Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1902-12-19

The sweetest and the gladdest mes
ssages they have ever brought center
around the Christ. We want to talk
about three of these visitations: OF
Gabriel's advent at Nazareth and his
announcement: Jesus is coming"
Of his appearance to the Judean
shepherds and his announcements:
"Jesus has come" Of the two shin
ing ones on Mount Olivet and their
cheering and inspiring message:
This same Jesus will come again.
Christmas Is Coming!--As the sum-
mer days fade into the chill, blus-
tering days of autumn, the eager
child suddenly awakens to the
thought that Christmas is coming, a
new star of happy anticipation rises
Oh it's horizon, and as the days are
slowly, oh, SO slowly, counted off the
star of hope grows brighter, until
the glad day arrives with it's flood
of joy and light. And the hearts of
the children are not the only ones
that thrill with the announcement
that Christmas is coming, for their
elders warm with the thought and
are soon busy with plans for others
to make the day bright with it's
gifts. Christmas is coming! The
Angel Gabriel was the first to bear
these glad tidings to earth; to the
earth lost in the darkness of sin; to
the earth grooming under the bond
age of it's human masters. Listen to
his message:
Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found
favor with God. And behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He
shall be great, and shall be called the
Son OF the Highest: and the Lord God
snail 81 giye unto Him the throne of His
father David: and He shall reign over the
house of Jacob forever; and of His King
dom there shall be no end''-Luke 1903
Jesus is coming! In the breast
of every devout Jewish maiden
burned the flame of hope that she
might be the mother of the promised
Messiah. and the rapture Of Mary's
heart found expression in her in
spired song:
my soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in GOD my
Saviour.
For He hath looked upon the low estate
of His handmaiden:
For behold. from henceforth all genera
tons shall call me blessed
For He that is mighty hath done to me
great things;
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is unto generations and
generations
On them that fear Him.
He hath showed strength with His arm;
He hath scattered the proud in the imagi-
nation OF their heart.
He hath put down princes from their
thrones
AND hath exalted them of low degree.
The hungry He hath filled with good
things;
AND the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen Israel His servant,
That He might remember mercy
CAS- He spake unto our fathers)
Toward Abraham and, his seed for ever"
And we can enter into the spirit
and joy of that song, for Mary re-
joiced in God her Saviour. and pre-
pared the way for His coming by a
surrendered will and life. The mirac-
ulous circumstances surrounding the
birth of Jesus were Divinely ordered
and Divinely wrought out. The angel
announced the fact that Jesus was
coming. Mary accepted with I'M
bounded joy the fact that Jesus was
coming. Gods will! How beautiful
it is! It takes root and buds and
blossoms in the fruitful ground of a
surrendered will and the dead self
of a human life. Jesus is coming.
Prepare We the way of the Lord.
Glad message of the angel: How
can l prepare the way for His COM
ing? Ely surrendered will and an
cbedient heart. Miraculous, indeed.
is the advent of the Christ into the
human heart and life. ''The wind
bloweth where it listeth. and thou
nearest the sound thereof but canst
not tell whence it cometh, and whittier
it goeth: so is every one that is born
of the Spirit
Jesus is coming! So spalle the an
gel, and then he sped back to God.
The place of the Son on the throne
with His Father was empty. The
One who was co-existent with God,
who had Laid the foundation of the
earth,'' and whose hand had fash
toned the heavens" was gone from
the Fathers house into the far coun~
try to pay the wages of SIN by His;
death and redeem back to God the
souls of men. Oh, what a sad and
empty place was Heaven with the
Son and Heir absent. The angels
stood in mute wonder before the
mystery of Gods marvellous plan of
salvation. Suddenly the scene is
changed, there is mighty stir
among the angels and Gabriel speeds
from the presence Of God to the
shepherds tending their focks by
right. land the glory of the Lord
shone round about them, and they
were sore afraid. And the angel
said unto them: Fear not; for, be-
hold, 1 bring you good tidings OF
great joy, which shall be to all peo-
pie. For unto you is born this day,
in the city of David. Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord.'
The Son of God, absent from
= I