Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-23
Celebration of History's Greatest Event
BY BISHOP WARREN A GAMBLER

the indulgence of the coarsest forms of
selfishness!
But we snail do we'll to remember that our
generation also has thus perverted Christmas.
Among multitudes it has become utterly
Christless 1t is spent in unrestrained indul-
gence in gluttony, in riOti1g and even in
drunkenness. How could the worst and most
benighted have ever completely missed its
meaning and misused its purpose?
In the two accounts of the nativity record
ed in the Gospels we see with what holy and
rapturous joy the birth of Jesus was celebFat-
ed by those to whom the fact was first made
known.
In the Gospel according to st. Matthew we
read of the wise men who came from afar to
find Him. when they the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when
they were come into the house. they saw the
young child with Mary his mother and fell
down and worshipped him: and when they
had opened their treasures, they presented
unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense and
myrrh' (Matthew 11:10-11.) What royal
gifts were these to the King! What adoring
love was there! What utter absence of self
ishness and sinful merriment!
In the Gospel according to st. Luke we
note similar devotion on the part of the shep-
herds to whom singing angels came saying
GLORY to God i'll the highest and on earth,
peace, good will toward men," After going
to Bethlehem, whittier the angels had direct
ed them, and seeing the babe in the manger
the shepherds returned, clarifying and
praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen as it was told unto them. ="
duke 11:20.) What a contrast does their
rapt gladness show in comparison with the
Bachanalian paganism of many nowadays
who profess and call themselves Christians!
The men of the ancient world seem to
have been more serious than our moderns ap-
pear The great issues of life with them
were not in things material, but in things
spiritual. They struggled with the problems
of sin and suffering, and when one appeared
who offered redemption for their souls, they
sought Him with the greatest earnestness,
and finding Him rejoiced with exceeding joy.
They were far, too thoughtful and worship
full to celebrate the birth of Jesus with vain
frivolities and profane merriment.
The real Christian Joy at Christmas is
religious joy 1t is the jubilation of the
soul that a Savior from sin and death has
come. The very atmosphere of the day
palpitates with the sense of Gods redeem
ing love. Above pious heads on His natal
day the sky seems to bend low, and angelic
music falls upon their ears as if the heav
emily home and the Fathers house were in
hearing distance, and scarcely out Of sight
Selfishness flees their hearts while their
souls are filled with tender love to little
children and gentle ministries to the poor
who find no room in the inns and palaces
of earth.
Above all others, Christmas is the feast
of the children. He who rested his first
night on earth in a manger for cradle has
forever sanctified childhood and poverty
Since He came the world can never look
upon them again it did before. He has
| breathed them the fragrance of the
heavenly world
Concerning One, whose birth has so
changed all things here below, rationalism
may not without presumption speak it's
poor words of speculation and doubt 1t
is more out of place at Christmas and
Easter than on any other days in the year
Let these sorry skeptics explain to us how
these sacred seasons ever came to be OBJ
served How is it that Jesus has made a new
date line for all mankind? Stars and sea-
sons combine to do Him homage whose
infant head once rested on the straw of the
manager of Bethlehem Herein is a miracle
more astounding than the star which led
the Magi to where He lay and more won
derful than the song which the angels sang
to the Shepherds
In the presence of all the facts about
us, to say nothing of the marvellous Chris
tan history which has gone before us, how
can decent man indulge the vulgar nom
sense of talking about the biological impos-
sibility of the virgin birth of our Lord?
Is it reasonable to believe that all Christian
history has sprung from the life of a bas-
tard and the falsehood of an imposter?
Has the highest type of life sprung from
source so base? Has Christian civiliza-
ton risen from corruption SO deep? BAH
Let Christmas carols cast out all vile
doubts as we'll as sordid selfshness, while
with the little children, in loving trustful-
ness, we worship at His feet