OUR PULPIT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 91, 17 April 1930, Page 6

OUR PULPIT

Sermon by the Rev. E. T. Cox of the Trinity Methodist Church.

Psalm 51:17.—“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a shattered and a broken heart. Oh. God, Thou wilt nor despise.’ ’

Broken and shattered things do not, as a rule, fetch high prices in the world markets.

At Christie’s very old and rare things bring fabulous sums, but even old things do not unless in a state of perfect preservation. The doors of opportunity and prosperity seldom open to the “throwouts’’ to partake of life’s privileges and pleasures. On every hand we have incontrovertible proof of the tragic handicap of brokenness. The bird with a broken wing is robbed of its power of flight. The ship with a broken back remains a derelict on the rocks. The child with health broken in infancy has a poor chance in life. The man with broken nerves is unprepared and unfit in the strain and stress of life’s battle.

Pass from the material and physical to the moral and spiritual and we are confronted with the same tragedy. Send round the collecting van and gather up the shattered hopes, broken vows, moral derelicts and spiritual wrecks.

Put them up for sale at auction, who will buy them? The world has no place, no time, no price to offer in the shattered and broken things that strew life’s pathway. But our Saviour came with a new message for broken and shattered men. He introduced a new standard into the world’s values. The survival of' the fittest must give place to a new order.

The broken and shattered must no longer be cast aside as impedimenta, a new spirit must be introduced into society—and a new standard of human relationships set up.

Harshness and cruelty withered under the scorching rays of his tender and sacrificial life, whilst the wooing note of his gentleness and grace attracted broken and shattered things out of their lonely and sad hidingplaces and drew them to Him. His healing hand touched them and sent them away whole.

How humbly and graciously he introduced this new spirit into a selfish world. He chose a village synagogue, a poor agricultural audience in which to reveal this new order of things. Such was the setting for this new and revolutionary message which was destined to change the mental and moral atmosphere of the whole human race. “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the, broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives.’’ Such was the new message and they that heard it wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

This brought a new atmosphere into the world. When Jesus opened his lips the dew of God’s love and tender compassion fell with gentle refreshing

upon all that was shattered and broken. 4 ‘ This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” ‘‘He had compassion on the multitude.” These were the exclamations of a surprised world as it watched the goings and doings of the Son of God. But if you would know the majestic sweetness of Jesus, you must hear His praises from the lips of men and women whom He has picked up out of the gutter and set among princes. All these, with united health exclaim: “Where sin abounded grace did much more abound.”

This atmosphere challenged the world to a new spirit of hospitality. “When thou givest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren nor thy rich neighbours lest they bid thee again. But when thou givest a feast, call the poor and the maimed, and the lame and the blind, and thou shalt be blessed.’’ Men and women are answering the challenge. It is because the love of God is shed abroad in the hearts of redeemed men and women that a place has been found in a selfish world for the shattered and broken. Hospitals, orphanages, homes, missions of love and help for the downtrodden and outcast: these are the virtues that this challenge is being met. God can use broken things. It is from the broken earth that the harvest springs. It is from the broken cloud that the rain descends to quench the thirst of the soil, torn by lightning, thrashed by thunder. It surrenders up its treasure and its weeping makes the streams of earth to sing and the trees of the field to clap their hands. & Was it not from a broken alabaster box that the fragrance of the ointment came which filled the whole house. Come to the place called Calvary. 1 ‘ This is my body which is broken for you.” This breaking is for the mending of the race. The broken Christ on Calvary stands for God’s best given to meet man’s worst. Its value and significance are found in its redemptive meaning to a broken and shattered world. God gave His Son in order to save broken hearts and heal contrite spirits.