The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-12-19

A. J. Graydal. Pastor

Christ
Ia "a Beth
j 4 announc-
le ,sr from hea-
W q great Mir
acle accure. ace these shepherds
resolved to Sc. Tor themselves what
God had done: Let us see this thing
which hath come to pass, which the
Lord hath made known to u.s." 1t is
the thing to do for all men every
where, for us once more today.
Let therefore all Mankind, on this
Christmas-day, in the closing hours
of restless year, receive this Chri-
stmas gift of God. See it. Take it
Enjoy it.
SEE 1T. Jesus, the Savior himself,
declares: it was THE GIFT OF LOVE,
the infinite love of God; for God SO
loved the world that he gave his only
Begotten Son. With the light of
Christmas about you, with this pre-
cious word from Jesus himself before
you, realize the vastness and the true
wonder of this love. AS great as the
| Giyer himself, So great is the love he
gave. Aand the gift was Gods own
/ Son equal with God in glory and Maj
esty. No human mind can measure
| this gift and the love that bestowed
| it on US. This is what came to pass
| when God gave his Only Begotten
Son-his infinite love brought Saliva
ton to all the world. See it, friend,
with Joseph and Mary, with the She
pherds and wise men; and with thou
sands and thousands since. who took
all this love and its supreme gift in
to their hearts and enjoyed the Sal
walton they brought.
TAKE IT. It is at the same time
THE GIFT OF LIGHT. The world Is
full Of darkness. What does that
mean? Men are by Nature utterly
full Of ignorance, blindness, self-de-
ception, and desperate delusfon con-
corning the most vital things of their
existence. They grasp at and hold fast
earthly treasures as il these were
real, and not mere shadows OF an
hour. They mask and make light of
their sins, and think that thus the
death and doom that are in them will
be stopped. They invent God OF
their own imagination, one who will
not damn Sinners and who needs no
Savior for their deliverance. They
paint up and puff up their poor empty
virtues, and think that these will be
enough to insure them to place in
heaven. Some go even much farther
in the blind imagination of their
hearts.
Into this dark, truthless world the
Savior Came and brought the real
Salvation of God for Sinners. He
came, therefore, as the Tight, re-
vealing to us ali beyond a question
just what our Sins really are, who
God in heaven really is, and what he
must really do with all sin and sin
ners; And then this greatest work of
his as the light; What the love of
God really is, how it has actually
made way of Salvation in Gods
own Son, and how you and and every
man may truly have and keep this
Salvation to ALL eternity. That is the
gift of light" the light that saves.
Its embodiment is Christ himself; its
shining is the message that tells us
OF Christ, the Gospel, the Saving truth
OF God. This pierces and drives out
the receptions in our hearts, and
puts in place of them the true reali-
ties just as they are. 1t thus fills us
with trust and faith in these realities,
making Gods great Savior and Sal
walton our inward possession, the
supreme treasure of our Souls, our
very own. Q glorious. heavenly light,
Shining out from Bethlehem, from
Calvary, from Christs open tomb-the
whole Bible glowing with its radiance,
See it! Take it!
And ENJOY 1T. 1t is eternal
life. he JOY Of Salvation in the
Only bseotten Son Of God! He came
from on high, and brought down to
us here below the true life which
we had lost. Thank God for the true
life, all Its happiness and JOY here al
ready as Christ becomes ours more |