The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1947-08-07

are so serious In SO far as the cause
of Christ is concerned that we must
do far more than merely express
horror, or utter nice sounding words
of sympathy, it calls for definite
action on the part of every indiv.
idual Christian. Each and every one
of us have certain ramparts over
which we must zealously watch. We
must take action to protect the gains
already made by the Lutheran
church throughout the world. Gains
which were made by prayerful sac
rificeS, gains which are now threat
ened because of the wars which are
now raging Wars which have cut
off the support of over half of the
Lutheran foreign missions in the
world. Missions which now throw
out their falling hands and call with
failing words to the Lutherans OF
America to help them face trying
times. The church is indeed facing
a crisis. With conditions as they are
we cannot be comfortable, if we are,
we might as well face the situation
squarely and be honest with our
selves that we are not being true to
our Christian profession, we are
shrinking from the bearing of q
cross which is being thrust our way
He that told us that we must bear
our crosses, told us that we must
also bear one another's cross. He
also told you and l that if we found
our life we would loose it, and if
we lost it we would find it. Being
comfortable in our Christian life can
be too costly. In a world as torn and
distraught as it is today, we can re-
main SNUG and comfortable only at
the expense of our Christian faith.
When a flood overwhelms our
neighbors along the Ohio river we
are shocked out of our lethargy and
gladly pour out aid We would have
considered anyone who refused to
help who had the means to do so a
poor citizen as well as rather poor
specimen of Christianity. But my
friends the floods are here, they are
worse than any of the floods which
swept the Ohio. Cries for help are
coming to us on everyhand from the
missions which have been cut off
by the tides of hate and greed. Are
our hearts to be found hardened and
closed to the crisis coming to us
now?
Yes the church is facing a crisis.
She is facing a crisis as an organ
ization, and as individuals. The time
for testing of our faith is here. By
our fruits now the world will know
how sincere we have been in fol-
lowing the Master. By our action
now the world will know how far
we have been lifted up in our moral
standards above these others who
are now causing the innocent to suf-
fer. The church is being beset by
foes within and without in far
greater measure today than she ever
has been Before, but my friends the
most deadly foe of the church, of
your soul and mine is not some form
of ism which may come to us from
war-torn Europe, but lies in the
SNUG comfortableness of our hearts,
our hearts who call ourselves
Christians. Now is the time to awake
ourselves, now is the time to arise
from our lethargy.
If we can go home today and sit
down to our nicely cooked dinners,
and not think of those who are
starving physically and far above all
spiritually, if we can take a last
goodnight look at the fair heads of
our own children, and never think
of these other children who need
shelter, if we can draw the curtains
of our own comfortable lives about
us, and refuse to hear the call of the
needy the call which the Lutheran
church, your church, is bringing to
you today in the form of Lutheran
World Action-then we might just
as well make no pretense of being
Christians, for our Christianity is
dead.
We are capable of being great We
can forget our worship of comfort.
1t is a terrible paradox but such a
terrible thing as war is sometimes
necessary to call out of us our
deeper devotions and -forgetfulness
of self. Today your Christ calls for
us to make a small sacrifice of self.
The church must fight and every
individual Christian must arouse
themselves and help to fight this
was against suffering, race, prejudice
and hatred. Every Individual must
IuSl W PlOl0Il L1lSSS AoNlPCA t5'
When the outpost of the Lutheran
church are so hard hit, surely no
good Lutheran, no member of the
Lutheran church who is sincere
Christian can be or even has a right
to be comfortable. We must give of
our comforts to others.
There is a picture of Joseph and
Mary and the Child fleeing into
Egypt. May we say this morning in
the name of these refugees on their
flight into Egypt, may there be
help for the refugees of today"
Wherever there is needy one,
Christ still walks the earth, knock
ing at the door of his church, knock
ing at the door of our hearts, knock
ing at the door of our tendency to
be comfortable in selfishness cry
ing out to us from the words which
he first uttered to his disciples.
Warning us that if we desire to keep
the faith, if we desire to keep the
hope of salvation, we cannot do 1T
selfishly, for it was He who uttered
the words: 'He that findeth his life
shall lose it, but he who loses his
life for my sake shall find it," We
might say that he who saves his life
for his own sake as well shall lose
it, but he who gives his. life for