Norwich bulletin., 1922-01-13
MODERN CHURCH HAS THREE GREAT NEEDS

, understand what this costs The min ister's associations are quite largely among the folks who are quite well cir cumstanced If he follows in the foor- steps of those who have come and gone before him he will find himself co,npro- missing to the whirns of one class and losing a sympathetic contact with oth- CTS He must have an absolutely deaf | ear to the calls of natural personal | l taste In associations and to personal comfort He must ever be more aggres- | 1 sive in spiritual matters than any mem l ber. ot his church. He must be willing l l to fay sin and crookedness no matter
 where he finds k. IT. A Loyal Laity. You have been | enjoying yourselves as I have dealt with 1 the ministry, now comes your turn. You l are quite largely responsible for the kind ] of ministry you have. It can surely be I said very truthfully that the east with ! which you allow. a minister of God 10 l work out his ideals determines how nu
 merous will be the ministers who preach ! ideals when they become middle aged. 1 One of the most pathetic things about the 1 ministry today is the fact that so many l preachers have a voca bulary which has 1 been forged in the simmering' flames of
 the smothered heart passions of the lahy. l They speak without sureness. Their l notifications are more apparent than | their declarations of truth. God forgive you if you are smotherng those passions which glowed 30 necessarily when you ! first kneh here 0he altar).
 You quite largely determine the kind of | sermons you receive-both in the zeal | with which they are delivered and the l substance of the sermon. If you live in
 such close communion with your God that you think in terms of His power you will
 come to these services with nticfpations | commensurate with the richness of | heaven, If the church membership comes,
 in such an attitude of mind and spirit l calous. indeed, would be the man who
 could resist the puff. He would have to have a heart of stone to keep his spirit
 from catching on fire You would soon | see the glow of that fire in his eye. you
 would feel the warmth of it in his hand | shake and eternity would measure the
 effects of its power.
 The laity must think in terms of hu-
 manity and serve in terms of God There
 will never be a loyal laity'' until the church membership shall stop forever the
 pagan habit of defining their relationshfp to the community in terms of their own | individual enterprise The best place on
 earth for true socialism is in spiritual
 practice. It is very encouraging to note a vice-like grip which true socialism is
 taking in the Christian church Man
 must throw himself away for Christ and , Christ's church and then nations will be
 born in day" We are simply stewards of what we have. If we will define our interest as humanity and serve in the , awful and beautiful way in which God did through Christ then we will have a loyal laMy" We will also have an ef- : fective church.
 III A Real Christ. consecrated . mir 1iptY-y nd Ls1Iya hi . derful demonstration of power before the z 1 world. They combine two wonderful
 clements for service. But the dynamic iS
 | yet to be supplied. The preacher and
 people wi hout a heavenly dynamic car = never have heavenly power. 1t Is yer! . comfortable to have unity betweer l preacher and people but If that unit! t does not throb with 3 power that can ex 'i press God on earth our continuation vii !, soon fall apar.
 . This combination has appropriated .e historic Christ over and over again Peo n pie have spoken of the Christ of Galile lo with bated breath; they have watche, l him hanging upon the cross and hay y admired his devotion to conviction the, h have fondled the cruciix and have piteG
 But, friends, there is an ascension there is a coming again. and best of al ,h there is a Christ that walks in Connecti 1s cut This is the real Christ" It is tn
 Christ that dictates our motives and pun s poses of everyday life that we need w ,, do not need the Christ that looks sanctt III monious on Sunday, whom we lay on th D. center table in the parlor, who think 7d merely to keep himself spotless W s' want Christ who makes us do what W C. do not naturally wish to do who send T. us among uncongenial people who make 1- us give the other man fair weight wh m makes ktnuG Of iDd11St trtv al ba g. of their employees more than they do tn eo products of the industry, who throws u en against almost insuperable problem IT. who almost makes our souls snap unde iu the strain of great purposes for our fe TT lows, who walks through our lives an "a leaves the print of his feet upon our ter er der hearts. It is not "a great calm" ths lg we want but service with Jesus. It is nt a. ecstatic contemplation but service bougf IT, by the precipitation of our souls that W he crave These are the impulses of I'll lis Real Christ"
 ms Now we have the complete euuipmel te of a modern ohurch-a consecrated mil he istry, a loyal laity. and a real Chris to Before this trio of heavenly clements II
 obstacles of the world are helpless. Whe IFS the minister and people are soldiers ( O. service" and Jesus Is again walking vii er His disciples the glorious modern churc Dii SIdHuS IOTtn WlJn mulElCuQeS lmplOT11 rs her to partake of her salvation. Ha1 'o you noticed the Indispensable part th st humanity plays in this arrangement is When the real Christ is permitted to pla 10 upon the personalities of men a beautif
 harmony bursts forth that cnarms Il
 world.
 Subjects for Other Meetings. Chaplain Kernahan announced h
 subjects for the remaining meetings
 this series. Friday evening he will prea'
 upon The Christ of the Ages. Sunday | o'clock in the afternoon he will prea, to fathers and sons and mothers al daughters on The Superb Preacher. At o'clock at the r. NJ. c. A. he will 8 dress the men and boys upon r Brotherhood of Jesus in the Affairs 1 Today. At the s.3o meeting at the ral | for the young people of the city he " l use as his subject The Idealism of Jest 1 At 7.So Sunday evening he will spei ! upon When Mans Man.