# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1908_S81 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Che Lutheran Pioneer, A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LuTHERAN SYNODICAL CONFERENCE OF NortH AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Ofilce at St. Louls, Mo., as second-class matter. Vol. XXX. t. Tota Mo., Novem bo 1908. f No. ll. Lord Jesus, Quickly Come! Let all who know the joyful sound With gladness send the tidings .round And tell that God is love; That God so loved the world, He gave His own dear Son the world to save: God’s message from above; — That all who in the Son believe Shall never perish, but receive Life endless and divine; No condemnation e’er shall know, From death to life they pass below, And then in glory shine. *Tis not of works: let no man boast, Save in His name who saves the lost, The Lord, our Righteousness! Poor sinner, now from working cease, And claim from God a blood-bought peace, And Jesus Lord confess. Let all who know our God rejoice, Praise Him in songs with cheerful voice, And live to Him alone. Let sinners, too, take up the strain, Exalt the Lamb for sinners slain, The coming Savior own. ~ The Spirit and the Bride say, Come! Let him that heareth, too, say, Come! Whoever thirsts may come. - Water of life is freely given Till Christ the Lord descends from heaven — Lord Jesus, quickly come! Selected. The Coming of Christ. The end of this month brings the end of the present church-year and the beginning of a new church-year with the holy Advent season. Advent Means ‘coming, and-the season of Advent reminds us of the coming of Christ. His coming is three- fold: Christ has come; Christ still comes; \Christ will come. Curist HAS COME. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,- that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” For the sal- vation of sinners Christ came in the flesh when He took upon Himself our human nature and was born of the Virgin Mary as the Savior of the world. By that coming of Christ in the flesh our redemption was secured; for He came to take the sinner’s place under the Law, and to fulfill all the demands of the Law and bear the curse of the Law in the sin- ner’s stead. ‘When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” The Advent season, comprising the four weeks before Christmas, has’ therefore been called a season of preparation, a. time in which we are to prepare ourselves for the blessed Christmas fes- tival, so that we may, not only with our lips, but also with our hearts raise the song of gladness: “Joy to the world! the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King; . Let every heart prepare Him room, And: heaven and nature sing.” CurIst STILL comes. He that came in the flesh and secured for us everlasting salvation comes to us in Word and Sacrament to make us partakers of this salvation. The Word.of the Gospel is not an empty sound. It is, as the apostle says, “the Gospel of God’s grace” and “a power of God unto salvation.” ‘The sacraments are not mere empty signs and ceremonies. The Gospel promise is con~