A GUEST at CHRISTMAS EVE

This story is true and took place about 200 years ago

A man named John , lived in a shack with his wife in a dense forest. Johan was a noted artist and cut altarpieces for churches . He was very kind-hearted . For every Christmas he cut various objects to a family that lived in the town. The family was large .
So it happened that he became seriously ill. His fingers were curved. He had to stop cutting alterpieces because of the fingers. He took it easy, but his wife was bitter at God and of the disaster that hit their home. "Oh , John ," she said , " that this should happen to you, you who have always done a good service and served God with your abilities. He can not possibly be a merciful God."
" Shame on you , wife, saying such a thing. God is God , but it is us who must learn to bend" he replied. " Trust in God and cast into his hands. "
Johan then began to cut various toys and tried to get it sold in the city. In this way they barely managed living. Nothing was left over.
Christmas was coming , and Johan cutting the toys for the other children in the city, as he used to. His wife scolded:" You 'd be better off selling toys, so we got money to spend than to give it away . We do not own food to put in our mouth!"
On Christmas Eve snow began grimly to fall and the storm broke . It was impossible for John to go into the city with the toy." I dare not imagine the children's disappointment this Christmas Eve" said Johan in despair. "They do not have the big Christmas joy. They go home and firmly believe that I come . "There 's nothing to do, no one should go out into the storm.
As a moment had passed, a knock on the door was heard. Husband and wife looked at each other. Who is it out this Christmas? Johan went to the door and opened it . The wife cries and says . "I'll just say that there is no food in the house to give away . We only have a small piece of meat and a little of soup."
Johan opens the door, and outside he meets a man. Johan offers him to come in; hangs his coat up to dry. And when he sees that he has his feet wet , he hands him warm stockings and hangs his wet stockings to dry.
In southern Germany , people had the custom. They always put food on the table for one person extra than they were in the house. This seat would be for Jesus, who is always invisible amongst us. The wife had therefore covered table for three, but the meaning was that no one should use the third place.
Johan invites the man welcome to sit at the table. The wife stands with open mouth , she can not protest because the stranger is right there and can hear everything. She pours up the soup, and some small pieces of meat , which is part of the soup. Johan says grace, as usual , but this evening he emphasized that they had to learn to bow to God and put everything in his hands.
While they eat , the conversation is loose. The stranger says he has visited many homes in the city. Everyone is happy and gives him both food and money , but no one offers him to come inside and have something to talk about , because everyone has so much to do . " However, one family offers him to come inside and they have a lot to talk to him about ," he said . "These people have many children. The children said that a man used to come to visit every Christmas and he had always cut toys, which he had formed , but this year he did not come, because the weather was so bad. "
"Oh, I know who these children are. They must be very disappointed, because I could not come, " said Johan.
" No, they were not disappointed, they saw the weather raged , and they had the expectation that you still came in two to three days. This meal tasted very well , "said the stranger.
" Well, yes , do you want any more? " Asks Johan. The woman was startled, but did not say anything. "Yes , thank you," said the man. The wife takes the plate and goes to the pot. It's only a little broth left at the bottom of the pan, and some small pieces of meat too. The woman pours the pan aside and slathering up. Then her eyes grew, for she saw a miracle. How she scoops up the same amount is back into the pan .
They put at ease and talk , and Johan tells the man that they are poor and own nothing, and he is sick of the fingers are curled up and he can no longer cut altarpieces, but is now trying to cut toys which he sells in the city to serve any food for my wife and me.
" Let me see your hands , " said the man . He strokes his fingers down his long fingers. Johan feels a warm stream going anticlockwise , and the fingers were normal again as when he was young. Johan was fresh again . They saw that he had wounds inside the palm. They immediately saw that the stranger was Jesus , but then he disappeared for them. John opened the door and saw that no trace was to be seen in the snow.
The man was very glad to have had Jesus as a guest, but the wife was frightened because she had been angry with God and their misfortune.
But just as Jesus was present with Johan and his wife , so he is always invisible and present also with us. Let us never forget that.

Jona Henriksen, has written