The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-15
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
4 PERTINENT ANSWER TO THE
QUESTION, "wHO is GREATEsTtv
A short Sermon by Rev. John +. PEI
Episcopal Church, New York City.

Jesus was there And both Jesus was
called, and His disciples, 10 the mar
He that is greatest among you, let him
be as the younger. Luke xxi, g.
Have you ever seen an elder brother come
home on his first vacation from school or
college, or after his first real absence In
what he considers to be the great world?
He is apt to be grand and lordly, raised
now above the petty amusements and child
games in which he used to take part with
his younger brothers and sisters. How they
look up TO and admire him; how big and
manly they esteem the fine contempt with
which he processes TO regard their petty
pleasures and most cherished playthngs.
He tyrannizes over them body and soul
tramples them under his feet, as 1t We're,
and they think him great for doing so.
Or you have seen the elder sister just
grown into womanhood beginning to go
out or to receive attentions. She can not
demean herself now with the dolls and
other childish amusements which make the
joy of her little sisters lives. She makes
fun of them, speaks patronizingly of them,
perhaps even has no time or patience to
assist little sister in the clothing or hous-
ing of the precious doll children, but mere
ly scolds or laughs at her for being SO stu
pid as to find fun in such things And the
little sister admires her. thinks her the
most beautiful thing in the world, and
aspires to become just like her.
Happily all big brothers and sisters are
not so, yet we have all known such cases.
1t is too often the way of the world. The
common idea of greatness is something
that stands very high above all the lit
tie cares and pleasures of ordinary peo-
pie, so that we are apt to feel as though
a
ness if we catch him amusing himself
with the same nonsense that amuses
the common herd. So, again, the world
has an idea of religion as d very sober,
sad-faced institution, shut up inside OF
churches and largely concerned with death.
Merriment and gayety in connection with
religion would be quite shocking Ideas.
And now compare with these common
conceptions of greatness and religion the
conduct Of the greatest of all the sons
OF man, who was very God incarnate in
man, and whose life is perfect religion.
He finds nothing low, nothing Understanding
perfect greatness in taking part in the
merry-making of the common sons of men.
He goes to wedding at Cana of Gallilee
You know what such a wedding was like
There were the bridal professions, with
their songs and mirth, little maldens dane
ing and skipping through the streets carry
ing the gifts of the bride; there was the
long feasting enlivened by song and dance,
and many a jest and many quip. There
was the riddle telling the crude acting the
graceful dancing
And all this our Lord condescended to
honor with his presence? Not a bit of it
That is just what He did not do. He was
not like the elder brother or sister who
na 81 40
childrens party and stands by in stiff mel
ancholy that the little ones may see how
much he is above them, and how impor-
tant the things he is thinking about, only
unbending enough at rare intervals TO smile
a faint approval speak a word to some
little one or solemnly take part in a dance.
Now a great many people have. oddly
enough, just this sort OF an idea of the
part that our Lord played at the we'd
ding in Cana of Galilee. Their ideas of d.
vinity are of the same sort as the ideas
of greatness held by the very young men
and women of whom we were just speak
ing.
o what travesty on the life of Christ!
what a failure to comprehend the per-
feet divinity in the perfect humanity The
all-round man, the perfect man, no warped,
gloomy, sad-faced, imperfect man, but a
who could take his part in all that
makes up life, man that entered into all
that men do and think, it's cares and its
pleasures.
No, indeed. Jesus of Nazareth was not
there to stand aloof and be grand He was
there to have good time and to help make
every one else have a good time If you
know Him you can imagine Him heartily,
gladly, joyously taking part in everything;
you cannot imagine Him posing some
one who was above all that. He could not
act in such a manner, and We know from
the Bible that He did not. He entered into
the pleasures of life and taught His disciples
to do so. But there were quantities of peo-
pie then, just there are now, who had
a false idea of religion as meaning asceti-
cism and fasting, and peanace, and gloomy
robes and gloomy faces, and gloomy. bare
lives. SO there We're some who said O. this
Jesus is wine biber, friend of pubIicans
and sinners, light, frivolous sort of char
acter.
l recall a little scene in one of Howelrs
stories which just describes such people,
only it describes them as living now instead
Of nearly 1900 years ago 1t was in a little
of-the-way New England village The
hero, who has of course married the hero
inc. describes to her maiden aunts what
he has seen in the world, and his descrip-
tions are so entertaining and amusing that
afterwards the two honest, Woodworking
Old ladies feel that they must have been
wicked because they have had such a very
good time. Poor old souls, they had been
brought up to think that religion meant
gloom and not gladness, mourning and not
mirth that merriment must be evil and the
good things Of earth very wicked in them
selves. Is II not enough for the disciple that
he be as his Lord7
Some time since the papers contained
the account of young man who killed
a policeman and himself shot and
killed in resisting arrest for burglary His
parents hid brought him up 10 regard re-
Iigion as gloomy and repellant. He was not
allowed to read anything but so-called re-
ligious books. To know that he was a sin
ner and to bewail his sins seems to have
been held up before him as the end and
aim of existence. He was to have no mirth,
nor gladness here. but to expect to sing
and play the harp I'm the next world.
This unnatural training had not unnat-
ural result. The young sought his
pleasure secretly, and, as is apt to be the
case with pleasures sought secretly. II was
evil in It's nature. Outwardly. he was
pious youth, after his parents heart, at
tending Sunday school and church. and
reading religious books. In secret his life
n