The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1949-12-22


of his 1949 message is as follows:
The coming of Gods Son into the world no great
excitement in the world into which He With the ex-
cepon of few shepherds nobody in Palestine knew that
anything extraordinary happening When heir to
the throne in Britain is expected great officers of the
wait in the palace for the announcement of his brhhe
whole population is eager receive the good news
when Gods Son was born-no watched waited for
His coming
He was born into unconcerned world Herod in his
palace knew nothing of it. The priests in Jerusalem knew
nothing of it. Caesar, the master of the world-knew
nothing of it. And yet the coming of Jesus-so owly
humbewas the greatest event in the history the world
Christmas is glorious because it is the creation of
child Man is not the architect of Christmas was built
in the first place, by Baby The Kings of the
often taken counsel together but they never con-
ceived anything beautiful Christmas On the day of
Christs birth God called the nations together "a
little child in the midst of them This is the difference
between the ancient world and the modern-the one had
an adult at the center, the other had child.
The Christmas song of the angels is the greatest that
the world has heard In its melody is the love God
toward Scriptures record the fulfilment of many
ancient prophecies but expected the coming of
Messiah in the form of helpless Babe
But God begins with Babe Over century ago men
following with bated breath the of Napoleon
and waiting with feversh mpaence for the latest news
of the wars And all the while in their homes babies
were being born But who could think about babies?
Everybody thinking about battles" In one year w.
ing midway between Trafalgar and Waterloo there stole into
Alfred Tennyson Oliver Wendell Holmes Charles Darwin
Abraham Lincoln Felix Mendelssohn Samuel Morley Ed
ward FITZGERALD and Others
We fancy that God can only manage his world bv bo
battaons abroad when all the while he doing by little
babies at home When wrong wants righting or truth
wants presenting continent wants opening God sends
baby into the world to do it. That was why long long
ago. Babe was born at Bethlehem.
Before the angels sang that glorious night the world
was dark with fear strife and hate Before
men had the classic literature of Greece but no living
leadersbut who above all Servant and Friend
He brought love to world of hatred hope to world of
despair Into silent world He brought song; into de-,
feated world victory; into troubled world peace
He spoke-and the world still listens He taught-and
the world still learns. At last God has revealed Himself
He has shown the Way the Truth and the Life Men
once cried, "Oh that knew where we might find HIM"
He camel God has done his part. What now?
We gladly worship the Child but the Man attract
message? How much easier is fony babe than
to follow the teachings of grown LEADER Yet this Birth
later years.
The of the angels is of little value it does not
teach us to sing Make room for Him in the inns of your
hearts! Make ready for Him in your lives!
The Gospel account of the Nativity reveals to us how
beautiful and profoundly impressive the writer's conceived
the great event be- They perceived spiritual values and
transmitted them to Our eyes today must be opened
to such values.
Behold, bring you good tdings of great JOY" bring
text than ordinary good news something
which gets hold of the heart This real message Of
Christmas Joy through Good News the Good News of sal
vation through Jesus Christ. And that is news.
That the good news-THE GOSPEL-which the
shepherds heard only it might break through the crust
of our familiarity wonder this everlasting glory was
first made known to the shepherds because they were
simple, open-mnded men? They little children
We conventional and sophisticated When we think
we knew to become receptive-we become intel
lecuay proud Christ did that education is not
good thing, that ought to have as much of
he get but He did that education may very
easily breed either the Pharsee the skeptic in us.
Why did the angels crowd the midnight sky and make
the Bethlehem upands echo with their praise? Because
birth of the Son of God of intense significance all
the hosts of God 1t happened this EARTH but of
supreme Importance the universe one of Gods
greatest deeds Jesus Himself taught how intensely
erested the angels in mankind Did He say "There
in the presence of the angels of God
that repenteth The struggle that goes in soul of
vital concern to them.
When the angels withdrew into the visible and the hill
side dark again. the asonshed shepherds hastened over
the to Bethlehem. They went-not if the thing
had to but to the thing which had
pass They went with reverent wonder the Babe and
kneel at His cradle We too must 60 in wonder and wo
ship When grasp something of what God did for us iii
Christ lost in wonder love and praise
The sight of any newborn babe moves deeply, how