The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-26
DR. BRYAN HAS BEEN IN BIRMINGHAM 32|
 YEARS AS PREACHER
And That Entire Time Has Been Spent as Pastor of the Third
 Presbyterian Church
By CAROLYN B. ELLIOTT


 Hello, Mir. Santa Claus Man. Won't you give everybody a love thought out of your warm Christmas heart about keeping the spirit of Christmas all through the new year?'
 I'll be glad to do it." the Santa Claus mans clear voice responded over the phone" Brother" Brpans voice, Of course for he is never Dr. J. A. Bryan to anyone who has talked with him once. He is one of one chosen whom everybody feels like 'brothering," because he is everybody's big brother-he's S everybody s friend, everybody's good saint. He is the Christmas spirit personified the whole year through, because he is like the God man whose birthday was heralded by angels the first glad Christmas morning
 BEST BIRMINGHAM
 You've been in Birmingham S2 years, haven't you, MT. Christmas Man?" 1 in quired, when l saw him few minutes after his "shop talk at the l.. & N.
 ''Thirty-two years and a little while longer" he replied enthusiastically, and it is the most heavenly place on earth to live. I don't know anything about any bad Birminsham It's the best BirminS- ham in all the world and I'm just meeting people every day I expect to meet In heaven. Nobody altogether worthy, Of course.
 But you know that's just what com forts me-" he confided with eager sim plicity. The angel that heralded the birth of the Savior didn't say joy had just come to worthy people.
 The herald of the Redeemer said: Be- hold | bring you good tidinSs of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto, you is torn this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord
 "All people include me and my brother, who may be gambling. or drink ing. or preaching q sermon. There's q lot of good in everybody, and a lot to be saved, and Jesus was born on Christ mas Day just to do this very thing save all of us 'whomsover will.
 THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
 But how about some of us who for get the Christmas spirit every day in the year?" was the inquiry
 '.Why. you know the best way to re- member about that is just to invite Jesus into your home every morning-not only Christmas morning-every morning--in- vite Him into your life, into your home, into your business He always accepts invitations. He believes in visiting folks. You remember He went to the homes of the richest and the poorest. He went to see rulers, and the rejected and for gotten. He went to marriage feasts ana 10 homes of sorrow. There isn't time nor an experience that Jesus can't share with people and help them through. He never conducts funerals, though. lie never did that in His whole life. He raised people from the dead because He came to bring life and joy
 Then every day is Christmas day isn't it, when the spirit of Christmas Is born in the heart, and when Gods son is welcomed afresh into the days ilv- ing?" I asked.
 Just exactly, just exactly, beamed the Santa Claus Man. Why. don't you remember the wise men found Jesus Tn home? Some good Jewish woman must have invited the mother and young child out of that stable where the snel- herds found them, fey when the wise men found him 90 or 40 days afterW'rd He was in a home. I know it must have been a Christmas day to that good woui- an when she found Jesus and invlted Him into her everyday life, and it must have been Christmas day to the wise men when they found Him.
 And do you recall the first thing everybody did who found the Christ! inquired the Christmas man. Iney worshiped Him. The angels worship1i him in a song of joy; the shepnerds worshipped Him, glor.fying and praishig God for all the things they had heard and seen; and the wise men. when they saw the young child with Mary, Ills mother, fell down and worshiped HiIn' even before they presented their giIts.
 "Christmas Day seems especially the time to present gifts to Jesus, because Y is His birthday. On the first Christmas Day the angels gave songs of praise [; the shepherds didn't have much Of tnis worlds goods. but they gave what they had-a sleepless night, a watchnight-anh then the wise men came bearing costly gifts The shepherds rerresent the hu'n- ble who come to Jesus, the wise men the learned and wealthy. Jews and Gen tiles, rich and poor, came alike in 2 worshipful spirit when they brousH their gifts to God.
 A SEASON OF JOY
 That's the reason said the Santa Claus man that the Christmas season. the holy days, the holidays, should be especially a season of worship. sea- son of giving, season of joy.
 Did you ever stop to think much about how humble Jesus was" he in quired. how humble His environ