New Ulm review., 1912-12-25
"Wednesday, Dec. 25, 1912
A Christi mas Sermon.

A Christmas Sermon.
A picture bringing back many dea
memories of childhood comes befor
me; memories of home, of Christina
Morr ing, of . Mothers tenderness
and the old, old story she often toll
of the Christ Child, tho Saviour Of th'
world. Memories, too, OF picture o
bright.robed, winged angels with lonl
silver trumpets proclatming th'
Christmss Message, "Psaoe on Earth
Good Will 20 Men,"
For us, children - we were then,
and for the children of today, there
WAS and is no festival 80 full of joy,
OF bright anticipation aud happiness,
- Christmas moruiuR; and doublv
dear to memories Of later years If IN
our childhood dsys II wss hslloved
By . sense, however vague or din 1t
might be, of the deep Significance cf
Christms msstide, With oil the sacred
legends gathered round about It.
What 10 the message of Christmas
tide to you and me, today? What is
its Significance TO Us. grown men and
women, Who know the world and it's
sadness aud pain; what sign ficauce
has it or might it have, If We knew and
did our part, TO the man In the street,
the child In the crowded tenement
house, the coovict 10 his cell?
"Peace on Earth. Good Will to Men,"
Such is the message proclaimed on
Christmas moroiog from all the
pulpits 10 Christendom. And from
the hearts of unnumbered millions
who never enter church, it has
voicing: "Merry Christmas" glad
ness, jov, are passed from one to
another by word and look. For a
caste and race distir ctions
drop (alm ost) out OF sight, and we
stand on the level ground of our
common humanity. For one day, for |
just . moment of time, there is pause
in the turmoil of life. For ono day
only, il for that, and then the world |
resumes its course. On no other day |
Or festival 10 the whole year is the
feeling just the same, or the sense of
80 marked. Even New
Years Day is different, tho it par
lakes Of the Christmsstide feeling and
Is almost one With 1t, aud in some
Is the day OF gift giving as
is with,t the Teusonic peoples.
Properly it should coincide with
which is the true beginning
Of the year, marking as It does the be.
ginniog of the Suns northern course
thru the heavens. Easter again is
different, and Thanksgiving Day, and
all the other festivals aud national
holidays; on none OF them is there
hat wonderful stirring of the heart
forces, that thrill of joy and good
will, kiudliness, sympathy, which for
. moment We feel on Christmas
and which, If we will open
our hearts to it, brings . bene-
d,ction u US and all whom We contact
If our Christmas greeting given and
Goes indeed come from the
heart and is not sn empty phrase.
Is that all the message? Is that all
its meaning? Think moment. "Peace
on Earth, Good Will to Men," Do
we understand these words2 Is there
not something akin to mockery in
them? For nearly two Thousand years
the Christmas mess age has been pro-
claimed. Peace? The air ia full of
War, and rumors of War; Christian
nations increasing their armaments
Que aga nst the other, aud striving to
ostdo one another by the invention of
still more deadly weapons. Was ever
3 more crucial time in the known
history of the world than now? The
great nations of the world have
parceled out the earth and watch With
greedy eyes to possess themselves oil
more.
There is then this other eide of the