The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1893, Page 47

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_ service on the New Zealand

"The

Lutheran Pioneer.

AT

A few years went by, and now it is Christ-|

mas Day and Sunday, both in one—just as
we had it last year, but this was long ago.

A vessel was lying at anchor near the shore |

on acalm and sunny sea; for it was not like

our Christmas, remember, one of frost and)

snow. Though there was no church building,
there were preparations for a service. A piece
of ground had been enclosed with a rough
fence, and in the middle were a reading-desk
and a pulpit, both made out of a canoe, and
covered quite properly with black cloth. From
the hill behind the English
flag was flying. What could
it all mean?

It meant that here in
New Zealand, a Jand of can-
nibals, God was to be wor-
shiped, the Saviour of Beth-
lehem was to be preached.
It was the first time, and
this was the beginning of
Mr. Marsden’s mission. He
had just landed for the ser-
vice, but who could had
got it all so nicely ready
for him?

It was our old friend
Duaterra. He had not gone
back to his own land for
nothing. He had done all
he could to prepare for the
dear friend who had been
so kind to him, and he
wanted him to teach the
savage natives just as he
had taught him.

Now, on this never-to-be-
forgotten Christmas Day,
in the year 1815, a Christian
missionary held a Christmas

shore. The sound of

Christian hymn floated
across the plain. The mes-
sage of the day, ‘‘I bring
you good tidings of great
joy,’’ which we on every
Christmas Day hear in our
churches, was on that day
heard for the first time in
New Sealand. -

And they were cannibals who sat there and
listened; fierce and cruel men whose hands
were steeped in blood. Duaterra interpreted,
and they were all as quiet as lambs. Nobody
before had talked to them of a Saviour’s birth,
of peace and good will to men.

The lamp that was lighted that Christmas
Day never went- out. The seed that was
planted then has grown into a large tree. Af-
ter many years New Zealand is now a Chris-
tian country. The voice of prayer and praise
is heard throughout the land. Mr. Marsden,
helped by Duaterra, began the work, but it is

a

- God’s grace which has done it all.

—~> 0 0

A Christmas Gift.

It was a cold Christmas eve when a little
boy, eight years of age, entered his pastor’s |
study, his clothes covered with snow.

‘““My dear pastor,’’ said the boy, laying}
twelve pennies upon the table, ‘I want to give |
something for the poor heathen children; will

oy

you please soon send it to them? |

The pastor knew the little boy. He was |
the child of a very poor, but pious washer- |

The boy shook his head.

‘Has your mother or some one else already
given you a Christmas present?’’

The boy again shook his head.

“‘Well,’’? said the pastor, ‘‘do you really
want to send your money far away to heathen
children, whom you do not know? Or will
you take it back and use it for yourself ?’’

The boy was silent for 2 few moments and
then replied, ‘‘Dear pastor, my mother told
me that we in our poverty received a beauti-
ful present on Christmas Day; for to us Jesus
is given as a Saviour, but

the poor heathen children

have nothing at all. And

so we Christian children

must help that the Lord

Jesus is brought to them

also.”’

The pastor was deeply

moved. He kindly shook

“I. bring you good tidings of great joy.”

woman, who found it very hard to bring up
her children with the little she earned.

‘tWhy, my child,’’ said the pastor, ‘‘where
did you get this money? Has your mother
given it to you?”

‘“No, sir,’’ said the boy, ‘‘my mother is
poor. I have earned the money myself.’’

‘‘And how did you earn it?’’ asked the
pastor.

“*T collected the bones which I found lying
about, and sold them in a factory, where I got
one penny fora basketful and sometimes two,”’
was the boy’s reply. m

‘*But would you not rather, on this Christ-
mas eve, buy yourself a cake or something else
for the twelve pennies?’”’ asked the pastor.

the boy’s hand and wished
him God’s richest blessing
for his missionary gift. The
boy looked quite happy and
with a smiling face returned
to his mother’s humble
dwelling.

Christmas Day can not
be celebrated more worthily
by Christians than by giving
a Christmas gift to our mis-
sionary treasury as an ex-
pression of love to Him who ©
came into the world as our
Saviour. At His birth the
good tidings were brought
to men by an angel from
heayen, but it is not our
Lord’s will that angels
should make known these
tidings for all time. He
says to the Christians, ‘‘Go
ye into all the world and
preach the Gospel to every

- creature.’’ Christians are
to see to it that the Gospel
tidings are brought to those
that know them not, so that
they also may come to faith
and joy in their Saviour.

Let us, therefore, not forget our mission

treasury in our distribution of Christmas
gifts. And if the times are hard and money
is scarce and we are tempted to withhold our
gift from the mission treasury, then let us
think of the little boy who would rather send

his twelve pennies to the heathen than buy a

Christmas gift for himself. Mission work is

-God’s work, and God’s work must not be

allowed to suffer.

——_ + oe ee

Ir is a shame for a rich Christian man to be
like a Christmas-box that receives all and
nothing can be got out till it is broken HD
pieces.