Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-01-28

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y Y! IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD y
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W What the Church Folk Are Thinning About and Doing. "
M News From Various Lands. Suggestive Words Prom Many Mr NJ
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- y ....Svnday School Lesson and Yovns Peoples Topic... "
Wy Comments BY William 7. Ellis. w
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..svnday School Lesson and Yoyns People. Topic....
Comments BY William T. Ella.
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SERMON CAUSED o

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SERMON CAUSED RIOT.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth" Luke ".
$3.50.
The proof OF preaching is not always
the peoples acquiescepce in the words
spoken; sometimes the most power
full, pointed and personal messages
stir the hearers only to wrath. The
sermon of Jesus in the Nazareth syna-
gogue so Infatuated his old neighbors
that they mobbed him--an incident
full OF comfort to disciples who have
seen congregations get mad under
their faithful exposition of the truth.
Quite a long interval of time elapsed
between this incident and the tempta-
ton. which was the topic Of last week
lesson. Jesus had traversed the first
year of his public ministry. He had
called five of six of his disciples; per-
formed the miracle of turning water in
TO win at Cana; held his notable con
versation with Nicodemus: talked with
the woman OF Samaria at Jacobs we'll.
and made many converts at Sychar;
and healed the nobleman's son at Cana
events well calculated to make him
the topic of conversation the country
side over. His own home during this
time was the city Of Capernaum.
BACK TO THE OLD HOME.
Now Jesus revisits his Ole Nazareth
home, the place where he had been
brought up. What that return meant
to this sensitive spirit, with his vivid
memories OF the lifetime he had spent
there. can scarcely be imagined, even
by one who has returned to his boy
hood home after Il busy and successful
life out In the great world. Doubtless
Jesus could not escape something of
surprise when he found the village so
little changed. Nothing had happened
since he left; yet in a single ear h
a OF the whole world had altered
for him. He had grown; Nazareth
had stood still.
Every true man feels a yearning for
the spot where he spent his boyhood;
Mr.. Carnegie's recent gift to his birth
place in Scotland illustrates this. The
eye of this loyal. patriotic Nazarene
glfstened n his step ~Quickened as he
drew near to the familiar houses and
streets of Nazareth. Every lane and
field was filled with the memory Of
some bOyhood experience, or Of some
one of his manhood's struggles. He
had come into his own: his own who
called him by his familiar household
name; his W. who had played with
him in childhood, who had stood with
him beside Joseph's bier. who had
watched him al the carpenters bench,
and whose houses were even 10y filled
with evidences of his handicraft-here
a door, there a bench, there q shelf,
there a distaff or tool. 1t was a mo-
mentous day for Jesus when he re-
turned to Nazareth.
Habits keep half the world straight.
Most of us move in ruts, n because
those ruts are good. we continue to do
virtuously unto the end. 1t is we'll
for even the strongest lives to habit
uate themselves to best things. Jesus
ven to The Nazareth synagogue on the
Sabbath "as his custom was:" he
probably had beer In that same syna-
gcgue most of the Sabbaths of his life.
Wherever he was on the Sabbath. aft
err he had left the old home. he made
sure to attend the synagogue service.
Perhaps 1t is too much to say that
the habit of hurch going is funda-
mental, and that h persons who fail
in 1t gradually fall away from Christ
tian activities and insensibly lower
their religious ideals. Undoubtedly.
though. this Is often the case. One
person alone cannot worship SO profit
ably as many persons together. AS
coal kindleth coal. SO spirit warns
ypirit in the fellowship of worship.
All of US need to attend regularly the
stated services of the church: with
out them devotion IL likely to languish
and die. The person who says he
does not do so, and that he is too big
for the church," is speaking out Of
Of human nature and Of the divine
economy. The habit of church-going
provides the soil for the growth of q
great many other good habits.
A "cALL" TO THE MINISTRY.
There Is a hint Of the opinion the
old neighbors held Of the character Of
Jesus In the fact that he was invited
to be reader In the synagogue that
day. The overseer handed him the
roll Of Isaiah. and. out Of his close
familiarity with the Old Testament.
lie turned to that part Of the prophecy
where 1t IL written:
"The Spirit Of the Lord is upon me.
Because he anointed me to preach good
tidings TO the poor:
He hath sent me to proclaim release
+ to the captives,
And recovery Of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty them that are bruised.
To proclaim the acceptable year of the
The pricking up OF ears that this Sc
lection occasioned was perhaps natu-
raj. The a~stonishment of the congre-
cation increased. however, when he
handed the rool back to the attendant,
and. following the custom Of the time.
which prescribed q standing posture
for the reading Of the word. and q
sitting posture. for teaching. he delib-
erately sat down. In token that he had
some comment to make. while the
w~ide-open eyes Of the assembly were
fastened upon him. Then. with start
i,ns directnsss h begsn: Today hath
This meant nothing less than Il.