GOD AND THE NATIONS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21319, 12 November 1934, Page 12

GOD AND THE NATIONS

PROBLEMS OF WAR AND PEACE SERMON BY ARCHBISHOP JULIUS

"I know it is Armistice Day, and you want me to talk about the Armistice," said Archbishop Julius, towards the end of a sermon in St. Luke's Church last evening. "I hate the Armistice," the Archbishop continued, "and I am sick of war. When it comes to disarmament and the rest, I have read so much about it that I haven't a single word to say—except this: we ha'vpj got to hear God's voice. God is speaking to all of us, whether through the war, through unemployment, or through the many troubles of the present time. But the cranks rise up and say, 'this is the way,' and 'that is the way,' and they make so much noise that we can't hear the voice of God."

I "I am sure of one thing: that when the nations are prepared to hear the voice of God, they will hear it. and not before. So long as our nation gives credit to the men who make armaments, and is proud of it, and so long as we do not live at peace among ourselves, we shall not hear God's voice. God has asked great things of the British people in times past, and we have done great things in His grace. I am no nrophet, God knows, but it may be possible that for the sake of peace Great ■R~ :+ ~ ; -i rpav Mve to go under and that the nation, hearing the voice of God, may say, 'We won't fight—we will go under,' and find by the surrender of all its dominion and power, that God has given it the noblest task that could be given to any nation." The Archbishop took his text from the eleventh chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." He said that every material thing is the embodiment of something spiritual, and took as an illustration the communciation of messages by wireless, and said that the vibrations which passed through substances carrying wireless might be considered emblems, or sacraments of spiritual forces. Communication with God "How is it that we know so little about the spiritual world?" the Archbishop asked. It was not. bocause the "waves" were weak, but because we were not receptive. For centuries man had not known that it was possible to hold communication across the world, so it was not surprising that man would find it hard to hold converse with the spiritual world if there were any lack of receptivity. The conditions under which communication with God was possible were faith and obedience. All communications from God were in the nature of "calls" to some particular work. This was most fully recognised in the case of individuals. When we put our poor, sceptical thoughts into it, this communication seemed a strange thing, and we imagined that while England could communicate with uj by wireless, God could not do the same through our consciences. Men such as the 12 apostles, St. Francis of Assisi, and in our own time Selwyn and Patteson, who had left home and comfort, not for their own gain, but for God's sake, had believed that God had called them. Why should we question it?

Youth and the Church "We are accustomed, at least the older churchgoers, to lament the lack of spiritual things in our time," said the Archbishop. "We say that the young don't worship, and don't pray, and some of them don't even believe. And we are inclined to wonder at it. I tell you honestly, I don't. To return to the old simile of the wireless set: when I try to get a distant station, I am disturbed. There are other noises coming through, shrieks and interruptions, jazz here, talking there, light music, heavy music, and something they call music but which isn't music at all. And do you suppose it is easy for young people to walk in the old paths? Our fathers had not the distractions which young people have to-day. Many of them did not read, and they had no cinemas. They were brought up in the church, and went to their services day after day and year after year, sitting (and sometimes sleeping) in church, and if they were asked about their faith, they would answer, 'Oh yes, we believe.' "

It was not so to-day. Young people were face to face with a worM which questioned the very fundamentals of the Christian faith, and doubted whether there was a God, and whether Christ actually lived. Our children gathered their amusements from Africa and their morals from Holly/ood. Was it surprising that they could not distinguish the voice of God amid the noise round them. There were so many ideas to drink in, so many books to read, not all of them bad, but not making for what the church regarded as a steady life. What was to be done about it? They had tc be brought back to Christ. Till we had grasped the meaning of the life of Christ in the world, we could not realise that it was possible to live rightly in the world amid all the noise. That was what we had to teach our children and to learn for ourselves. "We shan't attain to a happier state,' said the Archbishop, "till we realise that amid all the waves of light and sound covering the world there is one most gracious wave of all, the voice of God."

SERVICE AT TAI TAPU GOVERNOR-GENERAL READS LESSONS Members of the Springs County and surrounding districts branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association paraded at an Armistice Day service at St. Paul's Church, Tai Tapu, last evening. The service, which was fully choral, was conducted by the vicar, the Rev. T. M. Curnow, and the GovernorGeneral, Lord Bledisloe, read the lessons. The returned soldiers marched from the Tai Tapu hall to the church led by the West Christchurch bugle band, conducted by Mr C. Smith. They formed a guard of honour at the church for the Governor-General, who was accompanied by Lady Bledisloe, Colonel the Hon. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, M.L.C., Captain J. W. Tweedie. Miss V. Hynes, and Miss Hudson. The subject of Mr Curnow's sermon was "Peace." Dr. T. L. Crooko, of Christchurch, was the organist, and Mr Douglas Suckling sang the solo, "There is No Death." "Last Post" was sounded by. the buglers.