The Grenada sentinel., 1903-12-26

us! Simple shep-
~ herds keeping
watch DER their
49, zzZf 1ocks by night.
Sss - The gentle sheep
browsing here and
:> w. there on the Judean
1flA,is hillside. The still,
ness and quiet of
the soft night only broken by the musical
murmur of conversation as the men talk
together of God and the hope of Israel,
Tor God reveals Himself to man when
his heart is turned towards Him and
when his thought searches out the deep
things of Scripture. 1t is quite in har-
mony with Scripture and the Divine
methods to suppose that these simple
but devcut Jews were talking of the
promises of God made to Israel of a
Saviour and DeGverer Faith was
reaching up toward God in anticipation
and certainty of fulfillment. when 40,
the angel Of the Lord came upon them.
and the glory OF the Lord shone round
about them" Heaven and earth seemed
to mingle and the Outstreaming glory
OF the Lord enwrapped angel and shep-
herds as in mantle of light. And they
were sore afraid" In the presence of the
supernatural. man always trembles, but
where the reverential spirit rules the
heart God speaks reassuredly-''andt the
angel said unto them, Fear not; for, be-
hold, l bring you good tidings of great
JOY. which shall be to all people. For
unto you is born this day. in the city of
David, Saviour. which is Christ the
Lord And scarcely have the vibrant
tones of the angel finished the thrilling
message when from out the vast blue of
the starry heavens there floats into the
circle ofight multitude of the heaven
1y host" whose voices the chorister of
Heaven had been training through the
ages before to sing their wonderful song
of praise to God. And, says Edersheim,
what the angels sang was but the reflex
of what had been announced. 1t told in
the language of praise the character. the
meaning. the result of what had taken
place. Heaven took up the strain of
glory, Earth echoed it as peace it
fell on the ears and hearts of men as
good pleasure
GLORY to~God in the highest
And upon earth peace
Among men good plea
wv HAT message that was! What
" q song that was! Earth had
been waiting expectantly for cen
turtles for that message and that song.
Its sins needed cure. The Judgment
of death needed a Saviour, Who would
bear that judgment and provide way
Of escape for man. And so the angel
sent by the loving Lord came to earth
with the message of Saviour born,
and the angelic host caught up the
glad story and echoed it in song. And
since that first Christmas morning
Gods ministers have been echoing that
message until it has circled the globe
and found lodgment in almost every ma
tion and people under the sun. And
earthly choirs have been singing the
strains of the redemption song until
hearts everywhere have caught the
strains of the heavenly music, and the
name of Jesus is heard in every
tongue. 1t was but few Judean shep-
herds which heard the first Christmas
message, and felt the thrill of the first
Christmas joy. All the rest of the
and sin. There was no response to the
Joy bells of Heaven and the angel
voices except in the hearts of the very,
very few. But to-day the message and
the song Of Christmas have well-nigh
filled the earth. In Jesus day He was
forced to declare that 1.-The Kingdom
of Heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by storm, ~ and how
much more is it true to-day that the
thingszof God are secularized and ap-
proprtated by the world. The mustard
seed has become the great spreading
tree In the branches OF which the fowls
of the air have come and lodged. But
Christmas above all other events
connected with the Christ has been
taken possession of by the world The
10y OF Christmas has filled the earth
almost ..as the waters cover the sea-
DIT that joy is Of material rather
u thar spiritual character. The Joy
and 6lndness of the worlds Christ
mas celebration are an expression Of
the na1nral man, and not that of the
sDiritnal. It is something which apr
ua6ls 70 the physical senses. The day
81 sflll4d with feasting and merrymak-
fnx. with giving and receiving gifts,
ana With all manner Of excuses and
indulaences. The worlds thought OF
and can for Christmas Is wholly Of
tIbe eaxtla earthly The celebration OF
tl,a bfr{hday of the One Who came into
x1,e vkld TO redeem from sin and set
,1D ! spiritual Kingdom II character
x..n