength, new to my spirit, rose up within me. I was sure God had given me some potion to have the capacity for this conversation. This awareness reminded me to tell Him, “Beware of the body. The body can humble, but it can also pervert Your soul in ways you cannot imagine My Lord and God. Master your body. Care for it, but beware when it tries to control your soul. It is very difficult for us humans to master the body. As your vehicle on earth, Your body will have the power to influence you for better or for worse.

“Being human with the divine energy that You have bestowed upon us is a continual struggle towards ascension away from the animal flesh. I have learned how the body can be a parasite eating away at the soul. The mission you are about to undertake is dangerous.”

I sensed a deep contemplation in the silence that followed my transmission of those thoughts to God and so I waited for His reply and so will you, until next week.   

5. Becoming Human – A New Christmas Story – Part Five of Five

Some people think their cars are alive because they seem to have wills of their own. I don’t believe that. Cars are metal machines. No will. No brain. Just metal. If they are quirky it is because the world is quirky. But this bubble of ours is a different story entirely. It took off like a bat out of hell. My pal and I thought it was pretty clever of the bubble to ride on those prayers to God, but we wondered how we would find our way to Bethlehem. Bubble, pal, and I left the place of light and are now racing through pitch black skies.

“Do you suppose that planet over there is ours, or is that a moon?” My pal was starting to perk up.

“How should I know?” I snapped, a little nervous about our trajectory and the speed. It soon became evident that we must be headed to earth as the planet was growing larger and larger before our eyes. Suddenly, I felt a jab that I thought would punch my lungs out. OUCH!!!

“Look over there! That star is heading straight here! Oh-my-God I think it is going to crash right into us!”

As I turned my head, I saw a spit of light coming closer and closer and then just as I thought we were going to explode, it scooped up our bubble and we were riding on top of it! The closer we got, the slower we went until the earth was right beneath us, so close that it seemed that we would soon land.  

“Look back there.” I said. “Are those three men following us?”

“I know who they are! Oh this is getting so exciting!” blurted out my bubble pal.

“Getting exciting?” I replied, “Where have you been? We just saw God!”

Sure enough, we were being followed. Even when the sun rose, the three men could see us. This was no ordinary star, I thought. Who can see a star in the daytime; and how can a star point to such a specific place?

The monotony of the trek was broken by a visit to Herod who I overheard grilling those poor naïve men. I was glad to be invisible. Herod was scary.  Finally we started to move again. By nightfall the wise men decided to pitch camp. When we were sure our fellow travelers were sleeping, I gave the bubble a pop and pal and I fell out and materialized. It felt so good to stretch.  

By noontime the next day the men noticed that we were following them for they were not only wise but perceptive! They stopped us to ask where we were going and when we confessed that we too were travelling to see the birth of the newborn king, the short one asked, “We have brought gold, and frankincense and myrrh, what have you for the infant?” 

Pal and I look at each other.

Fortunately, it was then that another wise man announced that the star had stopped over a nearby manger. If a dirty old barn could glow, this one surely did. I think it was because of the hundreds of angels all around and about it who were singing, Joy to the World and Glory Hallelujah. I doubt that the three men could see this, but pal and I could because of where we had just come from. It was breathtaking.

 Just at the moment we arrived, Mary was giving birth. It was clear that Eve’s curse had not fallen upon this lovely young lady, because instead of shrieks and howls, common to natural birth-givers, all we heard were the angels singing quietly. That is until we heard the most enchanting sound of all, the melodious chiming of the Son of God using his vocal cords for the first time. I couldn’t tell from the tone whether He was crying or laughing. But the sound of Him brought all five of us to our knees.

Bravely, I peeked into the manger to see no one there but Joseph holding Mary’s hand and a spry rotund midwife whom history has never mentioned, cutting the cord.

I pulled my face back out to announce to my companions, “God just became human!” Then I went over and hugged my pal and we jumped up and down for joy. This was certainly the merriest Christmas of all because we knew for the first time that God had gotten His wish!

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