The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-07-16
SATURDAY'l.NlEIIiT
SERM0bSs<SZlEz2s.a
BY..:z1..lA.S%
REySAnuELW. pURyH.D.D!
THE UNEXPECTED GOD.

Text, Surely the Lord is in this place
and knew 1t not -ien xviii. i6
God is often nearest when he seems
farthest He is coming when we think
be is going Here is Jacob. the speak
er in the text making this discovery.
He is runa way boy--no. not Il run
away: an exile. He has deceived his
father. robbed his brother and now is
in flight One of the first effects of sin
is to drive us out That has been true
from Adam going out from Eden aud
Judas out to hang himself down to this
mornings newspaper tragedy Iacss
is going out alone on Il long. DeriioEs
Journey of $50 miles through II WIKI
inhospitabIe country. He has no guide.
no companion. Yes. he has a cobipasl-
ion. the worst poor. defenseless tray-
eier can have-1 guilty conscience.
Hard roads. scanty fare. bad weather
robbers and wild beasts are BAG
enough. hut the secret whisper Its all
my own fault was worse. Night
comes Jacob feels even God has for
covers himself with a cloak and lies
down to sleep The boot of the owl
in the tree. cry of jackai in desert.
howl Of lone wolf on moor are his iui-
laby. His spirit is now in the hands
of God Mans extremity is Gods 90
portInity
Nearness Of God.
Stones make poor pillows. The bed
of the tranSgreSsor is hard Yet hard
ships are not always misfortsInes If
they tonglcn our spirits and lead US
to seek right Those who are lookin;
for soft snaps really have hard lives.
| In the night God came to Iacob. What
meetings there have been alone with
God. Nights of grandeur and awe.
| When Jacob fed Rebecca had neither
Bible. prayer book nor Pilgrims Prog
ress to put into her boys scrip be-
sides dates and oil. She didn't even
put in Il good example. SO God had to
| communicate with Jacob in Il dream
/
on earth. and the top reached to he:iy-
EN-. and angels were ascending and de
scending When be woke he rubbed
| his eyes. Glorious staircase and shin
| ing angels We're gone. but in his mind
/ was a new conception. God might bt
found in unexpected places. He liad
been accustomed. like most OF III
! twentieth century folks. To think oi
God as only in certain sacred places
There is "a tendency to loc:tlize God
whether in ancient shepherd tent 81
modern cathedral God is either il
church or in heaven. Truly it is casIel
to find him there. but God is in ever,
place where human heart is iiftet
up. You may build hundred thou
sand dollar church and yet not fin,
God. indeed. have known where j
seemed rs If such ritual stained glass
conservatory singers. eloquent preach
er, had opposite effect.
The Universal God.
In spite Of large and brave universal
creeds we have kindergarten ideas o
God. We are apt even to build II de
nominational fence about him eot
may be worshiped in all places an,
forms. He was present much in Oh,
Testament times and New Testamen
days. we think. His day is Sl,nda.
the first century more than the tweil
tieth. Some day we meet him outsia
all conventional time and place. and
like Jacob. we are amazed. You don
like to speak of it for fear your 0rthl
dOxy may be questioned But fear no,
Jacob found God ut Bethel. not ut hi
fathers affairs: Moses at burning busl
not in Egyptian temple: Gideon ut th
thrashing floor. not by the ark j,
Shiloh; Elisha at his blowing. Manoa
at his fireside God may reveal hin
self in nature The heavens deciar
the glory of God. There are sermon
in stones. and the lilies of the field te
OF his providence. Nature is moi dea
matter. but living power and lif,
However. nature is not God. only til
garments Of God God did not max
the world. wind it up. set it going m
then abandon il. He is present in til
harvest field and the lightniiig's tiasl
God is in the unfolding of human hi,
tory. He did not leave mankind I
the gates Of Eden. He was at Has