The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-03-09
LENTEN SERVICES BEGIN
IN ST. MARKS CHURCH
First of a Series OF Mid.Week Ser
mons Delivered Last Night BY
Pastor, Bremen.

Beginning last night the HfSt or
series of mid-week sermons was de-
Alivered by the Rev. O. A. Bremen,
pastor in st. Marks Ev, Lutheran
church to a congregation that was
quite appreclative.
The intention is to have services
throughout the Lenten season on We'd
nesday evening of each week.
The speaker used as his text the fol-
lowing: pray Without Ceasing," l
Thess. SIT.
Rev. Bremen, in his sermon, said:
Paul tells US in this text that the
soul of man should be in constant COM
municatlon with God. We are told that
we should pray without ceasing. We
are told that 1.-The effectual, fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth
much" We must believe that. We
should incorporate that in the minutes
OF our daily thoughts.
prayer is the most beautiful speech
that can be uttered. 1t is the most i'm
portant of all forms of speech 1t is
the most beautiful, because it is con-
versation with the Perfect Absolute
Beauty, which is Almighty God. 1t is
the most important, because it is COM
munion of the soul with the souls
maker, God
when we pray to God we are hav-
ing conversation with God. We are, as
it were, having a quiet talk with him
about ourselves. We speak to Him
about the things we have done, about
the things whereof we have need.
prayer is an essential link in the
chain Of love that binds US to a loving
God. Prayer is a great and necessary
part of worship. To pray without ceas-
ing means that we ought to have a
constant thought in the heart for God.
Prayer satisfies a particular long
ing of the soul. We are told that men
in Encouragement and dispair ought to
pray and not to faint. When the heart
is heavy with discouragements and
doubts hover over the soul as a great
cloud hiding from US all the sunshine
and cheer, it is then that the soul COM
munes with God, its maker.
Prayer has existed from the very
beginning between the created creature
man and his maker, God. We hear
the patriarchs of old lifting their peu-
tons and asking for blessings from God.
We hear the kings, especially King
David in his wonderful prayers of
thanksgiving and repentance. Most of
the Psalms of David are PRAYERS. We
hear the prophets praying for their
people, petitioning almighty God to
lift the burden of punishment from
them. interceedng in their behalf, as
Christ shall interceed for US before the
Judgment Throne of God.
We come to the New Testament, the
New Dispensation, and God comes
down to earth in the form of the crea-
ture man. He has taken upon Himself
mans nature, but it does not make
Him any less God
''Ihere are those VINO look upon
Christ and they can see His divine
nature cOeXisting with the human. The
Son of Man, Jesus Christ is both hui
man and divine, and thus in His double
nature He supplied great need. He
fulfilled conditions and made it possible
for man to come nearer his maker
For Christ in His human nature dwelt
among men and in the purity of that
human nature he gave a great example
to man of pure living.
SIN His divine nature He understood
perfectly the Divine Will of the Father
and God of all. Had Christ been only
human He could not have perfectly
known the Fathers VIII. Had Christ
been only divine we could not have
known Him so well, because between
the finite and the infinite there is such
a vast space of unknown that man I'M
aided is unable to transcend the dis
lance.
The limited finite capacity of the
human mind is not able to grasp the in
finite mind of God. But Christ came to
US. being perfectly human and wholly
divine, and thus, as it were, in the
person of Christ, we have had God
brought nearer to US, and looking to
God through the human nature of HIS
Blessed Son we are more able to under
stand His commands concerning US.
Instead of developing the nature of
pride and selfshness and bigotry the
Son of Man has taught US by precept
and example to walk humbly before
God and to deal with meekness. gentle
ness and equality with our fellowmen.
He has taught US that it is foolish for
man to be pulled up with vain pride,
Tor in the sight of God all men are
qual. The man who permits himself
10 be governed by pride, controlled by
avarice and greed reveals to the world
that he has but poor conception of
God, the Great Exemplar, who gave US
a perfect example of christian living.
Christ, as we have said, has taught
us how TO live and &c wa COO yliponcac