A Mountaintop Experience

A youngster was reciting a Christmas play monologue in which he had to quote several verses from the Gospel story of Jesus’ birth. To jog his memory, he had pinned several notes in various places on his clothing. For a while, his memory served him well as he repeated the words spoken to Mary by the angel of the Lord: “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you … Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son …” At this point, his mind went blank. Quickly, he glanced down to the belt line of his blue jeans where he had placed one of his notes. Then, he recovered and said, “And you shall call His Name ‘Fruit of the loom.'”

The correct line, of course, reads “And you shall call His Name Jesus.” Nevertheless, the young actor was not off the mark entirely, as we read in…