Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-29
" PEACE on ElRTH. !"
A CHRISTMAS SERMON By THE REV W.
S. HosKINsoN.
Is the solemnity the Occasion Not oh.
scured by leo Much in the Way
of Merry-AIaking


day in Fireman's Hall from the text: "And
they shall call his name Immanuel-God
with US. Matt. l., %.
Christmas has come to mean SO many
things that we must stop and study little
to catch its true meaning. Thus this and
that of our day are likely to distract from
the true meaning of this day that which
gives it its true significance. II is like the
pealing of bell far out on the hills-the
valleys and the ridges take it up ana tos:
1t backward and forward until we car
scarcely tell which is the original sound
and which are merely echoes. So Christ
mas oday has many echoes.
Thus we walk the streets Of our fair city tc
catch the meaning of Christmas. Here the
people throng, and faces are bright and
happy and joyous. Ask one and another
the meaning. One says: Christmas means
JOY; 1t is the pledge OF what we are Sc
likely to forget in The busy cares OF
lie that there is great Joy in life"
Well, that is certainly true. a Christmas
without Joy would be like spring without
blossoms sad roses. But the blossoms and
not even express the meaning of spring.
Go on TO another and he says: Christ
mas means kindness, the opening OF
human affections" forgetting, forgiviDg-a
sort of amnesty with all the world. The
language with this one would be, Peace
on earth" And this is also an answer TO
the question. What is Christrnas?" Ii
does have the power to soften hearts.
makes men feel the need of the needy, puts
us into sympathy with all about Us.
Thanks 10 the Christian religion, charity
and benevolence never flowed SO eener-
ously as they do 10 day. Yes, this. TOO. is
a meaning Of Christmas.
Another takes nil wider view of it.
This great festival, spreading every year to
new peoples, tells that all the world is
drawing closer and closer together. 1t
means that barriers are being broken down,
and national prejudice and hatred are
dying out. prophesies: The federation
of the nations and the parliament of the
world" And this is right grand, true
meaning of Christmas; for, if it means any,
thing, II 1t is at all real, il must point at
last TO that-ihe binding tog,her of men
all over the world in one company of
brethren.
Some sag it shows the power of Christi.
anlty; others, that it is q sign of the truth
A-~N = lPhiN34i anu GU Oi GlIu Il.
But In no one, nor in all of these together.
Is really given what Christmas means at
its very heart We must find the true
meaning in the event itself which Christ
mas celebrates. And this event is very
simple, yet very profound. "A child is
born into the world; but that child is the
Divine One himself, the great God.n Here
we find the meeting of infinite power and
infinite weakness. God is coming 10 man:
the rather is drawing nesrer and nearer to
his lost and bewildered child. The mean.
ing of Christmas is, then, God came to us
God came to man that He might be united
TO US and we to Him-the union of God
and man. 1mmanuel-God with US. is
thus the true meaning OF Christmas, and in
this great palpable fact all other meanings
ind their true interpretation
And now that Christmas time has come
again, and tie day itself is past, how can
We feel that it is real Christmas to US in
d1vidually unless we get at the very heart
OF It and know that God has come to us.
1t means more than recalling old friends
and friendships, and the forming of new
and pleasant relationships. 1t ought to be
q very personal matter with US, for it ex-
presses personal relation. Emmanuel
God with us-is the true relation which it
expresses for US. Nearly two thousand
years ago the message came to the shepherds:
Unto you is born this day Savior"
Every Christian must translate this into a
particular personal message unto himself,
and say: Unto me was horn this day a
Savior" He must hear the angels saying
Unto thee" Not only to man in general,
but to him in particular this message was
sent. And now, unless by faith we can do
that much then cur Christmas falls short
OF what Christ meant il to &c.
The years roll rapidly b., and before we
can realize II, Christmas comes again; and
as year after year, and season after season
comes in turn, it is often hard to make the
message a real matter for US individually.
Cares and anxieties are multiplying for US,
parching the dews of youth, sufferings are
borne that blast the elasticity of the spirit,
and make Christ's salvation seem a far-off,
dream-like matter. Then what are we to
do? When Christmas comes and calls US,
and the world has been filling US with its
prosperity or lis bitterness, making the
message to Us a sort of unreal impossible
thing, is there any help?
Possibly the plan adopted By those shep-
herds of Judea would be good one for US.
In fact know of no better, more reason
able way to settle the matter. unto YOU
is born this day Savior" said the mes
sage to those men of the East. And then
they said: Let US go now and see this
King who is come to pasta very reason
able thing to do. And away they went,
over hill and valley, until they came to the
place and went in and saw the child.
Christmas is q realty when we come near
and see Jesus.
We may receive gifts fine and costly; we
may feast ourselves on the abundance of
the season; we may receive the congratula-
tons Of our friends and extend them in
NJ ax 10 4ho
and the needy; we may open our hearts and
be made TO feel that all the world is kin to
US; and yet if we do not see the child I'm
manuel-God with us-;he blessed Jesus
who saves and redeems Us, then Christmas
is incomplete.
Think how much the New Testament
makes OF this simple experience of imme-
diate personal contact, seeing Jesus. When
Nathaniel objected that one from Nazarus
could not be the Messiah, Philip says:
Come and see." If he only saw he could
doubt no longer. And the people of Sam
aria, who were seeking after the truth,
eeen and heard Christ for them
selves. Now we believe, for we
have heard him ourselves, and know
that this is the Christ, the Savior of the
world" 1t is that strange. hard to under
stand Or explain, power of personal contact
that is here meant. Something came to
them from the great presence of the man,
the deep eyes, the penetrating tones of bis
voice, that satisfied them. They felt the
Divine, and all doubts were made to van
ish. As soon as they saw Him, they were
drawn into the great currents of his life,
and were made one with him.
So it is the sense of divine touch which
we must get; then Christmas has mean
ing for us. No Christmas will do that much
for Us unless We can get away from the
noise, and frolic, and gayety, and laughter,
and confusion, and look only on Jesus.
Then, when we have seen Him, felt his
divine touch, SO that we are compelled 10
cry out: My Lord and MY God" it is then,
L say, that We, too, like the shepherds and
all wise men, may come away from the
blessed presence, our hearts bounding with
Joy unutterable and full of glory.
There is such thing as making Christ
mas too bright. We make this bright time
dark with excess of light" There is so
much OF splendor in tbs shop windows. so
much bastle on the streets, so much
merry-making and jollity, so much
publicity and rejoicing, that we lose the
quiet peaceful sense of the divine life
touching ours. Is this not so with MANY
Christians? The season comes and goes
and leaves them very thirsty. Not because
they have done ANYTHING particularly