The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-05
THE RELIGION OF JESUS
SERMON BY REV. E. Z. NEWBERT OF
THE UNITARIAN CHURCH.
He Says Religion Means Much More
Than Piety-A Part of Christian
Civilization.

At All Souls Unitarian Church yesterday
the Rev. Elmer E Newbert had for his
theme, 1.-THE Religion of Jesus" He took
the text, mot everyone that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king
dom of heaven: but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven" In part
he spoke as follows: 1.-THE great unlikeness
bequeathed us by the ages is fading, and
critical scholarship Is helping to get at
the real person and teaching of Jesus. His
call was to Righteousness, His preaching
was ethical, His mission social Read the
first three gospels, then ask what does
Jesus mean? What is He talking about?
creed be the beatitudes. Did He found
church? In truth yes. but outwardly He
NO 0 theology e no ritual no church"nothi s
of all this. yet He pledges His followers to
truth and good. He teaches the simplest
form Of the Lords prayer, He finds affairs
In the hills. He Is priest unto himself
and others just every man whose life
is lifted up may be unto himself and others
a priest.
believe or to say what my church believes.
And when say that such questions are
not easy TO answe a. omnand 1,af 90 not mean can
Unitarian Church has no definite and we'll
defined position. What / do mean to say
lief. Nor is this opinion or that relative
to God or man. or life, or death, or the
future our chief concern. Our emphasis is
upon life with all its divine possibilities
and our chief concern is with living. A
man may be able to say just what he bes
leves, and he may be thus able to do 1t,
because of the littleness of his world and
the poverty of his intellect. He knows
much. He Is familiar with the plans of
God, and can tell you all about the begin
ming and the end of things. Ask him how
came life and sin and pain and death. and
he will answer. Or ask him what God
proposes to do with the wondrous world
He Is making and all the people in it,
and he will not keep you waiting. He knows
Possibly his ability to answer Is so i'm
so small. For the soul able to raise the
questions of greatest import is of all
souls helpless to answer.
What are we doing with our life? What
mean we by our religion? Is II for show or
for use? Is 1t for another world or for this?
afraid not TO, or because our better self
reaches out after the fullness of world life?
What is the habit of our thought? What
are the things we love or the things we
| hate? Which way is our face set? Do we
| hope for the great thing, are we cheerful
along the way? The religion of Jesus
| commands along the line of such questions,
| practical in their bearing; nor is Ii some
| thing that can be cut and shaped and
| made into a creed? 1t Is rather the pat
| tern of the great life hung high over all.
| THE religion of Jesus means much more
| than piety Ii means much more than the
1 puny and passive life. 1t means more than
| sickly sentimentality, more than profession,
more than belief, more than worship II
| means the best possible life. Nor are we
| Christians because believe much. We
are Christians because we give ourselves
| to be a part of Christian era and Chris
| tian civilization.