The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-05
WORLDS SUNDAY SERMON

has come, and the soul casts off lta
bonds. Gods wide firmament calls
and by the strength OF the Holy
Spirit we answer.
Beginning TO See God.
One of the splendid things our
generation has done Is to rescue the
idea OF God. Not that men have
had no conception of God---they
have--but such conception To
Abraham lie was FL Shaddai--God
Almighty. Tothe jew lie was King
dwelling in the heavens o. heavens"
And wat might be said OF the God
OF 100 years agoP lie was God
who enjoyed hugely the agonizings
OF sin conscious heart, lie pos
sessed scorching hell for the
damned, and blissful heaven for
the clcct--and no matter what the
sinner did he could not change the
DEGREES of the throne. he was pre-
destlnated." What was the nature
OF the God Jonathan Edwards held
before his hearers when he preached
that amous sermon2 Happily men
have discovered that such is not the
Christian idea Jesus revealed God
as Father. We are not hearing very
much about a God who damns men
but we are hearing of n Father who
loves His children. Hell fire has
dropped out of Christian teaching
sensible men refuse TO be fright
ened into being good. A man must
serve God from other motives than
fear. els6 his service will be neither
profitable to himself nor acceptable
unto God.
with this new idea OF God, Of
necessity has come a new concep-
ton OF humanity. The rise of the
race has been slow and painful
they have come up through serfdom,
peonagc, slavery; there have been
the aristocracy and the commons
Before Christ. equality was not only
untaught but unknown. Among the
Jews there were the Scribes and
the Pharlsees. Did they assist the
lower classes of their pcople2 Jesus
said they devoured Widows houses:
when they found a man half dead by
the wayside they passed by on the
other side: they called the multi
tude "accursed, Not knowing the
law" Men cared not for each
other. But when the idea of the
Fatherhood OF God began to get
hold of the consciousness of men
they could not long remain Ignorant
the brotherhood of the race. And
that new relationship forced other
conclusions upon them; brothers
care for their unfortunate--philan-
thropy; brothers seek 10 pass around
Il common good-worldwidc evan
gelization; brothers viii not murder
each other--the peace movements.
There is a spirit OF newness in
the air, It has the breath Of Galilee
in Il and the freshness of the
spring, II has the invigorating snap
D the salt-sea air II stirs the pulses
1t Is the new Christianity in the
heart OF society, It is no longer a
point on the circumference. II
larlfles the atmosphere about the
Christ and men are coming to see
Him as He Is.
Our Father, the journey OF hu-
manity has been long and rough.
but we thank Thee that we have as
cended the heights where we behold
Thy parental relationship-and In
sc aing Thee as Father we are able
to see men as brothers. We ask
for n clearer conception OF our task
and for faith to attempt It, know
ing that It is not so much human
| strength that accomplishes Thy
| will, as II Is our confidence In Thee
May we know that in working out
these great world-embracing pur-
| noses o Thine the soul finds life
| l.fe that is 'as full and free as the
, wide expanse of the skies. Let Thy
| Spirit dwell In us--consecrate us
| impel us--until we come into the
image of full grown man in Christ
| Jesus.