Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-12-27

only too well that his young wife has
told the truth. He goes from street to
street and from home to home. He
plteously asks: will you take Mary?
Will you care for her while go
southT' Then every door Is slammed
shut in his face. mo rooml No
ROOM" the old friends cry. mo rooml
No room. We do not want such q
woman to live In our house even for
a night" Now. hear the awful news.
No one would take Mary into their
homes because they thought she was
bad woman. Therefore Jesus had
to be born in a barn. Not only the
door Of the Bethlehem inn was shut
against Christ. but the doors of all the
homes of Nazareth They also were
shut against poor Mary in her time OF
need. Can you not read between the
lines as l speak the words of my text,
There was no room for them in the
inn"
We are sorry. We think the people
were hard, and yet, alas. alas, how
often today Jesus is refused entrance
into the homes Of our modern Naza-
reths. When he comes to us in the
guise Of the homeless and the poor, do
we not critlcise their character, re-
proach them with improvidence or mis-
conduct? Only the deserving poor
have a claim. and even theirs is I'M
welcome Alas, how often we turn
our backs upon his repentant Mary
Magdalenes and social outcasts when
as repentant sinners they come knock
| ing at our door. saying: LET me in.
Let me in. Oh, for Jesus sake. let me
in When these poor social outcasts
| come begging for help at your doors In
Christ's name, will you try to help
| them back to Christian purity and
| truth? BY the grace of God. may we
cleanse them and purify them. May
we guard them and protect them for
the sake of him whose birth brought
unjust scandal on his mother.
| But how about the synagogues3
Were they any more willing to receive
the newborn Christ than was the pal
ace or the public taverns or the homes
of his Nazareth boyhood? Nay, nay.
The priests and Levites cried out as
did the innkeeper: mo room, no room.
There Is no room here for newborn
Christ" The door Of the temple was
shut against him just the same as was
the door Of public tavern.
My Lord Jesus, on this Christmas
Sabbath, will we not receive thee into
this sanctuary? VIII we not say all
that we have Is thine? Shall we say
this pulpit Is thine and these pews are
thine? VIII we not open all our sane
tuaries to thee and cry, Jesus. thou
loving Babe, come in and rule all our
hearts with thy loveT
Even the Poor Had No Room.
lust one Tore thought, and am
done The poor mans hut did not seem
to have any more room for the new.
born Christ than the rich mans pal
ace. We love to picture Jesus as the
lowly Nazarene. We love to think of
him as the friend and the helper Of the
poor. We love to describe him as be-
ing born among the sheep and the oxen
and the horses and the dogs and the
shepherds. But how did the poor man
treat him? will tell you Just as long
as the poor people thought they could
get something out Of Christ in tenn.
pora way they ran after him. But as
soon as Jesus was on his way to cru
cifxion they ran from him as a thief
would run from q pursuing officer
Room, ROOM" they cried; give Christ
room," when they thought he could
feed them and cothe them and drive
the hated Romans out. But as soon as
Christ was arrested and arraigned for
trial then for him they had no room in
their hearts. Now, poor men and wom-
en- who are struggling in life's battles,
will you treat Christ SO? Will you not
gather around Christ at this Christmas
manger? VIII you follow him all
through his life! VIII you follow when
he is prosecuted? Will you follow him
to Gethsemane? Will you stand by him
and defy the sanhedrin in Pilates
judgment hall? Will you help him car
~ his cross to Calvary? VIII you not
only at this Christmas time, but al.
ways, receive him? Room, room! Have
you today room in your hearts for our
Saviour and Lord? The rich men prov
cd recreant to Jesus. The poor men
| pIoNcu upOStutco " SullSt- w III yOu
remain true to him whether rich or
poor? We have been to Bethlehem and
Nazareth. Now we come home for
Christmas, BY our own firesdes we
| want this year to build a new manger.
Near it plant your Christmas tree. Fill
, it with presents. Ask Gods blessing
upon the festivities Of holiday week.
, And as you gather your children and
your children's children in your home
and invite your friends be sure to
keep enough room vacant for Christs
. welcome. May God bless you in your
coming Christmas joy.
: copyright 1906. bv Louis Klopsch.1
|