The San Francisco call., 1901-12-26
CHILDREN SING ANTHEMS.
Interesting Feature of First English
Lutheran Church Services.

A feature Of the morning services at
the First English Lutheran Church was
the singing Of the girls vested choir of
forty voices. The children did justice to
the beautiful melodies they rendered. The
interior of the church was appropriately
decora ted. The Rev. Z. Nelander, pas
Tor Of the church, delivered a sermon on
Christmas as Force for the Diffusion
Of Happiness" His text was Matthew
NXv:21: Enter thou. into the JOY Of thy
Lord In part he said:
When Christmas angels begin to sing. it is
hard 70 keep the chapters and verses of my
they belong, in Genesis or Revelation or any
where between. and crowd together 10 claim
place in the great, glad song. The words
~ the text belong to the music Of the home
going. but somehow they broke away from
their setting in the parable and got into my
Christmastide falls like the touch Of an IN
gels hand in softening influence upon the cold
s..t 49, or one oaS an weapons are
IN the market-piace. Even miserly men Will
be generous on Christmas Gay. Wonderful in
decd is our poor old earth these Christmas
DAYS The Christmas glow lies like band Of
gold across the brow Of the old wear Somt- -
times tI imaginative hours think Of the
recording angel standing at one side and not
ing the sights and sounds Of our busy city.
Listening on other days Of the year perchance.
TIE angel would hear sobs. grOans, curses,
blows and the sounds Of strife. Oft stopping
his ears. the heavenly visitor would fly from
The scene as from some battlefield. But the
Garth and an angel drawing near our earth
last evening would have seen our city ablaze
Hith light vocal with the glad shouts of chill
dren and radiant with the spirit of good will.
The cradle Of Christ represents the only uni
fyiag force that has 50 far appeared in the
world. When one race finds hero. that very
fact makes him hated by other nations In
February We revere our Washington but Eng
land has 10 place for his birthday. If once
each year France eNalts Napoleon. Paris does
not celebrate the natal day Of Kaiser William
the First. Italy enthrOnes Garibaldi, but does
Ict know that Russia hCnors the birthday OF
the Gar. But at last there enters one who
breaks down al barriers and unites all hostile
nations in q day Of peace and good will to
man.
This child wrapped I'm swaddling clothes is
the very God that sat upon the circle Of the
universe and called into beng the things that
were not This little hand. pink and dimped.
lying on its mothers breast. is the very sa me-
that spun new-cre9ted worlds into space that
rolls the rattling thunder through the skies.
The mother soOthes him with a lullaby.
Sleep my baby. sleep" The lips that smile
hack are destined 10 speak the word whereat
the thrones Of all the Caesars shall fall into
irremediable ruin and give way to a kingdom
Of truth and righteousness upon the earth
Since that first Christmas eve 1900 Christmas
mornings full Of icy have come and gone. Yer
fly, during that time this child has lifted the
gates Of the empires off their hinges. For the
ridings Cf that is joyous to-day the tfdings
of that holy night. The nobiest Of all long
ings Is at last TO see him who entered the
earth 81 Bethlehem and sprang back to God
from ClYet.