Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-12-29
BETHLEHEM'S MESSAGE.


| humanity is Cne Dlflnlty OF Jesus
Christ. Toward it from the fall OF
Adam, all of life tended, from it, re.
vivitied and redeemed, all of life flows
| Before it, chaos and death: after it,
order and life The Babe in the crib
of Bethlehem embraced humanity and
the eternity of Heaven paused to
chant hallelujahs over the Judeau
hills The Son of Man tasted NOR
tality and 10. death was changed into
life and. the story Of calvary became
the Divine charter Ct a redeemed
race. Faith and hope had existed
from the beginning; but with the ln-
carnation they became concreted into
the reality Of the angelic salutation
over the Syrian hills: Fear not, for
behold | bring you good tidings OF
great Joy for unto you is
born this day in the city Of David a
| Saviour, which is Christ the Lord"
The Babe born Ia the manger, with
the OK and the ass His silent wor-
shippers. became the worlds Prince of
Peace. He sounded the keynote of
time. He exhausted the depths OF
love Divine. He emptied Himself to
raise US to the forfeited sonship Of
the Father and walked the paths of
patient industry to prepare us for His
later message: ''Unless ye become as
little children, We cannot enter the
kingdom of Heaven"
Black was the moral atmosphere of
the world when the %pgelc host in
radiant glory announced to the won
dering shepherds the futillment of
the prophecies. With the sole eXcep-
tion of the monotheistic Hebrews,
religion was the worship of man-made
gods. Sensuality was supreme:
charity, name: helpfulness, an ac-
cident: mercy, whim. The reply Of
Cain, the slayer of his brother Abel.
to the Lord, "Am l my brothers
keeper" was the measure of civiliza-
tion. The world lay in iUs shrould Of
sin, the hills of Palestine alone reflect
ing the light of Divine hope, based
on Divine promise Chat the seed Of
a woman should crush the serpent's S
head.
Since that rar-off night in the gloom
of stable in Bethlehem, when the
Divine Babe rested in His Mothers
arms, the story of the Nativity shines
out from every page of history. If the
Nativity was the pf.lufsss to y life of
poverty and humility, ending in the
ignominy of the Cross, it also was pre-
fatory to the joys of Easter morn and
the splendors OF Mount Tabor. t has
transformed the world. Its message
OF Divide love has subdued and soft
ened, inspired and elevated, purified
and strengthened, the human heart.
1t has mitigated the horrors Of the
dungeon; assuaged the bed of suffer
ing; flooded the chamber of death
with love from above and lighted the
path Of the martyr. 1t has given
strength to the weak, courage to the
timid, rest to the weary and Solace to
the afflicted. 1t has ennObled poverty
sanctified humility, made the home
the sanctuary of purity and affection
and set the diadem not only OF hope
but of Heaven upon the brow Of
humanity. Bearing the inspiration
of its spirit and infiamed by it's Divine
breath, men and women have gone
forth to savage lands, to emulate the
example of the Master, to teach and
to suffer, to be tortured and to die.
To-day its etfulgence envelops the
world and the lights Of love that
Shi nein tens Of thousands of homes
and hospitals and churches have been
kindled on the altar of the Father
hood of God and the Brotherhood Of
Man, built by it in the human heart.
The world will never weary of the
story Of Bethlehem. 1t is the central
fact in Christian faith and hope, the
inspiration of Mans upward striving,
the incentive to love and mercy and
forgiveness SIS, the pledge Of God to men
that He is their Father and Brother