PRESENT DAY OUTLOOK.

Auckland Star, Volume 304, Issue 304, 23 December 1926, Page 11 (Supplement)

PRESENT DAY OUTLOOK.

CHRIS!2 r MAS DAY. s "The historians who tell of the nature ,' of His birth tell, as you know, of !. strange thin;;. They say angels _ang ; . in the sky. ani certain it is. quite .-er- ;• tair.. that the echo of their song has k'one on ringing down the ages ani j rino-s or. still: 'Glory to God in the | Highest and on earth peace.' And I ; it has never died since." said the Rev. | G. A. Studdert Kennedy. M.C.. in an Advent discourse. We do not know the exact date of His birth. December j' 25 was not fixed a; His birthday until ! 530 A.D. We do not know what part of j the year He was born. Christmas Day j was fixed for symbolic no: historical ' reasons. It was the day of the winter solstice according to the Julian calendar. and had been celebrated as the birthday : of the Sun years before Christ came. Christians chose i" as the day of Hibirthday because He was the Sun o: :::eir souls and had brought them into a great light out of a great darkness. Then wiien the nights were longest and the shadows soonest fell they thoush: i; most fitting that they should remember: they determined to remember th-.- ; birth of the Man who was more than man. because He lived in them and gave them life and had brought them out of darkness oi death and despair into an i . exceeding great light. He had brought : them a creat hope.'' I ~