The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1926-03-31
AN EASTER AWAKENING

49, HAT was no bromide ques-
ton of sl's-"What is
the use Of eternal life to a man
(By Bishop Charles Wesley Burns)
who cannot use one-half hour of this
life well?"
America has many moods, but no
mood today so well becomes this land
of opulence as the mood of mod
est reverence, breastsmiting hum
ility. At the close of another
Lenten season we shall not be lur-
ed to pyrotechnic display of
services" or spreadeagle blatancy of
'denials'' or flash-in- the-pan piety.
1t i'll becomes US to move through
Lenten days with such ''boasting as
the Gentiles use" Frantic boast
and foolish word" shame US in con-
vocation or in heart devotion.
Our world prominence involves re-
sponsibility. We need to interpret to
ourselves the lofty and challenging
tasks awaiting in the making of a
new world. The grave and delicate
task of these cataclysmic days is
that which no age has yet accom-
plished-to coordinate grace and
goods; to balance temporal glory with
spiritual security and progress.
Else we have buttons in our heads
instead of eyes," We shall see God
in the charade of the burned, blight
ed, and blistered fields of the world
tortured in the throes of economic and
financial collapse. We may not re
main Christian America and "let
Europe stew in its own juice" We
shall hear Gods voice in the cry OF
Armenia and the struggling, starving
European and Asiatic states. With
the remembrance of the crosses, row
on row, in Flanders fields, the mir
acle Of redemption still awaits Amer
lea as world-saviour.
fTT
~ ASTER is good time to
r awake from religious, moral
and financial dea,h, from me-
chanistic conceptions of civilization
and deadening dogmatisms. May the
day be marked by passionate CLEAN.
of immortal hope in the heart, win
some mysticism, and the wonder o.
God; by renewed conservation to th'
Lord of life; by yielding heart ant
life to His claims; by seeking to know
His will and to do it: by outpouret
gifts to the risen King in the inter
ests Of His Kingdom; by flame Of
sacrifice burning clear and true; b!
seeking a clearer conception of tn
wider horizons of the Kingdom in {
new philosophy Of Christian mission:
finding new missionary motives il
new civilizations; by warmer sens'
of the homes in the open skies.
We do well to turn aside and fol
low two men into the temple to watch
them at prayer. The one is Phar
isee, the orthodox, religious leader O.
the day; one Of the upper party o
the Jews, both in religion and poll
tics. The Pharisee had lost his prim
tive holiness with waxing influence
and wealth. He maintained his out
ward righteousness, but was spiritu
ally dead. He was an externalist, :
SIOSS ubdICIldAlSts " I'LL i1uhitC A0A
he observed the punctilios of outwar'
conduct, but neglected the mightie
matter of life consecrated to God
There was no glow of thankful love
no fervor of devotion, none but /;
patronizing recognition of God and &
self-satisfied Qualification of his owl
righteousness. "He prayed thus will
himself" Perhaps no one ever put I
prayer like this in plain. words. But
it was what the Pharisee said to him
self. 1t was what the Pharise'
thought. Jesus translated into word.
the spirit of the man who posed il
his prayer before God and congratu
lated himself not upon Gods holiness
but his own.
tt i
~ HAT was wrong in the prayer
of this Pharisee? 1t was il
= the spirit of the man. His
prayer was glorification, not graft.
tide. Is that spirit present in mod
ern worship? Do we glory in