The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-27
CHRISTMAS ECHOES.
Several Other Presentations
Made on That Day.
Synopsis Of a Sermon Delivered by Bishop
Leonard at St. Marks Cathedral Anent
the Holiday.

Christmas was SO universally observed
that all the tokens of charity and generos-
ity bestowed on that day would fill a page.
We add a few more below:
At St. Marks cathedral Bishop Leonard
delivered an impressive sermon of which
the following is a brief synopsis:
They shall call his name Emanuel, which
being Interpreted is God with us.-St. Matthew.
l. 20.
Men lave ave always had some kind of
belief in the existence OF a Supreme Being,
even though it has been very vague. They
have always had a deep-seated desire and a
natural impulse to worship His being, and
In their ignorance they have fashioned idols
OF wood and stone to whom they might
pay tribute of worship. The heather IN
common with Christians nave believed in
the omnipresence of God, and they lave
desired to have Gods presence fixed so
that they might turn TO this Xed presence
as the object of their devotion. Christ
condescended to come to earth this day
many centuries ago and take upon him our
una nature so that he might thus re-
ceive mans worship. He recognized Gods
being as too great to be comprehended and
desired to lave Him brought nearer, and
placed before Him in such a definite way
that we might worship Him.. In His con-
d~escension to be born of a Virgin to take
mans nature and to dwell for a brief space
on earth He became Emanuel (GOd with
u.s. He became Emanuel to the shep-
herds on the hillsides of Judea as they
tended their hocks by night to the MagI
when they came from the distant east to
present gifts of gold, frankincense n
myrrh, to every soul with whom He came
in contact. Yes, the infinite
God really dwelt among them
all in the human nature of
HIS divine Son did this that men might
come to Him, pray to Him and be blessed
by Him. After enjoying this Intercourse
with Him for a space he went away to his
Father to receive and impart divine gifts
to them. But when He went away
BE DID NOT CEASE TO BE EMANUEL.
He distinctly said He would not leave
them alone, but would send a comforter
who should dwell with them forever, and
! lead them into all truth. The birth of
Christ is not alone en- historical fact, but
an ever-present reality. And so we
preach Him to-day as a living fact, a very
potent agent in the civilization of the
world. Christ is present to-day, just as
really as he ever was in the flesh. First in
the deserving poor whom He said we
mad with US always. Through them we
may show our love for Him. He said that
what was don for His poor He considered
as done to Himself. If this were fully
realized it would take away much of our
selfshness. Christmas day being a feast of
charity we may realize much of its
b~lessedness, and make it intensely real by
remembering those who are so dear to the
divine Saviour's love.
Christ again is present in the life of
every true Christian man. When men look
upon such a man they feel that he il a
worthy representative of the divine Christ,
for all that is good in man is the outcome of
the influence of Christ's teaching. Then
too Christ is specially present and becomes
our Emanuel in the two sacraments
which he has ordained and in the other
grace-giving channels which have been es-
tablished in HIS church, Christ is every
where present, but specially so in His
house, or wherever two or three are gath
cred together in His name. Because He
vouchsafed to dwell in temples made with
hands, beautiful churches, richly adorned
and appropriately decorated, as at this
Christmas season, are built for His wor-
ship. We build suoh houses and conse-
crate them to His service, not because
He needs them, not because He can
not be acceptably worshipped in dens or
caves, but as an indication of our love for
Him, and He accepts them because they
thus testify our love. We cannot do too
much to emphasize the fact of Christ's
constant presence. May it be made very
real always in every proper way, so that
the divine Christ, whose birth is this day
celebrated, may be constantly constrained
to dwell with US, to guide, to cheer and to
bless.