The Sidney herald., 1963-12-04
Sermon Preached at the
Community Presbyterian Church
Fairview by Rev. Alan Villesvik

CA dBDul LtI liAcsE31lfo' Lively Dlit
who talked Of freedom and at the
same time made sure his house
didn't sell to one Of them dirty
niggers. Every moderate who cal
led for delay and patience in
the face OF 100 years of waiting
and discrimination Every one
who let himself believe that
colored man was less than him
self IN any way.
Then we were shocked, but we
dismissed it, perhaps because
the attack was not on a white
man. Now the clouds of hate
have returned 10 rain distraction
down on all of us-Our whole M
tion-through our president HIS
injury is our injury. And in his
dying, we too died a little bit.
If Lee Oswald did the crime.
he has already received his pun
ishment. And in his death We
have aheady salved cur uneasy
conscieaces a little Bit Some
4 have indeed suggested that Os-
wald's murderer be rewarded ior
I his crime. Sc we find release in
/ the punishment of another And
this in its own way is tragic too.
But TIE most tragic aftermath
Of this whole weekend would be
our failure to learn the lessons
4 there are TO he learned from it
all. God Can BRING good from l1e
I most horrible events, and surely
( ne is doing Just that now-in the
/ renewed unity of the American
( people, in the drawing together
Of ell the countries Of the free
world. ia the tremendous decla~a-
ton of fa tn through thousands of
memorial services held in an
f, manner Of churches from Friday
J, afternoon on. Yes, our Lord is
, wringing from tragedy some good
even now.
I, But in the end our Presidents
/, dying viii be Of no lasting avad
! if we do not learn this one thing
, fforn It: a lesson as old as man
5 kind; a lesson repeated upon
: rage after page of our Bible; yet
7 a lesson we constantly must re-
! learn. II is this: that hatred selv-
, es no positive end in the world.
! No matter who he be, no matter
5 what his reasons be, the man
who hates has utterly nothing
to offer the world except blood
! shed, violence, obstruction.
I We are so easily fooled by hat
4 red. We SO often mistake 1t for
righteous Indignation So quickly
i, we let our emotions run before
i hared's ~ail forces; Sc eagerly
i we listen to the hate-monger who
!, By his skill allies himself with
/, our prejudices and cOnvinces US
/, that, after all, our anger is for
the good Of all people, With swift
/. and grasping hands we seize the
sword of judgment out of the
/, hands OF Cod and swing it our
/, selves.
i But hatred, sure as the flight
4 Of a slug from the muzzle Of a
!; military rifle with a telescopic
4 sight. leads Only to destruction.
s Therefore we must learn to dis
i criminate between the leader woo
i deals in facts and he who deals
/ in emotions. We must attune oul
4 ears TO tell the difference between
constructive and Obstructive
commentary; between the mar
= who aspires TO office by building
q his case honestly, and he WHIT
y climbs the ladder by character
= assassination, innuendo, rabbit
= rOUsing.
3 We must learn to follow th0s
. who propose legislation for hon
~ est reasons. And we must lear
- to reject those who appeal t
y prejudice, hatred, disbust. w
~ must learn ways to deal wit
pc those who use the tools of hat
" to fatlen their pocketb0oks, sf
- cure their position, continue thei
~ advantage.
10 These will not be easy lesson
iie iie 70 learn. For prejudice IS tel
~ ribly personal thing; and hatre
uS is based on selfishness, the d'
81 sire TO have one's own way r.
,e cardless of the just claims
10 others. And so the ultimate le
son we must learn from all tn
he is that which President Kenned
or would have enunciated in h
be speech at Dallas had he live
MS that long. Unless the Loi
his watches over the city, the watci
zee man stays awake in vain.
an Unless the Lord watch over VI
Ike we live in vain. Unless he rescu
fu- us from the clutches OF seh-los
,si- we are not rescued. Unless i
i'd. root out the hatred native to OF
!. souls il shall not be rooted on
ow Unless he save us, there rs 2
)ur salvation. Ultimately only he ga
Geal with the temper, the spl
eir that is abroad in cur world :
SIS day. the temper that set the a
Tho fuI stare in Dallas Friday. F.
or this thing that infects us is clos
ght than hands and feet. nearer ths
.te. cur very heart. It IS a part
Ore us. And in spite of our best
ace forts it comes boiling out as
led did two days ago. Hatred a.
out obstruction are at the soul OF me
sse But thanks, praise be to 81
i've for the victory over hatred. ~
IS the ultimate faith upon whil
his we shall stand in this hour 4
his there was another VINO was al
are cut down in the noOn-t'me
md life. In the middle of the da
hat Assassinated without cause. On
hat Fridav. But because He car
ted back from the dead, because
rad .,,~r mt oocgihla fnr death