Throughout history the manifestation of God's presence and power has come to receptive individuals in the way that they have been prepared to understand it, and this fact holds true today. In some of the earliest Bible history, Abraham was directed by the voice of God, Moses saw the burning bush, Elijah heard the still small voice, and David walked with God. In the first century, the Christ, as the true idea of God, came in the form of the man Jesus and was made apparent through the virgin birth, an event that transcended the comprehension of the senses but was apparent to those ready to conceive that such an event was possible.
In all these instances the experience was a spiritual one, that is, human thought had to be spiritually prepared, for the idea was not comprehensible through material sense. And yet, these events have changed the course of history and altered the lives of unnumbered individuals. How does the Christ appear today? Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, says: "In this age it assumes, more intelligently than ever before, the form of Christian healing. This is the babe we are to cherish. This is the babe that twines its loving arms about the neck of omnipotence, and calls forth infinite care from His loving heart."Miscellaneous Writings, p. 370;
The same demand of spiritual preparedness holds true today. Sometimes the question arises why more people are not recognizing Christian Science as the coming of Christ to this age. The answer lies partly in the lack of spiritual sense, or, in other words, the immersion of thought and life in the evidence of the material senses. One must break through this mesmerism of materialism in order to be aware of the Christ, Truth, and to be able to see, know, and feel the presence of God, Spirit. This breakthrough is an awakening that takes place when human thought, either through necessity or through cultivated desire, is reaching for a higher basis. Such weaning away from materialism has been necessary in every age to prepare the way for the Christ.
