While I was pulling weeds from the beds in front of our house in the spring time, my five year old neighbor from across the street walked up to me and I said, “Hi, Johnny.” He answered me, and asked, Have you seen any angle worms yet?” I answered that I had seen one or two. “Well, if you see any more, could you give them to me?” he asked. I answered with, “What do you want them for? Are you going fishing with your uncle?” “No,” he answered . “What, then?” I asked. “I’m going to train them to be my shoelaces,” he answered. “Oh,” I said. Do you think that would be easier than tying your laces yourself?” “Oh, Yes!” he said. “I just have to hold the worm over the holes on my shoes and it will crawl though them by itself.” “I’d like to see that,” I replied. “I’ll save any worms I find.” “Thanks!” he said, and ran back home. Of course I did find worms, and put them in a can until Johnny returned while I was weeding again the next day. He was delighted and thanked me.

It was several days before I saw him again. “How are the worms?” I asked “How about your shoes?” “It didn’t work,” he said. “They didn’t want to go into the holes in my shoe, so I gave ’em to my uncle to take fishing.” “So, can you tie your shoes?” I asked. “Oh, yeah,” he replied, and ran back home.

For Thousands of years people believed that the sun revolves around the flat earth. For hundreds of years people believed that tomatoes are poisonous for humans to eat. To this day many people believe that a chicken’s or turkey’s “wishbone” can influence the events of our lives. Is it so very strange to believe that a worm could lend itself to function as a shoelace?

Jesus said, “Let the children come,” with all their imagination, their misunderstandings, their plans and ideas, “for of such as these is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14) The birth and childhood stories of Isaac,Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist all prefigure the appearance on earth of God’s own son. For God to enter human history and become first an infant, and then a child and finally an adult, embraces human life on earth. At Christmas we celebrate the wonder and joy of the Incarnation.

Johnny is a grown man now, and probably has forgotten his shoelace experiment, but I will never forget it. His adventure brought life and delight to my imagination, and I could easily imagine Jesus blessing the children and Johnny being the first in line.

Love in Him,

Prue