Written by author David Nicholson
John 15:22
The words spoken by our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Have you ever pondered the question, What if Jesus had never been born? To be honest, the question never entered my head until I was well into my 30s . . . while sitting in my adult Sunday School class one cold December morning. It was there I heard Nan Weeks’ classic Christmas story, If He Had Not Come, for the first time . . . a story of a young boy’s discovery of what his world would be like had Jesus never been born!
Captivated with the narrative’s content and harrowing scenarios now looming in my mind, I drove home from church that very morning thinking to myself, I am gong to read If He Had Not Come to my family this and every Christmas to come.
A Family Tradition
Well, it has been nearly 30 years, and the tradition of sharing this simple, thought-provoking story continues on, now with grandchildren!
Four years ago, after our traditional read of If He Had Not Come around the family dinner table, I felt a prompting . . . a compelling urge to resurrect and re-introduce the story for a new generation of children and their families.
To give you a bit of history here, If He Had Not Come, by Nan Weeks, was originally published in 1938 as part of Cynthia Maus’ anthology entitled, Christ in the Fine Arts, a collection of stories, poetry, music and art depicting the life of Jesus Christ. The anthology was re-published in 1959, and since then . . . nothing. The book is out of print.
So, with the idea of resurrecting If He Had Not Come entrenched in my mind, I began the laborious publishing process in earnest.
The retelling of If He Had Not Come, featuring esteemed illustrations and enrichment activities that parents, grandparents and Sunday School teachers may use to enhance a child’s reading experience, is now available, once again, through local booksellers and favorite on-line retailers.
Let each generation tell its children what glorious things He does. Psalm 145:4 (Living Bible)
It is my heart’s desire that my children and grandchildren will continue to share this wonderful story with their children and grandchildren.
And perhaps you would like to start a new family tradition at your house by reading this book to your children and grandchildren.
