Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-16
SERVANT IN HOUSE.
DR.. MACLACHLAN'S
THEME FOR SERMON
Personality of Christ In.
trigues Imagination,
Declares Pastor.
OFFERS INEXHAUSTIBLE
INSPIRATION FOR ARTS
Imaginative Genius of World
Has Ever Been His Best
Interpreter.

p'Stor, Rev. III. u. G. Maclachlan n
~ had as his subject The Scryont
:" '"c rouse. He said in part:
ouite apart from any Theological,
p,,.posSessions, there is no person.
~ 'hat mas intrigued the inaCinn-
non OF the world like that of Icsm.
uniting. poetry. music philosonby
general literature have found in M,
an inexhaustible Inspiration rha
mere historian. perhaps, has f,raI
least we'll in his interpretatior Co.
ne subject is one that belongs mora
10 me realm of art. E.. of wonder
worship and love-than to that NJ
record making. %
me earliest memoirs OF Jesu,
"n'eh we nave In the four gospcls
are poems rather than sober histo-ir,
reactions Of sympathy ana Iovo 80
an Infinitely strong. beautiful ana
loVabIe thing. The evangelists warc
"ftis'SN rather than recorders
hchcc. while the so-called "Iivns
~, Jesus are not without their value.
.he I'm" ginativc genius Of the world
mas All along been His best inter-
prefer ana IL is for this reason that
| am renturing to ask you to study
along With me certain picturo.< nt
him taken from our own modern IT.,
eratutc, which we may hope shall ada
| new iaster to the halo round tho
divine face. '"'
| Revealed ms Bishop.
neEin with n play which attracted
good deal OF attention when nrst
produced. and which still ranks as
| one OF the very best of its kind
mares hann kennedy's The Ser
want In the House" g
Into tho story OF the nl,y 7 sh,,,
not nave time to enter in detail save
10 say that the Servant" is Afanson
'he new butler In the house" or a
| clergyman. William Smythe. who
after he has worked all sorts OF
| mora miracles with the inmates of
| ,ne mouse. reveals himself as tho
| hishop Of Renares. who Is also tho
long-iost brothSr OF tho clergyman.
mere Is another brother whose
daughter. Mary. the clergyman and
| ms wife-the "Auntie" OF the play-
| ADOPTED years ago. on condition sho
should never know anything about
her rather, Il common workincmsn.
through The quiet. convincing elo-
1uence OF the servant-an eloouence
| OF deed rather than word-father and
| chiiu are brought together, and the
| former from being drunken and nro-
| tane ne'er-do lowell is changed into a
| Dcautitul sacrificing spirit. There ia
also an odor-very unpleasant-in,the
| church, which keeps people from ar
| tending the services. and which IL
| hnaily discovered hy the reconstruct
| ed prothcr, who Is 4 drain man." to
come from an ancient charnel house
| hidden beneath the nave. Let ua
Keep that odor in mind; It ts under
| many churches,
| inc play is, OF course synbolfo
| IN Manson, the butler, we have Ken
nedy's picture OF Jesus, and in his
| redcmptive and purifying influence
on the household OF his brother we
see the authors conception of how
| the Spirit OF Jesus should move upon
me church OF today TO reform and
| purify it,
IL U.s. indeed. bold stroke to rem
resent Jesus as a butler. yet there ia
genius in it-for Jesus Himself went
even beyond this when He tied an
anron around His waist and washed
MS friends fect-thc office NOT only
"i servant, but OF a slave. More
over the facts are so.
Jesus is as real a servant os M,,
son is IN the play. The most mental
tasks are His. There is no pretence
ABOUT 1t. no condesccnsion We sneak
"t what we call the Incarnation
sometimes as though II were "A piece
81 play-acting on the part OF God.
u was nothing of the kind
Jesus was not playing az Being
1900 "'''' ''e as porn IN Bethlehem
lie was man. all man. perfect, uniyer-
sal man! His divinity was His hu-
mainly. His humanity was His di
Vihiiy. When He donned the buffers
apron He was not acting a part. He
was defining a life--liis own life OF
service, and by implication the lifo
or all those who should take their
Inspiration from Him.
was nnd IL tho Servant.
He was and Is the Servant. Tho
glory that He had with the Father
before the worlds were. was not =
thing separate and apart from tho
glory that shines about Him as lie
tolls in the carpenters shop or moves
weary and footsore along tho dusty
highways of Palestine, 1t is one and
the same glory. The halo OF the Ser
want is the nimbus OF the God. He Is
Master because He is Slave TIA
patched coat. the horny hands. the
weather beaten face, the Galiiean
speech. the comradeship OF poverty.
were the very siSn-manual OF His
divinity and upon them. and upon
no h'str!onic make-bclieve from tho
realm OF glory. did the heavens open
and the voice proclaim: This is
my beloved Son. in whom am we'll
pleased"
The church Is honey-combed with
lines. We have our fashionable and
our working class congregations.
The fashionable Methodist. or for that
matter. baptist or Disciples. goes
where his own determination are So
c'al!y declassc. and promptly Joins tho
PRESBYTERIAN. or the Episcopalians, or
the Congregationaiists. The as plrant 4
20 social position leaves tho church OF
MS fathers and Joins the church
where the society set" are. And
within each congregation Tom thinks
himself better than Dick, and Dick
than Harry because he wears nnsr
clothes. has n bigger bank account !,
or lives IN larger house.
And al under cover OF tho religion <
OF Carpenter. Get that. please A
carpenter! lie worked with II!n
hands. his face was grfmy with hon
est toll: yet 1900 years after, wa who u,
profess to be- His followers look down
upon the class from which, He sprs,