| In a particular place just north of a certain star
in the far-off reaches of an eternal land, it was deemed that Jesus and Lucifer would have
a computer programming contest to decide the fate of a newly created universe. So the Holy
Spirit set up great computers for them in a little-known region of the universe on a small
mud-ball planet. As they sat at the keyboards, the Holy Spirit counted down to the great moment while countless angels and other eternal creatures large and small waited breathlessly. Well, actually not breathlessly, because they don't breathe, of course, but they were really quite excited. Anyway, the Holy Spirit counted, "Three, two, one, start!" and the contest was on. Working at a speed that blurred the imagination, Jesus and Lucifer keyed in thousands of codes as their monitor screens flashed with colors, commands, and conglomerations that they programmed into their computers. By the mud-ball's time, hours passed, then days, weeks, months, years, centuries, and still they worked furiously, hardly glancing at one another. Suddenly, and without warning, there was a gigantic lighting flash that split the eastern sky. Thunder rolled and crackled nosily through the computer speakers. Then the line to the eternal power source in the far-off reaches broke, and both monitor screens went blank. Darkness descended upon the mud-ball planet like a black shroud. Jesus waited patiently while legions of angels flew to help the Holy Spirit restore the power. Lucifer fussed and fumed at the delay, anxious to resume the contest he was certain he was winning—so certain, in fact, he almost asked Jesus if He wanted to concede. When the power returned, three mud-ball days later, Jesus' monitor screen flashed with all the glory that He had created, but Lucifer's screen was completely blank—everything that he had programmed into his computer was gone. Lucifer sat stunned and stared unbelievingly back and forth between the two screens, and then in anguish and anger screamed at the Holy Spirit, "How can that be? Everything I programmed is gone, and Jesus lost nothing that He created!" The Holy Spirit smiled and said, "Why, Lucifer, everyone
knows that Jesus saves!" And so the contest was finished, and everyone on the mud-ball planet in the little-known region of the universe, and all the angels and other creatures large and small in that far-off place just north of a certain star, were joyously and eternally happy. That is, of course, everyone except Lucifer, who stalked off in a blind rage and, not looking where he was going, fell into a bottomless pit that plunged him into the very center of the mud-ball's burning core.
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