# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1879_S37
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

~The Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PouBLIsHED BY THE HvancELicAL LuruERAN SyNODICAL ConFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA.
Edited by Prof. R. A. BISCHOFF.

Entered at the Post Oflice at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Christmas Carol.

From heaven above to earth I come
To bear good news to every home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing:

To you this night is born a child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild ;
This little child of lowly birth
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need will aid afford;
He will Himself your Saviour be,
From all your sins will set you free.

To you the blessedness He
bears,
Which God the Father's love
prepares,
That in His heavenly kingdom
blest
You may with us forever rest.

These are the tokens ye shall

mark:

The swaddling-clothes and man-
ger dark;

There shall ye find the infant
laid,

By whom the heavens and earth
were made.

Then let us all with gladsome
cheer
Follow the shepherds, and draw
near
To see this wondrous gift of
God,
Who hath His only Son bestowed.

Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!
Who is it in yon manger lies?
Who is this child so young and fair?
Dear little Jesus lieth there.

Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest,
Through whom the sinful world is blest! *
In my distress Thou comest to me;

What thanks shall I return to Thee?

Ah Lord, who hast created all,

How hast Thou made Thee weak and small.

Upon dry grass Thou liest here:
Beside Thee feed the ass and steer.

“Were earth a thousand times as fair,
Beset with gold and jewels rare,
She yet were far too poor to be
A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.

For velvets soft and silken stuff
Thou hast but hay and straw so rough,
Whereon Thou, King, so rich and great,
As’t were Thy heaven, art throned in state.

And thus, dear Lord, it pleaseth Thee
To make this truth quite plain to me,
That all the world’s wealth, honor, might
Are nought and worthless in Thy sight.

O dearest Jesus, holy child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quict chamber kept for Thee.

My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep;

MASHNAUMANES

I too must raise with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle song:

Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto us His Son hath given!
For this His hosts, on joyful wing,
A blest New Year of mercy sing.

(Dr. M. Luther.)

——s_-o-<P or a -

Christmas.

—_—

THE CHRISTMAS STORY.

In the second chapter of the Gospel accord-
ing to St. Luke we find the joyful story which
Jaddens our hearts in the merry Christmas
ss We there see the Jews going to be|by nature and subject to eternal death. Our
Among) sins brought the curse and wrath of a just and

season. 3
registered, every one in his own city.

s, Mo., DEG aaneIe. 1879.

ing from Nazareth to the little village of Beth-
lehem. Here they find no room in the inn
and therefore take refuge ina stable. In this
stable Mary, the poor, unprovided stranger,
brings forth her first-born son, and wraps him
in swaddling-clothes, and lays him in a manger.
This is the lowly birth in the stable.

Another scene is presented. We see shep-
herds at night out on the plains of Bethlehem
quietly guarding their flocks. Suddenly the
heavens are opened, the angel of the Lord
comes upon them, and the glory of the Lord

| shines round about them. With an astonished

gaze the shepherds luok on and
are sore afraid.. But, ‘‘fear not”’,
is the sweet message of the angel,
“‘fear not, for, behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is
born this day, in the city of David,
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you:
ye shall find the babe wrapped in.
swaddling-clothes, lying in a man-
ger.” And instantly a multitude
of angels are with the first preacher
of the glad Christmas tidings,
making the night-air ring with
their heavenly song of praise:
‘Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace, good will toward
men.” 5

This is the wonderful and glorious Gospel-
story which makes the heart of every true
Christian beat with joy on the merry Christmas
day. It tells us of the birth of a Saviour; it
brings this Saviour as our heavenly Father's
Christmas gift to all poor sinners.

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.

The Babe of Bethlehem is the gift of our
Father to a sinful world. It is a gift which
should fill every sinner’s heart with joy. For
who is that Babe of Bethlehem? It is our
Saviour. The angel says, ‘‘Unto you 1s born
this day, in the city of David, a Saviour.” That
is just what we sinners need. We are sinners

them we see a very poor and needy couple— holy God upon us. Without a Saviour we are

Joseph, a poor carpenter, and Mary—wander-

Jost in the midnight darkness of despair. With-