The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-01-14
gbort Geru.ons
For
5unnap Dalf-Dour
Theme:
GODS FATHE RHOOD.
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~ REV. DR.. EL5ERT RUSSELL.

uY REV. Or. ELBERT RUSSELL.
Text: Luke 11:2: "And He said
INTO them, when ye pray, say, our
sther."
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Fundamental in all our religion is
the conception of God. More or less
-nsistently all that we do in the way
d Worship or service springs from
LAT we believe God to be, and what
believe He wishes us to do and
se. 1t is important for us very fire.
.,atly for the keeping OF our reli-
on truly to go back to this funda-
entail element in our religion.
.. our conception of God determines
religion in so far as 1t is a con-
stCut thing If we believe that God
"A despot we shall cringe, and fawn
20 ore Him. If we believe He is a
Gus God we shall walk softly and
@, appear too prosperous in His
-sonce, lest in jealousy He smite us.
we believe He is an absent or an
Tassive God, who neither knows
Or cares how we feel towards Him or
"1rd Him, then we shall go on our
~ as If God did not exist, and
Pc our course of action with ref
epce to our own desires, and we
all not reckon with God. We shall
with Jobs friend, "Is not God in
height of Heaven? What doth
"a know" There Is a story from
East of a certain Parsee who was
forming his devotions at the altar
Il fire, and there drew near a Jew
nd Christian. The Jew, moved
With jealousy that men should wor-
hip the creature instead of the Gre.
ltor, said: do you worship fire?"
No" said the Parsee, I'VE do not, we
)nly worship the Great Spirit that
manifests Himself in the flame"
What do you call that spirit?" ask
ed the Jew. 1--WE call him Ormuz.
What do you name the Infinite One?"
we call Him Jehovah" said the Jew.
God of Gods and Lord of Lords, the
Great God and terrible" The Parsee
answered. Your name is a great one,
out it is awful" Then turning to the
Christian, he asked: How do you
name the Great One?" and the Chris
tian said: I'VE call Him Abba, Faith
er," and the Parsee answered, Your
name is the greatest of all, but who
gave you authority to call the Infinite,
Father?"
Now, it is Jesus, who teaches us
that. Father" robbed of its human
infirmities, of its evil, of it's limita-
tions, is the name likest to God. If
we would comprehend what is the
character of God and His attitude to-
ward us we should come before Him
with the word Father" upon our lips.
1t is worth while for us to take the
conception, this revelation of Jesus of
God, and see what kind of religion is
consistent with it; how we, as chill
dIen of our Father should worship
Him and behave ourselves before Him
and talk to Him. Jesus has not left
us entirely to draw our own infer
elCes. He told us to call Him Father.
I know that theologians dispute over
the question, whether 1t is right to
speak of the fatherhood of God to all
men, but certainly we shall be true to
Jesus If we talk of the fatherliness OF
God. And we shall find that Jesus
has something to say about Gods re-
lltion to the universe, to this world
OF which humanity is so small part.
Tho Pharisees believed in a distant
God, God on His throne afar off in
tie seventh heaven, a majestic SOW
areign, removed from the common
things of the world. They believed
the world was carried on through the
mediation of angels. They believed
lhHt God once for all had given His
win for mems conduct in the law, that
on some far off day men would st2nd
Ho rre Him and be examined as TO
81 ether they had kept the law and
r &C only by some special providence
~ miracle did God take direct hand
n the control of His universe. That
vas not the teaching of Jesus. To
Him the world was the Fathers house.
Cod needs no angel to tell Him what
IS going on in the world He knows
1uc needs before we ask and when We
pray we do not have to invoke some
IN -el to carry the petition, but simply
~ in sincerity: Our Father" How
nat changes the conception of re-
"cion and our relation to God; how it
Gl,s the world with the presence of
The Divine! Far be it from me to
1euy the possibility, or even the con
t'n lous recurrence of the things we
call miraculous. but to anyone who
follows the teaching of Jesus the mira
ie loses its unique character for our
'el gious thinking and life. | believe
hat Jesus turned the water into wine
lt was exceptional activity of he
, inc power but believe that when
the vine blossoms in the spring and
natures its fruit in the fall, 1t is just
as much the activity OF God as when
Jesus performed the miracle at Cana.
When Jesus teaches us to think OF
God as Father, He calls attention,
first. to the likeness between our spir-