The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-26
ALL MUST REPEAT
THIS INCARNATION
REV. w. y. YOUNG AT CENTENARY
CHURCH POINTS OUT
THE WAY
CHRISTMAS NJ ESS A G E
@suEPHEHDs GOING EVEN UNTO
BETHLEHEM SAW MESSAGE
or LOVE AND FEELING
FOR MAN.
CHRISTMAS MESSAG {

The true spirit OF the Christmas sea-
son--the seeking out of those for whom
love and human concern felt by the
. Creator was shown at the first Christ
mas and the renewing Of this concern
| and sympathy by man for man--was
! the theme OF the Christmas sermon
/ preached In Centenary Methodist
church yesterday morning by Rev. w.
j. Young.
Mr.. Young took for his text st. Luke
( 215--'Iet US now go even unto Beth
| lehem and see" In substance, he said:
THE shepherds had seen the vision
Of angels and had heard their song.
They had been told OF the wonderful
! babe in the Manager and what his COM
( ing meant TO them and to the rest or
! the world. But they were not content
/ with this. They must know the truth
| of the story for themselves. Not even
| an angels word was sufficient The
/ marvellous event must become part
/ Of their experiences. and enter into
| their lives And we. too, IL Christmas
! and the Christmas message are TO be
+ of real worth to us, must go to Beth
! iehem and see, must know for ourselves
/ what the message means--means 10
US in our living. We must feel the
mower and effectiveness Of the truth
In our lives and must repeat In our con
! duct and character what we see IN
/ the manger.
in that self humiliation God stoops
10 human need, adjusts himself to hui
man conditions. 1t Is sublime spec
| tacle. Rut II will be of little value
! TO us. unless he has entered into our
hearts and homes, becoming a servant
to US and holding conpanionship with
us entering into our daily tasks and
problems. And we must repeat this
self humiliation in our lives, bringing
ourselves down to the needs of the low
ly, emptying ourselves of the glory OF
our wealth or scholarship or name. II
so be we may be helpful to the world.
Mystery of the Incarnation.
In Bethlehem the shepherds saw the
transfer Of the Shechinab from the tenn
pie to a human being. the mystery of
the incarnation. the abiding Of God In
p human being DO we this day see
as blessed reality that humanity is
capable of God7 We must learn both
the divinity of man and the humanity
OF God We need the God who comes
to us thus In human flesh and blood
and human speech-~not the God mys-
terlons. unh movable afar from hu-
man affairs, but nearer to us than
breathing And so the incarnation
must he prepared In both Of us--God In
I
speaking forth from our lips and touch
, ing the world with our hands.
THE shepherds saw in the Manager
the message OF God to mana mes
: sage of love and concern for human
; good. This Christ was TO say in later
hdays, He that hath seen me hath seer
the Father We must ask ourselves
2 II he has spoken to us this word from
Y God and If we have heard 1t. Is hs
! the solution of the mysteries OF pair
A and sorrow? Does he answer the ques
t tionings of our doubts? Do we fine
$ ourselves thinking OF everything from
- the standpoint of the gospel? III this
gospel Is all we claim for 1t, we mus
s bring every thought into captivity u
4 the obedience OF Christ And we must
8 In our turn, through the indwelling o
n Christ, become messages of God to men
g speaking the same glorious word q
:. love and grace and pity as Jesus spoke
h Service Through Pain.
n THE manager was the beginning o
a the preparation for the crucifXton
( the shadow of the cross was over tn
q Masters birthplace and never departed
a from him, because Jesus was born t
r die His whole career to the end WA
a service through pain for mems sal