The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-12-26
The Time Of Rejoicing


by Rev. Vim. J. lsreal
The time of Xmas is with US again. And indeed it is
ime of rejoicing and Of happiness. very pretty
tom when seek show love and all
who are dear to by giving them gifts and presents.
Many of US able to present beloved with
costly tokens of love- and the other hand others
among able to remember dear only with
inexpensive presents of our love
But when in this time of Xmas give and receive
presents of love- let we'll remember and be truly thank
full for the priceless of which the Xmas
teaches Let remember we'll and be truly thankful
for the precious gift of God sinful mankind of which
the Evangelist ST. John u.s. saying the Sd chapter
and in the sixteenth of his Gospel: For God
loved the world that he his only begoten Son. that
whosoever beieveth in him should not perish but have
everlasting life "Basng dissertation these words
OF St john we will speak of the priceless gift of God
sinful mankind and showing:
First-That it is indeed gift OF love
In his Gospel ST. John writes us: God so loved the
world Let us pause moment these words and hear
who this God is, of whom St. John writes that He loved
the world Holy Scripture declares OF Him, is
holy and righteous God that hates sin and all evil.
Yea, God himself declares: /, the Lord thy God am a
Jealous God visiting the niquities upon
children unto the third and fourth
hate And furthermore requires Of every living
human being Thou shalt be holy, for holy the Lord
thy Cod
OF this God St. John writes us in Gospel that He
loved the world St John has inhabitants
OF the earth to the human If the ho righteous
God has loved the world ST. John
and is perfect and holy Scripture teaches
US otherwise. For thus writes the Psamist: FPS Ia, -
they are all gone aside, they all together become
filthy: there is none that doeth good, one
again read: 1Eccl !, 2o There Just man upon
earth that doeth good and snneth not And Isaiah
writes l6i 81 We all uncean thing, and ali our
righteousness is filthy We recognize, there
from that scripture declares the human be
and depraved
And St John states in his Gospel that God 50
loved this sinful and perverted world gave his
only Son These words full of me aning, for they
signify that God senhis Son Jesus into this world
Of sin and evil and laid him sins of the whole
world And the Son OF God came into this world with
his holy life fulfilled the holy Law of God which man
could not keep. And with his Innocent suffering
death upon the shedding of his holy and
precious blood he, the atoned for the sins
Of the whole world. He has purchased and won the
world from the OF Satan. sin perdition
Such is the import of the glorious Xmas message
And having heard the statements of Scripture con-
corning the depravity Of this world we dare say
tn we have merited such gift from the Giver?
Must we not rather confess that have the
wrath and anger of the holy behold instead Of
wrath and anger temporal and eternal punishment which
we have deserved, ST. John writes love of God
wonderful love- which all understanding and
reason for caused the mercul Creator mankind to
become the Savior also of the human race As St
John writes He gave his only begoen son. And that
gift ofGod gift ofove for salvation for accord
ing to the words of St john God gave Son that
whosoever beeveh in Him should have everlasting lfe
Second-That it is gift OF God for our salvation.
From these words of ST. John recognize that God
gave His Son for the salvation of all human beings
There is no one excepted, not Unto each and
everyone God has given His Son. for his salvation for
ST. John writes: whosoever believeth in Him. the Son of
God, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Now what Is the significance of the ''belevng?',
1t signfes To know and to accept the Scrip
lures of God and his Son Jesus Christ with firm
confidence to trust and rely in God salvation Of
Christ Jesus, it is written Il John 1873: And this Is
life eternal that they might know Thee only true God
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast
Whosoever, therefore, grasps the Son of God in
faith as his savior him the blood Jesus Christ
Gods son, ceanseth from all sin q John l, ~ neither
shall he perish The eternal damnaton such believer in
Christ Jesus shall Instead eternal saly alton
will be given him. for Christ hath abolished death
and hath brought life and Immortality light (2Tin l.
10y.
OF this gift of Gods love for our salvation the
glorious Christmas festival speaks 1t procames unto
the beginning of that great work. of which the Sun
day teaches the ulfmen the redemption and
salvation through Christ Jesus.
When therefore in our Christmas rejoicings we give
and receive and gifts let permit present
to call to memory the precious gift of God our
salvation, His only begotten Son. Jesus Christ.