12 WHITE ROCK SUN THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1959 Pee A Christmas message by Rev. A. R. Laing - FIRST UNITED CH! Dear Friends, | Through the kindness of the Editor of the “White Rock Sun” | I am only too pleased to bring a message to everyone in our town this Christmas. Let me first wish the Editor, and the staff, of the paper, every good wish for Christmas, and thank them once again for their con- tinued fine efforts throughout another year. Perhaps it Js the Parson who knows best of | all the trials of a newspaper publisher, because he knows just how impossible it is to please everyone, and to know that you just can’t please ali the people all the time. In fact, Mr. Editor, you know that you can’t please some of the people any time, so take heart at Christmas all of you on the staff and go on doing your best, there are those of us who ap- preciate it There was one great event that did bring joy to every- one, and that was the sreat event of God's gift of His Son to the world. Christmas as we know it today is the result of many customs throughout long years of history coming togeth- er in one great celebration What is central to all the events of this time of year is the fact that God sent His love of mankind through a lovely little child. In the Gospel of Mark it puts it this way - “And he took a little child, and set | kim in the midst of them.” (9:36). Yes, I know his verse does not come from the Christ- mas story, but it what the/ Christmas story is all about as} far as mankind is concerned t is with real feeling of love we gather round any new born child.) Here is a Divine gifi. no matter what disappo ments we have lived through, | the child wakes us from tie slumber of the soul, from the lethargy of custom, and takes us back again to dream of bopes and longings long for- Botten. In the Babe of Bethle- hem God has set a child in the midst of mankind, and challeng- | ed us by it. Unless we come to Him in the simple honest faith | oi men and women who really want to haye a strength in life | live by, and throw aside all insincerity, we will never be able to enter into the King- dom of His purpose, and enjoy ibe fruits of His love. H The Eternal child, like all children came seeking for love. A child, it is said, is ready te take all or any love. A child’s love is the old immeasurable love, deep as the sea, and a spring of inexhaustibe riches. Someone has said that a child ceases to be a child when it knows there are strangers) around. I can’t help wonder-| ing if that is not a parable for | us all. | The fact that the Christ child| is just not there for so many| because they are “strangers” | fo the truth of God in His midst. No one has to be like| that at Christmas if they don't want to be, We can all take| that walk down from the hills round Bethlehem to stoop low #5 we step into’ the stable where the Christ child rests in the crook of Mary's arms There we can look, and won- der at dhe loye of God over flowing to everyone who has the faith to gather round Him who camé down at Christmas, and grew up in the strength and purpose of God to give Himself on the Cross for us aii. One last thought - When the wise men went to look for Christ, they first went to a King’s Palace, but they soon learned wasn’t there. They had to find their way to a more humble dwelling to 1 down worship Him. ere were also many Phillipians °:5.8 we are told|‘or those who accept the salva ‘more in those days who looke? Minister URCH, White Reck hrisunas by Rev, 5. A. Car WHITE ROCK Oh, so you have just ow picked up the White Rock Sur to see what the Minister's Christmas Messages may be _| Would you let me by Rev. E. Pitt CHURCH OF THE H C. K. Chesterton used to s that truth is when touched novelty. We only sec g clearly r the fir rerceived when we se This is ow bout Chi me thinks th they easily miss the wonde of its meaning first time, What do you sec for a Saviour and a King t0 Soe first, its pathos. Here i come and lead them forth from|, young mother, who has trav slavery to freedom and victory, | cijed scores of miles from he! but they had to look to a Cross ome, over rough stony hil en a Hill outside a city wall (ean = to find the real Saviour. after months of mi the love of God is found in the (r’ the occupying unexpected time. Let us all jy a ‘thay, once more try looking for,our “TE or cat God’s purpose for mankind, not What; else do” you see? ot in the high and mighty place: of the earth, but in the quie worship of His house, the sil- ent devotions of our own hearts turned towards Him who is everlasting~ love. May you all have a happy and a blessed Christmas, but f for some reason your heart be Seed ile one nora towering member it was who said | de: My peace I leave with you g Pyst cryin FOO Meee God bless you all , Nine months before, and wil directness tha before Mary tleness and she was to bear a Son = he own Baby Child, and yet h majesty, that in ine. Yours most sincerely, (Rev.) Alfred R. Laing, be Minister, | First United Church | White Rock. i ive unto Him the throne 0 dis father David therefor ‘Let us come to Him this Christmas tise Time and receive His salvation’ with the nerve know the story so well na’ r _____| Look at the story for the S ‘understanding and cruel gos The message surely is that <5, forced by @ heartless law power to unexpected place, and.at the travel just when she is expect- . the doctrine behind the story. Gabriel the angel of God, had stood jpe born of thee shall be called | 5} h a geN- the Son of God.” must have both startled and comforted here, told. her that was to have names of such) jac} words, this tiny Babe was to be Div- He shall be great, and shall alled the Son of the High-{quest of space open up to us no needs? and the Lord God shall|the growing illimitability by your fireside an vou for a moment or two abou! the most historic event ? Did you say, you don’t \like history? Well, that is just la way of saying that these Griffiths - Rector |things actually happened, aa i is, they are not legends © ee ee E tales told and retold down irough the ages. Yes, th really happened and for a specific purpose ‘purpose that should m: ke lifference at every firesi nly at Christmas time evening the whole year h, as we gather around he hearth as families or with visitors Now, you wonder "What sig- nificance should it make?” Didn't you know that the mes- sage of the angels was “Peace on earth, good will toward men,” not only to the mem- bers of our families, a few chosen friends, the members of my particular group, sect, pol- itical persuasion, or color 0! race? In India the Christ Child is depicted as a brown child, not white. We think of Him as white but other races share our Christ and we are not so ter- rifieally small, particularly at ristmas time, that we insist on them having a white Christ Here was the answer to al! Child If our mentality is big mankind’s. desperate search tor enough there is room for a dif- No longer need we lift ee colori for every race. By 5 his act of graciousness our tonging’ eyes and hands to the |own Christmas takes on greater arkness of the ui} | significance 4 proachable night sky. We cai! Now, let's change the sub- kneel in the straw of the Bet ject. Come to think of it, did The. var andiiccalGod ou try to help your neighbors chem manger, an OLGOUs arta hibeati veer ocyGhniat In these days, when the con-' mas? Oh, your neighbors have That is wonderful of But, let us give it a little more f\the heavens, and the majesty |ought, e Fi Didn’ Christ infer that any of the Divine Creator, the individual in need ought to be 1 e siso that holy thing which s! + God C The shadow of Calvary over the Cradle of Bethlehem by Pastor W. O, Nickel EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH, White Rock How is it, that nowhere in|“Who, being in the form 0 the Bible we find a suggestion God, though it not a thing to|Suddenly the that we celebrate Christmas? |be grasped after, and clung to, | awa Christian doctrine of God, come | considered a neighbor? And down to us, is even more prec-|I wonder if He did not include ious than before. jsetetuial and mental needs as What else do you see? Sve|well at material needs. Did sit down | id chat with | A Christmas visit Ison - Minister BAPTIST CHURCH | | you say that you didn’t have anything to give? Oh! No spiritual and mental-gifts to share, and you don’t want to share the material things you ave? I hope that is not the \case, for then you must be very poor. No spiritual or mental gifts and no “want to” for sharing the material things. I feel sorry for you in your pov- erty. Did you know that the Christ, Whose birt we are about to commemorate, car supply all these things to you? So that you can share with all your neighbors; and the more you give away the more you have left for yourself. sounds miraculous; well, it is, and so was His. birth. Well folks, I must be on my way now. By the way, I wish I could visit every home in White Rock on Christmas Eve, just like jolly old Saint Nich- olas does. And come to think of it, if you get the drift of what I have said, I will be at your house with every good with for a very blessed Christ- mas. Thanks for the opportunity to visit with you at your fire side in this beautiful setting of your Christmas symbols. Merry Christmas and Good Night ihe message within the doc | trine. It was clear and coi around them. darkness feil more tightly Jshewar ‘at sce Christmas present that y, and the brightness of sat ity ‘do me look ih vain {to be equal with God, but made|God’s glory made the shad: wen! aroun @ wor a > find one instance where the |imself of no reputation, and Apostles, or the early Christ-|to0k upon Him the form of a jon |servant, and was made in the|the grou ans made a special occ of the birthday of Christ? Why |lkeness of men: And is it, that, not only once a year, : but once every week they did |humbled Himself, and 1 gather, to comememorate Christ's death and resurrection in a very special way? ci death of the Cross ” Is it therefore not self-ex: planatory why the simplicity and beauty of the commemora- | . lion of Ghrist’s birth should be|® Manger” is ulter folly, UM 30 corrupted by perversion of |“ame into the BG HOES ruth, and uriholy celebration? deem” ,, “To give His life Mien beliewe in, and celebrate | he birth of Christ, who reject | ind deny the attoning death} 4 Christ Knowing full well, the torture | low to and agony that lay a few hours|We read, “Fo away, Christ praye | 6 my soul troubled shall I say? Father, from this hour: 80 | Bethlehem. “Now jas the children are partaker: and what jof fle: save me!flimself likewise took part o: But for this ¢ | ohn 12:27) | The Apostle Paul declared, | Devi \This is a faithful saying, and |thr ‘worthy of all acce; Christ Jesus came into the age. world to save sinners,” ({ Tim- othy 1:15) “But when the ful-|of Calvary ove the ¢ ness of the time was come, God | Bethlehom This (ilebrews 214,15) “oman, made under the law, to| peace, in -edeem." (Galations 4:4) “For|many others, our Lord Jes even the son of man came - to|Christ, who cpme into the |said “Hina that cometh t> Me. “ive His life a ransom for|world ied, rose again, and 4 sony.” (Mark 10:45) the King ever glorious, being they were bowed on __ their found in fashion as a man, He ame | God obedient unto death, even the | me: ly, the shadow of Calvary was over the cradle of /cl's message to the shepherds: |ive in To honor “merely a babe in|(s born this day a! ‘The birth of Jesus is an his-/Christmas present all to som;” To be the Divine|torie fact. The doctrine be-|self, and have it Substitute; ‘To take our sins |hind the upon Himself; and bear the}broken into His punishment of them, at ihe|moment of hist same time, dealing the death |place in geography the enemy of our souls, |place should be so remote, and bedroom upst 1s much then|no time so distant and compli. Mas night sh and blood, He also 8 the same, that through death |is thal we ean find God, if only wonderful ne Junto this hour" |tie might destroy him that had the powor of death, that is, the end that when He died on the of lit i fi E « tle children. w: , and deliver them who |( at yO ah fear of death were all |world, so that there might be wonderfu a i ptation, that their lifetime sublect to honds\at the Ci anata Thank God for the shadow! ‘ory speaks of “a adie of |hich is Christ the Lare with /us vane to Him ows from the trees stretch like black fingers from id behind them And by Rev. A. R. knees before the angel of It was the promise of a very Again, as with Gabriel's famous man to his little daugh |message to Mary, there was|tcr which was to give to the jthe comfort of God, and the} world one of our greatest Car simplicity of truth, in the ang-| ols ago on Christmas John Byrom. sat for unto you|down at his desk to fulfill a in the City|promise he had made to his «lof David a Saviour, Which is|young daughter, Dorothy, Tt IChrist the the Lord.” Was to give her a very special “Fear not , her i i ready for fact is that God has'Christmas morning. It was to world in a/write her a poem for her very and in @jown for Christmas, so as the so that no little girl went to sleep in her irs that Christ Byrom sat quietly sjeated, for men not to know al his desk writing. ; God has come to them Byror at | m no ered | ama hrenee or Lite. doen t 0 doubt wondered | ‘ s doctrine |how he would best express the | joy whieh came we can find our way to Jesus, | down at Christmas, and thane + 5 aking ross, He bore the sins of the | Christmas morning to hsetnoa No doubt the TOWER URE tmas}the great gift of God's son to four, the world, and how everyone and | with any understanding ot| 1 a meeting place | year. }for sinners, The Chr i Christmas, }80 finds its fulfillment in the | God’s love sent for His son, made of alwhy not find real joy and |Murter messaue © at all should awake worshinsing. with He Who came |to the wenderful I deyn from Heaven alone ecan|hope and peace rarer i us vp ‘o Heaven, Jesus brings to all men. ni ts theme came t } oO | will 1p no way cast out,” Let |he wrote on into the ee this Christ-|ing, correcting first here hie Tm the classic declaration of|™ansions in heaven prepared |tmas time, and rejoice in His|then there, 9 line. or a concerning Christ Jesus,| 9m He came to accomplish, birth, acknowledge His diety,| Ue finally sat baci \und receive His salvation k in his chair ‘and read the poem through, and Laing, President WHITE ROCK MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION th en got up and left the manw- pt where his little daughter would be the first to see it when she came down on Christ: mas morning, _ [can imagine that Christmas Day when young Dorothy ral downstairs to see what her |Daddy has written for her, she loved him dearly. Tt was her own special Christmas Poem, and she listened while John Byrom read it to her This is what he read | “Christians awake! Salute the ene happy morn Whereon the Saviour of man- | kind was born. | Rise to adore the mystery of love, Which hosts of angels chant ed from abov | With them the joyful tidings first begun Of God Inearnet and the .,Witgin’s Son.” This has, as we all know become the Carol most sung Ch Christmas morning at e lurch services all over the Nalish speaking world, and it yas the love of a father fr Nis little girl which gave it wk Tt was the sort of Wve Which told the areatest love store in the world ty original manuseript ee? vd he sean, sarefille frit Heal ia the Chetham. Library 1 Tenohester, Rngland. Or2