The Nome nugget., 1957-12-25
Under COmmercializatiOn, Christ's Message Shines

By Rev.J lame E. Wagner. LID. Th.D.
 President of the Evangelical and Reformed Church
 SURE THERE IS an indefensble commercializa- tion of Christmas and Christian peoples sensbites are offended when nowadays before Thanksgiving Day, the shop windows are dressed with Christmas displays and sidewalk ampfers are baring out White Christmas and Silent Night six weeks ahead of time : But those who have eyes to see will discern be- meath the tnsel prematurely hung response to the perennial return of Christian communities to the hopes and yearnngs which clustered about the celebra tion of Christmas.
 It is time of giving inspired by the Christian faith that at the first Christmas God went all out in demonstrating His love for sinful and unworthy kind by giving the very best He had to give: His only begotten Son. So those who share the Christian radl tion give, whether it is greeting card mink coat simply stopping by some friend or relatives door long enough to say Merry Christmas
 It time of remembering. Remembering the people whom may not have had in mind all through the year but whose names come readily to mind when we sit down to prepare gift greeting card lists Remembering better selves-genal, compassionate sensitive to the less fortunate among friends and acquantances and to the vast unhappy areas of the world where poverty and oppression play havoc with others of Gods children remembering these motions of better selves which tend to be pushed aside by the daily grind and the mad pace of contemporary living. Something happens to us at Christmas and the old familiar strain of Christmas hymn or song or simple gesture of generosity from some unexpected source re-opens the foodgates of long-sup- pressed better impulses and find ourselves caught up With remembering what so often and for so long tend to forget.
 It is time when childlikeness takes possession of people generally that feels embarrassed at exhibiting little of it himself Grown and aggressive sophisticated, competitive so hbitualy given to Hooking out for No 1-become children more, selfless interested full of wonder rubbing their eyes in hafsrprise at the redscovery that stars and music and laughter are just real as curbstones and countinghouses.
 It is time of moral reinforcement for every troubled soul The almost daily dismal headlines with their portent of impending doo the enervating per- petuation of Cold War as if mankind were incapable of achieving peace, the injustices and inhumanites which so often mark the relations between nations races, rich and poor, employer and empoye-al these contrive to foster tragic of life which assumes that never were meant for better things And then, year comes the reminder of the angels song and the ancient certainty of the prophets that God has into the very fabric of history destiny of brotherhood and peace And with that reminder men enabled to take fresh grip on the business of living again.
 So, when writhe under of the premature and blatant ways in which Christmas is proSttuted for material ends, it is good to remember that this is not Christmas Christmas to the generality of our fellows. For them still holds at it's heart the dreams and hopes and yearnngs which have always made it and make now perhaps the hoest of the year