The Newtown bee., 1909-12-24
Circulation
HOME NEWS TN A HANGER" A Christmas Sermon. BY REV o. o. WRIGHT.

St Luke 2:7-"She wrapped hin
 in swaddnng clothes, and laid hin
 in a manager, because there was nc
 room for them in the inn"
 So humble was the birth of the
 Son of Man, the Son of God, the
 Saviour of the world! So common
 were the circumstances of his earthly
 life, that "all sorts and conditions oi men" might feel and claim His kin.
 ship with them! Sought of the Wise
 Men, guided by a star; the hope of the prophet-taught and the inspired
 of every land; the expectation of the
 devout ones in Israel: born in a
 stable and cradled in a manager: and
 yet, this Prince of the house of David and more, the Prince of Heaven
 whose name shall be called Wonder
 full, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the
 Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," who was indeed "the Lord of
 lords and King of kings" who came to conquer the world of love, was |God-announced in a blaze of glory, by "a multitude of the heavenly host" to a few simple-hearted shep- |herds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night ["Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men. y It would be very interesting to dwell upon the lives and characters |of Joseph and Mary; to trace their ancestry; to note their conditions in
 the world; and to read some of the many things which have been said about them. The records are very brief, but the glimpses we get ot them appeal most powerfully to oul imagination. They were no doubt common persons as the world would class them. Not rich, neither very poor. Good people they were, with out doubt. And common, good people are the rank and file of the armies of God the world over-the heart, hand land strong right arm of the kingdom
 of heaven among men. All the great movements of the world depend upon the common people. It was the con- mon people who heard Him gladly it is tue common people who are fol
 lowing Him to-day in the glorious conquest of the kingdoms of this world. Joseph and Mary were both born in Bethlehem, and were both of the house of David. No doubt they felt quiet pride in their fam fly history; but they were only com mon persons in the eyes of the world, and Joseph was carpenter in a little country town and earned his daily bread by manual labor. Perhaps the family owned a cottage and garden. It matters not.
 The holy child Jesus, lying in a manager is the sign and proof to us that all human life, whatever the cir cumstances and worldly conditions by which it may be surrounded, is ever precious in the eyes of the in- finite love. Everything about the Holy Family teaches us that however humble, or however exalted our earthly estate may be, our common humanity is sanctifed and lifted up by. every touch of sympathy with that which is spiritual and divine. The Blessed Virgin and the infant Saviour make us all akin to each other, and to all the family of God, both on earth and in heaven. And the childlike spirit of the humble, trusting heart is now, as then, the medium of heavens richest blessings to the careworn children of this world. We need to go to Bethlehem, again and again, that we may return always to the simple, normal con ditions of our spiritual, eternal life. And the babe in the manager should teach us that the poor and humble may be as near to the throne of God the Father, as the richest and most exalted.