The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-25
1.-THE MESSAGE
OF CHRISTMAS"
Timely Sermon Delivered by Pastor
of Phillips Congregational.
LARGE AUDIENCE PRESENT
HOW CHRIST HAS BENEFITED
ALL MANKIND.


Rev P. A. simpkin. pastor OF the Phil
lips CONGREGATIONAL church preached last
night 10 a large audience on '"The Mes
sage Of Christmas. Preceding the ser
mon Mrs, Nellie Pfnkerto sang,
Holy Night" and Mrs. Durham sang.
''Ic Came Cpon the Midnight Clear"
The text OF the evening was from the
second chapter of the gospel Of Luke, M
which the song Of the angel and the
proclamation of the Christmas message
are recorded. After reference To the
growing Christmas spirit measured by
both its observance in gifts and the in
crease OF altruistic thought and life che
speaker turned 10 ans inquiry as to-what
is the Christmas message. lie said 4
part:
There is a power in message that
can stretch across twenty centuries, in-
cTeasing It's hold on human hearts and
social life. That which can arrest the busy
machinery of commerce and industry With
all its selfish ends and make man
willing 10 reverse, the law OF all his life,
decenTalzing himself and making holt
day OF unselfish ministry TO his fellows IS
worthy of study
Christmas Means Message.
1t is because it is CHRISTMAS What is
Christmas III Christmas means ANY
thing it means message. We know its
JOY and gladness. its kindly deed and
beautiful service.
AS the angels sang over the sheep
folds the proclamation was made and the
truth sounded which has changed an
the face az history The sublimest things
ta the life of history are all this side that
song and proclamation.
"Fhebes and Alexandria Babylon and
Ccrinth aud Rome have nothing 90 match
the life OF these later centuries. All their
airs and culture are OVermatChed by the
N1pWiiest life of orr time, which has caught
The meaning OF TINS message and seeks TO
express il.
And as Won face. the fact Of the sad
old world touched with Joy, its misery
relieved. the dispairful touched with hope,
me very experience OF Your own lives IN
which you have found JOY IN selt-denial
mat yOu might flash a note OF hope ana
JOY In this time OF love and ministry, the
question comes-why? II Is the message,
God lncdrnatc, communicate his truth and
himself 20 men. EmanueECiOd with as.
nat message which declared the good
viii of God 70 men brnught q new view
of everything 10 thcJTact. IL meant the
coming OF God to and into the race as
Love,
Formerly Dominated by Fear.
In an the centuries of mems searching
after God despite their voiced need of
him. the note THAI spoke IN their passion
ate search was fear On, the pity of mems
search for God The pity Of IT'S errors
The hedrtbrcaklng tragedy of history has
been mems miscOnceptiOu of God. Tie
fI ding God. eager 10 wreak vengeance,
shows his heart ana purpose at Bethle-
hem. When the angel choir sang the or
chestra of life was enriched with the
major note that men had missed as they
picked the scOrm of the hearts song. It
was voiced la the declared purpose of
Gods love toward men.
From this declaration man turns 10
ehudder over bloody Crueltlos which cen-
ter the worlds worship of him whom we
know "a God. All, that song and the
Christ child are the high points of his
tory from whose summits Wp find tho
true view of God and of ourselves.
+.All his tatherhOOd is declared IN IT,
and YOU may measure Gods passion for
YOU by the standard OF your own hearts
PASSION for that of your child II was
Gods true purpose ana relation 20 uS IN
love, but Il likewise set Ton us as the law
of hfe-simple love.
Might and sword. lust and self. these
We're relegated 20 the rear, for the Curis,-
mas message is that recognizing Gods
rdrpose. We must likewise recognize his
claim and give play in all the days TO
love as the handspring ot our beihg-the
motive OF our service.
Love 8Iesses the World.
And it is only right 10 note here that
all that has been blessing the earth ~
the years, all the acts of love the beauu-
tuI service, the loving thoughts and mes
aages are but the blossoms OF that great
root OF Jesse whose first bloom was the
message and JOY of the first Christmas.
so this message comes To sanCtify an
OF iife's relationships. childhood home,
motherhOOd, fathcrhoOd, common service,
.E making them all channels for express
.-lns of love Earths glory and the real
rL1uOn of its dreams lie In the simple
akng OF the Christmas message and its
lower into the common things OF the
DAYS
1t is significant, too. that high hope
IS here expressed for the race i'm it's
t-tFIVings for the very forefront Of the
N essage is spoken TO YOU is born a
Savior.