The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1918, Page 90

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in this way that He, as our Substitute, could take
upon Himself the burden of our sins and bear our
punishment upon the accursed wood of the cross.
Oh, therefore, what great condescension and bound-
less love is expressed in these words, “Child” and
“born” !

“nnto us,” or, as the angel tells the shepherds,
“anto you.” ‘This Child is born for us, for us poor
sinners, for all poor sinners, for the whole world.
There are no restrictions put upon this word “us”;
it includes “all people,” as the angel declared. If
you are a sinner, if you belong to “all people,” if
you are in the world, then this Child, this Savior,
is born unto you and for you. Your sins may
exceed in number the hairs on your head, this new-
born Child has come to take them all away; your
guilt may equal that of Judas, this Child is born
to remove all your guilty stains and make you wholly
clean. ‘This Child is, indeed, He that has come
to save sinners, all sinners, from all their sins.
Dear friend, this you should believe with your

whole heart. Fearlessly go to Him, and He will
free you from every burden and every grief; He.
will turn sorrow into joy and help you also to sing:

My heart for very joy doth leap,

My lips no more will silence keep;

I, too, must sing with joyful tongue

That sweetest ancient cradle song:

Glory to God in highest heav'n,

Who unto us-His Son hath giv’n!

Now peace shall reign on earth again,

Since God shows His good will to men.

F.J.L.

For Our Sakes He Became Poor.

If one of the princes of this world steps out
at a depot, cheers are heard on every side, the bands
play, and the flags wave. But when the greatest
Prince the world ever saw arrived, not a torch flared,
not a trumpet blew, not a plume fluttered. All
the music and welcoming was overhead, while this
earth opened for Him nothing better than a barn-
door!

Some years ago the Rajah of Cashmere sent to
Queen Victoria a bedstead of carved gold that is
said to have cost no less than $750,000. But for
the Prince of Glory this earth had only a manger
with coarse hay and straw.

_ I have somewhere read that the crown jewels of
“ad __ the kings of England, which are kept in the Tower

The Lutheran Pioneer. 7 =

But I want you also not to overlook the words .

of London, are worth fifteen million dollars. But
the King of kings had not even where to lay His
head when He came down to earth.

To know how poor He was, ask Mary and Joseph,
ask the shepherds, ask the Wise Men of the East,
who later came to visit Him. How great must have
been the love of our Savior to be willing to enter
upon all this poverty for our sake! What great
deprivation He underwent to make us rich! But
Christ’s wretchedness brings us glory, Tis poverty
procures us riches, His need brings to us perfect
satisfaction. And if you, dear reader, will accept |
this Jesus as your Savior, His dark stable will glow
in heavenly splendor, His hard bed in the manger
will become a perfect resting-place for your soul,
His swaddling-clothes will be more beautiful to you
than royal purple, and His coarse hay and straw
will seem more precious to you than all the treas-
ures of this earth.

We are rich, for He was poor; |
Ts not this a wonder?

Therefore praise God evermore, |
Here on earth and yonder.

F.J.1.

Praise God, the War Is at an End!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures, here below; ‘
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host: f
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Germany has yielded to the demands of the
Allies. Austria has signed terms of armistice
practically equaling an unconditional surrender.
Turkey has laid down arms, and Bulgaria has been
out of the war’for some time. The dark valley
of the shadow lies behind, and we are once more
enjoying God’s sweet atmosphere. of peace. We
surely have great reason to rejoice. No wonder
that, when the news of Germany’s acceptance of
our terms of armistice was flashed over the wires
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, there was a tumult
of joy throughout the length and breadth of our
country. Good reason for joy; for the Lord God
Almighty had made war to cease to the end of :
the earth. But in the ecstasy of our joy let us *
not forget that the praise belongs to God, that His
is the glory. Let us not make the great mistake
of giving the credit for the victory to ourselves.
Let us not fall into the sin of Nebuchadnezzar of
old, and in the pride of our heart forget the Lord,
thus invoking upon us the wrath of the Almighty.