Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-11-15
Beautiful Stalactites

(EXtract of sermon by Rev. Charles
l.. Grant. Faith English Lutheran
Church. Charles and Mackubin Streets.
st. Paul)
In the Book of Revelation we read
there shall be no night there" At
another place in the same book we
read the Lamb lis the light thereof"
Possibly you would not consider it a
blessing to be without night here.
Usually when the night comes you are
so tired that you long for its quiet
ness. Conditions will be so different
on the other side, however, that night
is not necessary There will be no
WEAKNESS, no exhaustion and there
fore no need for repleniShing the
physical life.
Have you ever been in total dark
ness? Did you ever go into a cave
and be without ray of light from
anywhere? If you have, then you can
well imagine the anxiety of the pio-
neer who discovered the entrance to
Monmouth cave in kentucky in 1899.
After seeing some of its beauty which
surpassed anything he had ever seen
before, he hurried home to get his
family so they could be the first to
view the wonderful cavern. They car
ried pine knots and a torch by which
they made their way for some dis
lance, but the torch was accidentally
extinguished and then they CROPPED
their way in the darkness. without
anything to guide them for three
days, till almost dead they CHANGED
upon the entrance. That was a ter
rible experience.
In Colorado and Black Hills.
Some weeks ago we had the pleas
ure of going into two famous caverns
and in both of these the lights were
turned off so that we might expert
ence the total absence of light. The
first was out in Colorado in the won
derful Cave of the Winds, two miles
from Manitou. The other was the
Wonder cave in the Black Hills on the
road from Lead to Rapid City. 1t
was creepy sensation to be near
people and yet not be able to see one
beautiful formations and not be able
to see them.
In life we are obliged to experience
nights. The guilt of sin is a dark
night. Doubt is another. The black
ness of bereavement is hard to bear.
Calamity and affliction turn the days
into nights. The Lamb can be the
I itrhf Of oil
the light.
When the lights were turned on in
those caves we were amazed to see
the hundreds of beautiful stalactites
and stalagmites. In the Cave of the
Winds the stalactites had long ceased
to be active. They were pretty but
not nearly so pretty and sparkling as
the ones in the Wonder cave where
the water is continuously dripping
through the rocks and forming the
''icicles" and mounds before your
eyes but so slowly that the growth
cannot be detected.
Wonderful Sights.
There are many well-defined sec
tions or rooms in these caverns.
Through ages of patient handiwork.
nature has fashioned these strange
formations. The walls of the various
chambers differ from each other ac-
cording to the minerals that compose
them. Some walls CLEAN as if they
were encrusted with diamonds. All of
this comes out of the intense darkness
when the lights are turned on.
So does the Lamb of God change the
darkness of night into the brightness
of day. Look at the night of sin.
When you realize that God is merci-
full, you at once wonder about His
Justice. but when you are convinced
that both justice and mercy have been
satisfied by the Sin-bearer, the dark
ness is gone and you understand that
God can still be God and yet be mer-
ciful to the guilty.
When doubts assail you and you are
absolutely assured that the living
Lord is greater than all the powers
that may attack, the day dawns and
victory is yours. In calamity if you
keep your face forward, you will ex-
perience the promise that He will see
you through. In your Affections, hope
| in the Lamb means continuous day.
He will transmute your sorrow into
| joy and out of its darkness will come
greater capacities and deeper spiri-
tual life.