The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1907, Page 36

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36

Go to Church.

It was a cold, bleak November evening. The
evening meal over, husband and wife made them-
selves comfortable before the crackling fire in the
old-fashioned fireplace.

“So our pastor is coming this evening?” he
asked.

“That is what he said in the note which arrived
this morning. But the weather being so disagree-
able perhaps he will stay at home.”

“Well, if he comes we must be prepared for a
good, sound scolding on account of our frequent
absence from church services.”

“That is right,” said she, “but we must admit
that we deserve a reprimand; I believe that in the

The Lutheran Pioneer.

look. He answered the look by saying, “Pastor,
you need not say a single word; we’ll be there next
Sunday and, if possible, every Sunday thereafter.”

He understood.

Do you understand ?

The fireplace is God’s house. The fire burning
there is the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
“which is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom.
1,16). The coals are our hearts — yours and mine.

As long as we truly keep our hearts in the heat
and glow of this Word, which dwells and is preached
in His house, so long our hearts will be warm and
light with the faith and love of God and Jesus. But
remain away from church services, from preaching
and His Word, and you will be removing your heart
from this sacred “fire.” The result? Your heart

Boys of Immanuel

last six months we have been to church not oftener
than once in three weeks, and you know that we
used to go every Sunday.”

-“True,” said he, “but we are just as good as
some people who go to church every Sunday twice,
and I am going to make it clear to our pastor, too,
when he comes.”

Just then the door-bell rang.

It was the pastor. i

After a cordial greeting, and without another
word, he went straight up to the fireplace, and with
the tongs removed a live coal from off the fire and
placed it on the hearth, then stepped back and
silently watched it.

“How strangely he acts,” said the husband to
‘himself. But he also stood by and watched the coal
while it slowly turned from the red glow of heat to
‘a cold, black mass. Then the minister turned his
eyes upon this member of his flock with an inquiring

College at Work.

will become colder and colder in its faith and love
of Jesus and His Word. And the longer you remain
away the colder the heart becomes, until, finally, it
turns into a bleak, “black mass” of utter indifference
toward God, His worship, His Word. The heat and
glow of the old faith and love are gone.

Do you understand ?

Will you say, “I’ll be there next Sunday, and,
God willing, every Sunday thereafter” ? — Selected.

oo >—_—__—_

A Great Treasure.

The mother of Ziegenbalg, the great Lutheran
missionary, was a pious, God-fearing woman. She
died when her boy was six years old, and the cir-
cumstances connected with her death were graven
indelibly on the boy’s memory.

Around the bedside in the darkened room were