Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17


Lesson for Dec. 20.
Golden Text-"And the angel said unto
them, Fear not, for behold, bring You
good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people."-Luke, 2: 10.
The Birth of Christ" is the subject
of this lesson, found in Matt. 2: IL.
The Christmas lesson Is so familiar to
us that there is danger of teaching it in
a perfunctory way that will rob it Of all
its beauty. "When Jesus was born in
Bethlehem" compare the account in
Luke 2, showing how Joseph and Mary
happened to be in Bethlehem. 1t will
be profitable task to arrange in their
probable chronological order the events
separately given by Matthew and Luke
In the story of the infancy. The result
can then be corrected by "harmony"
Tin the days of Herod the King"
this was certainly, therefore, before 750
A. u. c., for Herod died in March of that
year. The birth of Christ is dated by
most writer's in the year 749 of the
Roman reckoning, that is 8 b. @. The
error in establishing the Christian era Is
due to Dionysius, n Roman abbot who
died in $50 A. D.-"There came wise
men from the East to Jerusalem:" the
date of the visit of the wise men cannot
be definitely fixed, but it was several
weeks, perhaps months, after the birth
of Jesus; for it is probably to be placed
after the visit to the temple when the
child was forty days old tLuke 2: 22-3S).
But some writer's are inclined to place 1t
rather during that forty days. If the
star did not appear until the birth of
Jesus, the arrival of the wise men must
have been at least FIVE or six weeks after
that time. But the date is not especially
important.-The number of wise men.
and the particular part of the East from
which they came, are not known. Prob
ably they were from Persia, and belonged
to the class of astrologers whose business
1t was to observe the heavens and inter-
pret the movements of the heavenly bod
les. Tradition names them Caspar, Mel
chior, and Balthasar, and makes them all
kings.
|. I'VE have seen his star in the East"
there has been endless speculation as to
the nature of the phenomenon thus indi-
Gated. There are two favorite theories:
one that of q periodical star, which in
creases greatly in brightness at intervals
of many years; stars are known which,
though ordinarily of the fifth magnitude,
brighten to the first magnitude for a few
weeks at regular intervals of century
or five centuries and then fade again.
Another suggestion is that the phenome-
non referred to may be conjunction of
Jupiter and Saturn in the year of Rome
TAT q B. CO. or that of Jupiter, Saturn
and Mars~fh 74S C b. Co. These con-
functions would present n display of re-
markable brilliancy in the heavens, which
would surely be considered a sign of great
Importance by astrologers. But there are
difficulties in adopting either view if we
take the story literally when it speaks IF
the star going before the wise men, and
standing over Bethlehem. That, how
ever. may be simply the wise mems way
of describing their Interpretation of the
stars guidance.-"And are come to
worship him:" that the philosophers of the
East were expecting some great hero to
be born into the world about this time is
shown by illusions in Roman and Greek
historians. 1t is not to be supposed that
these wise men who came to worship the
child born king of the Jews knew very
much about the real character and work
of the Savior who was to be.
Teaching Hints.
Ine wise men came 10 JeruSalem eX-
pecting to find the child in a palace, sur.
rounded by every luxury. They found
him in a manger, in circumstances of the
greatest poverty, probably with no such
halo around his head as the painters
show; merely a human infant like any
other, SO far as the eye could see. 1t
must have been great surprise to the
wise men TO find the royal child in so low
lxy vl,.t thox. a f.1t
in their confidence that they had found
the long-expected king. There is les
son here for us: we shall not always find
Christ where we expect. He reveals him
self to those that are willing to be abased
that they may be exalted. He makes his
dwelling with those whose hearts are
open to his call.
The wise men found Christ by the
guidance of star. Yet so many fail to
find him now with all the help of the
Scriptures and of the experience of Chris
tian friends. Is not the trouble that they
have not the persistence that character
lied these men from the East? They are
not willing to travel far or to undergo
hardship and danger that they may wor-
ship the king. They are not willing to
study the gospels to find art about him
and learn the way to him.
Though he came in obscurity and pov-
erty, yet Jesus was truly a king, though
not king of the Jews. God highly exalted
him and made him ruler over many, in
that spiritual kingdom of which he taught
so much. The birth of Christ came when
the world was prepared for it. Men every
where were waiting for some great man
to come and restore a golden age. The
coming of "boy" to bring back reign
of prosperity and peace never took place
as the pagan world hoped; and the child
who did come, came not 20 bring peace,
but sword; not the establishment Of
empires, but their overthrow; not the
increase of riches, but the gloriication of
poverty. The world was ready for Christ,
though 1t knew not that II was ready.
Mankind was weary Of life of show.
and longed unconsciously for a revival Of
the divine Spirit within.
Next Lesson-"A Lesson of Trust
Matt, vi, 24-34.
II follower of Christ Is truly conee-
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