Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-12-27
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. d.


q striking parallel between the cold
and unresponsive attitude Of the Ju
daean world toward the Bethlehem
Babe and that of the world at larg.
today. The text is Luke Ii, I, "There
was no room for them in the inn"
Have you ever read the story Of the
Nativity? "Oh, yes" you reply; many
times 1t Is the one portion Of the Bi
BILE I love to read over and over again.
When open the book Of Matthew and
start with the words, Now. when
Jesus was in Bethlehem Of Judaea in
the days Of Herod the king the divine
story has such fascination that I new.
err stop until I have read the whole
chapter through" I am glad to hear
you say that. The fascination which
holds you enthralled when you read
how Christ was born in the manger Is
the same enchantment that grips in.
Vulnerable minds and hearts. l do not
believe any Christmas sermon Is com.
plete unless 1t deals with the whole
story Of the Nativity.
But. though the story Of the Nativity
is fascinating to the young, it should
be even more fascinating to the middle
aged and the old, because man with
a matured mind can give it its true
historical setting. This story should
mean far more to one who can read be-
tween the lines than it means to the
casual reader. AS begin to study the
nine words, There was no room for
them In the inn," I realize that the
words have deeper significance than
of a crowded public tavern. The act
of the innkeeper Is symbolic OF the
treatment OF Christ by men Of every
rank and in every sphere Of the worlds
activities to this day. Christ is still
excluded. Now, as on the day Of his
birth. there Is no room for him. That
exclusion by the mercenary innkeeper,
who would send poor woman in the
delicate condition Of Chrst's mother to
n common stable, was typical. 1t
meant the shut door Of the rulers
throne room. 1t meant the shut door
of the palace. 1t meant the shut door
| VI our mercantile establishments. 1t
meant a Christ crowded out into the
| cold winter nights from hearts to
| which he asks admission by selfishness
| and avarice which have usurped the
| throne that belongs to him by right.
As we think of that birth in the stable
| Mt this Christmas season we would not
waste our indignation on that oriental
innkeeper, but attend to the plea
Christ makes now-to unlock all the
barred and bolted doors of the human
heart as well as Of the Bethlehem inn
| cannot describe the situation better
than by quoting these words Of an un.
known poet:
| He was Graded in a manager.
| His own angel sang the hymn
OF rejoicing at His coming,
Yet there was no room for him.
Oh. my brothers. are we wiser
Are we better now than they?
Have we any room for Jesus
| in the life we live today?
Not much room for our Lord Jesus
Has there been or will there be
Room for PLATE and for Herod,
Not for Him OF Calvary.
| Room for pleasures doors wide open
| And for business--but for Him
Only here and there a manager
Like to that at Bethlehem.
AS we are to have many different
guides for this Christmas sermon ant
many different geographical situations
let us first seek the most conspicuous
man among all our guides and sit fol
| tn, n
Herod the Great in the Jerusalem CAPT
tai Were ever gorgeousness and splen
dor greater than his? Herod was ap
pointed when young man governor o.
Judaea by his father, but no sooner die
he ascend the gubernatOrial throne
than he began to grip the country will
the clutch Of giant. He made Jeru
salem his capital. He slew every maj
who dared criticise his actions. b.
war and stratagem he annexed terri
tory after territory to his realms. HI
married ten wives and divorced o.
murdered them with no more com
junction than did Henry Will, VIII
sent Ann Boleyn and Catharine How
ard to the scaffold. So great was Her
DDS wealth that. like Napoleon ILL.,, h
lined his streets with palaces and tenn
Piles and places Of amusement Grea
was he Aye, he became greater II
wealth. and power than all who hat
preceded him. Such was King Herod
who ruled Judaea in the year In whicl
Jesus was born.
The Courier'a Message.
While we stand among the prince
and prncesses, counselors and hig
military potentates who surround thi
powerful king in the throne roOr
Of the Jerusalem capital a coure
pushes his way into the hall. He
dust begrimed. He hands the king
message from the commander of tn
royal troops. 1t reads: Last Nigh
there passed through our lines som
strange men. They came from the ia
east. They were evidently sages an
astrologers. They were great me
from the far east, as their garment
proved. They were following sta
which slowly moved before them as
guide. They told me that they wei
going to Jerusalem to find there
royal babe, which was vet to be kin
Of the east. want to warn YOU
majesty Of their mission that you ma
find this child and Stay him" n
sooner do we see the great king rea
this letter than his Inns become set an