THE QUIET HOUR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 December 1924, Page 15

THE QUIET HOUR.

by arfarigeiriAht With the HaWefa Ministers’ Association.) A WORLD WITHOUT 'CHRISTMAS. . .Froni a "Christmas. Sermon, by the Rev. J. Bbttferson-Smyth, D. D. tf I had riot come.—St. John xv. 22. 1. “If I had not' come,” said Jesus. “If 1 had not come.” Did you ever think that it would have rrieant to the world if Jesus had not come ? StrUrige thoughts have been Stirling in. iriy mind this week as I look forward irito a far-off imaginary future. Listeii. An old man, glooriiy and thoughtful, is sitting in his room gating into the dying fire—seeing pictures in it—pictures of old days, of old memories, it is midnight of the 24th of December. But it is not Christinas Eve. There is no Christinas Eve now a There is rio Christmas. There is no Christ, a,nd the children are silent and the world is desolate and sin remains aiid death is eternal. Therefore is the old. man sad. It was riot always so. Long centuries ago there was Christmas, arid the story is still told of the beautiful old superstition, the 'family gatherings' arid the Christmas tree hnd the riieriy children tying their stockings to tlie bed-rail, arid the dear little mother coming in when they were cuddled up in bed to tell them the old, old story when “shepherds were abiding in' the field keeping watch over their flocks by night. And the [angel said ;unto, them.‘Fear not, for behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy ; unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’ ” '

.And the little ones fell asleep, knowing that God loved them, that this w*as the birthday -ref the Son of God, who took the little children up in His arms and blessed theiri. Brit all that was long ago before the world grfew weary of Ch'iist. Gradually year by year they grew 7 tired of hearing about... Him, tired of thinking- aboiit Him. The majority, of those for whdm He gave His- life lived without ever a thought of Him. Others came ; to church in a patronising wav aricj said the prayers to Him as few as possible—and heard the sermons about Him —as short as pos : sible—and these went away to forget Hinl and neglect .Him. - And God in heaven kept silence.

. Then as they did not care to keep Hith in .their thoughts they soon began to doubt and disbelieve., And\the children grew too wise for. the stpiy of Bethlehem and cleVer men proved that He had never left the tomb) that He was only a, very good mail, that the astounding miracle of God coming to earth was but a foolish dream that had to pass away. Aiid still God made no sign. So centuries passed. Then Caine the crisis!

One nigpt of dread when the World was quivering with an earthquake shock aiid the nwfril thunder virils. crashing in the air, it was said, that men had seen the heavens opbhecj arid the angel looking sorrowfully . on the earth. Arid in the midst of the seraph irii tlie Lord God arose in His iiif clignant wrath: Since they care not any riiore for the Son of My Lbve, be it unto theiri even as they will. Let the spirit ’of .unbelief seize upon- the world! Let there be no more Christ. Fbt it iridiiierit the world was startled into dread. Then men took up their Bibles to read again the story of the Christ. Oil every page blank spaces faced them. Nearly all the New Testament had faded out —the story of*the Shepherds and the Sermon on the Mount and the weeping over Jerusalem and the Lost Sheep and thei Prodigal Soil and Die Cross of Calvary arid the .Dying Thief and the wonder of the Easter morning. Every great story that used to help the world —every word and act of Christ was gone! And all over the earth every picture of Him faded out of sight! Men went to great galleries of Europe to see the famous? paintings. Thbre , was tRe picture of Christ hlessihg tfie little' cliil'df£ri, with a little bby in His arins arid all the others looking wonderingly up to- him. There it hung in its golden frame and the childreri were looking rip—blit Jlritus was gbri'e!. There was the lbst shfeep arid the Shepherd w r ith bleeding hands seeking it o.n the desolate mountains, The hibiihtaiiis. write there, darker and more desolate than ever, and the poor frightened sheep stood trembling on the precipice—but there was no good Shepherd with bleeding han-d seeking that which was lost until he found it. Then dark unbelief settled down upon the world. The story of Bethleheiii WAS a dfbrirh and delusion. There Was iio, Christ, and the world must live without him. 11. Tliat Whs centuries ago. The old man looking into the fire has been studying past history and somehow’ feels his heart stir yearningly over the old story of the dead dreamer, the carpenter's son, who dfriamed lie was thri Son of God and could lift humanity. It was a, rioble dream. He wishes it bright have been true. He is thinking of the old thfistiail churches of the city. They are all still standing and all still crowded. The- people who found it impossible to believe the, miracle of the Incarnation iioW listen greedily to the riiiracles. of all stiffs of freak rfeligidhs— Spiritualism and Esoteric Buddhism and fcim worship and tfahS-nrijiyatidli of soli is j all the iriad beliefs bf hiimait lriinds gone wild. In s'brhrij tlieie is a nobler teaching. He is remerhberirig a recent experience. The preacher told of a. high, and holy God who moved in distant grandeur outside His world, who spoke ,to hieri tlribugh nature arid conscience “And,” said the preacher, “though the fable bf the dead dreamer Jesus has passed out of men’s lives; yet should they db right without suc-h fancies. Ail’d if men did the right it 'Would in some way be we 11 with theiri.” “But what if we fail?” rang the eager questioning. “What if we fail?” Ah, he did not know. There seemed no hope if irien failed. Memory goes on making pictures.

It is a dreary tenement room down town —a workman’s home. .The man is a consumptive, and the brave wife is fighting the battle for them both. She gets 5s per dozen for sewing shirts for a. sweatshop, and night after night she works wearily oil. There are no hospitals for consumptives now: consumptives ahd failures are painlessly wiped out. She must conceal her troiible. There is hone to* share it. Phselfish thought for others has disappeared with the lost Christ. Now it is the woman’s face again—a. very different one: —a fast woman of society who has fallen to be a thing of shame and now has come to him, her father’s old friend, to pour out her misery and remorse. ‘ 44a vd you any hope for me? I would like to be good, but it is hard to. climb out of the pit. Ts there any use tryimr?- L have broken my father’s heart.. 1 have been reading that beautiful old fable of Christ who was horn of a woman’s pain, of the Christ who

lifted up the poor adulteress and forgave her. O God, if these things were true!” - ,

He remembers, how her agony wrung his very soul. But- tlie man could say no word of hope unless he lied. And he would riot'lie. Now 7 it is a- gathering of gay women, rouged arid powdered, laughing, and With a. hollow ring in their laughter. It is one of the Divorcees’ Clubs of the city. Divorce is no shame now. Every second woman is divorcrid. Holy matrimony has become a mutual arrangement to have rind to hold while the mar and; woman attract each other, or rather while the wbman ; attracts the man. And men have become tyrannical arid women have become degraded, each struggling at any cost to. hold her inan. The bid days arri gone when Jesus born of . the Holy Virgin, lifted pup woman to. a noble position, and consecrated the pure union of man and maid. The holy . law 7 has vanished front the earth,-—:“For this cause shall a irian leave father arid mother and cleave unto his Wife, arid- they twain shall be brie flash.” * Once more the picture changes. With deep dull pain he sees a darkened room and a stil white face—the face of his dead wife. Arid a man beside the bed—himself—sobbing in hiis agdfty. All these years bound together in a . deep, passionate love, arid now—parted for ever and ever; She liad cried to him as she died, “Tell me, my husband, that death is not the erid-rtliat our love must some* how survive?” But he will not- lie, even to comfort her. “Perhaps,'’-*' he said “but we know «o.t. There is'no evidence at all. (Would toi/Cod it were true, that old fable bf Jesus, that He rose from the dead arid -.old men of the wondrous life at v thfe 'other“fide. But it is riot ti*ue; Jesus Was but a dreamef, and all is dark and unknoWn.” So his beloved Went out with frightened eyes arid took her questions into the darkness to ask God. Arid, he remained behind in Iris desolation. • His life pictures have ceased.' They found hirii next morning deau in his chair, gone out to seek the lost Christ. 111. .. f I feel that I have riot succeeded. I wanted to startle, you by contrast into realising yprir position to-day in/a world With Christ arid Christians. '- ' For just as irieh do not value the blessings of health rind friendship- because ibby have never known -wKa-tl it is to be without thbril—so menfiofteii do. not value Christ because the ivorld of to-day has never known what it is to be Without Him.- I wanted t-b lriake you realise what it would be to be Without Him. . “If, I had not come,” said He, “If Jt had hot cpme.”' Men and Wbirieri who have been forgetting Him and scorning His love Will you - try tb remember what the world Would be. Without Him who came’-at Christmas. •Pc.or sinners, disheartened, sorry about your past,. tMirik what it would mean blit for Christ and His atonement. . And von bsfibcially, dedr friends,“who are .bowing down in Tdrieliness to-day, tliinkirig of the Vfttant chair and the touch qf hands that are still-—who liavb ycrirselves been telling me^-this weeli: that it is doubly hard to' Bear rit Christinas—if there were no Christ: — ■ if there were no revelation of the Father’s love and the beautiful .life ■ into which your dear ones havegone? But—oh, thank God for it— "-Christ : has Corne l The Eternal Son'of God i caftife clown at Christmas with the ! flesh-;of evefy man Wrapped round His Godhead. My dear people, to.every, . one of you I dare tb wish ri Happy Christmas in spite of the pairi ririd lone- [ liness and _sbrfbw arid sin. Lift up • your hearts this Christmas Day. " Lift , them up unto the Lord. Thank God j- for the message that sill's iiiay be forgiven. Thank God for the bright hope °f your dear ones in Paradise. Thank ! God for the angel message- of that ; Christmas long ago: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a | Saviour-, which is Christ tlie Lord.”