Gospel

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Be not afraid;
for behold,
I bring you
good news
of a great joy
which will come
to all
the people.
[Luke 2:10]
*********************
"I have a stupid question
to ask, Lord."

[SOLEMN NOD.]
"What is it,
Mein kin'der."

(Shout.)
"WHY do some people
say that 'The Lion King'
is about the GOSPEL?"
(Squint upwards.)

[SILENCE.]

"Never HEARD a' that;
what: was the lion:
KOSHER, or SOMETHIN'?"

[CHUCKLE.]

"I thought, it was just
some little Disney cartoon
about a sad-lion-story."
(Grimmace.)
"Except for 'The Jetsons*',
and 'The Flinstones', and,
'Snoopy', I HATE cartoons."

[PATIENT NOD.]

"Especially, SAD ONES!
ECH!
Whoever INVENTED
SAD CARTOONS?
They're STUPID!"
(Mumbling.)

[SOLEMN NOD.]

"STUPID."
(Frown.)
"So.....HOW COME
SOME PEOPLE SAY
IT WAS ABOUT THE GOSPEL?
I DON'T GET IT?"

"Ask your friends,
My beloved."

(Shrug.)
"Yeah; I will, tonight.
But.....I always look
CLUELESS."
(Sorrowful grimmace.)

[CHUCKLING.]

"I'm the Clueless-Wonder."

[NODDING.]

"Like, last week.....all
I asked was,

'Why didn't Mary's
Mother, or Grandmother,
or older SISTER...tell
her to take along some
BLANKETS, for that
horrible journey they had
to schleppe, to BETHLEHEM?'

And, one of the ladies said,

'It was because the angel
TOLD Mary that God would
take care of her, JULIE!'

(Roll eyes.)
(Shrug.)
Well, YEAH; but......
we still gotta put GAS,
in our car, Ya know?"

[PATIENTLY NODDING.]
[GAZING AT A FLOCK
OF GEESE HEADING
SOUTH TOWARD
MAZATLAN, MEXICO.]

"They were talkin' about
the SWADDLING CLOTHES':
they said that
Mary and Joseph didn't have
anything to wrap the Baby
in, and that they found the clothes,
or 'cloths' inside
the cave they were staying
in. They said that the cave
next door was for burying
folks in, and that the swaddling-
cloths were stored there,
for peoples' burial."
(Stare up at ceiling.)
"Is THAT TRUE?"

[SILENCE.]

"Ya aren't gonna
TELL me, ARE YA?"

[SILENCE.]

"So.....MY QUESTION
was: how come Mary
didn't take some BABY
SUPPLIES, with her,
for the JOURNEY?"

[SMILING.]
[GLANCE TO HIS
RIGHT.]

"Ya think, she would
have had an older
female RELATIVE
....or SOMEBODY,
to TELL her TO."
(Cranky glance up
at the crooked
window blinds.)
"WHAT about her
COUSIN? Didn't
SHE just have a BABY?"

[PATIENT SMILE.]

(Shake frumpy head.)
"None of it makes
any SENSE."
(Mutter.)
"Ya think SOMEBODY,
would'a TOLD her....
to take along..
some ..BLANKETS.."
(Mumble, irritably.)

[CHUCKLING.]

"How did we get off,
on THIS tangent?"

"It is a wonder,
My beloved."

"I thought we were
talking about the LION
KING?"

[NODDING.]
"Perhaps,
My child,
it wasn't a tangent,
after all."
*********************
And
suddenly
there was
with
the angel
a multitude
of heavenly host
praising God,
and saying,
'Glory to God
in the highest,
and on earth
peace among men'.
[Luke 2:13-14]

________________________
*For those of you,
under 45: George and
Jane Jetson were a cute,
happy married couple
(with kids) living in
'the future'; they had
a robot for a maid (who
was sarcastic with George),
and a car that flew, and
a dog that had his own
dog-walker-in-the-sky.
It had no sex, or violence,
or graphic stuff; obviously,
it never would have made it,
in this century.

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