South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-21
WORLD
WITHOUT CHRIST
Would Be No Christmas to
Open the Flood Gates of
Charity, Says Rev. Thomas
]. Parsons.

BY picturing a Christless world, Rev.
Thomas ]. Parsons brought out in
very forceful manner the real spirit
OF Christmas, in his Sunday morning
sermon at the Quincy Street Baptist
church.
This the season Of the year" said
Mr.. Parsons, lin which we give our
selves over TO the spirit of gOod-fel-
lOwshfp. festivity and happiness and
open our hearts 10 the cheering rays
of songs and smiles, of gifts and
greetings in honor of the coming Of
Christ into the world and in appreci
alton of Gods unSpeakable gift TO
mankind on that first Christmas night.
In all our rejoicing, did we ever
pause TO ask the question. what If
Christ had not come? Not TO cast
shadow upon your joy, but intensity
the high lights and TO bring into bold
er relief the blessed. glorious fact
that Christ came into the world, do
ask you to consider the subject from
negative viewpoint.
Can you ina CINE the world with
! out Christ in it? Indeed you cannot
for He has been in il in one form or
another from the dawn of creation;
but sUn0Ose Christ had not come as
a babe n Bethlehem and the accounts
given IL Matthew and Luke were
r.ythical inventionsf what might be
the condition Of the w6rld today?
I'm the first place there would be
1 no Christmas. Christmas means
| Christ's mass in celebration of His
birth. The spirit and flavor of this
season weave garlands of Joy DER all
| the world. without Christ there
would be no brilliantly lighted, gift
| laden tree, no carols OF gladness
ascending like incense from the burn
! ing lips of praiseful souls, no Christ
mas bells from hill to hill answer each
other in the mist no alabaster boxes
| OF love broken at the festive board to
| fill the coming years with fragrant
memories, no bursting of the bounds
of cOnventionality to call a Christmas
greeting, to visit a lonely stranger, to
| pour the horn of plenty into the lap
| of poverty, to dry the tear of infancy,
to strengthen the heart of maternity,
TO cheer the loneliness of infirmity to
| open the flood gates of charity and fill
| the world with a contagion of happi-
ness and joy.
No Christianity.
without Christ, there would be no
| Christianity. What a sad and wretch
| ed world this would he without the
gospel of Christ with its message of
love and salvation Possibly you are
thinking of the unspeaAable tragedy
of war, but that is not Christianity,
| it is deviltry.
Christ is not represented in bullets
but in bandages and Red Cross
agencies, not in dreadnOughts but in
| Christmas ships and relief fleets, not
in infiammatOry accusations but IN
sympathy and prayer for all parties
to the conflict.
1--WE can see the lovely form of
Christ bending over the broken lines
and bloOdstained trenches and stand
| ing guard over the countless hosts of
widows and orphans in their misery
and loss. Where need is, there is
Christ.
IF Christ had not come. there
would have been no missionary prop
uganda, calling forth the flower of
Christian chivalry in a world wide
crusade Of evangelism, turning the
tide of civilization changing the GUS
toms of entire nations. Transforming
the heather temples into Christian
churches and focusing the gaze of the
world on the Star of Bethlehem.
Without Christ we would not have
the splendid array of churches nor
the long line Of Christian colleges to
say nothing of the vast number Of al
lied agencies at work in the name of
Jesus Christ. There would be no Bible
as we have today. the New Testament
would be entirely gone and most of
the old Testament would have no
meaning for us.
1T would be like a story with the
most interesting chapters lacking
There would have been no angels
songs. no divine image in human
form TO walk with us in the storms
Of life. no grand oratOriOs like Han
dels Messiah, nor stirring gospel
hymns to awaken the soul TO new re-
solves and turn the erring feet into
pathways of peace. All this and
much more if Christ had not come.
Let US remember that Christmas with
out Christ is no Christmas at ALL"