The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-25
CHRISTMAS.

GLORY to God fan the highest. and on
earth peace, good viii toward men"
TO-DAY, wherever civilized men and
women are gathered together, in
every. corner Of the world. the birthday
anniversary of the Christ will be cele-
brated. In the soy OF giving and re-
ceiviDg, which has come to be the DOM
inant characteristic of all Christmas
celebrations, we are apt TO forget why
there is such a day as Christmas. See
ing only the things Of the present, the
Christmas trees with their candles and
their presents, the groups Of merry chill
dren. the smiling faces Of our friends.
we remember but dlmly the babe who
was born in a Manager in Bethlehem Of
Judea more than nineteen centuries ago
today.
St. Luke tells the story thus briefly:
and there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field keeping
watch over their hocks by night. And
10. the angel Of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory Of the Lord shone
round about them; and they were sore
afraid. And the angel said unto them.
\
tidings of great joy which shall be to
All people. For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Savior, which
is Christ the Lord And this shall be a
sign unto you; We shall find the babe in
swadd1ing clothes. lying in a manger. -
The Shepherds hard-headed country
folk that they were. set out immediate
~ 10 verify the story. st. Luke says
they said one to another: let us go
even now unto Bethlehem. and see this
thing which is come to pass SO they
went and found Mary and Joseph. and
the babe lying in a Manager. And
when they had seen it, continues the
chronicler, "they made known abroad
the saving which was told them con-
corning this child" And all the world
has been hearing the story ever since.
the story Of the birth of that child, of
his short life. Of his death on Calvary.
1t makes not the slightest difference
whether we believe the Bible stories
of Christ or not He may not have
been what his disciples claimed for
him. he may even have been a myth;
but the fact remains that the Man of
Calvary had more power for good, the
telling of his story has done more good,
than all the scofers. all the iufdels. all
the agnostcs. since the first unbeliever
was born Morally. mentally phys
icaIIy. in business, science, arts, indus
try. the Christ has made uncounted
millions happier in life, has made them
meet death without a CULVER Of fear.
The worlds greatest nations are the
Christian nations. the greatest in every
sense OF the word. The highest civil
lzation. in the best sense Of the word
ls found among Christian people. one
Is not obliged &c. believe in the Chris
dan religion to be a good man. There
are instances. plenty OF them, in which
men who never professed to be Chris
Uans earned and deserved the respect
and esteem of all their fellows. But
one cannot believe in the religion of
Christ without being better for it, and
this is the point we desire to drive
home this Christmas day.
And. having finished our modest ser
mon, let ms add that we wish every
reader Of The Herald the merriest OF
Christmases and the happiest Of New
Years. In the language of Tiny Tim,
"God bless us every one"