The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1911, Page 90

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90

In the Gospel the wonderful and joyful Christ-
mas tidings of the Savior’s birth still come to us;
for these tidings are “unto all people,” as surely as
the Savior whose birth they make known is the
Savior, not of a select few only, but of all men,
God’s gift of love to the whole world of sinners,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. He that accepts these
‘tidings as God’s own word, and clings to the Savior
whom they bring, will have a blessed Christmas.

Be he the chief of sinners, by faith in his Savior
he has forgiveness of all sins and everlasting sal-
vation. Of the Savior born at Bethlehem the Apostle
Paul says: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief,’
1 Tim. 1, 15.

Be he in great trouble and in bitter sorrow, in
his Savior he has the Comfort of all the sorrowing
and the Consolation of all the weeping. The Savior
born at Bethlehem is He who is come “to comfort
all that mourn, to give unto them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness,” Is. 21, 2. 3. He is the
Good Shepherd whose rod and staff comfort the
believer, and who will be with him in the valley of
the shadow of death.

Surely, he that accepts in true faith the Christ-
mas message and trusts in the Christ-child as his
Savior, will enjoy a blessed Christmas. His heart
will be filled with the true Christmas joy, the joy
of faith, and he will be moved to make known to
others the glad tidings of salvation.

We wish all our readers ,a blessed Christmas.

Comfort from the Christ-Child.

A woman who was sorely troubled about her sins
could for a long time find no comfort. When she
thought of the Judgment Day, she said to herself:
“My sins are more than the sand on the seashore;
how can I stand before the all-knowing Judge?”
When she thought of Paradise, her heart said:
“That is no place for you, for ‘without are dogs.’ ”
(Rev. 22, 15.) When she recalled the sufferings of
Christ, she was troubled with the sad thought:
“You have deprived yourself of all this; you have
_ trodden under foot the blood of Christ.”

In her great distress the poor woman one Christ-
mas Day attended church. There she heard the
old, but ever new Christmas story of the Christ-
child born at Bethlehem for the salvation of sin-
ners. By the grace of God the glad tidings were

‘The Lutheran (Pioneer!

— ee
— en ——___

carried home to her heart, and thinking of the Babe
in the manger, her heart prayed earnestly: “Tittle
children cannot keep anger; O Lord Jesus, turn
Thy righteous wrath from me, the poor sinner!
Little children are easily moved to give; O dearest
Child Jesus, grant me forgiveness of sin that I may
be eternally saved!” Her heart then became con-
tent. Trusting in the Christmas tidings that the
Christ-child born‘at Bethlehem was also her Savior,
she found rest and peace. Having obtained mercy,
she could in true faith say with the apostle: “This
is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin-
ners, of whom I am chief,’ 1 Tim. 1, 15.

-»eom

Opening the Door.

A pastor of a large city church writes: —

A man almost eighty years old walks nearly two
miles to our service every Sunday and every Wed-
nesday night. He keeps house for himself in a little
room, the church adding what is needed to the small
sum that he earns weekly. After the Wednesday
evening service of a Christmas week, he lingered,
and coming to me, timidly said, “I have not a coal
in my room, and I have not a cent. It is very cold.
Could you help me?”

As I hesitated 1 moment, he added: “I could
get along myself, for I have good warm clothing;
but there is a lady and a little child in the next
room. They have nothing; and if I have a warm
fire, I open the door and let the heat go into their
room. The child has been very sick.”

This went to my heart, as I said to myself: Is
not this the very spirit of Christmas? Was not the
coming of the Christ-child the opening of the door
of heaven that heavenly joy and blessings may come
into this world of sorrow and sin? And are not all
our mission efforts like the act of this aged servant
of God? Christians, cheered and blessed by the
everlasting Gospel, are in their mission work open-
ing the door, that those who sit in darkness may
share the light that fills Christian homes and hearts.

As the old man left the church, happy because
a basket of coal was coming in his little room, I
went home thinking, if an aged man without a cent
in the'world is ready to use the one blessing he
possesses — warm room —to make happy other
lives, how many doors ought we to open to let the
bounties that God has showered upon us flow into
homes of the needy? And especially, how active
ought we be in bringing to others the saving Gospel !

Are you opening doors for the help of others?