Once upon a time in the nothingness long ago... there was a Wumpalump.

"I am", thought the Wumpalump. I am love, I am joy, I am peace. Nothing there is but me. "I am" all things...

And with the Wumpalump was the Word. And the Word was the Wumpalump.

And the Wumpalump sat and he sat and he sat. And he felt sad. "I am" all things he thought, but "I am" nothing... for no one there is to share with.

And the sadness the Wumpalump felt grew and grew and grew. The small sorrow became a gnawing pain, a bottomless ache, a raging hunger. And when the Wumpalump could no longer bear the terrible emptiness he felt... the Word spoke.

The Wumpalump with a great deep love
gave Himself...The heavens were filled with an infinitude of little Wumpalumps. "I am" they all shouted in glee! For the first time the Wumpalump felt all love, all joy, all peace for within him these things were shared and thus multiplied. And with great love the Wumpalump stretched forth his hand and with Himself painted the heavens in beautiful blues and sparkles of gold. With laughter and warmth he placed a brilliant light to rule the day and a softer glow to rule the night. Embracing his fullness he brought forth the earth and with tears of joy created the oceans. He fashioned whales and moving creatures of all kinds. He set birds in the sky to dance amongst the clouds.

And when he had finished the Wumpalump stood back and observed all he had become and with satisfaction... he saw it was good.

And the Wumpalump was tickled pink for now his greatest work was to be. "Let us make the little lumps in our image," he said. And from the dust of the ground he brought forth a little lump. He breathed into him all love, all joy, all peace. "I am!" the little lump cried. And the Wumpalump caused a deep sleep to fall on the first little lump and from him

created the second little lump.

"Be fruitful and multiply," he told them. And with tender care, he touched them as they touched each other.

And the Wumpalump was happy but he remembered the sadness he once felt. He remembered and felt the little lumps could remember too. So the Wumpalump warned them.

"I have given you all things," he said. "Everything that is mine is yours! Give each other my love and you'll express my joy and feel my peace. Forever these things are yours. But I warn you. Never look to the nothingness for in that day you shall surely die!

"Yes, yes!" the little lumps echoed. But already the seed had been planted and little lump 2 wondered what wisdom she was lacking if she failed to look to the nothingness.

So one day when she thought no one was watching she shared the seed with little lump 1. "Let us find what we are lacking," she said. "We will have wisdom as the Wumpalump if we do." And because little lump 1 agreed with little lump 2 that this was good... they both looked to the nothingness and were surprised at what they saw.

"Why, we lack all things!", they shouted. And emptiness and dread filled them. And they heard the Wumpalump walking as a breath of wind for no longer did they feel him within. And they ran and covered themselves with the clothes they lacked.

And the Wumpalump was surprised when he saw them. "Who told you that you lacked clothes? Did you look to the nothingness as I warned you not to?"

Little Lump 1 was afraid. "Little lump 2 told me", he said trembling. And little lump 2 trembled even more. "The seed told me," she exclaimed.

And the Wumpalump looked upon the two little lumps with great sadness because they had chosen the nothingness over all love, all joy, and all peace. With tears i

n his eyes he told them the wisdom they had found. "From now on," he said, "you will feel loneliness, pain, and confusion.. for you have looked to the nothingness. In sorrow will you share creation."

But because the Wumpalump was all love, all joy, and all peace, he had compassion on the little lumps. "One day I will destroy the seed," he promised. "One day I will send my Word. Then no longer will you look to the nothingness. Then no longer will you feel loneliness, pain, and confusion!

So the little lumps, with the wisdom that they had found, were sent to live in the world. And they felt loneliness, pain, and confusion. And as the Wumpalump had commanded they were fruitful and multiplied. But always with wisdom they looked to the nothingness and saw they lacked... so loneliness, pain, and confusion were multiplied.

And some little lumps arose who were wiser than their fellows. They saw what they lacked and with craftiness and guile stole what the other little lumps possessed... thus becoming rich and wealthy.

And other little lumps there were who were wiser and they organized their fellows and gained great power. This way they forced from others the things they lacked.

And thus it was in the world. Each little lump taking from others to fill what he lacked.

And sickness... and hunger... and death stalked the land and no one there was to save them from the nothingness.

But some little lumps remembered the Wumpalump's promise. That someday he would free them from their loneliness, pain, and confusion.

And the Wumpalump was true. He sent his Word. He sent his little love lump into the world to save the world from the nothingness.

And the little love lump was in the Wumpalump. And all the Wumpalump's love, joy, and peace were in his Word.

And the little love lump felt all the W

umpalump's health and wholeness and as he touched the little lumps who thought they lacked... they were made whole. And as he touched the little lumps who thought they were hungry... they were filled.

And the little love lump went about giving all his father's love, joy, and peace. And as these things flowed through him the nothingness melted.

But some little lumps there were who did not understand for they still looked to the nothingness. They still saw what they lacked. They wanted a rich, powerful little lump to subdue the other little lumps and take away the loneliness, pain, and confusion.

But the little love lump refused to subdue anyone. "Be perfect," he said, "As the Wumpalump is perfect. For he maketh his rain to fall on the just and the unjust!"

This made the little lumps mad. "But we want to be saved!" they shouted. "Save us! Save us! Where is the kingdom you promised?"

But the little love lump refused. "My kingdom is not of this world," he said. And within he felt all love, all joy, all peace... the gentle touch of the Wumpalump.

Then the time came that the Wumpalump's promise was to be fulfilled. And the little love lump was afraid for by himself he was to face the nothingness and bring back to the Wumpalump all that was his. And though he was afraid and trembled... he chose to fulfill his fathers promise.

With not riches or power did he choose to face the nothingness. As His Father he gave all he had. He gave himself. He was the Word.

And as in the beginning when the Wumpalump gave himself he felt all love, all joy, all peace...

So now whenever a little lump believes on the Word and knows to give of himself is life... so shall he too feel all love, all joy, all peace.

For this is the grace of God... that we should know him who in love created us and his son wh

o in love died for us.