The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-12-26
A Sermon to Non-church Goers.

Rev. Charles Lewis in New York Herald
Whatever the Church may accomplish,
it is trying to do the greatest thing in the
world It is trying to make people under-
stand that God loves them. It is preaching
this by acts as we'll as by words. 1t is try
ing to help peoples bodies and minds as
we'll as their souls. In what we call insti-
tutional churches such help is not given
exclusively to people who share in the pub
lie worship. 1t is often given to people who
will have nothing to do with it. In the name
of the Master who went about doing good,
quite careless whether those who received
His kindness agreed with Him or not, wor-
shipped with Him or not, the Church of to-
day is trying to demonstrate that it too
wishes to do good unto all men.
Many people criticise the Church be-
cause it does its work wastefully or stupidity.
This may be true, yet the greatest work OF
the Church is beyond. TO the man who
has grown cynical, the chief need is to
discover that the Church through all fall
ure, has been trying both by word and by
deed to show Gods love.
Now is it not right that an organization
bent upon such mission should have both
the sympathy and the help of all earnest
people?
| People should come to church, not first
of all to get something for themselves, but
rather to give worship to God, service to
men. Still, men coming to church ought
to expect to receive wonderful gift. This
does not depend upon architecture, sermon
or music so much as it depends upon them
selves. In his last book Professor Royce
describes a man who ceased to pray in the
conventional fashion: "When things are
too much for me 60 alone by myself, and
bury my head in my hands and | think
hard that God must know it all and will
see how matters really are and understands
me, and in just that way alone, by under
standing me, will help me. And so try
to get myself together. And that for me
is prayer" A man may win such an atti-
tude quite by himself, but he is much more
likely to win it if he comes regularly into
the house of God and joins other people in
the supreme effort to realize that God un-
derstands. The best things in life must be
fought for, worked for, suffered for. In
public worship, in order to receive most
one must give all.
Finally, it may not be amiss if l say a
word of personal testimony. 1 have watch
ed men and women in different congrega.
tons for a good many years, and l am sure
that regular churchgoing lifts and dignifes
character. The outsider often blames PEG.
pie who come to church for pretending to be
what they are not. One who looks closely
into such lives sees kindness and sacrifice
which the world does not see. Mems opin.
ion becomes slight matter. Gods secre
praise is all they care for. The Church
may shelter some careless living, but i
shelters a vast amount Of increasing good.
ness which make the joy of earth.
If you come to church with the hope o.
recognizing that God understands you
then in spite of poor sermon, bad archi.
lecture, uneven music, you will find some
} thing that will put eloquence and beauty
and sweetness into them all. You will fine
! that God cares; you will lose your self-sat
isfaction; you will rise up to live noble
life, =.