# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1900_S48 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 48 The Lutheran Pioneer. The Outlook from the Editor’s Window. | very modest Christmas gift. Do you know what it is? He wishes to receive many names of new subscribers for the next volume of the paper. Hoping that he will not be disap- pointed and wishing all our readers a blessed Christmas, we close our window. Curiststas. —Christmas refers to Christ, and is to be celebrated as the birthday of our Saviour. Many people, however, are wont to use it as if it were their own day of coming into this world, and so they eat, and drink, and rejoice, — but have no place in their hearts for Him over whom the angels sang, ‘‘Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to men.’’ ——_- o~< oe Unto you is born a Saviour. The words unto you should make us joyful. For to whom, or of whom does the angel speak ? Of course, not to wood or stones; no, but to men; and not to one or two alone, but, as he says, to ‘‘all people,’’ that is, all who are men. For he says, unto you, not unto us angels, but ‘unto you is born a Saviour,”’ that is, He has become a man like unto you. Now whoever is born a man, may and should comfort him- self with this Saviour who is born. But what shall we make of this? Shall we still doubt God’s grace and say: St. Peter or St. Paul may indeed rejoice in this Saviour; but I am a poor sinner, I dare not do it; this noble precious treasure is not intended forme? My dear friend, if you will say it is not for me, to whom, then, doesit belong? Did He come for the sake of geese, ducks, or cows? For you must notice what He is! Had He wished to help another creature, He would have become that creature. Had he not become man for the sake of us poor, sinful, lost men, He would not be called ourSaviour. Now see, what are you? WhatamI? Arewenotallmen? Yes. Who then is to receive this Child, but just we men? The angels do not need Him; the devils do not want Him; but we need Him, and for our sake he became man. Therefore, it be- comes us men to receive Him with joy, as the angel says: ‘‘Unto you is born a Saviour;’’ and shortly before: ‘I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’’ Luther. Curistaas Atways.—A poor soldier once “said to his officer, one Christmas, in India: “Sir, it is always Christmas Day with a sol- dier when he has half a crown in his pocket.”’ He knew nothing of the true Christmas. May not Christian soldiers, the soldiers of the cross, say: ‘‘It is always Christmas with us while we haye Jesus in our hearts’’?? This is the true Christmas. Tse Curistmas TrEE.—The true meaning of the Christmas tree is not always appreciated. It is often used for mere ornament and display. Indeed, some whose purse is not so long as that of their neighbors are apt to feel that because they cannot have so splendid a tree as the neighbors they would better have none at all. This is because they have lost sight of the real purpose which the Christmas tree is to serve. To the Christian it is the symbol of the Tree of Life—the Lord Jesus Christ. The lights on it remind us of the Light of the world. The gifts on it remind us of the greatest of all gifts—the Gift of God in the sending of His only-begotten Son, that who- soever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Curistaas in ScANpDINAvIA. —In Scandina- yia Christmas time is the most joyful season of the whole year. In every farm-house the table is laden with good things, and any one passing by is bidden welcome. Even the cat- tle in the stable and the dog in the kennel are fed with the best the barn and the kitchen can afford, and the birds of the air are never for- gotten. The family ends Christmas Eve with —s