The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-13
International
SundaySchoolLesson
By WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

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For october Is is 1.-The Ministry of
John the Baptist."-Luke g.
A Preacher Who Lost His Head.
once there was preacher who had
his head cut off: today there are some
preachers who have had their message
killed. Which is worse? Would you
rather lose your head, or your mes
sage?
That question is answered in the
asking. The decapitated prophet is
still speaking to the ages-today the
Sunday school millions of the world
sit at his feet-but the teachers who
have no clear word of truth and au-
thority are without followers even in
their own time.
There may be more tragic spectacles
than that of the man called to preach
who has nothing to say to his own
times, but cannot think of any at the
moment. To occupy the office OF
shepherd of souls and to be unable to
function therein is worse than the fate
of the starving Russian or the de-
ported Christian in Asia. Minor. Most
of us are familiar with instances of
men who, from lack of courage or
lack of devotion or lack of obedience
or lack of sensitiveness to truth and to
their times, completely fail to function
as prophets of the Most High. They
strive earnestly for the arts of men
pleasing: but nobody ever wins or
holds the favor of man who has not
been loyal to God and his own soul
First of all to men and women who
should be leaders and interpreters of
their generation, representatives of the
mind of the Most High, comes this
ever-stirring story of John the Her
aid, who died for. being true, and Still
lives wherever men honor manhood
and loyalty and freedom and spiritual
power.
Critics and Creators.
Persons who watch literary tenden-
cies are pointing out that this is the
day of the critic and not of the Gre
ator. A large proportion of the books
that pour from the presses of our time
are criticisms of creative work; and
even criticisms of criticisms. Writers
are turning their talents to analysis
and comment upon the great works,
old and new, rather than to delivering
an original message. In word, there
are more echoes than voices. On
editorial pages of newspapers, IN
| magazines, in books, on the lecture
platform and in the pulpit, we are
having little except echoes of echoes.
What magazine has published really
great and original article within the
past year? Who has heard a clear,
strong, original sermon?
This John the Baptist was a voice.
He spoke the real, the new and the
true. In the desert alone with God
and the desert is as essential part
of prophets equipment as a library
or a VocabulAry-this son of promise
lived open-sou1ed to the great truths.
In solitude he acquired that which
made him fit to speak to the multi
tude.
All of us. whether we have an
avowedly public mission or not, need
to get away from crowds, to get away
from people, and dwell apart in SOUL
silence, to learn what God has to say
unto US. The oriental mystic who shuts
himself up for a life of silent media
, ton may not have grasped the whole
truth, but he has hold of one end of it.
John the Baptist, trained in the desert,
| is an admonition to parents and teach-
ers. Few of US spend enough time
apart from people. The modern idea
| of a good time is associated with
company and crowds and light and
noise and chatter. How can we ever
| learn to think for ourselves. until we
| first learn to dwell alone, where our
soul may be still? THE world is too
much with u.s.
Lonely folks become peculiar" we
say, peculiar" being our synonym
for individuality. Most of us moderns
would rather be sinful than singular.
| We eat standardized foods from pack
ages and tins; we wear standardized,
machine-made clothes, so that a con-
tinent dresses alike; we read the same
| popular magazines and books; we
| follow slavishly the prevailing fash
ions; until all the SAVIOR and tang of
personality is gone from our minds
and from our outward appearance.
Our music and thinking is set to the
STRAINS of ''Everybody's doing it,!
Nowadays such an individualist as
John the baptist would not get a
chance to speak in even the least dis
eliminating of our churches; he would
| Iea Ixr 70
ventional, but he would be voted
downright queer" and radical"
Sticks and Fingerboards.
Not every stick is a fingerboard-
| but it may be. Christians who are be-
moaning that they are not talented"
need only recall that any stick, so
long as it is straight, may point And
the chief mission of the Christian, as
of John the Baptist, is to point to
! the lamb of God that taketh away
| the sin of hesrworld."
This sensational prophet from the
| desert did not set himself up to be
any great preacher. OF course, he
had crowds, as has every fresh, zeal
Gus voice; but his crowds did not fill
him with pride of self-exaltation. He
knew that, he was only a herald, a
forerunner, an advance agent. His
sole business was to cry Behold" If
| he merely set people to talking about
his own greatness he would know
himself a failure His congregation
did not go away crying What a
wonderful preacher!" but What a
wonderful message!'
| This was the greatest greatness of
John; he kept himself steadily to the
work of proclaiming a Greater! He
was big enough to belittle himself.
He was a first-class man, who proudly
accepted a second place. So clear was
Johns perception of the ail-impor-
lance of Christ that he cried, in sea-
son and out, He must increase; I
must decrease" His success Law not
in exalting himself, but in holding
very high and steady the name and
| character of the Coming One. He
knew that while he had no philosophy
equal to the needs of his day, he pro-
| claimed q Person who WAS enffrel1,