The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 93

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

Fear Not!

Fear not!) The Christmas message comes,
Good tidings of great joy!

It brings to you and all the world

A gift none can destroy.

For you is born in Bethlehem

A little helpless Babe,

The Christ, your Lord, your Savior, King.
Ife comes the world to save.

eee

A Sailor's Christmas Gift.

A Norwegian sailor, who had left his home
twenty-one years ago and had not written to his
mother for sixteen years, strolled through the streets
of a city on the coast of Wales one Christmas morn-
ing. He came to a church, and the singing moved
him to enter. At the close of the service the pastor
announced that on the next day a festival service
for sailors would be held, and presents would be
distributed. le invited all to come.

At the appointed hour the wandering sailor
came with many others. Ie was given a slip of
paper bearing the number 400. On presenting this
number, he received a woolen shawl as a Christmas
gift. He did not care much for the present, but
before going to bed in the evening, he examined the
shawl more closely and found a letter’ fastened to
it with the address: “For the sailor who receives
this present.”

Ie opened .the letter and read the Christmas
greetings of her who had knitted and presented the
shawl. She also wrote: “I am seventy years old,
have three sons at sea, of whom the youngest has
not written to me for sixteen years. I know nothing
of him.” :

The sailor looked at the name signed to the
letter, and, to his great surprise, it was the name of
his mother.

He got his wages, and left for home on the next
steamer to bring joy to the heart of his mother, and
to make New Year’s Day a happy and blessed day
in his Norway home. :

“How wonderful are God’s ways!” adds the pas-
tor who relates the story. “Almost a thousand
presents had been donated and distributed on that
Christmas Day; yet that sailor received the one
appointed for him. His mother surely was a pray-
ing mother, and God heard her prayers.”

ee

Ture Law of the Lord is right, and the way of
the transgressor is hard.

Uncle Bob’s New Orleans Letter.

Dear Pronger: —

“Uncle Bob, have you been to Luther Conference
at Mount Zion?”

“Look here, sonny, Uncle Bob is going to report
about it now, and if you'll sit down yonder quietly,
lil tell you all about it.” So, here we go!

Wednesday night, 8 p. a1., October 30, all our
congregations met in joint service at Mount Zion.
While the audience was large, yet there was room
for more. Field Secretary Bakke was the preacher
of the evening. With an experience of many years
to make him extremely practical, and an earnest-
ness that you can feel, it is superfluous to say that
he knows how to drive his words home. His sermon
was based on Rey. 2, 4. 5: “Nevertheless I have
somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy
first love,” ete. In applying these words, Rev. Bakke
showed how great our love was for the Lord’s work
and cause in the earlier years. But since we have
been overshowered with bountiful blessings, we have
grown cold and indifferent. There is a solemn
warning in the fifth verse, which says that if we
repent not, the Lord will remove the candlestick
from our midst. Then up, Christian people, let
us repent and return to our first love and do the
first works! How shall we do this? Let us and our
families be diligent in coming to the Lord’s house,
to Holy Communion; let the Word of God also
dwell richly in the home, that is, we should have
family devotion. Let us bring the sacrifices as of
old, cheerfully and liberally, so that all the needs
of our mission may be met. Let nothing keep us
away from congregational meetings! In the be-
ginning our love was warm, fervent, and intense,
and no sacrifice was too great for us. Then back
to that first love! Let us repent and do the first
works again!

Thursday, Reformation Day, October 31, Con-
ference began its sessions. Rev. G. M. Kramer
occupied the chair. The session was opened with
Hymn 111: “Come, Holy Spirit,” Scripture les-
son, and an address by the Chair. And such an
address! Listen! More than a million Lutherans
are behind us, but as much depends on us as on
those behind us; yes, more on us, indeed! Have
we always cbeyed the marching orders of our
Savior? Have we always had the confidence in
our work which we should have had? We should
be a flame, a fire, inspired by the Spirit from on
high. We should have an absorbing, passionate de-