As we approach the new millennium, I asked myself, "What would the most significant souvenir I could buy as a memento to mark this passing era and the new one to come?" It had to be a calendar, not just any calendar, but one recognizing the history of the past two thousands years.

I went to Waldenbooks in late November. They had an impressive array of 75, or more, expensive calendars. There were calendars recognizing twelve scenes of cities, countries, flowers, quilts, motorcycles, Wicca, swimsuits, ecology, environment, World War II planes, cars, jets, rock groups, actors, golf courses, football, etc., but no mention of anything before this century.

I went to Borders. Their selection was even larger, but more of the same, a 100 more.

I went to Barnes & Noble. They had a huge selection, perhaps 100 to 125 different kinds of calendars. Finally, there it was, the only calendar marking the history of the last two thousand years with twelve scenes of what the publisher in Germany thought were the most significant twelve events in the past two thousand years. My quest was over for a mere $12.95.

I walked up the counter and was greeted by a middle-aged woman with a European accent, perhaps German or Dutch. I said, look at this, the only calendar I could find after looking in Waldenbooks, Borders, and now here, that even recognized that anything happened before this century.

She looked at the cover and said, "Amazing, I never thought of it, you are right, that is the only one. I responded, "You know what people will say about us a 1000 years from now? Nothing! We don't care about the past and neither will they". She agreed.

Then she looked at the cover. One side had a picture of the birth of Christ and other of an astronaut on the moon. She leaned over the counter and whispered, "What do you think?" (I know that many Europeans don't believe we ever went to the moon and it was all a big American Cold War PR hoax.) I said, "You mean (pointing to the astronaut) this is the truth that is really a myth and (pointing to Mary and Jesus) this is the myth that is really the truth?" She said, "Exactly." "What a calendar!" I said, "the accomplishments of God versus the accomplishments of man." I made my purchase.

The calendar made no reference to the Reformation, but what could I expect from a secular publisher. However, the comparison of the front two pictures had captured everything. The best we can do, if we did it, is spend 30 billion on a man in space suite who can only leave his foot print on the moon, while God puts on the space suit of human flesh and becomes one of the aliens. He not only becomes one of us, He offers salvation to all of us through faith in Him, from eternal self-annihilation and gives eternal peace in His kingdom.

There is no question that the greatest achievement in the past 2000 years, and for that matter, all time, is the birth of God in human flesh, in other words, the incarnation.