The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-24
By William T. Ellis.


Their Sins" Matthew III
BY William T. Ellis.
!. !: ".3. :. E g.: 8.
est significance of the day
may be overlooked. Supernclally /
Christmas is the season Of evergreens. /
Of gaily decked trees, Of Santa Claus. /
Of feasting and of the giving and re-
eeiving of presents. But If that is all
that 1t is. 1t is not enough
The heart of Christmas-the mean /
ing that vitalizes all the observanceS /
and perpetuates the festival through /
out the centuries-is a rude manger
In an oriental khan, wherein lay the
Babe, who was the son of Mary ana +
Son of God. In its very nals G, and I
in its very character, Christmas IS the I
birthday anniversary OF the ChrisL
Child. They miss the message OF TINS !
Eladdest day of the year who have not (
ewes to discern in it the cooling, help I
less. beautiful Babe, who in His COM I
plete humanness warns our hearts !
and who in His divinity sets our spir-
its to soaring.
A Far FOreseen Hope.
The Christmas that we know and
the better Christmas that is still be-
fore U.S. was the faT-fOTeSeen nope OF
the oppressed Jews The cry How /
long. o LOr0- mat Is lOudS upon III
lips of the Jews of Russia, IS no new 1
utterance for that race. Through the
dark days of fear and oppression, When
Assyria personifed the terror with
which Russia is now synonymous, they
looked forward to the coming OF q
Messiah. Our present Christmas was
then in the future to them.
Dim though the vision was. as fore
told by Isaiah in the present passage. /
and by other prophets, 1t put hearl
1T w.
ing and sustaining power in a grea-
hope No journey is too hard if the
goal al the end be great enough
worthy object of life, and SUFFICIENT
ground for endurance, were impaired
by the expectation of Coming One.
who should break the Assyrian yoke, /
even as the yoke of the Midianites had
been broken by Gideon
AS on the hottest August days, the
East wind oftentimes comes sweeping
through the city of Boston driving
away depression and discomfort and
bringing the refreshing ocean ozone
to weary workers, so the mighty upper
currents of the Messianic hope Surged
through the life of the Jews, reviVlng
their languishing spirits and remind
ing them of the pure air that they YET
would breathe. No nation or individ-
ual is in extremis so long as 1t has q
great hope to cherish.
A Light in a Dark Time.
These. present days lend new signifi~
canoe to the character of the NJ eSSiah
as light. He was so pictured TO the
people that walked in darkness; he is
so being realized at this Christmastide
A. D. 1905. Today, in peculiar de-
gree and manner, religion is standing
for light. Truth and justice, hand
maidens of the Messiah, are increasing
their sway by the entrance Of light
into the dark places of the worlds OF
insurance, finance, railroads. pohCcs
society We have come upon day OF
revelations; and in consequence enter
tain new respect for the saving pow
er of sunlight. Turn on the light" is
the slogan of all reform. The day of
government by whispering is passing.
Hidden things must be made manifest
Even the slums are being banished
by the simple procedure of installing
electric lights in alleys and courts.
The principle is a deep one, running
down to the very nature of God. III
Him was light Il am the light Of
the world" As the fOregleams of the
Coming One frightened Judah's deep
darkness, so in a larger measure the
advent OF Jesus is illuminating the
dark places of the earth. Even the
dark continent" is becoming light be-
cause His presence and His gospel
have been carried to it's remOtest re-
cesses by His representatives. Slowly
almost imperceptibly at times. butt
nevertheless. steadily the spirit of
Jesus is increasingly Frightening the
world.
The Christmas star shines more
brilliantly than it did a year ago; the
world is more in the mood to keep
the infant Kings birthday anniversary
than 1t ever has been in the past. The
widest observers, the clearest thinkers,
the sanest prophets, have but one voice
in declaring that the world is getting
better year by year. The Sun of Right
eousness is arising, with healing in his
beams. Despite the dire news from the
realms of the Gar despite Turkeys
bloody sway, despite ominOus rumorS
from China. the para phernalia of war
Is to a greater degree every year, be-
coming, as Isaiah prOphesied material
for a huge bonfire. The recently re-
tired prime minister of Great Britain
declared at the banquet to the lord
mayor Of London. "a century ago, Pitt
standing where I now stand, prophe-
sled war. Today I prophesy peace"
As a Little Child.
The Child typifies futurity He is
She ever fresh mystery. To him all
things are possible. Parents families.
even kingdoms, center all their hope
upon a child. A few short months
ago the desire of all Russia was con-
centrated upon male heir to the
throne of the Car. That expectation
was trihing as compared with the deep
longing hope of the Jews, whose hearts
were fixed upon the prophets words
not to be fulfilled until the first Christ
mas Day, seven hundred years later.
For unto us child is born. unto us
son is given, and the government shalt
be upon his shoulders
Thus it comes to pass that any study
OF the character of the Messiah brings
rs face to face with the place of the
child In life. This is his day, and
Christmas is his festival. How bare
would Christmas be without the little
children. Of all persons to be pttied
at this season. their lot is worst who
must keep holiday without the accom-
paniment of children's laughter.
It is through every babe that we un-
derstand Christ, and through Christ
that we understand the babe. Each
is sanctiied by the other
Linked with this Old Testament pro-
phecy Of the Babe to come is the New
Testament word of the Master him