The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 47

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

44

The Christmas - Tree.

The most beautiful festival of the church-year
is undoubtedly Christmas, the festival which
proclaims the gladsome tidings:

“Fear not: For, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you ts born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’’ And the
most beautiful -mannerof~ celebrating this
joyous festival is undoubtedly the German
‘Christmas-celebration with its green tree, be-
‘decked with lights.and sweetmeats. For the
fair evergreen is,a most suitable image of
the true Tree of Life, ‘‘ Jesus Christ, the same
yesterday, and to-day, and for ever””; the many
tapers giving the tree a dazzling brightness, re-
mind Wseof the words of. our Saviour, “I am
the Light of the world: he that followeth me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life’’; and also the sweetmeats of this Christ-
mas-tree, its sweet candies and cakes, its gilt
apples and nuts, refer us to the inestimable love

of our dear Father in heaven, who in giving us
His own beloved Son, granted us the greatest
and best of all blessings, a Saviour, and through
Him forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

Such a German Christmas-celebration around
the lighted Christmas-tree our picture shows us.
Here we see the family of the faithful Christian,
and amiable poet, Matthias Claudius (} 1815),
and his poet friends assembled, to celebrate
Christmas-eve. In the foreground we find, as it
ought to be, the happy faces of the poet’s chil-
dren who rejoice at the many beautiful presents
which the Christchild has brought them; while
Claudius, his friends, and the older members
of his family stand around the lighted tree, and
by their glad faces betray the joy of their heart.
For not only ‘out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings the Lord hath perfected praise” (Matth.
21, 16.), but ‘‘He shall also divide the spoil
with the strong’’ (Isa. 58, 12.). :

‘May the good Lord grant us also not only a
merry, but (what-is far better) a truly happy
and blessed Christmas! ~C.

Christmas Eve.

One afternoon in Christmas week, a clerk in
the Leipsic post-office, whose duty it was to
sort the letters, found a little epistle and put
it in the dead letter box. ‘The letter went the
usual way to the black cabinet, where serious
silent men are seated, endowed with power to
decide.upon the fate of packets unclaimed or
unaddressed. The letter bore the direction
“To Jesus Christ, at Leipsic,” and being
opened, read as follows: _

“Dear Holy Christ — Christmas is drawing
near, and as I full well know, Thou art now
going about and presenting children with bon
bons and‘nice little toys. O dear, holy Christ,
I wish Thou wouldst come to us. We are so
anxious to see Thee, and I more than my sister,
as I want a satchel to put my booksin. But
I believe that my sister Selma wants one also.
We should also like to have a pair of shoes,
each of us, as the weather is very bad. Tomy
brother Curt, please bring a boxful of tin
soldiers. He is ill and must not go out of the
room. But, above all, Thou shouldst look after
the health of my mamma, who is worse than
Curt, and can not move except on crutches.
Dear, holy Christ, I pray Thee do not forget
us. I live at Green street, Nr. 10, in the
Courtyard. Marie. Selma. Curt.”

The letter as appears from the signatures,
although written by the eldest sister, had after-
wards gained the approval of the younger
children, who attached their names in token
of assent. Some few days passed. At last it
was Christmas Eve. A knock came to the door
of the mother of the three little children, and
a gentleman with a lady entered, and put the
satchel, the shoes, and a great many other
things on the table. The Christmas tree was
Jighted and merriment filled the house. For
once, official secrecy had been violated, and the
dead letter, being shown to a charitable Sama-
ritan, caused more joy and gladness than pen
can describe.

> oe

A Christmas Incident.

One Christmas evening a gentleman was
strolling along a street in Toronto with no ob-
ject in view but to pass the time. His atten-
tion was attracted by the remark of a little girl
to a companion in front of a fruit stand, ‘I
wish I had an orange for ma.’” The gentle-
man saw that the children, though poorly
dressed, were clean and neat, and calling them
into a store he loaded them with fruit and can-
dies. ‘‘What’s your name?” asked one of
the girls. ‘‘ Why do you want to know?” said
the gentleman. “‘I want to pray for you,”?
was the reply. The gentleman turned to
leave, scarce daring to speak, when the little
one added: ‘‘ Well, it don’t matter, I suppose.
God will know you, anyhow.”

——s oer oe
True Christmas joy is joy in the Lord.