The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-01-11

49,: q building be lost
because of their
attention to the child. A world Of men
is of more concern to God than uni
verse of stars. Tho sheep in the fields
were not afraid as the shepherds were,
when the angel of the Lord appeared;
the shepherds had "a sense of the SUI
pernatural which the sheep had not.
Men may become sons of God while
sheep and stars cannot; hence God
cares for men especially and sends his
angels to them.
The shepherds were good men. We
read of them hasting to Bethlehem
and of their 'glorifying and praising
God" 1t has been well said that bad
men would have heard only the night
wind, instead Of the angels songs.
Mrs. Browning speaks of some to
whom every common bush is afame
with God, while others sit around pick
ing blackberries. Once, when the voice
of God spoke to Jesus, some who heard
it said 1t Numbered! Men who are
not Christians miss the vision Of God,
and no angels song cheers them in
the night of life.
The shepherds were poor men. Some
tell us that the principal duty Of the
church toward the poor is to change
their environment. But the shepherds
teach us that God may come to the
poor before their environment Is
changed. How often have Christian
workers found the brightest saints In
squalid tenements! We do not UNDER
estimate the value Of good environ
ment, but the surest way to secure 1t
Is to make, first, good men.
Religion for Busy Men.
The shepherds were busy men. The
angels did not appear to idlers nor to
those shut up in cloisters, but to men
In the fields. What revelation Of
heavens ideal Of the religious lifel
The ''glory Of the Lord" which shone
about the shepherds was the Shekinah
which had glowed in the temple of old,
seen only by the high priest and on
rare occasions. But here it came to il
illuminate the fields where men toiled.
God does not propose to take men out
of their employments, but would have
them serve him at their tasks. Alas,
that many are so busy with their f1ocks
they have no time to go to Bethlehenl
We are interested in the song of the
angels, but would first remind our
selves of the wonder that there could
be communication between these
heavenly creatures and the sons Of
men. Paul speaks Of "the tongues Of
men and Of angels" and we cannot
conceive the language of heaven. Yet
on that night the angels were under
stood by the shepherds. Light is
thrown on this fact by the reference
in Ephesians 3:15 to "the whole fam
lily in heaven and EARTH" Just as the
spectroscope shows the stars are COM
posed of the same elements as the
earth and suggests the unity Of the
universe, so the family in heaven and
earth is one, and there Is a certain
kinship between men and angels. At
any rate, the tongues of men and
angels" are harmonized when Jesus is
their theme!
The Song of the Angels.
The angels seem to have sung in
antiphon, like the Levite choirs. First,
one section sang, "Glory to God in tbs
highest Another responded, son
earth peace" Then they sang in
chorus, "Good will toward men,"
The coming of Jesus brought glory
to God 'in the highest" that is, from
the highest intelligence. They knew
the glory Christ had with the father
and could appreciate the sacrifice In
yolved in his STOPPING to be born
among Ken. They knew the holiness
of God which required a sacrifice for
sin. They appreciated the love which
provided sacrifice in him who not
only was made in the likeness of men
but was to humble himself to the
death Of the cross.
The coming of Christ brought ION
earth peace, good will toward men,"
The latter expression is the same as
that used by the Father when he said
of Jesus, "This is my beloved Son in
whom am well pleased" BY the
blood of the cross such peace has
been made that God may have the
same pleasure in redeemed sinners as
he finds in his Son. In whom he always
takes delight. Indeed, as Paul puts It,
we are accepted in the Beloved" all
this comellness being placed upon US J
How wonderful