'The Life of Our Lord,' by Charles Dickens

"My dear Children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived, who was so good, so kind, so gentle, and so sorry for all people who did wrong, or were in anyway ill or miserable….And as he is now in Heaven, where we hope to go, and all to meet each other after we are dead, and there be happy always together, you never can think what a good place Heaven is, without knowing who he was and what he did." Thus begins Charles Dickens, The Life of Our Lord, written in 1849, not for publication but expressly for his children and that his family might have a permanent record of his thoughts on Christ.The work was finally published in 1934. I first came across a slim paperback edition in London in December 1998 when I popped into a favorite bookstore and happened upon a copy for 99p. Its brevity allows me to easily read it every Christmas.Dickens was unsurpassed as a keen observer of humankind and master storyteller. His simple retelling of Christ's life provides evidence of his intimate knowledge of the text, his ability to seamlessly transition between story and scripture, and his insight into the life, mission and teachings of the Savior.He begins with Jesus' birth in a stable, "There was no cradle or anything of that kind there, so Mary laid her pretty little boy in what is called the Manger, which is the place the horses eat out of. And there he fell asleep." When Christ is baptized by John, "the voice of God, speaking up in Heaven, was heard to say, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' Jesus Christ then went into a wild and lonely country called the Wilderness, and stayed there forty days and forty nights, praying that he might be of use to men and women, and teach them to be better, so that after their deaths, they might be happy in Heaven.""…When he came out of the Wilderness, he began to cure sick people by only laying his hands upon them; for God had given him power to heal the sick, and to give sight to the blind, and to do many wonderful and solemn things…called 'The Miracles' of Christ….and he did them, that people might know he was not a common man, and might believe what he taught them, and also believe that God had sent him."Dickens, always an advocate for the destitute, teaches, "Jesus Christ chose Twelve poor men to be his companions…[or] apostles….in order that the Poor might know — …in all years to come — that Heaven was made for them as well as for the rich, and that God makes no difference between those who wear good clothes and those who go barefoot and in rags. The most miserable, the most ugly, deformed, wretched creatures that live, will be bright Angels in Heaven if they are good here on earth. Never forget this, when you are grown up. Never be proud or unkind, my dears, to any poor man, woman, or child….and always try to teach them and relieve them if you can. And when people speak ill of the Poor and Miserable, think how Jesus Christ went among them and taught them, and thought them worthy of his care."Discussing Christ's parables and miracles Dickens describes what to him was Christ's greatest miracle. He tells of a man "full of grief and distress…a Ruler…[who] wrung his hands, and cried, and said 'Oh Lord, my daughter — my beautiful, good, innocent little girl, is dead. Oh come to her…and lay Thy blessed hand upon her, and I know she will revive ... and make her mother happy. Oh Lord we love her so, we love her so!'... Jesus Christ ... going to the dead child, took her by the hand, and she rose up, quite well. ...Oh what a sight it must have been to see her parents clasp her in their arms, and kiss her, and thank God, and Jesus Christ his son, for such great Mercy! But he was always merciful and tender ... Our Saviour."After detailing Christ being nailed to the cross, the martyrdom of the apostles and of other Christians, he ends, "REMEMBER! It is Christianity TO DO GOOD always — even to those who do evil to us. It is Christianity to love our neighbor as ourself, and to do to all men as we would have them Do to us. It is Christianity to be gentle, merciful, and forgiving, and to keep those qualities quiet in our own hearts and never make a boast of them, or of our prayers or of our love of God, but always to shew that we love Him by humbly trying to do right in everything. If we do this, and remember the life and lessons of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and try to act up to them, we may confidently hope that God will forgive us our sins and mistakes, and enable us to live and die in Peace."A beautiful story, a true story, told with conviction by a master storyteller, that deepens appreciation for the Savior and inspires a heartfelt, "Merry Christmas!"