The Presentation

Andrea Celesti, Presentación de Jesús en el Templo (Wikimedia Commons)

Although our family commemorates the events of Luke 2:21-40 shortly after Christmas, usually on the Sunday following it, traditionally they are recognized in the liturgies of many Christian churches 40 days after the Feast of the Nativity.  This is because the Presentation of Jesus in the temple is associated in the Lucan narrative with Mary's purification, which came forty day's after Jesus' birth.  In the Anglican tradition (and formerly in the Catholic), the Presentation is celebrated as "Candlemas," partially as a recollection of the lamps of the temple, when candles for the coming year are brought to the church and blessed.  In the Eastern Orthodox churches, the feast is often called Hypapante, Greek for "meeting," which recollects how the prophet Simeon and the prophetess Anna met the Messiah in the temple.


Sections of the Presentation Episode (Luke 2:21–40)

• Circumcision and Naming of Jesus (Luke 2:21)
• Mary’s Purification (Luke 2:22–24)
• Simeon’s Testimony (Luke 2:25–35)
• Canticle: Nunc Demittis (Luke 2:29–32, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace”)
• Anna’s Testimony (Luke 2:36–40)

Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple (see Good Tidings of Great Joy, 88-90) 

Leviticus 12:1–8 mandated that when a woman gave birth, she must be purified of ritual uncleanliness after a period of forty days. As diligent keepers of the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took advantage of their proximity to Jerusalem to make the appropriate offering at the temple in connection with her purification. Although the designated offering was a yearling lamb along with a dove, they took advantage of the alternative that the Law allowed those who were poor to substitute a pair of doves. References to Mary’s purification (Luke 2:22a, 24) frame a second ceremony, the redemption of the firstborn (Luke 2:22b–23). After the Lord delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, he had claimed the firstborn of every family in return for having spared them the night of the first Passover, requiring them to be consecrated to his service (see Exodus 13:2, 12–15). Although the Lord later accepted the service of the entire tribe of Levi in place of the firstborn of all Israel, the Lord still required that the firstborn be redeemed by the price of five shekels (Numbers 18:15–16).

The redemption of the firstborn did not need to take place in the temple, but the presence of the holy family in the sanctuary for Mary’s purification provided Luke with the opportunity for some important symbolism. While we can assume that Joseph and Mary paid the required five shekels required by the law, by not mentioning the actual payment, Luke implies that Jesus continued in the service of the God rather than being redeemed from it. In this the story of the Old Testament prophet Samuel had served as an anticipation: after he had been weaned, Elkanah and Hannah had brought the boy Samuel to the sanctuary at Shiloh, where he was presented and left for a lifetime of service to God (1 Samuel 1:24–28). Recalling how Hannah’s song had served as a model for Mary’s own Magnificat strengthens the connection, suggesting that Mary too was willingly presenting her son to God. While Jesus does not remain in the temple, during his later boyhood visit, he makes it clear that he belongs there and that his mission is to be about his Father’s business (Luke 2:46–49).

Simeon's Testimony (see Good Tidings of Great Joy, 91-92)

Greg Olsen, Simeon Reverencing the Christ Child

The name Hebrew Šimʿon (Greek Symeōn and hence Symeon or Simeon) may mean both “[YHWH] had heard” and “one who hears and obeys.” While numerous early Christian legends grew up about Simeon, Luke simply introduces him by describing Simeon as “just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him” (Luke 2:25, emphases added). The term translated “consolation” is the Greek paraklēsin; in addition to meaning help, comfort, or relief, in origin it means “summons” or “encouragement” and has the same root as “Comforter” (paraklētos; see John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).

This good man, assumed to be elderly and approaching death because of his subsequent words, had received a promise by the Holy Ghost “that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). Accordingly, the Spirit brought him to the temple at just the right time to encounter the holy family, whereupon he takes the child in his arms and blesses him (Luke 2:28). This Simeon at the beginning of the story of Jesus thus finds a certain parallel with Joseph of Arimathaea at its end: that Joseph is also just, waits for the kingdom of God, and, in taking Jesus down from the cross and burying him, likewise takes him in his arms (see Luke 23:50–53).

At that moment Simeon blesses God and utters an inspired song, the fourth and final canticle in Luke’s Infancy Narrative (Luke 2:29–32). By tradition it is known as the Nunc Demittis, from the Latin for the first line: “Now you are sending away your servant in peace” (KJV, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word”). Having at last seen the promised Savior, Simeon feels that he can die comforted and reassured “for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” He then continues by describing this salvation in terms rich with Old Testament allusions (see Psalm 98:3; Isaiah 40:5, 42:6, 49:6, 52:9–10). However, whereas Zacharias had also sung of salvation in the Benedictus, his prophecy had centered on the deliverance that would come to Israel. Simeon, by contrasts, speaks of how Christ has been prepared for all people, and he balances both Gentiles and Israel in the final line, calling him “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:32).

Concluding the canticle, Simeon turns to Mary and speaks a final prophecy, telling her, “this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against” (Luke 2:34), prophesying that while Jesus was the glory of Israel, many of his own people would reject him and he would cause divisions even within families (see Luke 12:51–53). Finally, Simeon alludes to the Passion and death of Jesus that Mary would witness so poignantly, telling her that her own soul would be pierced but that in the end judgment would come through her son’s sacrifice (Luke 2:35; see John 19:25, 33–34).

Simeon and Believers Today

The image of the aged Simeon in the temple, meeting at last his promised Savior, is one that resonates with many believers today. It is also one that has come to have special, personal meaning to me. In 2010, just four days before Christmas, my grandfather, Cannon Huntsman, died. Two days after Christmas we buried him. Funerals at Christmastime are always poignant, even when they are held for good men and women who die at an old age. The sense of loss and sadness can weigh heavily on and even dampen the Christmas spirit.

But it was the story of Simeon that gave me great comfort the day after Christmas. I read it that night to Elaine and the children, and I decided to use it in my remarks at the funeral the next day. As long as health permitted, Grandpa spent as much time as he could in the temple. And like Simeon, he had a powerful faith in his Savior and Redeemer. While he did not hold the Baby Jesus in his arms nor see the Risen Lord in the flesh, Grandpa had seen the hand of the Lord all his life and rejoiced in his testimony of Jesus.

While modern revelation tells us “thou shalt live together in love insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die,” it also reassures us that “those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them” (D&C 42:45–46). I have come to believe that men and women of Christ, like Grandpa, can share the sentiment of Simeon when their time comes, crying out in their hearts, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace” (Luke 2:29).

 
Anna's Testimony (see Good Tidings of Great Joy, 92)

James Tissot, The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple 
(Wikimedia Commons)

Luke’s narrative provides a second witness in the temple in the person of Anna, an elderly widow who spent every day in the temple in prayer and fasting (Luke 2:36–37). Significantly, she is described as a prophetess, connecting her with Deborah, Huldah, the wife of Isaiah, and perhaps Samuel’s mother, Hannah. Indeed, Anna is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Ḥannah, providing another connection with the story of Jesus’ birth and that of the prophet Samuel. At a time when most Jews were from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, Luke notes that Anna was from the tribe of Asher, perhaps suggesting that the lost tribes of Israel too await the coming of Christ. Having married young, perhaps between 10 and 14, she had lost her husband after seven years, and, depending upon how the next verse is read, she was either 84 years old or had lived another 84 years after her husband’s death, making her as old as 103 or 105. While the actual words of this faithful woman are not preserved, like Simeon she first blesses or thanks God and then “spake [Greek, elalei or “kept speaking”] of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

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Epiphany | The Presentation

Pentecost

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."  (Act 2:1-3)

Stained glass window depicting the Trinity and Pentecost, Yorkminster Cathedral, York, England

Episodes for Personal Study

• Acts 2:1-41
• 1 Corinthians 12:1-14:25
• D&C 46:8-26

Suggested Music: Veni Creator Spiritus (ninth century traditional Pentecost hymn); Hildegard von Bingam, "O Holy Spirit Root of Life"; Bach, Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten (Resound, ye songs, ring out, ye strings!)

Ideas for Families

• Read Acts 2:1‒8 and discuss how we are promised the gift of the Holy Ghost at confirmation but how we often experience its power at different times in our lives 
• Read D&C 46:8‒26 and discuss the list of spiritual gifts.  What are the most important gifts?  How is the testimony of Jesus the most important gift?  Then read a Corinthians 13 and discuss how of all the gifts described by Paul, the most important are hope, faith, and love. 
• Sing "Thy Spirit, Lord, Has Stirred Our Souls" (hymn no. 157) 

Just before his ascension, Jesus directed his disciples to tarry at Jerusalem until they "be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49; cf. Acts 1:8). This promise was realized at the Jewish festival of Shavuot, fifty days after Passover, when a special endowment of the Holy Spirit came upon them, visibly manifest as "tongues of fire" resting upon each f the Twelve (Matthias having just been selected to take Judas Iscariot's place).

Shavuot came to be associated with with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. On this occasion thunder, lightning, and flames were seen upon the mount, and the first century Jewish philosopher Philo describes how fire came down from heaven, articulating the Law in the languages of those listening (Philo, de Decalogo).

El Greco, The Pentecost

For this reason, the empowerment of the apostolic church with the power of the spirit at the first Shavuot after Jesus' resurrection and ascension was particularly symbolic.  Just as the Law had gone out from Sinai, the new Law of Christ would now go forth from Jerusalem, borne by the apostles filled with the spirit of God.  

In Christian art, the descent of the spirit upon the Twelve (and often upon Mary as well, who is last mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 1:14, where she is gathered with the Eleven and the Lord's brethren in an upper room praying) is often depicted by having rays of flame reach down to them from a dove, the symbol of the Holy Ghost.  Alternately, they are often depicted with candles or single flames above of each of their heads. 

In the Christian tradition, this event has come to be known as Pentecost, from pentēkostē which means "the fiftieth [day]," which is the Greek translation of Shavuot.  After the manifestation of the spirit as flames of fire, the next sign of that first Pentecost was the spiritual gift of xenoglossia, when the Twelve began to speak in foreign tongues, unknown to them but recognized and understood by the many Jewish pilgrims who had come from all over the Mediterranean and Near East for the festival. 

But perhaps even more miraculous was the mighty change in Peter, who had been hesitant and fearful during the Lord's Passion but became, under the power of the Holy Spirit, mighty and bold in preaching, declaring the good news of Jesus and bringing 3,000 souls to baptism at one time.

St. John's Chapel, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, last year at Pentecost in Jerusalem

Many traditional Christian churches celebrate Pentecost as an important feast.  In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, it is the second most important commemoration after Easter itself.  In Western churches that are highly liturgical, special services are held, the usual color of which is red, recalling the fire that appeared on the first Pentecost.  The altar is often decked in red, clerical vestments are red, and many members may wear red as well.  It is a common day to celebrate baptisms and especially confirmations.

Latter-day Saints do not formally recognized Pentecost, though I usually try to read Acts 2 and read other passages about spiritual gifts, such as 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and D&C 46:8-26.  Indeed, this last passage of Restoration scripture reminds me of the great inheritance of spiritual gifts that should be ours: "Seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given. For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep my commandments" (S&C 46:9-10)  Among the list of spiritual gifts that follows, perhaps the most important are "To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others is given to believe in their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful" (D&C 46:13-14).

My daughter Rachel and I spent one memorable Pentecost, June 8, 2014, on the Sea of Galilee

An interesting historical parallel from LDS history is found in the experiences reported at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple March 27, 1836.  Among these is the following included in the reminiscences later gathered by B.H. Roberts:

Brother George A. Smith arose and began to prophesy, when a noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind, which filled the Temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy; others saw glorious visions; and I beheld the Temple was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation. The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple), and were astonished at what was taking place. (Roberts, Brigham Henry, ed. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1912. 2:428).

Veni Creator Spiritus, traditional ninth century Pentecost hymn (originally in Latin, here rendered poetically in English)

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

O Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our ghostly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow. 

  

 

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"Once in a Lifetime Christmas," by Will Wright

 

 

Once in a Lifetime Christmas

by Will Wright

 What is it about the Christmas season that turns some events into giggly delightful memories that we cherish all our lives? I remember hearing a special Christmas‑time story about just such an event. Perhaps in the story is the answer to my question.

The setting was a small farming community during the early 1930's. The country was experiencing the Great Depression. There were few dollars changing hands, and most people were grateful if they still had a home and regular meals. It was a better time to be a child than an adult. But the children also felt the economic sting—for most families even inexpensive things were no longer affordable.

When the children entered school that fall, most tried to squeeze into the clothes they wore when school let out three months earlier. The lucky ones had hand‑me‑downs from older brothers or sisters or neighboring families. During the Depression, some families had enough food to be able to spare some for the childrens school lunches, but some did not have enough. Often the children would pool their lunches—they put all the lunches together and divided everything equally. That was the best way. It's hard to enjoy your lunch when your friends don't have one. In many ways it was a special time. Young people grew up a little sooner, and people learned to appreciate small things.

As the Christmas season approached, the memories of other Christmases prompted everyone to quicken their step, be happier, look forward to delightful times—to catch the Christmas Spirit. But the harsh economic realities of the time whispered into each ear: "Not this year . . . perhaps another year things will be better." That is a hard way to face the Christmas season for children. It is even harder for parents.

Now of all years for it to happen It would have to happen this year! A new sled entered the market place—the Flexible Flyer! Wow! It was beautiful! It was red—bright red. A gleaming finish covered the graceful wood deck. Up front were the handlebars to steer this magnificent machine wherever its lucky owner would choose to go. This was the ultimate in sleds—the ultimate Christmas gift for a child in a snow covered farming community with lots of hills and slopes.

The Flexible Flyer was prominently displayed in the local hardware store window. What a sight! What a delight! What an impossible dream! Neatly positioned by the sled was a reminder of the Depression. It was the price tag. $4.98! A small fortune in those days. Even though it was an impossible dream, that did not keep the children from thinking about the Flexible Flyer. By dreaming we can keep going; we can defy even a Great Depression and guide our very own Flexible Flyer down delightful snow covered slopes and enjoy the crisp fresh air rushing by us as shiny sharp runners send a spray of snow arching from our path as we negotiate twisting turns and bumps and dips.

The school Christmas party was held as usual, and school was dismissed for the holidays. The children were happy to be out of school, but they did not look forward to Christmas Day with the same anticipation enjoyed in previous years. Money was very scarce. It was a year to be grateful for a warm bed and a tummy that was not hungry. Gifts and toys and Flexible Flyers would have to wait for better times. The children understood. They could see the struggle their parents were having. They did not want to see the hurt look in their parents faces that asking for toys and Flexible Flyers would bring. There will be other Christmases—someone will still be making Flexible Flyers.

Now one of the young girls in that humble snow covered farming community, let's call her Edith, had all of these thoughts running through her mind that Christmas. So when she went to bed on Christmas Eve Edith was grateful for what she had, but she found it hard to anticipate Christmas morning any more than any other morning. She slept in later than most Christmas mornings. Edith thought, "That will be my gift to myself—to make up for the other gifts we can't afford this year—I'll sleep in this morning."

But Edith's mother called her and told her it was time to get dressed and meet the rest of the family at the Christmas tree, and as Edith walked into the room she saw it! Chills ran up her spine! Her hand rushed to her mouth as she let out a high pitched squeal that only a young girl can duplicate. Edith crossed the living room in two leaps landing on her knees in front of the impossible dream at the base of the tree—a Flexible Flyer that had a large red bow on it and a little card that said "Edith" on it.

Edith stroked the smooth wood finish, she turned the handlebars from one side to the other, she hugged the sled as tears rolled down her face and then stared at her parents in disbelief. "But we don't have any money," cried Edith. Edith's mother and father felt tears swelling up in their eyes now. The dear price they had paid seemed worth it a thousand times over right now. It was a moment and a feeling that none of them would ever forget. Never!

There were other presents. Edith's mother had made Edith a beautiful dress. Her brother got the pair of cowboy boots he had wanted for a long time. It was a good Christmas in bad times. But through it all Edith was like a frog glued to a dozen springs—she could not be still. Her excitement was evident in every movement, look, and squeal. "A Flexible Flyer!" she must have shrieked a hundred times before Christmas dinner was served.

After the noon‑time Christmas dinner Edith's mother told her to dress as warm as she could, bring her Flexible Flyer, and meet the rest of the family at the sleigh by the barn. "There is another surprise in town," she said.

As they entered town Edith saw the other surprise. An inclined portion of Main Street had been roped off to form a path several blocks long for sleds. Excited people were everywhere. It looked like the entire town was there. Edith saw Flexible Flyers scooting down every slope in sight. Several sleighs pulled by the horses were being used to pull the boys and girls on their sleds to the top of the barricaded street. Taking turns, down the hill they came in wild delight screeching and screaming and yelling all the way. Near the end of the incline a crowd of parents cheered the group on. Hour after hour the group relished the magic of this special Christmas—the year the unaffordable Flexible Flyer found its way under dozens of Christmas trees. Each family that had bought a sled had to sacrifice to do so. But watching the ecstatic children flying down the hill was reward enough for their sacrifice. As an added bonus, there was deep satisfaction in being able to thumb your nose at hard times for one exceptional day.

As the exciting afternoon passed into evening the wintry scene was lighted by the reflection of a full moon on the snow. Several small fires were started to warm the group. It grew quieter as the sledders grew tired from dozens of trips down the slope and the chill of the evening took hold. All were reluctant to end this magical day when an impossible dream came true for children and parents alike. Finally the group gave in to weariness, cold, and hunger. Off they went to their separate homes with their Flexible Flyers and their memories of a once in a lifetime Christmas.

Several days later Edith walked into the barn to watch her dad milk the cows. She noticed that their best milk cow was not in her stall. Dad explained that he had sold her just before Christmas. He had some flimsy excuse about her getting old. It was the way he groped for words and an explanation that gave the secret away. Edith felt a rush of emotion, and tears came into her eyes as the truth hit her—her parents had sold their best milk cow so they could give her a Flexible Flyer for Christmas. She ran from the barn and shed her tears where no one could see her. She better understood now how much her parents loved her and how much she loved them. It was a tender, growing, and character‑building moment.

As Edith shared her new found truth with her best friend at school the next day, she learned that her friend's father had sold apples door to door in neighboring towns to get her Flexible Flyer money. In time, story after story surfaced to reveal how the entire community had combined in a joint effort of extra work, bargaining, selling, and sharing to buy Flexible Flyers. Sure, the children had all wanted the beautiful red sled displayed in the hardware store window, but none had dared to ask their parents for it because they knew the family could not afford such a luxury in those hard times. But in a secret plan the parents had combined in a dedicated effort of sacrifice and cooperation to provide a very special Christmas for their children.

A price of sacrifice and extra effort and increased hardship had been paid. It bought dozens of Flexible Flyers and hundreds of memories with a value beyond price. It also bought treasures not anticipated by the buyers.

As the children returned to school after the holidays they were different. Sure, they still had to share lunches and squeeze into clothes that did not fit quite right, and they had to do without things that they took for granted a few years before. What was different was the spirit and attitude the children displayed. The attitude of down‑and‑out was replaced with an attitude of can‑do. They showed more appreciation to parents, friends, and teachers. They sensed the love and sacrifice of their parents and the community, and they felt a need to be better and to do better.

The parents felt the change, too. Not just in their children, the whole community changed. Everyone moved with more energy and determination. There were more smiles and greetings as people met on the street. The Great Depression of helplessness seemed to be replaced by a spirit of optimism. As it turned out, the price paid for this very special Christmas was small compared to the benefits received. While buying Flexible Flyers, they also bought a renewed spirit of optimism and determination and faith in individuals, families, and their community. This truly was a once in a lifetime Christmas.

"To See Again" by Gary B. Swanson

The mother sat on the simulated-leather chair in the doctor’s office, picking nervously at her fingernail. Wrinkles of worry lined her forehead as she watched five-year-old Kenny sitting on the rug before her.

He was small for his age and a little too thin, she thought. His fine blond hair hung down smooth and straight to the top of his ears. But white gauze bandages encircled his head, covering his eyes and pinning his ears back.

In his lap he bounced a beaten-up teddy bear. It was the pride of his life yet one arm was halfgone and the other missing. Twice his mother had tried to throw it away and replace it with a new one, but he had fussed, so she had relented. She tipped her head slightly to the side and smiled at him. It’s really about all he has, she sighed to herself.

A nurse appeared in the doorway. “Kenny,” she announced, and the young mother scooped him up and followed the nurse toward the examining room. The hallway smelled of rubbing alcohol and bandages. Children’s crayon drawings lined the walls.

“The doctor will be with you in a moment,” the nurse said with an efficient smile. “Please be seated.”

The mother placed Kenny on the examining table. “Be careful, honey, not to fall off.”

“Am I up very high, Mother?”

“No, dear, but be careful.”

Kenny hugged his teddy bear tighter. “Then I don’t want Grr-Face to fall either.”

The mother smiled. The smile twisted at the corners into a frown of concern. She brushed the hair off the boy’s face and caressed his cheek, soft as thistledown, with the back of her hand. As the music drifted into a haunting version of “Silent Night,” she remembered the accident for the thousandth time.

She had been cooking things on the back burner for years. But there it was, sitting right out in front, water almost boiling for oatmeal.

The phone rang in the living room. It was another one of those “free offers” that cost so much. At the moment she returned the phone to the table, Kenny screamed in the kitchen, the galvanizing cry of pain that frosts a mother’s veins.

She winced again at the memory of it and brushed aside a warm tear slipping down her cheek. Six weeks they had waited for this day to come. “We’ll be able to take the bandages off the week before Christmas,” the doctor had said.

The door to the examination room swept open, and Dr. Harris came in. “Good morning, Mrs. Ellis,” he said brightly. “How are you today?”

“Fine, thank you,” she said. But she was too apprehensive for small talk.

Dr. Harris bent over the sink and washed his hands carefully. He was cautious with his patients but careless about himself. He could seldom find time to get a haircut, and his straight black hair hung a little long over his collar. His loosened tie allowed his collar to be open at the throat.

“Now then,” he said, sitting down on a stool, “let’s have a look.”

Gently he snipped at the bandage with scissors and unwound it from Kenny’s head. The bandage fell away, leaving two flat squares of gauze taped directly over Kenny’s eyes. Dr. Harris lifted the edges of the tape slowly, trying not to hurt the boy’s tender skin.

Kenny slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times as if the sudden light hurt. Then he looked at his mother and grinned. “Hi Mom,” he said.

Choking and speechless, the mother threw her arms around Kenny’s neck. For several minutes she could say nothing, as she hugged the boy and wept in thankfulness. Finally, she looked at Dr. Harris with tear filled eyes. “I don’t know how we’ll ever be able pay you,” she said. “Since my husband died, it’s been hard on us.”

“We’ve been over all that before,” the doctor interrupted with a wave of his hand. “I know how this is for you and Kenny. I’m glad I could help.”

The mother dabbed at her eyes with a welcome handkerchief, stood up, and took Kenny’s hand. And just as she turned toward the door Kenny pulled up and stood for a long moment looking uncertainly at the doctor. Then he held his teddy bear up by its only arm to the doctor.

“Here,” he said, “Take my Grr-Face. He ought to be worth a lot of money.”

Dr. Harris quietly took the broken bear in his hands. “Thank you, Kenny. This will more than pay for my services.”

The last few days before Christmas were especially good for Kenny and his mother. They sat together through the long evenings, watching the Christmas tree twinkle on and off. Bandages had covered Kenny’s eyes for six weeks, so he seemed reluctant to close them to sleep at night. The fire dancing in the fireplace, snowflakes sticking to his bedroom window, the small packages under the tree—all the lights of the holiday fascinated him.

And then, on Christmas Eve, Kenny’s mother answered the doorbell. No one was there, but a large package was on the porch, wrapped in metallic green paper with a broad red ribbon and bow. A tag attached to the package identified the box as intended for Kenny Ellis.

With a grin, Kenny tore the ribbon off the box, lifted the lid, and pulled out a teddy bear—his beloved Grr-Face. Only it now had a new arm of brown corduroy and two new button eyes that glittered in the soft Christmas light. Kenny didn’t seem to mind that the new arm did not match the other one. He just hugged the teddy bear and laughed.

Among the tissue in the box, the mother found a card. “Dear Kenny,” it read, “I can sometimes help put boys and girls back together, but Mrs. Harris had to help me repair Grr-Face. She’s a better bear doctor than I am. Merry Christmas! Dr. Harris.”

“Look Mother,” Kenny smiled, pointing to the button eyes. “Grr-Face can see again—just like me!”