Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1928-12-20

Jesus, lOE lie Sildll save Ills pcOplc
from their sins. Matt. 1:21.
When we comprehend the back
hem, we do not wonder that all that
is grand crowds around the cradle
manger. 1t is worthy of all. Let
the Star shine. Let the Magi give
gifts. Let the Shepherds worship.
Let the angel-faces flash out from
the great dome overhead. Let the
church bells chime. Let the sacred
harps and organs respond to the
master hand that sweeps their
strings and flies over their keys, and
let them turn the common air into
praise. Let Christian carols roll
over this wide earth, and echo among
the stars. Let the great universe
of God jubilate. Let everything in
heaven and earth shout, "Hosanna to
the Son of David; blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord {:
Hosanna in the highest! Gods
Christmas Gift" "Thou shalt call
him Jesus, for he shall save his peo-
pie from their sins"
Once again a tired world turns to
behold the Christ Child. Thou shalt
call His name Jesus.
Ordinarily we speak only in sup
pressed hopefulness of what we dare
look forward to in naming newborn
babes. We hope they will be good.
We pray they may be so. We make
no forward announcements. We
dare not challenge the future with a
name. Names await their interpe-
tation from the recipient. John
Smith was about as common and
meaningless a name as a babe could
receive, but today it carries a mean
ing beyond all the commonness of it
to real place in the worlds roster.
Abraham Lincoln was handed to as
obscure a babe as was ever slipped
into an unknown cradle in this
strange world OF ours. But that
humble, poor, ignorant boy in the
backwoods loneness has come out
to pack that name so full of meaning
that it cannot be left off the most
exacting list of all time greatness in
the human history. The way of hu-
man names is to build meaning into
them. Only God can dare name in
exacting prophecy His own Son.
Jesus was named presumptively. He
was named in divinely bold conf
dence toward the hardest task a
world could know. He was COM
missioned to the accomplishment of
that task, or to the wearing of a
great mockery in His Name. There
was no uncertainty about it. 1t
shrank in no fear. 1t asked no COM
promise. 1t shouted challenge. 1t
announced a committed outcome,
"You shall call his name Jesus, for
he shall save his people from their
sins"
A Kings Levee in a Barn
Humble little Babe this. Babe in a
manger. Babe with humble parents
beside Him. Babe from a despised
town.. Never mind all that; you are
talking in ordinary talk of ordinary
people But God has somewhat to
say here. Lift that Babe from that
manger and make the bold announce
ment. Don't be afraid. This is
Gods business. Send the wise men
around this humbling way. They are
lost. They went man-wise. They
took the road to Jerusalem. They
look for cradles of kings. Tell them
not to look in palaces, but in a
stable. Not in Jerusalem, but out at
Bethlehem. Tell them not to be dis
quieted now; having brought all
their rich gifts selected for quarters
of kings; they can leave them in a
barn out at David's city, and be
glad. Call Him Jesus! Call Him
Jesus because of what He will do.
Reaching down all the forward
ages with all that they can ever
come to mean, God brings the rea-
sons, for His Sons name. He knows.
He does not guess. This is not a
name writ in mere hope. This is
Gods way. Call Him Jesus! He is
but Babe now, and you short-sight-
ed folk about that manger cannot
dream what He will do. This is not
dream matter. l will tell you
Jesus will save His people from from
their sins.
No such talk as this was ever be-
fore heard beside cradle, and what
is more, will never be heard again.
But from that announcement a new
force must be dealt with in the
world, and new campaign was be-
gun. Mankind has never been the
same since Jesus came. When God
makes announcement, we may we'll
start preparation. Up from that
mangered mystery in Bethlehem
comes a new face to be seen along
the human way. The cry of that un-
usual Infant was to become chal-
longing voice in the whole human
story. He was to ask audience at
the bar of conscience. He was to die
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