Original Story by Nan F. Weeks
Reintroduced to a New Generation of Readers by David Nicholson
Summary: While sitting in my adult Sunday School class, I heard Nan Weeks’ story If He Had Not Come for the first time; and I must say, the story captivated me right from the start. I can remember driving home with my young family that very Sunday morning thinking to myself, “I am going to read this story to my family this and every Christmas to come.” It’s been nearly thirty years, and the tradition of sharing this simple, thought-provoking story continues on. And now, I would like to share it with you . . .
It was Christmas Eve, and after Bobby carefully hung his stocking above the fireplace, he climbed the stairs to his room. Most of the time Bobby didn’t like going to bed, but tonight he wanted to get to sleep so he’d be up bright and early on Christmas morning. He was looking forward to finding out what was in those packages under the Christmas tree!
Before he had gone up to his room, though, Bobby and his dad sat by the Christmas tree for their daily Bible reading. Some of Jesus’ words to His friends in John 15:22 stayed with Bobby and kept circling through his mind even after he had climbed into bed. He whispered them over and over until he fell asleep. The five words were, “If I had not come.
It seemed like Bobby had hardly gone to sleep when a loud voice called, “Get up, Bobby, get up right away!” He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Was it morning? Was his dad calling to him already? He jumped out of bed and pulled on his clothes. He sure wondered if he was going to get the presents he wanted—new skates, a flashlight, a baseball, maybe that model airplane he’d seen at Woolworths! He hurried downstairs.
But all was still, and no lights were on. His dad wasn’t waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, his mother wasn’t in the kitchen making breakfast. And the Christmas tree was gone! No stocking hanging above the fireplace, no wreaths in the window, and no presents!
To download the full story, click on this link:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/qwxbm15017zumzq/If_He_Had_Not_Come.pdf