Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1923-01-27

I
trust L may be permitted 20 share
with you the joy OF endeavoring with
might and main TO crown Him Lord
In our hearts and lives.
l am to unfold TO you tho topic
Tor this Sabbath. the beginning OF
Christian Endeavor Week" A good
friend of mine reminds me that
Delaware has a unique slogan, Did
Juweek." II looks like-well !
am not going 10 be insidlous in my
maiden effort in THE First City OF
the First State" II simply means
DID You Week" But even this Is
Nolapuk. II really asks whether
you when we meet. gave a birth
day Gift Of fifty cents for State work.
Did your
Then again. the topic Is perfectly
germane TO Christion Endeavor
Week, the searching question,
What Are the Rightful Claims Of
Our Church Upon Us?" The church,
my church, has. indeed, a claim on
me. This claim needs to be ac-
centuated in a time when there is
prevailing disregard Of the church.
even among Endeavorers, and when
II must be noted that the church
Is Christ's functory OF saving grace
and disciplinary training for serv-
Ice.
II is interesting 10 discern what
the writer TO the Hebrews says in
our lesson about the Church." Il
Is the holy place" the house OF
Cod" These phrases are significant.
We protestants need to recover the
proper conception OF the Church Of
Jesus Christ. Before determining
what claim the church has on me.
1 must be quite certain what au-
thority my church may right
fully exercise over me. This
is vital TO professionalism in recover
ing q am using the word adviesbly)
an appealing moral influence on its
membership.
This character Of the Church" Is
suggestively indicated in the lesson.
Tile blood OF Jesus" dedicated
for US through His flesh" "A great
priest over the house of God" are
terms conveying interpretive. and
illuminative, Implications. They i'm
ply a very sacred character, not
man-made, but a divine institution.
Not until Endeavorers. as others,
sense this sacred nature OF the
church. will they yield that love
and fidelity so imperatively needed
today. In my estimation, fellow
Endeavorers. the church OF Jesus
Christ is par excellence among So
cial institutions and therefore her
voice should be heard and needed
by the youth OF the city and land.
When once we have sensed this
peculiar character of the church, our
personal attitude, for the problem
is one OF attitude rather than
treatment, spiritual rather than
pragmatic. will be consonant. Let
US draw near with a true heart in
fulness Of faith. having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience. I
and having our body washed with
pure water" are words suggestive
OF spiritual propriety, not ecclesias- !
teal discipline or social etiquette. /
The heart OF man must be right !
before his treatment OF the church |
Is proper. There must be a regen-
erative process in US in order 70
hold fast" the faith OF our fathers
In the church of Christ. There Is
great hope" for US as young peo-
pie and for our generation, that 1T
waver not" that constancy shall
characterize our Christian life and
service, II we practice this prin-
,iple.
We are next reminded that such
an attitude towards the church has
Improbable value. Il is not alto
sether ceremonial. It contains an
sthical element. In the church we
nay provoke" one another; not.
indeed. an excitement Of temper, as
sometime II happens in the church,
Dut a provocation unto love and
rood works" o, my dear Endeavor-
RS, the untold possibility OF such
The early Christians did
hat very thing, so much so that
he Pagans were compelled to ex-
,laim, See how these Christians
owe one another" an unheard of
Ind an unexpected trait in human
nature. Then. the mutual incite-
nent to aspiration and endeavor,
'exhorting one another" to growth
n faith and development in char
.cter; all this IS possible in the
church"
Finally. note will you? the chas- /
ened warning, the sympathetic (
colding Of the writer, mot forsak-
ng our own assembling together.
IS the custom of some IS" There
re Endeavorers who are habituai
.bsentees from the church services.
their pledged troth to the I
hurch. All this is a gross breach
4 Christian improperly. and should ]
e corrected. May I. then, most ]
sdmonish you to
owe the church. to attend It's SER
Ices. and TO serve God within His I
ourts.
lily Christian Endeavor Notes
The City Union Executive Com
1ittee held its regular monthly
leeting at the Y. NJ. c. A. build J
ne last Monday night, and the fol-
owing report was submitted by the
hartman Of the Citizenship Com
littee:
"Our City and State has lost a I
aluable Christian worker thru the
cath OF Mordecai S. Plummer, and
e recommend that the following :