Evening star., 1923-04-28
Announcements of Church News Activities Services

not now crave spiritually so that we
can get money, or give money SO that
seek to capitalize power or buy the
souls of men.
Need of Spirituality.
but these two supreme adventures
must he spiritualized according to
cannot use them fully when they are
accomplished. We must find the soul
of unification. And we must find the
soul of giving or fail in the deep
purpose of giving. We need in both
churches a better spiritual and In
tellectual life not chiefly that we may
get together or that we may raise our
money. but because we are going to
get together and going to raiSeFOu
money. The mind that was In Him
must more than ever be in us be-
cause we are going to have more
money and larger numbers. The end
of unification is the spiritual enter
prise OF redeeming America and the
world. We are not getting together
to save money here and there or re-
duce waste at certain places. but to
serve and save the present age and
put into Christs hands a church with
powersand without friction. :.
We must so make our united
have vastly more spiritual power
, than simply the sum of the power
now in the two churches added to-
eether. And we must get our bigger,
steadier treasury in such fashion that
the church that fills il and the men
and women who administer it. will
see the heavens open and the cloven
tongues again as even the best among
us have never done before. What
! can He do with US; even if we are
united and financially prosperous, if
we have one withered hand?
Asks for What Purpose.
How can we help Him lift the world
to redemption if we bring to the task
a barren, reactionary intellectual life,
Il complacent denominational aSsur-
ance, or shallow and superficial
spiritual life? The very life of
christs spiritual kingdom in the
world is. for our church at least, in
Nolved in our response to Him as we
I come into these two large adven-
lures. 1t is. therefore. the day for
what one has called great religion:
the great religion that breaks through
time, that binds God and man in one
communion. that sets the human soul
in universal relations. fills these re
| lations with high moment. burdens
them with solemn accountability
i brings to them the increasing sense
of Worth.
We are not destitute of spirituality.
There is a lot of it in the church. deep
and eager, strong and devoted. Total
ly, unspiritual churches. churches
without the sense of God in them
would not even be planning unifica-
tion and the holy service of the pres
ent age. But if these two endeavors
are to mean for the world what Christ
desires. the soul of the churches must
! he more really and deeply involved.
There must be a new and broader con i
! tact with the mind of Christ that Hi j
! thought of the world shall be clearl
| our thought: a new and living contracs
with the spirit of Christ, that the
+, church and every member in it shall
stand with Him as in the Nazareth
! synagogue and say with Him the
! spirit of the Lord is upon me, beca use
He hath anointed me- to serve Che
present age: new contact. personal
and vital. with the living Christ Him
self and His present passion for Sthe
world. that we may live with HFn a
F., in the world.
| Propulsion of Christ.
| "A spiritual church is not maae by
| the self-stirring of its emotions from
within. Spiritual life, power. and ex-
| perienCe, are begotten by theS splrit
! through an ever fresh relation with
! the ever living, ever working: CHRIST.
j We labor to unite the separated Church =
50. We labor to fill our Lords ereasury.
! The larger our church. the risher our
! treasury. the more is the neea for. the
mind and spirit of Christ. :We Snay
| break in the raising. or bresk in: the
! spending of our money. Ors we may
i break by our very weight os numbers
! and size. Or we may be :strorEg in
! Him, strong for Him. strong witft Him
! to bring peace and redemption ts this
broken world. Maybe, mas'be. as We
go into these two high adventures. the
prophecy of Joel will be fulfilled again.
Maybe our sons and dalghteIs will
speak to this bewldereG worsd like
prophets. Maybe our young men shall
have their eyes opened u:itl they shall
| see clearly the vision of she world that
! is to be. and see the stra5ght way To it.
| Maybe those of us whose hair lis white
and whose years are many. whose days
are few, will be cured of5the casItion, the
! timidity. the conservatism of sage, and
! dream such dreams that we shall leap
| forward over new paths witli the for
ward going God. Maybe we: shall see
! marvels and wonders and ting dawn of
| the day of the Lord. the greas and illus
trious day of salvation in His perfect
name.