The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-10-04

BY WILLIAM E. GILROY, d. d.
Editor Of the COnEregatiOnalist
MYTH this lesson We enter upon
w the second half of six
months course Of study Of repre-
sentative men and women of the
Bible. For this portion of the course
We turn from the Old Testament
to the New, and while the subject
matter of this lesson comes from
the New Testament it relates to that
period of events between the Old
Testament and the beginnings OF
Christianity.
The home to which we are in
troduced is really a Jewish rather
than Christian home, so that we
are at once challenged with the
question What do we mean by
Christian? This home of zacharias
and Elisabeth, in which John the
Baptist was born and grew up, had
surely all the factors and elements
of a Christian home.
One would not wish to make a
technical distinction or cleavage be-
tween the home of zacharias and
Elisabeth and the home of Mary
and Joseph in Nazareth. THESE
homes had the common elements of
honesty and piety, devotion to truth,
and love of righteousness. Nor was
the religion of either of these homes
in any sense formal; it was a re-
ligion touched with glorious dreams
and high hopes which led these de-
vout souls to look for the coming
of the Saviour.
Sincere Goodness
When we think of Christian
homes, we should think of the
word Christian as large and COM
prehensive and inclusive, and not
as technical and narrow. What
constitutes a Christian home is
its good and the quality of its rela-
tionshipS.
Great lives in the history of the
world do not come by chance any
more than great events or great
movements. John the Baptist
could not have been born in any
home, nor could any woman have
mothered the pure and perfect
Christ.
Here in the backgrounds of early
Christianity we see the roots and
sources in all that was good in the
life and religion of the day. We
might say, in fact, all that was
highest. Zacharias was a priest
faithful priest whose religion was
not in any sense formal. but who,
with his wife, lived in relationships
of holiness with such sincerity that
we have accorded them the highest
word of honor, that they were
both righteous before God, walk
ing in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameleSS.
The circumstances of the birth OF
John need not be dwelt upon, nor
the Joy that the coming of the babe
brought to the hearts of this couple
long childleSs. What We should
emphasize rather is the inner as
piration with which these faithful
souls devoted their newborn babe
to the Lord.
John, who was to prepare the way
of the Lord, had his own way well
prepared in the devotion of these
earnest parents. They trained him
for the work he had to do, and he
comes to his task unspoiled and I'M
pampered by slack and asy-going
father or mother. The whole sit
uation was, in fact, very much in
contrast with what often happens in
the world. It has become almost a
byword that childless homes into
which a child comes late are often
marked by tragedy.
Discipline Needed, Too
The parents in their joy are un-
der great temptation to assume an
indulgent attitude. The child is
not subjected to the discipline nee
essary for his own good, and too
often the child of hope and prom
Use has brought his gray-haired
parents in sorrow to the grave
Sincere religion is strong as well
as kindly. 1t has regard for dis
cipline as we'll as for gentleness. II
considers the genuine welfare OF
the child and not merely his ease
of his pleasure, and the child
trained under such conditions de-