The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-14
CELEBRATION OF EASTER
 IN MONTGOMERY CHURCHES

IT ok kAl6AAAIy tntn8 lL t8. 8O n0W WS A2tUA our plans and hopes, we give them up or finish them; how VIC slip on from one stage to another; past. present, future, forever confusing our existence here. We die and others stand to take our places and bewilderment of change that we have run. And then, as we sit thinking thus of the fragmentariness and of the vanity of human life, as We see the great cer- making our toi seem worthless, our sui fering and patience futile, our lit- tie lives but the passing bursting bubbles on the river of life. Then, oh, ja just then, there comes across the waste waste grave. the voice of one whom we have known and loved, the voice of one who has lived and toiled and suffered more truly than any of the sons of men: Christ is risen. We, too. shall rise. And then forever afterwards life Is no more the same narrow, fragmentary. broken ex istence that it once was. the barriera and ilmitations have all been swept away far God. And standing today before that open tomb door. that tomb whose darkness had gathered in and hushed so many toling, suffering, shining and deep mystery had hidden away so many of our noblest and best beloved; that tomb toward which we each one were hurrying on with faltering. uncertain ANGh, WAtu iSdIluts thf0Ob1u& HcdTlS. Oils standing there today strong and mighty to save with all His conflicts past and life's long battle well finished. He points the way on so clear, so certain. so safe that way that seemed to end 50 sud- denly. so strangely, so darkly: To. the way of life is not broken nor ended On and on it goes stretching on for ever into the immortal day of God. intending. divine life that comes stream ing in upon our hearts today. flooding all our saddened. bewildered world with joy and light and purpose and beauty. fragmentary thing. It is one long, large, abundant. continuous eternal life. Oh, dear friends, when we feel this message of Easter. when we begin to know the power of Chrfsts resurrection, how dif- ferent thing 1t is to live then: how very full of purpose and power and dig nifty these lives of ours become; what a new new: altered red s world we have to live and by law: but sent here by our Father ,yon- der, fin this temporary abiding place. where our pilgrimage Is passed and the impressions and outlines into which they shall be moulded in that day when we. too. shall stand before the throne of God. transformed and transfgured into that glorious, eternal body like unto His own most glorious body.
 Thus to know the power of Christ's resurrection tS to see clearly purpose and power in the ceaseless. restless tossinss and leanings of the great world and of our own souls. Discomfort, despair, sorrow. pain. loneliness, selhshness, sin: how they all scatter as did the Roman soldiers before the rising God. | The long, hard life of toll is no more dark and useless now: the brave. patient | life of suffering is no more a mystery and | bewilderment-the terrible. bitter life of sin is today possible beginning for a The purpose and glory of every life comes streaming into our homes today | from that great new world which Christ and understand and work from day to day in the hope and purpose of that un- ending day of God. As the leaves. coming and going. grow | ing and falling, find their season and their place in the long. unbroken life of the | tree on which they grow, so likewise all our passing moments and broken days find their season and their place in the Christ opens to us on Easter day. I It is the certainty of an eternal life In I God which gives the reason and the dig | nifty and the only possible explanation
 to these lives of ours without which they
 would be all fraSmentary and useless and vain.
 Let this be our prayer this morning. His resurrection; % that just T . iittie is' of the he light of this Easter day may fall into all our lives; that we may understand and liveh our years and do our work and bear our sorrow and bury our, sins. not look ing upon the things that are seen and | that are passing, but ever with this fact | of q risen Savior as the only explanation | of life and with its power a great motive | and present might. That I might know { Him and the power of His resurrection. Mighty conqueror, glorious wrestler. re- turning from the battle with the signs of
 ..s the conflict But yet str strong ,, to save. M He more Do you believe tt7
 What are. you dreary for, O mourner? | What are you hesitating for, O worker? What are you fearful for. O man. l Christ is risen: we, too, shall rise. l The children's Easter festival was | celebrated at o'clock In the evening. The members of the Sunday school
 parchsd in frSm the yessry .sr rSom led by | sang an Easter anthem as they marched. | Each class was headed by a banner of
 crimson or blue with gold inscriptions | and symbols.
 The feature of the exercises was an
 address by Mir. Cobbs. The subject of | his remarks was the continuity of life. He spoke earnestly and with beautiful | simplicity of the effect of early education | and the child life upon the later years | and maturity of the adult. The Easter offering of the children of | St. Johns was for missions and this year l the amount gained by individual sacrifice
 and preserved in the pyramids was ex- I
 The total Easter offering at St. John s
 including the Sunday school, was in the l neighborhood of $1,S00. It will all be de- voted to Diocesan and other missionary l purposes.
 Church of Holy Comforter.
 The Easter services at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, as con ducted by the rector, Rev. Stewart Me-
 Queen, with music under the direction of
 the accomplished ofganist. Mrs. Julia McGuire, fo.med an impressive and a joyful occasion on so beautiful a morn- ing as was Sunday.
 The features of the decorations were | bridal wreath crimson roses and Easter | lilies.
 | bridal wreath were tastefully arranged in masses. The altar rail was entwined
 with vines of the blooming crimson ram. | bier and clusters of the lilies were placed
 about, telling the story of Easter ir Itheir own sweet way.
 The program was:
 Organ prelude--Mry. Mcclure
 Processionai hymn No. 5l6.
 Anthem--Christ Our Passover is Sacri- feed for Us, by Schneider.
 Gloria--By Van Lear.
 Te Deum-By Tours.
 Jubilate-By Van Lear.
 Alleluia hymn i12.
 l Ofertory-"Why Seek Ye the I.ivine
 Among the Dead?' by Clare.
 Kyrie-By Tours.
 Gloria Tibi-By Tours.
 Sanctus-By Tours,
 Agnus Delay Full.
 Old Chant.
 Nunc Dimitis-By Whitney.
 Recessional Hymn 3i1.
 This program will be repeated next
 Sunday at this church.
 l At the morning service Rev Mir Me