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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1939-12-28, Page 6Wt. • Christmas 'Loss, n The Child and The Kingdom Matthew 1: 18-25; 18: 2-14; 19: 13-15. PRINTED TEXT, Matt. 1: 18-25; 18: 1-6; 19: 13-15 GOLDEN TEXT—A little child shall lead them- Iso. 11: 6., THE LESSON IN ITS SETTLNG TIME --The annunciation to. Joseph, the conception of the Vir- gin Mary, and the birth of Jesus all took place, probably, in the year 5 B.C. The teaching of Jesus concerning childhood las given in the autumn of A.D. 20. PLACE -Mary's conception and the annunciation to Joseph occur- red in Nazareth. The birth of Jes- us took place in Bethlehem. The teaching of Christ found hi this lesson was given in Capernaum. Matthew 1: 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his another Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. The div- ine conception of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit is given with much greater " detail in Luke's Gospel (1: 26-38). Mark has writ- ten nothing whatever concerning the birth and childhood of Jesus. Only Matthew and Luke tell the story of the supernatural birth, though John seems to refer to It (1: 14). Matthew tells it to us from the standpoint of Joseph, who was betrothed to Mary, and therefore legally her husband. Message To Joseph 19. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public ex- ample, was minded to put her away privily. 20. But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared un- to him in a dream, saying, Jos- . eph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her 1s .of the Holy Spirit. 21. And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for It is he that shall save his people from their sins. `IJesusr'- was a very common Hebrew name (Josh- ua) in its Greek form. It means "Jehovah's Salvation." God took hold of a name perfectly familiar, which .set the new-born Child among the children of men. Birth of Jesus 22. Now all this is conte to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23. Behold, the• virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. This prophecy is fcund rit in iso. '7: 1.4. 24. And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angelof the Lord conemand- ed him, and took unto 'him his wife; 25. and knew her not till,:,, she had bronglat:forth a'. son: an ho ".called his name JESUS. The Little Child'' Matt. 18: I, In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, lf(aaying, Who then is the eTeate's'c;,aii'the., kingdom of heaven? ,2, And he called to hini a little child, and set hila in the midst :of thein. 3. Ana said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as Tittle children, ye shall in no wise . enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as thislittle child, the. same 'is the greatest in. the kingdom of heaven, No one has yet given the ,perfect and ex- clusive interpretation of this pro- found idea it has been 'suggest- ed that Christ here means •:that. we should be like children in hu- mility, in obedience, in indiffer- ence to the distinctions of rank and wealth, pure -hearted, 5. And whose shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Let us receive and cherish child- ren in Jesus' name,' just as he would 'receive himself. Let No Harm Come 6. But whose shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea. How can we cause little children to stumble? By letting them see our own un- belief, cynicism; by letting them have their own way,. by failing to restrain or discipline them. Children cannot have a full know- ledge of Christian doctrines, but they can know Jesus as one who loves them, whom they can trust and pray to. Christ's Blessing. 13. Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should lay his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14. But Jesus said, Suffer the• little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for to such belongeth the kingdom' of heaven. 15. And he laid his hands on thein, and departed thence. Palestine Has 11 Christmases Different Dates Marked By Religiocs Groups,,in 'Country Note to little boys and girls who are 'sorry that Christmas comes but once a year: Palestine has 11 Christmas days, the only country in the world to have so many. They extend from the Latin ser- vices on December 25 to the Abys- sinian liturgy on March 25 and re. sultfroni-a fourth century dispute, within the Chrlstian .church over adoption of a unified calendar. Julian, Gregorian Calendars Some Christiane adopted the T he hnst /`7A,O0/YN•9 A/YO Cf!/L z7 - /'9e//P/,GGO IN THE STABLE The little balls drew together With the doves softly whispering, While the ass wondered whether He wanted out or in,, • Pulling at his rope and starting to paw His stall, scattering the straw. Each in his -gentle way;+'ttntetyr not at rest, Not knowing why oppressed. • And then the light! Not day or night, But something different a n d strange— So that they stopped all move- ment, waited— As if each moment now were freighted With some new thing beyond their vision's range, Till clearer, by the manger, they all saw Mother and child. And now no longer timid, stumb- ling, wild, They stooped above them—seeing how they smiled— Knowing in some mute; kindly way that all was well, Not knowing what hut feeling love was there. And Mary, raising happy eyes to them R'anged round, her as if holden by some. spell. Lifted the babe With care, And blessed them gently --dumb, Inarticulate, yet getting each his share Of that great love which to the world had' come.. Moderation At Gregorian . calendar, whfch lints. Christmas Time Ch: stmas on December 25th, .while others retained the ,Julian calendar and still others chose their own dates for Christendom's great festi- vals, !rhe Abyssinian. 'church cele- brates the birth of Christ` on ,the 25th of every month, but the great- est. celebration is the solemn lit- urgy'on March $5th, On January Gth, under the Jul- ian calendar, carries the Greek Or- thodox celebration. As Latin Chris- tians' did on December .25;' mem]: hers Of the Greek Orthodox carat' muhity wi11 make a pilgrimage to the Bethlehem shrine and re-enact thedraxne of Christ's birth. The British mandate government of Palestine has' ;recognized all of these denariiinations and has given' themequae iighte and privileges in all.Oltristian shrines., throughout' the HHbly tiand, "Too Much Christrnas" Is To Be Avoided Even at Okt1etni+ae time it is possible to have "too much of a good thing" say attthorities of the Department of Pensions and Na- tional Health at Ottawa; "Have 'a Christmas without re- grets. T1ss health -angle' 'et • Christ- niastide:is iniporta.nt. Glowihig•fae- es ot children and gladdenedhearts• of adults are signs of upsurging spirits. There is a close relation- ship between happiness and health. Christmas gives everyone an, op- portunity to discard unhealthy moods and, 'repressions, and to let the spirit of joy have till rein," Spirit of Joy Piro marshals wain against ac•. cidents setting fire to Christmas trees by the -use of lighted candles, 'anet since medical authorities are intetesttng:, thenaeelve5 in accident prevention,: this further word of ad- vice earlier helm National Health ;headquarters, -"If you must cele- brate away from home, leave your car in the garage, and take a taxi,,' Christmas Day Flooded river and frosted roads, oCreaking carts with heaped-up loads, Wild duck winging through lead- en sky, Christmas day is drawing night. '- oily and. mistletoe on Abe stalls Lanterns, streamers and colored balls, Short the clay and long the night, Merry games by candlelight. Silken snowflakes quivering down, Silent footsteps in the town, Icicles on the window pane, Christmas day is here again. T. Lovett Williams Pagan Evergreens Decorating the house with ever- greens at Christmas is a pagan custom and an edict compiled at the Council o Brac'ara forbade the people' to deck their homes with bay leaves and green. boughs. :Pagans believed that the sylvan 'spirits would repair to them in vert* cold weather, shelter be 'neath their leaves and remain un- 'iiiplied by frost -and cold. Rouses rused to be decked with holm, ivy, bay, laurel, box, and holly. tt Mistletoe was forbidden in Eng.. fish churches as it was a heathen. Yxblem`, the sole exception being iork Cathedral. Dr. Stukeley tells its that it was customary to carry Ix branch : of mistletoe in proces- sion. to the 'high altar and pro- claim a: general indulgence and ;pardon of sins at the city gates. MISTLEt®PdC'Sy One naturally thinks of Christ- mas -trees, holly, and -mistletoe. Mistletoe, gets its name from the German mist, expelled matter. The 'hard seeds are dispersed' by birds passing thein undigested through their bodies. Missel- thrushes often function so. Mistletoe grows most oommone ly On apple and other 'rosaceous, trees, very rarely on oaks. It gets its nourishment by putting suck - ars into the branches• of its hast. The sucker -bearing shoots display a. °weird kind of intelligence, ac- tually groping their way along; the branch for the best food -supply. • "0 Little Town f ethlehem 99 There, Was Born A "Saviour Who Is. Christ the Lord" - Bethlehem or The House of Bread, was more anciently known as Ep'hrath or Fruitful, but in mod- ern times is called Beit-lahm or "I-iotise of Flesh." .All three names are significant to Christians whose interest in it arises from the tremendous fact that in that little town was born Him Who was rightly called "The Bread of Lite;" Who was to he the frudtful Head of a new race, wide= spread as the world itself; and Who was there born in human flesh, thought the Almighty Son of God. "House of Bread" Its history was by. no means all bright and holy. Jacob hurrying along with' a deathly .sick wife, was compelled to halt nearby, while his greatly beloved Rachel gave birth to the little Benj min, and then in her husband's arms died there, Her grave is still marked by a rough stone monument! It was in Bethlehem .that the young Levite lived, who Mioah hir- ed to be his ohaplain, and • with whom is connected the tragic story in the last chapters of the book of Judges. Tho terrible tale of wrong doing and reprisals came perilous- ly near to the destroying of the whole tribe of Benjamin, within whose limits Bethlehem was situat- ed. Its Past History Thither came the widow Naomi, and her daughter-in-law • Bathe -the •the Moabitess, mourners, bereft of all they had held dear. There the young widow Rath was wadded to her wealthy kinsman Boaz, thereby becoming great-grandmother of the Psalmist -King 'David, and also one of the progenitors of the Christmas King, the Lord and saviour of Man- kind. Reh•oboam, son of Solomon, made a fortified city of Bethlehem (2 Chronicles Xl. 16) and later a fam- • ours khan (corresponding to our ho - tea) was built there probably by Chimham, sot of Barzillai the Gil- eadite who befriended David (2 Ste muel XVII.) when in trouble and was maned atter him (Jeremiah XLI, 17). This khan appears to have been a place where caravans were made up for- long. journeys, and it was from thence that the re- bellious Jews, disregarding God's orders s•et off for Egypt, carrying the 1irophet Jeremiah with them.. It may have been that'same khan, or in New •T.estaiaent terms that inn. at which 'J'oseph and Mary (Luke 11j- ;aPplied for lodging, but could find no other' accommodation than a stable in 'a grotto under; or near to it; wherein to spend the first of •all Christmas Eves, although they were both of royal descent, des- cendants or King David himself! - ,That poor stable became the most fanous bed -chamber in the whole, world, for, there amidst' the cattle was born the holy Baby, Who was 'Gad, the 'Creator of all things, clothed in nio•rtai flesh, that He might become the Saviour of all who wished it from their sins! The Poor Stable To the stable carie the shep- herds" called asvay from their own sheep -folds by a herald' in the hea- vexes, accompanied by singing choirs of angels, who made the thrilling momentous announce- meat: "auto youis bort; this day], in the City- of David, a Saviour' ;. who is„Ch'ist the Lard” (Luke 1lt 11). Countless' th,ousa sds. 'hive knelt in sacred worship. before that most, holy -shrine, °nee "a lowly°'cattle shed." the oiler shelter: this evil world cculd provide for ite Maker, R^deenmer and King, when in 'Pity- ing love and terider'saving mercy lie came to visit it, at the Christ- 'nee hrist-'liar tide! Lege d Surrounds `Christmas Fairy Gossamer Creature Was Once A Poor Unhappy Little Girl Have you ever wondered why the graceful, little fairies dressed in the loVeliest of gossamer gar- ments, with gleaming ornaments in their hair and dainty wands le their hands, figure so prominently in Christmas decorations and festi- vities? An old Yuletide legend le the origin of this. Let me tell you the story.. Many, many years ago on a Christmas Eve a. poor little girl named Mary was very unhappy. Mary was an orphan, which means she had neither a mothernor a fa - thee, and the old woman she lived with made her very miserable by her cruel treatment. Snow lay deep on the ground, in the: forest where Mary and the old woman lived. "I want some strawberries," said the old woman. "Go fetch me some. " Mary said that there could be no strawberries growing in the snow but she was pushed out of dears into the forest. She sat down beneath a tree and began to cry, and while she cried there came a little gnome carrying a lantern, Night had come on, and it was very dark. "Tell me why you are crying," said the gnome, Mary told him, and • then the gnome said: "I am on my way to meet Santa Claus who is - coming from Toyland." This made Mary very happy, but all at once a dark cloud covered the moon, and the gnome turned pale. "I know this is the work of the wicked underground gnomes. They have, by their magi made the cloud over the moon so that Santa Claus cannot find the way to the earth. "Quick!" said the gnome, "take this lantern and holt tight to that fir Heel." -Mary did' as she was asked, while the gnome muttered some magic words and the little tree grew. it grew So quickly that it reached right up to the sky, and on top. was Mary, holding the lant- ern. And by this means Santa was able to find his way. "Make the tree its proper 'size once more," said Santa Claus 'after- wards. But when the tree became small again, on the top was — no, .not Mary, but a beautiful fairy! The litho. girl had. been transform ed, And she never had to go back to the cross old • woman but instead remained in Fairyland where she lived happily ever after.