The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1915, Page 89

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

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PUBLISHED BY THE EvANGELICAL LuTHERAN SyNopIcaL ConFERENCE OF NorTH AMERICA.
REV. F. J. LANKENAU, EDITOR.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. XXXVII.

ST. LOUIS, MO., DECEMBER, 1915.

No. 12.

Rejoice!

Rejoice, all ye His people;

For Christ, your Lord, has come.
Rejoice in Him, your Savior;
Adore Him, every one.

Rejoice, all ye His children;

The Savior, promised long,

Comes down to earth with blessings:
Join all and praise with song.

He comes to bring salvation,
Of David’s seed is He;

In Him is our redemption,
He sets the captives free.

Rejoice now, O ye Gentiles;
The Savior comes for you.
His promises are certain;
He loves and saves you, too.
Rejoice, ye kings and beggars;
Let praises never cease.
To God on high be glory,
And to the earth be peace.
P. D. LEWMAN.

Tidings of Great Joy.

From heay’n above to carth [ come
To bear good news to ev’ry home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing.
To you this night is born a Child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;

This little Child, of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

This message fills our hearts with great and deep
exultation. With genuine happiness we stand be-
fore the manger at Christmas-time, ‘learning ever
anew that this little, lowly Infant, lying on a bed
of hay in a stable, in abject poverty, is the almighty

and merciful Son of God, who, though the Lord
of the realms of glory, assumed our flesh and blood,
and entered this earth of ours to rescue the poor
sinful world. The little Babe of Bethlehem is our
Savior! Through Him God and the sinners are
reconciled. By faith in Him, whose blood and
righteousness cleanses and gladdens us, we have
forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation; for where
there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and
salvation. Z

_ By reason of man’s sin earth has become an
abode of darkness, of sadness. Sin has caused the’
furious world war now raging in Europe, the in-
numerable diseases found on earth, the ‘ever in~
creasing number of suicides, divorces, labor troubles,
and thousand other evils which afflict nations ‘or’
individuals. And what is still worse, onaccount
of sin the whole human race, as it is by nature,
is under the curse of God, subject to eternal dam-
nation, and utterly unable to free itself from this
misery, this dismal night. But listen to St. Luke’s

‘Christmas-gospel: By night shepherds watched over

their flock in the fields near Bethlehem, when the
herald of the Lord came upon them, and the glory
of the Lord shone round about them. The angel,
however, proclaimed this message: “Behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all’
people. For unto you is born this day, in the’city
of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
With the smoke that rises merrily from the
chimneys of our houses, telling of roast goose, pies,
and other good things to eat; with Christmas-
trees, holly wreaths, and holiday presents, we can-
not effectively drive away the sadness which dwells”
in the heart of man. God’s temporal gifts are cer-
tainly delightful proofs of His loving-kindness; as”
such they should be gratefully acknowledged and

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