The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-11-15

... MI SualIR LOOK MS ..SuOJecI idSC
evening from the old story of Zac-
chaeus, and his text was, And Jesus
entered and passed through Jerico.n,
IT was wonderful moment in the
city OF. Jericho when. the Son of God
paid it a special visit; far more won
.lrrtul than any of the citizens ever
dreamed of. If they had only been
awake to the opportunity of the mo-
r,ent, we should have had different
reading in this nineteenth chapter of
the gospel according to st. Luke, but
Jericho was fast asleep.
If President Harding were to drop
off tomorrow morning, Union would
turn out en- masse to welcome him.
It, would not matter what you thought
f his politics, you would do him honor
as the chief executive of this great
ration, and there would be with him
members of the Associated Press who
would record all his doings in Union.
They would take down his address, if
~ made any; whom he met; where he
was entertained; and then your
friends in Frisco, and mine in Maine
would pick up their papers the fol-
lowing morning and read of what
President Harding had done and said
il your city.
But there was the Son Of God who
entered the city and passed through
tie city, and yet we don't have Il sin
gle thing recorded. All we have is,
and Jesus entered and passed
through Jericho If Jericho had been
awake. we might have had chapter
telling US that the governor of the
city, when he heard of the approach
of the Son of God, had gone down
t" the gates of the city with his suite
cIIi attendants and given Him Il royal
welcome and the freedom of the city
WI might have had a chapter telling
Us that the BUSINESS mems association
of the city of Jericho. when they
+ heard that Jesus was approaching.
sent q courier to meet Linn and TO
invite Him to be their guest while
He was in the ely. They might haze
arranged banquet in His honor. Civ
ing Him the chief seat at the table,
and then asked Him about business
conditions in the cities through which
he was travelling. Then again we
insight have had chapter telling us
that the local historical society had
also invited Him to be their guest,
and they could have made it very in.
teresting for Him. They had some
'"onderful things to show Him in and
around the city. They could have
taken Him outside the city walls and
shown Him the heap of rock, and then
tod Him that these were the remains
of the old famous walls CT that city
around which their forefathers march
ed once each day for six days, and
then on the seventh day seven times,
and on the seventh time, with the
fan fare of the ,trumpets and the
| rsaudts of the multitude the walls
| fell. They might have taken Him
over to little spot marked by a
monument and said to Him, "This
monument marks the place where Ha-
nab, the harlot's house stood. You
iemember, Jesus, how she lowered the
two spites out of her window with a
silken cord. Away back in the city
we have what is reported to be the
very silken cord" But we do not
have Il single instance of anything
that Jesus did in the city. Why? Be-
cause Jericho was asleep. She was
asleep to her opportunities; to the
stupendous possibilities of such a
wonderful moment in her city's his
tory.
And this moment is just as stupcn-
dous and just as full of possibilities
as that moment was in Jericho, for
the Son of God visits cities today.
just as He did two thousand years
ago. He has not thrown humanity
out in the wilderness to dia and be-
cause He cares we are here And
some Of these men in your city who
started this movement, with myself
believe. that we have very little to do
with the arrangement of these meet
ings, that because God cares we are
here. He loved US; He means our
encblement; He wants to save us from
the things that mar and spoil us; and
He has willed that you should hear
this message from my lips; and if you
cannot see God in this movement, il is
because the god Of this world has
blinded your eyes. If you had vision
you would see Him, for he is far
closer than the one who sits b. your
side, far nearer than the handker.
chief with which you wiped away that
teai just now, far nearer than the
hymn book from which you sang a
moment ago, and your own cry of
mercy would open up the eyes Of your
soul and you would see your Master
and Saviour waiting to save you.
Why, If you had vision. you could
not take up grain of dust and hold
it in the light of the sun but what
| l. Il