A pastor once asked his youth to write the Christmas Story as if it had happened today. The following is a compilation of their stories:
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"Years ago an angel came to girl named MaryAnn who was living out in the desert over by Yuma. The angel said she would have a child who would be God's Son. The angel also talked to Joey, the guy she was engaged to, so he’d know she wasn't cheating on him. They got married in a little church ceremony. Several months later the State of Arizona sent Joey a notice about unpaid taxes, so he said they’d have to go up to Phoenix to clear things up. They got in their old Chevy pickup and drove north on the rough back roads because Joey's license plates had expired.
"As they were driving towards Phoenix late at night, MaryAnn went into labor. They were near a boarded-up motel on the edge of the Reservation, so Joey stopped there and broke a door open in one of the rooms. MaryAnn gave birth to a baby boy right there on a dusty old bed. They named him Josh.
"Some truckers came by and said someone radioed them that a baby had just been born there. They shared their sandwiches and coffee, gave them some blankets and directions to a motel over in Maricopa. Later that night some men in suits on their way to the casino had a flat tire there on their van. When they heard the baby crying, they came to the room. They felt sorry for Joey and MaryAnn and gave them a wad of cash, a bottle of booze and a carton of Camels.
"A few days later Sheriff Joe Arpaio heard there was a group in Maricopa planning to impeach him, so he sent a SWAT team to the motel. But MaryAnn and Joey had already left to visit relatives in New Mexico. They stayed there long enough for Joey to earn money to rent a better apartment back home. The truckers told people what they’d seen, but MaryAnn remembered everything about the trip."
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Maybe that’s how it might have happened, if Jesus had been born today.
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