The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1892, Page 47

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

AT

A Christmas Day in Nancy’s Cabin.

Old Nancy was a poor colored woman and
lived in a cabin on an alley, all alone, without
chick or child, kith or kin. Her home, though
poor and small, was always neat and tidy,
and from what she earned many a dollar was
given to the mission work of the Church. She
was an honest, Christian woman, full of joy
and faith in her Saviour, and therefore the
wealthy judge, at whose house she often found
work to do, respected her very highly.

At last Old Nancy was taken sick, and for
many weary months before her death she was
helpless, alone and bed-ridden. During this
time the judge’s ample table had sent its full
share to the comforts of the poor woman,
and when the merry Christmas day came, the
Christmas cheers and joys made the judge
think of the loneliness of poor Nancy’s cabin.
So, taking a well-filled basket, he started on
his way to visit the sick woman. As he entered
the poor, lonely cabin, he thought of his own

beautiful mansion, where the voices of merry

children and of music made all cheerful and
happy on that Christmas day.
himself on the stool at the side of the poor

woman’s cot, he said in words of sympathy,—
-“Tt must be hard for you, Nancy, to be shut

up here alone so many days and weeks?’’

‘Oh, no! thank God! massa judge, the good
I’se happy

Lord keeps me from feelin’ bad.
now as ever IJ was in all my days.’’

“But, Nancy, lying here from morning till
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night and from night till morning, all alone,

and racked with pain, dependent upon others
for every thing, do you not get tired and down-

hearted, and think your lot a hard one to bear?”’
“Well, I’se ’pendent on others, dat’s sure,

’deed I is; an’ I was allers used to have some-
thing to give to de poor, an’ to de missionary

too, an’ to de minister. But, den, I’se no

poorer dan my good Lord was when He came
to dis world. You know, He was laid as a poor

child on straw an’ hay in amiseble stable. I’se
bery happy when I think of dese Christmas
tings.”’

‘But, Nancy, you are all alone here?’

‘*Yes, massa, I’se all alone, dat’s true; but

den Jesus is here, too, all de time. I’m neb-
ber alone, nohow; and He’s good company.”’

“But, Nancy, how do you feel when you
think about death? What if you should die
here all alone some night?’’

‘-O massa judge! I’spect so. I’spect noth-
ing else but jis’ to go off all alone here some
night, as you say, or some day; but it’s all

" one, night or day, to poor Nancy. And den,
massa, I ’spec’ I’ll not go all alone, after all,
for Jesus says in de blessed book, ‘I’ll come
an’ take you to myself, dat where I am, dar
you may be also’: an’ I believe Him. I’se
not afraid to die alone.”’

“But, Nancy, sometimes when J think of
dying, Jam filled with trouble. I think how
‘bad Iam. Are you not afraid to die and go
into the presence of a holy God?’’

‘as de New Jerusalem is?

And seating

‘‘Oh, no! massa, ’deed I’se not.’’

““Why not, Nancy ?’’

‘*O massa! the debbil made me think of my
sins dis mornin’; an’ I thought how can such
a sinner as I is ebber go into such a holy place
An’-I was miseble.
But den, when the Christmas bells were ringin’
I jis’ thought of the sweet Christmas story.
You know, when the Saviour was born, -the
angel said to de poor shepherds in the field dat
dis Saviour belongs to dem an’ to all de folks.
So He is my Saviour, ’deed, sure, He is poor
Nancy’s Saviour. He says in de blessed book
dat His blood washes away all my sins. An’
I believe Him, ’deed I do. So I find rest for
my poor soul inwJesus. I know now He has
made me all ready, pure an’ white for de New
Jerusalem above. An’ now I love to think
about de time when I shall come to ’pear befo’
de Father’s throne, wid Him in glory, all
starry, spangly white.’’

For a moment the judge sat in silence, ad-
miring the power of God’s grace. Then he
said, ‘‘Well, Nancy, one thing more let me ask
you: do you not still complain?”

“Complain? Oh! now, massa judge, com-
plain, do you say, massa? Why, massa, who
should such a one as I is complain ob? The
Good Lord, He knows best what’s best for
poor Nancy! His will be done! It mus’ all
turn out for my own good. He sent His own
Son to be my Saviour. An’ so I know He
loves me wid an’ ebberlastin’ love.

The judge bowed his head in silence a mo-
ment, and then rose and bade Nancy good-
bye. All the way home through the Christ-
mas snow he kept thinking of the poor colored
woman, so helpless, bed-ridden, miserable in
body and yet so happy as a child of God!
“There is a power in God’s Word which I
never felt,’’ said he, as he came home and
sat down to read the sweet Christmas story in
the Bible. And the judge never forgot that
Christms day in Old Nancy’s cabin. No! It
was to him the beginning of a new life.

Old Nancy lingered but a very short time.
When the new year came, she had gone to her
glorious Saviour in heaven, in whose finished
work of redemption she trusted so fully upon
earth.

the temptation of such a season; for there is
more sin committed at Christmas in a few days,
than in many weeks at other times. Sucha
carnal joy brings ruin to the souls of men.

Let us rather go to Bethlehem: let us, like
Mary, ‘‘ponder these things in our hearts.’’
No sooner did the shepherds hear of the Say-
iour’s birth, than they ran to see Him. Let
us also say, ‘‘We would see Jesus.’’ And
where shall we see Him but in His word which
is preached in the Church of God? If we go
there to see Him, we shall find that the Church
of God is still in Bethlehem, ‘‘a house of
bread.’’ God will feed our souls with ‘‘the
bread which came down from heaven, and
which endureth to eternal life.’’ Then we will
experience true Christmas joy, and the Christ-
mas season will be a season of true gladness
and happiness to our souls.—WSelected.

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“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 himself 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 for
me? My dear friend, if you will say it is not
for me, to whom, then, does it 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 be-
come man for the sake of us poor, sinful, lost
men, He would not be called our Saviour.
Now see, what are you? WhatamI? Are
we not allmen? 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 becomes 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. —

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Great Honor.

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True Christmas Joy.

If the ends of Christ’s birth be answered in
our own experience, we have abundant cause
for joy. But then it will not be the vain,
frothy, carnal joy of the world. The manner
in which some pretend to célebrate the birth
of Christ at the season called Christmas, is a
disgrace to a Christian. They contradict, as
much as possible, the design of His coming.
He came ‘‘to destroy the works of the devil ;”’
they try to keep them up. What have cards,
worldly dancing, gluttony and drunkenness,
to do with the birth of Jesus? He came to
saye men from their sins, not to keep them in
their sins. O let young people guard against

We should well learn and earnestly consider
what honor was conferred upon us, in that
Christ, the Son of God, became man. For it
is such an honor, that if one were an angel,
he might wish he were a man, in order that he
might boast: My flesh and blood are exalted
above all angels. Wherefore we men ought
truly to count ourselves blessed. God grant
that we may understand it, take it to heart,
and thank Him for it.—Zuther.