CHRISTMAS

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XXI, Issue 6, 1 December 1930, Page 1

CHRISTMAS

"There is no room for ithem m the sun." We rightly claim Christmas' as the most joyous of our Christian festivals, but this very if act should make us careful to safeguard the season from being misused. Giving and receiving gifts, entertaining visitors, and ministering help to the poor iare all excellent m their way, but must be kept subordinate to the main, purpose of Xmas, i.e., keeping m. mind the Inoaxmaition of our Lord m all the enlightenment and help that that means to us. "What mean ye by this service"? was the natural inquiry of the Jewish child a* the Feast of the Passover and our Christian parents must <be as careful to explain what we mean by tthe Christmas services, joy, feasting and presentgiving. We ftake the benefits of Christianity so (Much for granted, it is well for us to look backward now and then and take stock of our inheritance. What we have gained by the coming of Christ. His teaching, and then show it to. our children. What Christianity has done for the world is too vast a subject toi be compressed into a abort space. A recenib writer has made the attempt to show what Christianity has done for England m a book entitled "Christ of the English Road," which is we'll worth reading. Tihe first Christian sermon preached m New Zealand had for i|t>s text "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy". From his portraits, Samuel Marsdon was a com-monplace-looking, practical man, more like our idea of ai typical English farmer than an engel! yet surely the angelic message was delivered with power that Christmas Day m 1814, to tthe wondering circle of savages assembled to Bear the stranger's korero. If Samuel Marsden could come to New Zealand now, 116 years later, what would he think ? A law-abiding, peaceful Maori population, churches for the worship of the God he loved so much, m every district of rbhe country, schools, colleges, hospitals, . universities— all kinds of organisations for the benefit of human, beingis, and the two races Avhioh inhabit New Zea-

land living side by side m peaceful goodwill. iCould any power less than "God with us" have achieved all this? Surely not. The country is faced with the need of self denial and (thrift, and we may have to do without many material things we have been accustomed to regard as necessaries, but Christian Joy and peace m believing are still ours and our joy no man taketjh from us.