The herald., 1896-12-28
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
Rev. w. F. Day Delivers Discourse on
Christmas

Christmas chimes are IN the air; CHRIST.
mas greetings upon every tongue: the
thought of the Christmas in every heart
and the theme, 1.-The coming of Christ
a joy to all people" is echoed from many
pulpit throughout the land, which have
caught the glad refrain of the angel
messenger, Fear not. for behold bring
you good tidings of great joy which shall
be to all people"
At what hour of the past this universe
awoke, put on it's garments Of matter and
robed itself in drapery of light, thrilled
by its Creators touch, mounted to its
place and began it's circling fight is not
certain. But it did awake, and with all
the shining orbs, which flash and
gleam through shoreless space, this
earth found it's place and began its race
of ages through the cycles of "its track
Less flight"
And on this waking earth there awoke
a being with human heart and intelli-
gence commissioned to think Gods
thoughts after him, and live such life
as should grow out of such thinking. But
in this human being there also awoke
the possibility of voluntary wrong-do-
ing with all the waste of sin and woe, a
possibility that has been fully realized
and there was another waking which ex
ceeded all that preceded 1t; so great
that we cannot conceive of greater in
time to come. 1t was the waking of
that power in the person of Jesus Christ,
to which man must look outside of him
self by which he and his race may be
put right. This waking makes the
Christians Christmas; but this is not
the Christians day or the Christians
Christ alone. The wide world has
wide worlds share. The birth of Christ
into human life was a joy for all people
and shall yet be felt by all people.
In the light of the years which lie be-
tween that far off hour and this, it is
not hard to find why the coming of
Christ shall be Joy to all people. There
is joyousness for the world in an an
nouncement of a special descent of the
infinite upon this earth, to enter into a
human life, and for a1season to be aisso-
ciated with men in the common expe-
riences of human life. The Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. to feel
what man feels, to wrestle through hu-
man powers with our conflicts.
There is a joyfulness to all men in
that omnipotent condescension. The
earth has not been so lonely since the
Son of God walked upon 1t, nor it's nights
SO dark since he slept under its stars.
Human burdens have not been so heavy
since he, standing amid the wearied and
worried, called with a human voice,
Come unto me and I will give you rest"
since he said, BE of good cheer; have
overcome the world" and endurance in
bereavement since he became a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. And
what he did was SO personal to each man
and woman, touched with the feelings
of our infirmities. in all points tempted
like our race, yet without sin.
THE coming of Christ is a reason for
Joy to the world, in that it was a full re-
alization of an anticipation which has
been cherished of many by the best
men, and in many lands. Again and
again has the Divine Heart throbbed
close to the human and some sweet
voice from the upper Unseen has spoken
and not all ears have been deaf, nor
have all eyes been blind. BY as much
as there has been a far-reaching fore
cast of the incarnation, a conception
of a close touch between heaven and
earth, there is greater force and beauty
in the proclamatio which sounded
over the hills of Judea What was dimly
anticipated and feebly asserted In other
lands and religions was amazingly real
lied in Bethlehem.
THE coming of Christ is joy to the
world, in that it has set in operation.
forces which are accomplishing what all
other religions have failed to do. 1t
lights UP every truth which men have
been able to grasp, makes a revelation
Of Gods love and salvation to all people,
and gives an impulse to every right
thought wherever found. And Christ
is the joy of the people as the unifier
of the human race, the harmonizer
of earth's discords. He is not Jew
nor Gentle, but the one universal
character. His spirit and law, his gos-
pei fits all men, all times, all condi-
tione, all emergencies, as no other
faith or philosophy does or can DO.
Babel stands for discord and separation,
Pentecost for concord and. humanity.
The world has not reached it yet, but
the movement has begun and in Christ
the world is coming together in Ian
guage, thought, interests, moral judg-
ment and fraternal relation. The grand.
est hopes and expectations for all the
race will be realized when centered in
and mutual helpfulness."