Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-23

| TT is by no means certain that December
| Goth is the correct date of the birth of
- Jesus in Bethlehem. Quite probably it
is incorrect.
But the date is far less important than the
TACT which is celebrated upon it. Perhaps it
is better that there is uncertainty about the
date lest some form of superstitution gather
! about it.
But we might we'll celebrate on every day
| in the year the great fact of the incarnation
of the Son of God. Whatever may have
been the date of His birth, it remains true
| that "the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us Cand we beheld His glory, the glory
| OF the only begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth" (John 1:14)
Jesus is the only one of the human race who
! ever chose to be born into the world. He
| came to men that men might come to God
He showed forth the human life of God He
showed forth the human life of God that hui
man nature might be enabled to partake of
! the divine nature. Il Peter 1:4). Hereby
| he manifested the loftiest sacrificial love- and
| in his self-sacrifice rose in his perfected hu-
mainly to the highest level of divine glory
! Being in the form of God he grasped not at
equality with God as for a prize: but made
Himself of no reputatioM> and took upon Him
| the form of a servant, and was made in the
i likeness Of men: and being found in fashion
as man, he humbed Himself and became
obedlent unto death, even the death of the
| cross. Wherefore God also hath highly ex-
allied Him, and given Him a name which is
| above every name: that at the name of
/ Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven and things in earth and things un-
der the earth; and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father philippians II g.
| III.
| The first Adam grasped selfishIy for equal
! 1ty with God, and in so doing fell below the
level Of what human nature was designed
| to be- Genesis uI:5). But the Second Adam
dared to descend to the lowest depths of
earthly humiliation and death that he might
raise human nature to the highest heights Of
| heavenly glory and life. By the way of self
assertion the former brought sin and death
into the world; but by the path of self-sacri-
| flee the latter brought life and immortality
| to light.
| Such being the case the Incarnation is
| the most amazing fact in the history of the
| universe. Rightly understood it is the
| key which opens the whole meaning of
creation and redemption. The cradle of
| Bethlehem looks to the cross of Calvary,
and the cross of Calvary to the resurrection
| from the grave in the garden of Joseph of
Arimathea, and the resurrection to the
| ascension and the ascension to the cOnsum-
nation of all things when HE shall have
| delivered up the kingdom to God, even the
| Father, when He shall have put down all
rule and authority and power"-Q Corin-
/ thians Xv:24.)
1t is not strange, therefore, that Christen-
| Until the reign Of the Emperor Justinian
| Christians had reckoned time from the
| death of Lord, while the people OF TIE
| Roman Empire reckoned from the founding
| of the Imperial city. But the learned and
| devout DionysMs in the days of Justinian,
| with a true instinct, began to count days
and years from the birth of Jesus His
example was followed by many other sanity
| souls until at length in the sixth century
all Christians set the starting point of mod
! ern history at the birth, not at the death,
| of Christ And they celebrated the stupen-
| dous event with holy joy in keeping with
| it's sacred significance. Thus began the
| celebrations which finally brought forth
| Christmas.
The singing of Christmas Carols and
| other sacred music in celebration Of the
| nativity of Christ can be traced as far
| back the second century, large saT~
| cophagus belonging to that period having
| been discovered on which was sculptured
! the representatio of a Christian family
! joining in such choral praise to the Babe
! of Bethlehem. Butt that which began in
| pious devotion soon degenerated into some
| thing worse than selfish scenes The holy
| celebration was turned into veritable
/ saturnala in which the Blessed Child was
| forgotten, and vice employed the occasion
to disport itself in wanton self-indulgence.
Such excuses were INDUCED that the clergy
found it necessary to forbid the Christ
mas Carols and discourage the celebration.
What an exhibition of depravity was there
when the celebration of the most wonderful
exhibition of divine love was turned into