Mower County transcript., 1902-12-24

voices q the Heavsnly. messengerls7
have heralded forth their sklid story.
The sweetest and the gladdest mes-.
sages they have ever brought center
around the Christ. We want to talk
about three of these visitations: OF
Gabriel's advent ct Nazareth and bis
announcement: "Jesus is coming"
OF his appearance to the Judean
shepherds and his announcement:
'sJesus 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, q
new star Of happy anticipation rises
on it's horizon, and as the days are
slowly, oh, 50 slowly, counted of the
star of hope grows brighter; until
the glad day arrives with its 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 groaning under the bond
age of it's human masters. Listen to
his message:
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
shall give 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 1908.
Jesus is coming! In the breast
of every devout Jewish maiden
burned the fame 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 rejoice6 in God my
Saviour.
For He hath looked upon the low estate
of His handmaiden:
mr. fNah II
t4ons shall call me blessefa~
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*prtnces from their
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'tGod 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
coming. Mary accepted with un-
bounded joy the fact that Jesus was
coming. Gods will! How beautiful
it is! 1t takes root and buds and
blossoms in the fruitful ground of a
surrendered will and the dead self
of human life. Jesus is coming!
Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Glad message of the angel! How
can I prepare the way for His COM
ing? By surrendered will and an
cbedient heart. Miraculous, indeed,
is the advent of the Christ into the
bloweth where it listeth, and thou
nearest the sound thereof, but canst
rot tell whence it cometh, and whittier
it goeth: so is every one that is born
of the Spirit
Jesus is coming! So spake 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
ioned 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
night, ''and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them, and they