Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-02-09
Commemorative Sermon.

gatiOnal church delivered an ami.
versary sermon Sunday morning, in.
commemoration OF the beginning of
the fourth year of his passionate.
His text was from the Acts of the
Apostles-"Whom, when Paul saw,
he thanked God and took coursge."
Following is synopsis:
1t hardly seems possible that three
years have rolled around since as a
pastor and people we took each
other 'for better or for worse to go
life's Journey together" until it was
thought best for us to part.
But such is the case and today
marks the beginning of the fourth
year OF my passionate among you.
That you have made them pleasant
years and are entering upon this pc
Rod OF time in better condition mate
rally and spiritually than in any
OF the years that have been am ong
you is I, sufficient cause whereby. like
Paul of old, we should thank God
and take courage. Like Paul in his
journeying to the cpaital city, this
church, in order to reach it's present
happy condition, has passed through
many bitter stru" giles and labors.
Gratitude is always looked upon
as grand and noble impulse and
stimulous to courage. 1t must, OF
course, be true gratitude which &C.
complishes this, not that stimulation
Which some cynic has morosely de-
sclibed az a lively ''expectation of
favo"s to come.''
1t must be a true going forth OF
the soul a grateful acknowledgements
Or attachment to another who has
brought a blessing upon us. So it is
when one has been helped by afriend
out OF some trouble. or has been
lifted out Of some dread disease by
the patience and skill OF others, or
has received Illuminating counse, in
time OF perplexity, from such cOndl-
lions this force OF gratitude is sure
to cCme giving new courage and
expectation for the future
In the years that have gone some
OF the members of our congregation
have passed to other regions, some
have gone from lis to the heavenly
home ascending into the skies and
leaving behind ''train of brightness
streaming from their ripened charac-
ter as the sun that is setting throws
up that lovely and luminous glory"
and we who remain meet each other
today in the happy harmony and.
fellowship:which has prevailed among
us from the beginning.
We may thank God today and
take courage because OF the happy
tranquility and unity OF the working
forces Of our church. Were it not so
it would elamentable.
Never was a saying 50 true as i'll
the work of the church "where there
is unity there is strength
And there can be no true unity OF
purpose and Of labor without the
command Of the master is fulfilled
when he said to his disciples "a new
commandment I give unto you, that
ye love one another as | have loved
you.'
In the commandment the Saviour
realizes that the principle at stake
was the source OF power in the
church, the principle OF ''unity in the
bond Of love-
I do not think that Jesus meant
that our love should equal his in
quantity, but that we should love
each other and act toward each
other as he had loved and acted
toward his disciples.
I feel that only that the divine prin-
ciple of love and tenderness toward
mistakes and plumbers of others
could ever have brought this church
through it's great financial stra it's
The conditions through which you
have been passing, have been the
rocks that have wrecked the useful
ness and future of many churches
and made church life anything but
helpful and inspiring. And you may
thank God that you have come
through the period of financial de-
preston without breaking the bond
of unity.
While we have taken 81 into our
membership during three years, we
feel that there are scores of others
who need Jesus Christ as their per-
sonal Saviour and friend, and it
should be the end of all our work to-
gether, to bring them to the Master.
On the whole I feel that we may
thank God and take courage. And
while there are many about us in
these hurrying days that are against
the spiritual life, and the church and
tho divine inf711nncos that cho,,1d oo