The Colfax chronicle., 1904-12-24
The Christmas Festival
hvVilI;am R6sser C6bbe.

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Christmas should be the greatest
= festival day of the church all OF
the people. At first thought one might
say that, logically. Easter or Ascen-
sion day should have priority. Mans
whole being Graves Immortality, and
the only satisfactory answer to Jobs
earnest query: IF a man die, shall he
live again?" is found in the words OF
the angel at the tomb of Jesus at the
early dawn of. that first Easter morn
He IL not here! He Is risen!" Con-
fifmat0ry of this was His visible ascens
sion into heaven, ,.as witnessed by Peter
and others of the apostles and by
number of His disciples.
Christmas, of itself has to do with
the birth Of mah-child, only. Yet
! the herald song of the angels at that
birth has come down through the ages,
repeated by the glad voices Of children
and of age. 1t was the beginning OF
| life which during its short course ex-
emplified the most virtuous living and
that gave forth the most sublime teach
| ing .ever seen or heard of by mortal.
Perhaps the romance of His birth has
something to do with the interest
which attaches to the day. The youth.
full virgin-wife journeying with her
carpenter husband through the hill
country from the village. of Nazareth
to the proud and great city of Jerusa-
lem; the crowded inns, which forced
them to drag their weary feet four
miles away to the little village of Beth
lehem, where they could find shelter
in the stable of an inn, among surly
camels and lowing cattle; the birth
of the child Jesus in manger; the
announcement to the shepherds; the
song of the heavenly choir: the won
derful star in the east and the visit
of the magi bearing gifts for the
| young child, and the efforts of King
Herod to find and kill the child Jesus
ALI these strange incidents appeal
strongly to the young, who hear the
story told over and over again, until
1t is engrafted into their very being
and never loses its freshness and
brightness throughout life.
4
there came to be engfafted in the OBJ
servance Of the day the bestowing Of
gifts upon the children of the house
hold, in imitation of the gifts brought
by the magi to the child Jesus Sub
sequently the giving Of gifts was ex-
tended to the adults of the household.
and Christmas grew into a day Of
home-bringing and home festivities as
well as of devotional church service.
There is that peculiarly attractive to
motherhood in the child Jesus Each
mother as she thinks Of the Christ
child grows more tender in her SYM
pathy for Mary and her love for the
Child. The mother of the middle ages,
as well as the mother of this genera
ton, never wearies of telling her on
spring the pathetic story of the birth
in the manger at Bethlehem, and the
bearing of that story upon human life
and human character. That story
never has lost its charm and never
will lose 1t, so long as there are moth
ers in the world.
4 1t would seem to be the practice of ma
tions to commemorate the anniversary
of the birth of hero rather than that
4 of some great deed or deeds of his.
| Thus it is in this country. as in the
case of Washington, Lincoln and
Grant So it is with the advent OF
Christ into the world. This event is
given preeminence as being the be-
ginning of career which abounded in
incident, in miracles. in sublime teach
ing and which closed in a tragedy so
terrible that it caused the sun to dark
en- and the earth to quake and restore
its dead to life. The natal day COM
: prehends the entire life of benevolence,
of mercy, kinoliness and intense suf-
fering. 1t is given place above and
before any single event, in that the
birth suggests ali that He did, all that
He endured. The manger at Bethle-
y hem points nnerringly to Calvary, to
Il the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and
), to the ascension. One meditates on
the Christmas day and is lessons, and
thought follows the babe to youth and
manhood. 1t sees Him on the Mount
, of Beatitudes, as He utters the grand
est sermon ever preached. 1t follows
Him in His journeyings, in which the
dead are made alive and the blind are
made to see 1t sees Him before Plate
/ and the scourging, the crown of thorns
the driven nails and the thrust spear
| follow.
Yet Christmas is a glad day and
should be joyous one. The suffer
ings of the Christ are ended. HI
brought glad tidings of great joy to al
the people. He introduced new relig
Lion and a new and higher civiliza'
tion. He confirmed hope of immor
tality into sublime faith. and made thu
world brighter and better and glad
! der. AS the angels of heaven rejoicet
, at His birth, so the children of mel
! should be glad at each recurring ami
: versary of this, the most august even
! in the history of the world-the com
! | ing into the world of God manifest II