Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-26
REV. DIR. j. l.. ROBERTS ELOQUENT
CHRISTMAS SERMON.
AT THE CHURCH OF The WORLD
sUN MoRSHIPERs GREET II BABE
OF BETHLEHEM.
Although ~ Hear the Ech" Of the
Angels Song the world Waits
for The DAY When Every
Nau-ChiId shall lie
Il Christ.

The services OF cae Church OF This World
yesterday a, tae- Coates opera house were
o. q mos sutega-l4l- C-a-agta-, -a ser
mon entitled I'll. Festival OF a9F, de-
liyerel by Key. Dr. J. Roberts oe.-S
eloquent and most appropriate e. iaa sea
son and Tie Glas.a ag Car L-ssa oFoAes-
ira Of ii high 1--1- - ..l-.- The attend
auCe vas large and The contributions 90 the
church fund amounted 10 81"
II IS wei FOR This lul--a world. sad
Dr.. ROBBERS. 'tla. IL ms one festival Of
JOY. Through al! -tae days o. The revolving
year, cares gc1ss not. They return win
every dawn. Sel--seyhlGE ,N4a-Sls me
brain ana harleus Tie heart. BI- once,
upon the day dedicated 70 joy, there IS "a
transiormal0u- The sEasp.ng hand be
comes the giving hand and all the world
Is for tie moment haloe1 with the hight
% love and Joy. Blessed Christmas time
day o. E.ad1ess when children. God bless
them. too eager 10 dress, run bareiooted
and niEEt-gowlea 10 where the solemn
stockings hang and find that their beautiful
faith IN Santa Claus has been vindicateG.
tt Christmas festival is much older
than the fact which Il : commonly sup
posed 20 commemorate. This festival VI JOY
was centuries old q q national festival OF
Rome before the Bethlehem Babe was
born. It was Z festival originally dedicated
TO one OF the great events in nature. i
grew out OF sun worship. probably one OF
the most ancient forms Of religion.
The Christmas poem i. in many re-
spects, one of the most marvellous produc-
lions that ever caIne from the imagination
Of man. The shepherds are in the field
keeping their fOcks by night and al Of a
sudden the sky Is bathed with q light
which the stars do not shed and the echo
ing air Is tlec with music which the Shep-
herds lutte does not make. and the glory
NHAGn IEEE called inc -UilrE Of inc IylTI'
shines around about them and they are
sore afraid. Then comes the voice which
Bethlehem a child. who is Christ, the Lord,
and they leave their fiOcks and make the
journey 10 find the Babe and worship Him.
4 1ranscendent Genius.
a Savior is born. 4 babe, and there
again the old genius came close 10 the
heart Of the world. The common man
dreaming that dream. the common genius
perhaps, or an angel from the SKY. a
GeliNerer equipped and aCcoEtred with
HGTt tnah human, power. possessing the
AFFINITY to strange and wOndrOuS
resources is born, the deliverer, the Savior
Of the world. Blu no. the old genius says
simply, a babe is born. He was wiser than
the Christian fathers. He was wiser than
the makers Of theology. He was wise
enough to say that the prince that was 10
ascend the throne did not come from the
skies. but from the cradle. He was wise
enough then and there 10 put within the
lAtFN.- % A4lE hA4IlaA HbL4A TIE UTMOST u
its hopes Of ultimate deliverauce and COM
plete salvation. He was wise enough to
place the crown at the mothers side as II
ne had said 10 her, Maker of the worlds
rulers. master OF cOLgGcTOrS and Of kings,
upon that brow let this crown be placed.
She is thu one that creates and ordain-.'
To make the cradle the throne Of the world,
to get back 70 humanity. TO abandon any
dream Of spirit Intervention or sUperuatUT-
al power. 70 put all the glory and all the
responsibility and all the hope and dignity
Of the worlds salvation al the cradle. to
lay II upon the human babe. was the work
Of a transceHdeut genius.
We are rot quite ready to adopt II.
The Christian world was not quite ready
to accept the babe. Il distrUsted human
fly. T. d!stTgsted the power of the mother
and the child. SO II took the babe and
transformed II into a God-child. and that
Is proper for these that think that way.
Against that doctrine on this Christmas
morning not one word from me. but il
seems 10 me 70 be more divine and human,
too. more wonderful and worshipful to
think Of the simple babe born in the simple
way with his human father and his human
mother. and the tender and ChaSte hope
IL it better promise at last of the worlds
salvation than any fictitious or magical
divine element possessed by Him that other
babes have not. So the old Bethlehem
story. the old poem is human 20 the last
degree. intimate, familiar. intense.
But II was not on!y the babe born
that should be Christ. our Lord. but Ii
was the babe born Eonder in Bethlehem,
in a mau=sr, on a pallet Of straw. among
the kline, the lowing cattle. the cu6- chevy
Eng sheep, and there was no place FOR the