Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-12-01
UNION SERVICE HELD
THANKSGIVING DAY
- 1piscOpaliens, the Methodists
And COngreyationalists Held
UniON Thanksgiving Servi-
ces ~ rsday in COngre.
ga nal Church.
REV. WN. Mt% vTIE
PREACA =, THE SERMON
10 Day Was Idea nd the Church
Was Filled. Th.N Attending
Heard lmpressiv. vmOn.

Heard lmpressiv. vmOn.
On Thanksgiving day the Episco-
paliens, Methodists and Congrega-
ti0Eal-sts held union services in the
Congregational church. Rev. Wn.
McVettie, rector of Grace Episcopal
church of this city delivered the SER
mon, before big audience, and we
publish it verbatim below, by special
request:
"Offer unto God Thanksgiving and
pay thy vows unto the mos highest"
psalm sofa.
AS we assemble here in this beau
tiful church ! wonder how many Of
us realize, even in a measure, what
cause we have to make these, our
humble thanksgivings, unto Almigh-
ty God; what cause we as individ-
mails have, to lift up our voices in
praise to God and ELL out His won
drOus act OF love towards US. AS we
look back over the days and months
of this year what blessings and
gifts of God come to our memories
our happy homes, our merry chill
dren, our pleasant fields, our lives,
our strength, health and prosperity.
1t any wonder that our voices nave
. joyful ring this morning? Can the
voice be plaintive when the heart is
light and gay? Is it any wonder We
come to Gods temple to sing our
songs of Harvest Home and return
thanks.
But the greatest, most wonderful
most beautiful and best thing Of this
earth for which we give thanks ls
y human soul redeemed from self.
and consecra. ed to Christly service.
: which is Christ's lire
In ourselves, ls nothing less than the
substitution OF Gods will for our
asHll--humanity for egotism, service
snr selrshpess, largeness. of yisio 4
sOr narrowness. love Tor nate. bean-
~ for the agliness OF jealousy and
pride, FIJI .egrlty and large hearted
ness for .dishOnOr and meahness,
truth for falsehood. It lis very easy
to pray, 'baItst It lis not SO easy to have
the heart in communion with GCd.
1t is easy to- profess. the name OF
Chris but 1t is not so easy to live
the enlist life hour by hour and day
by day. Yet this is just what Chris
tianity demands OF us. This is the
dedication of the soul to God. and
oh how our hearts thrill wi h JOY and
thankfulness that we can thus be
grateful unto christ,
1t matters little what We profess
to be unless we see Jesus and be
Jesus in the world. We see Cnrist
mostly now-in the life of loving
service. II the spirit of the Chris
dwells in us. we will try to do as He
did, follow His example, for each act
Of holy ministration to the suffering.
the sorrowing, the needy, the Ou.-
cast, brings to our souls a picture
of the soul of love. Such service
brings the smile of approval from
God for He says Service unto the
least Of these is service unto me. ;"
And as you and look back over tho
years that are past and gone, there
is nothing we feel more grateful for
than the service we rendered to those
in need. We are thankful God thus
used US for the be terment OF man
kind and the extension OF His king
dom. 1t may be pretty hard for
some Of us this year to enter into
the spirit OF thanksgiving. Thankful
though we are to be free from the
naeistrom OF w;)r-Our Thanksgiving
II necessarily tempered by our con-
~sorn for those who are not. Thank
full though we be for the years abun-
dant harvest, the speCtres of fields
drenched in blood, rather than yield
ing The fruits of the earth, stalk be-
fore us. 1t is very difficult to thanR
God for bless ngs from which The
great majority of our fellow men are
excluded. We do thank Him fol
preserving Us from war and keeping
US from starvation, but the ghosts ol
Belgium and of Poland and of Arme
niay are ever present, while we Of
3 fer our thanks.
: But there is one signal cause fOl
the Thanksgiving of Americans this
year, that does fit into the sombre
'.f ness OF the world picture. This ma
!, s3ion, and the American people have
,.heen. blessed beyond others in thu
,.;opportunity that has been given then
.efDfs world service. 1t sounds like ar
Affected paradox, but nevertheless II
3 true, that men fight because they
are afraid. They are afraid of what
viii happen II they do not fight. Il
.snan could be freed from this feaI
4 way could be found for the accom-
modations of all differences. Th'
only escape from the tyranny OF suct
), dread is through confidence IN tht
superiority and permanence of tn
spiri ual life. Courage Is but anoth
Z er name for faith. To dare not II
Aeht-we must believe-that there
n another and better way OF savin,
! : nations life, as Of saving an individ
Tie way of the cross is that bette
vay and those who believe IN Jesu
Christ are not afraid to follow IN ~
A