December, 1944
405
Penny and Peter find out about . . .
The Shining Secret
By HELEN FRAZEE-BOWER
B HERE,” said Mother, as she fastened the bright star to the topmost branch of the Christ dren. How do you like it?” “Not so worse, Mom, not so worse,” said Peter, with a little .swagger. “But then, look who your helpers were.” Penny stepped back and viewed the room with breathless awe. Her eyes flitted from the holly wreath in the window to thè pine cones and ever greens in the chimney corner, and they came to rest at„last upon the tree with all its gay and gleaming ornaments and the wonderful star at the top. “Mother, it’s just beautiful!” she gasped. never saw our house look soi nice. It’s just like a shining se cret.” “Well, Christmas is a shining se cret,” said Mother, with a smile. & “What do you mean—secret?” asked Peter. “I mean that Christmas really is a shining secret. It started with a shin ing secret, and through the years it has gone on unfolding a shining se cret and now, today, the shining se cret is still with us.” “Mother, how you do go on!” said Penny. “Hadn’t you better explain?” “Yes, I think a bit of explaining would be just the right way» to close this particular day,” answered Moth
er. "Come, sit here with me by the window, and we will talk together.” She seated herself in the big arm air, and adjusted the shutters so that she and the children could look oirt at the early winter dusk. The' snow was falling in ‘fine feathery softness, and the branches of the trees beyond the window were slow ly growing white with its beauty. Mother began: This is a story about ordinary things for ordinary people. No fairy princesses nor Knights of the Round Table need listen in, but if you are a little girl with braids or a small boy with freckles and a turned-up nose, then I think the story will be just right for you. In the long and long ago, at the time of creation, there was one little ’ star to whom God spoke. It had al ways been an ordinary star—jio dif ferent from the rest—going on about its business of shining, not knowing that it had any special dignity or im portance. That is, it was that way until G,OD spoke. One morning. God whispered to the little star a shining secret. Then, with the secret in its heart, the little star glowed, and glowed, and glowed. Its face became more bright and shining than ever before. It shone right out of its ordinary self into somethiifg special and glorious. It was no long
er just another little star. It had be come the Star of .the Ages. On it shone—past all the pleasant places of heaven, on through thick clouds, right down into this dark world of ours, until it came to rest at last above a Barn in Bethlehem. At,first, this was a very ordinary, little barn—just a cave, really—not large- and noble looking at all; in fact,.not nearly so fine as some of its. neighbors. That is, it was that way until GOD spoke. One morning, God whispered to the little barn a shining secret. With the secret in its heart, it was no longer an ordinary little barn. It had be come-the Barn of the Ages. No other place in all the world knew what it knew. The Barn was so full of the shining secret that it could hardly stay in its place. It could scarcely keep still and wait. ■ All around, it saw men and wfomen and boys and girls whose hearts were filled with pain and pride and sin. Sometimes the Barn wanted to cry out, "If you only knew what I know!” But it did not cry out, for God had said it was to sit by a road in Beth lehem and wait. God is' like that, you know: He sent a Star on a long, long journey to tell a shining secret; but He said to 'a Barn in Bethlehem, “Be still and wait.” So the Barn waited and waited and waited—until it looked up one night into the sky that was full of ordi nary stars, and there was the Star, glowing with a very bright and spe cial wonder. • The Star winked and said, “ I know a secret,” and the Barn, blinked its
mas tree, "I think that will do, chil
Junior King's Business By MARTHA S. HOOKER Member of Faculty Rible Institute of Los Angeles
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