Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-25
PEACE ON EARTH, coor WILL.
The Lesson THAT Christmas should
Teach Christian People.
Rlchmond. NJ. Decemh.r p.

Richmond. Va December q. 1895.
To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
Peace on earth. Goodwill TO men"
So rang the song nearly nineteen centuries
ggo. Vet pence is still to take up its
reign. though tho aug Is sang so long ago.
and trouble has still 20 vanish. though
God has been in His Heaven throughout
eternity. What did the angcs mean?
Did they come from Heaven TO utter a
mere kindly salutatiOn. as men say,
Peace be with YOU" merely to express
good wishes?
This seems hardly credible prefer
10 see In these first three words Of the
announcement Of Christ's advent the
very keynote Of Hi- mission Christ came
20 reveal the Father. Men had for cen
turtles had an idea Of God as something
apart from The daily events of life. and
only interfering al long intervals in the
ordinary activities on earth. They could
see God in the extraordinary occurrences.
but not I'm the ordinary ones II the
moon or the sun seemed to stand still
for Joshua they could see God in that:
but not i'm the regular procession Of the
heavenly bodies. When the mama fell
from Heaven they recognized God again;
bat the falling dew and rain brought no
remembrance Of Him. Christ's message.
as We love 10 dwell upon IL. was that
God IS in His world. He clothes the
lilies. He cares for the sparrOws. lie
numbers the hairs Of our head. He IS I'm
the minute things. as well as in the great
and awful things of life. We come in
touch with Him. If we can but realza H.
at every point Of life. and in every mo-
ment In 1.-THE Light Of the World" Ed
win Arnold writes
Look one word.
And like the walls OF Jericho. which fell
To music or a southern parted cloud
He burst the bars: lie lightly lifted up
Earth's painted veil. and showed us-c.ose
beyond.
Infinite. cIear-etcrnal life. decreed
Not for tomorrow. or hereafter-no-
Already round. and I'm. and over us
Already ours 10 enter and possess:
Always existing. a ways nigh"
In our division Of life's affairs into the
sacred and the secular we are apt TO
forget that what We call the secular
brings us. or should. into contact with
God as surely as those we call sacred.
The mistake the monks and hermits of
medieval times made we are all in con-
slant danger Of repeating namely as
Stunning that meditation and prayer are
the only means Of bringing US into con-
ltCl VIII to4- j ne Iuln - tNdl iNtN
lead us away from Him, except as they
prepare us for service. Our service con-
sists. not in going TO church, nor 1t read
ing the Bible. nor I'm bowling In prayer.
These are preparations for service. rather
than the service itsef What we call
our secular activities constitute service
building houses shOeing horses. running
trains. drawing w contracts. writing pre-
scriptions. or buying and selling COM
modities. Every honest man doing his
duty anywhere Is serving God. We speak
OF carrying religion into our business.
or into our politics as though rel sion
was something we got in church. or in
the closet, and carried around with us,
or left IT al home as we chose. But the
truth is that II we have any religion. our
business is part Of II, just as truly as
one praying. For religion consists in
prayer end service. and prayer without
service is no religion al all. Peace on
rthi' sang the angels. Thy will be
done IN earth as il is in Heaven" prayed
Christ That God is near. not afar of;
that He IS here not there; that He is
present IN the world. In IT'S ordinary ac-
tivities. in the rock whose atoms arc
mystar.ously ccmented 10 one another,
in the plant with its ineXplicable chemis-
tries I'm the pulse-beat OF the ocean, ac-
cording 10 laws We can only name; that
in Him we live and move and are is the
peace-bring.ng revelation Christ gave rs
and the ange.s TrOc.a med in advance.
cd IS in His world MS Wei as IN HIS
Ii ven. Earthquakes may not cease. the
ocean may not a ways soS the winds
nay not always blow softly. accidents
and troubles and pains may continue but
TIM arg is promise viii he made good.
ncvcrfh Jess. 70 every one that believeth
ir the revelation of God as an eyer-prescnt
Father instead Of a gr cat despot en-
thronel afar or
JOSEPH H. SHEPHERD.