# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1892_S45 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) / Che Lutheran Pioneer, A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. Pusuisnep py tHe Evancenican Lurneran SynopicaL Conrerence oF NortH Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. t. Louis, Mo., December, 1892. Vol. XIV. S AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. No. 12. Christmas. Rejoice, rejoice, ye Christians, With all your hearts this morn! O hear the blessed tidings, “The Lord, the Christ, is born,’’ Now brought us by the angels That stand about God's throne; O lovely are the voices That make such tidings known! O hearken to their singing: “This Child shall be your Friend; The Father so has willed it, That thus your woes should end. The Son is freely given, That in Him ye may have The Fathers grace and blessing, And know He loves to save. Nor deem the form too lowly That clothes Him at this hour; For know ye what it hideth? ’Tis God’s almighty power. Though now within the manger So poor and weak He lies, He is the Lord of all things, He reigns above the skies. Sin, death, and hell, and Satan Have lost the victory; This Child shall overthrow them, As ye shall surely see. . Their wrath shall naught avail them; Fear not, their reign is o’er; This Child shall overthrow them,— O hear and doubt no more!”’ (Old German hymn, 1510.) ++ oo oe The Birth of Christ. The birth of Christ, which fills our hearts with: joy in the merry Christmas time, was a lowly birth. When Joseph and the virgin Mary came to Bethlehem to have their names put into the tax-lists in obedience to the decree of the Roman Emperor Augustus, they found no room in the inn and therefore took refuge in a stable for the night. And in that stable Mary, a poor and unprovided stranger, brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger. What a lowly birth! There is no glory and no splendor to be seen. There is nothing but Poverty and want. And yet the birth of that tion for us, but in Him there is salvation for all sinners. May all our readers welcome to their hearts the Child of Bethlehem as their only Saviour and thus enjoy ahappy Christmas! Child of Bethlehem has for ages filled the hearts of millions with joy, and it still makes every Christmas-day a day of gladness and re- joicing. For who is that Child of Bethlehem? Let the angel tell you. In that same night there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them ; and they were sore afraid. But the angel said: ‘‘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 manger.’? And instantly the sky was thronged with a multitude of angels who made the night-air ring with their song of praise: ‘Glory to God ‘in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Wonderful birth! ‘That Child of Bethlehem is ‘‘Christ the Lord,’’ the Lord of heaven and earth. He, who created the universe became a helpless babe. God's own Son took upon Him our human nature and became like unto us, only without sin, And this God-man is our Saviour. By sin our human race had fallen under the curse and wrath of a just and holy God. Our sin separated us from God and from all the joys of heaven. No mere human being and no angel could become our Saviour and bear the punishment of our sin. Our Saviour must be God; for God’s power was necessary to bear the punishment of the world’s sin. Our Saviour must also be a true man in order to suffer and to die. And, behold, God in His wisdom and love gaye us such a Saviour. “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish ‘but have everlasting life,’? John 3,16. The Child of Bethlehem is our. Saviour—God and Man in one Person. He was made under the law and took the place of all sinners and bore the punishment of all our sins. Through faith in Him we have forgiveness of sin and life everlasting. Well may we rejoice at the birth of this Sayiour; for without Him there is no salya- -.-+=ao- oO The Way to Heaven. At the manger of Bethlehem you can learn the way to heaven. ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.’’ What more could He do? ‘*That whosoever’’—that is, you, everybody, anybody that—‘‘believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’’ It is not said that God has given His < Son to all that will keep His law, for this we could not do, and therefore the gift would be available to none of us. But the great God has given His Son to the whole sinful world, that ‘‘whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’’ The Christmas gift of God’s great love Is the only way to heaven above. ——s oo oe Christmas Customs in Scandinavia. In Sweden and Norway Christmas is a day of joy for everybody. In the country every house stands open to the passing stranger and he is at liberty to sit down to the table that has ‘been expressly filled for him. In many parts of Norway even the tavern keepers charge nothing for food and lodging. The custom of making each other presents on Holy- eve is conscientiously maintained among all classes, and as everybody must have a present, the ladies have their hands full for weeks and months beforehand in order to be prepared. Even the dumb beasts get their share of good things. The horses get more oats than usual, the horned cattle a better quality of hay, the dog a generous soup, and even the birds have placed for them in front of every barn a pole or fir-tree on which has been fastened a sheaf of oats. : ee Christmas. «what season is better of all the whole “Thy needy, poor neighbor to com year, fort and cheer?’?