The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1921-12-22
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared Especially for The Republic
can by DIR. U. S. Wright.

CHRISTMAS LESSON AND RE-
VIEW.-Matt 2:1-12.
Opening their treasures they offered
Him gifts, gold and frankincense
and myrrh.-Matt. 2:11.
Wherefore take up the whole armor
of God, that we may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and hav-
ing done all, to stand.-Eph. 6:l3.
THE DAY THAT CANNOT BE
SKIPPED
What sort of a fellow would skip
Christmas, anyway? On the morn
ing of revealed mysteries there IS
but one starting place for a lesson,
and that is Bethlehem with its won
derful pageantry of the long ago
when the shepherds heard the song
and saw the Child and all heaven
stopped above a strawed manger.
Heaven looked and earth slept. Days
passed into months before Jerusalem
woke up at all and then there was 4
bit of bazaar talk over some children
slain by Herod and rumors of strange
visitors asking about another King;
nothing more. Earth still slept. To-
day the ground is still colored with
that old red stain on Bethlehem floors
and ears still tingle over the cry of
mothers, but there is such a call for
the King as the world never knew
before. Bethlehem is seen now as
the hope of humanity. East and
Wset alike, while not worshipping
are desiring that the star be real and
are gazing at the trail of light
it lifts across all the plains of mans
endeavor with the wondering query;
SIS this the Way?" And when Won
der comes, walk follows and worship
is the end Those old Wise Men were
trail-blazers for the civilization of
tomorrow. They saw the star Eat its
rising" and studied to find meaning
for it. Days passed and they were
piecing together the old scattered
Hebrew promises of star out of
Jacob until there came the convic-
tion that the witness of nature and
of the Book promised a new day and
they set out upon their search. Near
ly two years were gone before they
reached Jerusalem and confirmed
their conviction with more Book and
began the last stage of the journey
that brought them to the place where
the young Child was. And they wor-
shipped Him. Because they placed
Him upon the throne of their hearts
they gave gifts: gold, frankincense
and myrrh. What is gold? The
symbol. of wealth and all that goes
into its production All our manifold
relationships Of business and COM
merce and industry will own Him
Lord. What is frankincense? It
was sweet-smelling perfume used in
the temple worship. All religion with
its children: school, home and gov
eminent will bow before Him whose
right it is to reign. What is mvrrh
1t was used as medicine. All the
healing art of the world with the
science that has grown from its ira
vail shall acknowledge Him as Chief
and Master and even poison gas shall
be no longer scourge but a minis
ter Of life. Certainly these Wise
Men were the trail-blazers of to-mor-
row. Who follows in their train?
THE MAN CANNOT BE
SKIPPED
For six months the studies have
centered about the effect upon one
man OF his visit to the King the Wise
Men worshipped. All his energy, his
splendid passion, his fine mind. his
racial pride, his Roman citizenship
his crowned conscience were laid as
g1ts at the feet of his King and his
Lord. Who was he? A boy born in
the Jewish Ghetto of Tarsus and
taught in the home and synagogue
school until the great dav of his
journey to Jerusalem came with ifs
entertaining thrill that my bea COM
pared with Christ's first visit. Years
OF study there filled him with a do
votion to the race whose heart if was
That no treachery and hate could al
Ter. And for that races good bo
shared the stoning of Stephen and
tne prosecutors vote. Then came tbo
DAY IN the desert that transformed all
ms traditions into loyalty to the Re-
deemer of the Jew and Gentle alike
and ne thought his way through 70
clear convictions of the meaning Of
tne new relationship to the old teach.
ing. Saul the Jew was now PAM tbo
Christian. What did he do? He
made the adventurous test of annlv
ing the Gospel given to the lew 70 oil
men and found in that first mission
airy Journey in company with Barn
aoas that it worked complete franc
formation and created a church He