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EE ---- ~ PAGE SIX THE DAILY T IMES-GAZETTE ° SH AGI Ns od TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1946, Christmas Messages From Oshawa Churches "God So Lerol the World" Jesus was God incarnate. God clothed Himself with flesh and blood, was born of the Virgin and lived among men. Jesus Christ was truly God come to earth in the form of man. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, |S8id (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Fa- ther). full of grace and truth. (John 1:14), The babe in Bethlehem's manger, whose coming is heralded through- out the earth at the Christmas sea~ son, was not horn of natural gener= ation as other babies. This had no earthly father, It was act of God the Father placing His Son in that little body. Jesus Christ Who had been with the Father from eternity, Who had 6 created all things, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and in- visible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or pow- ers: all things were created by Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). He came into the world as a little in- fant, This is indeed a great mystery as the Word of God declares-- "And without controversy great is the mystery of, godliness; God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preach- ed unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Timothy 3:16). We cannot comprehend this mars velous work of God the Father, but we can apprehend it. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son came to declare the Father, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Fath- er, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18). "God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in} time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son (or in His Son), Whom He hath appoint- ed heir of all things, by Whom also De made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:1, ) Jesus Christ was born to die. He came to die for sinners. "We see Je- sus, Who was made a little lower than the angels (for a little while) for the suffering of death, crowned with glory ahd honour; that He by the grace 6f God should taste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9). Jesus Christ was willmg to be separated from God the Father, for a season, and suffer the awful punishment that Laman deserved at the hand of God, and in that way give His life a ransom for all, "Hereir is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our. sins" (1 John 4:10), "God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). It was the Love of God for sinmers that moved Him to send His begotten Son "out of the ivory p into a world of woe." "In this' was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begetten Son in- to the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). The birth of Jesus Christ was among the most humble and most needy. Not to Caesar's palace, al- He came from the Ivory Palaces, Hut to a stable. Jesus was The Christmas lights slo shining with all our bright hopes of happiness for the ScHing in year. We wish you al MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR ANCGI'S Grocer & Butcher 41 GLADSTONE AVE. Phone 489W and lowly shepherds with the hum- ble mother were the first to wel- come Him. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not . .." (John 1:12). The Lord Jesus Christ has no place to lay His head. He on one occasion: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man r{ um Jot Where to Jay His head 1 thew 8:20). The Lord Jesus Christ came down from His Glory, was Born in a manger, and went to Calvary as the sinner's substitute, that poor, lost, guilty, hell-bound souls through faith in His Precious Blood could be born again, and share in this Blemal Glory i We place of Hany mansions in the sky. "Have you any room for Sens; 3 He Who bore your load of sin; As He knocks and asks admission, Sin- ner, will you let Him in?" Receive Him today as your very own per- sonal Saviour, and thank God for |' His Unspeakable Gift! "But as many as received Him (Christ), to them gave He power (the right) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name; Which was born,snot of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of ran, but of God"--(John 1:12, 13). REV. M. R. SHANKS Visiting Pastor at Calvary Bap- tist Church, Oshawa. na Christmas a Challenge As we hear the Christmas story our attention usually centres on the stable where Christ was born, I ask you to think of the inn where Christ was refused en- trance, There was no room in the inn. It was filled with good people comfortably fixed. There was a priest on the way to the temple, a Pharisee going to the Holy City, and merchants going up and down the land in trade, All respectable people who had paid for their lodging. They enjoyed the even- ing talking of the weather and pertinent topics of the day. They went on their way next morning unconscious that anything of sig- nificance had taken place. They did nothing that was evil , ,, they simply missed their great opportunity. This year there will be thou- sands of homes where there will be big dinners, hosts of friends, hundreds of Christmas cards, hap- py children, expensive presents and beautiful decorations, but Je- sus will not be mentioned. The Christmas spirit may be there but not Christ's spirit. There is noth. ing wrong with all this festal spirit, but the pity is that we are missing so much. We are having & birthday party and forgetting the honoured guest, the one whose birthday it is, Perhaps if we understand why He came we shall be able to have Christmas with Christ rather than without Him, Religion is twofold. It is man reaching up in search of | ¥ God. This upreach of man we call Faith. It is also God reaching down in search of man. This ef-|§ fort of God to win man's love and service, we call Grace. God reach- - ed down through the law and re- | ¥ vealed justice to man. God reach. ed down through the prophets and 'revealed righteousness to|¥ man, The true meaning of Christ- mas is that God reached down at Bethlehem and revealed Himself and His love to man. Christmas is a fact and a chal- lenge, It is a fact of God's love, of God's sacrifice, of Christ's willingness to give Himself as an expression of God's will and love. Christmas is also a' challenge. A challenge to us to love, to sacri- fice and to serve, It is Christmas season. My ap- peal is that you do not have a Christmas without . Christ. That you spend the Christmas season not in the inn, but in the stable at Bethlehem, that you give Him a place at the feast, that you put into the celebration of Christmas this year, love, sacrifice, and ser- vice, STEPHEN G. SAYWELL, North Oshawa, Myrtle and Rag- § | 1an United Churches. "God Manifest i in the Flesh" "Again we are on the thres- hold of Christmas. Many of us are full of eager anticipation at thé .prospect of being reunited with our relatives and friends, when .we shall be able to relax af- ter,the strenuous days of prepara- tion for this Tostive time of the 'year, There are moments when we cannot help but be confused and W. GEOFFREY JULIAN, BA. very much perplexed by the tres mendous rush of humanity to get all their gifts and cards in the: mail before the 'dead-line' for the last delivery prior to Christmas arrives. I suspect that many of us have asked ourselves why all the bustle--Where did the idea start, anyway? The story of the Christ- mas narratives as we have them in the .Scriptures is for most of us, quite familiar, and perhaps their very familiarity prevents us -from being startlingly aware. of what DID happen in that small town of Bethlehem when the song of the angels proclaimed to fear- ful shepherds in the lonely hills that a Saviour was come to the world, even Christ the Lord! That night 'an Event took place in the history of the world that wag de- stined to change the whole course of its future, No longer could men sensibly question the reality of God, for He had revealed Himself once and for all time in the In- carnation if His Son. But the wonder of it all is that it was not Just an isolated or momentary act of God. for we have His witness in the world, and we are assured of His Abiding Presence reigning in the hearts of all'who are com- mitted to His ways. : We all agree that Christmas is the time when true happiness abounds in the life of soclety To You And Yours We Extenda Best Wishes for a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS Dominion Clothing Co. Simcoe N. Phone 2141 " We're Always Happy at This Time of Year to Wish You a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY NEW YEAR more than at any other time:in the year, That in itself is worth thinking about. The key to the whole amazing fact is contained in the words: "For God so loved the world that He GAVE His Only tten Son ..." God has given us a Saviour, and at Christmas time as we remember that Son, we act in the spirit of His life and give to our friends, It seems scarcely necessary to add that the true happiness of Christmas is too ~{ brief an interlude in the year, but somehow we start concerning our- selves about ourseves, and the happiness of others often 1snds that Jesus is the light of the world, "a light to lighten the Gentile." Let us remember that Jesus de- clared that His followers were the light of the world, It is hot by superman qualities or magic, but by taking on the "glory of the Lord" which accompaied. the angels, theft message and the Christ *That Inner radiance is theirs who tare born of God, and are much in His presence. They cannot mingle *that such is accomp) . RALPH V, WILLSON, " Pirst 'Baptist Church. to become of ry to us. Despite the cheap commer. 'cialisms of Christmas, men are closer 'to the Christian way of | mi life and at this Season than many may realize, Surely, then, for the sake of Hini whose Birthday we are observing, and for the sake of Him who gave Him to us, we should earnestly strive to contin- ue the. blessedness which we glimpse in the joyous days at hand. May I then, extend to one and all the hope that you will find this Christmas a time of complete happiness within' your homes and your friends, and Hm who has revealed Himself in the Advent of His Son." W. GEOFFREY JULIAN, B.A. Cedardale United Church. ndeng The Glory of the Lord (Continued from Page 2) | bas settled down. The message, as | ¥ | well as the and was acoomuanied hy His Glory. Jesus, Himself in appearance a normal human being, yet had about embarrassed hypocrites, His pe YB life revealed- the worth of though wherever He went a light Shpeated dispelling darkness, even "glory of we are plainly told in the Gospel the circle of |; a time of joyful thanksgiving to was from God Y Him a fadiance which rebuked evil | ¥ His way of life to men. It 'was as |§ The | § pi tus Lond Was His" Iu fact " GIGLI TO ENGLAND Sroydon; Bngland--(CP)--Benia- ino Gigli, Italidn tenor, alleged to To be a collaborator in 1943, report: ed dead in 1044, and finally cleared of the collaboration charge in 1945, arrived in England recently to ap- pear in an opera, Newmarket, England = --- (CP) -- Rev. Wingfield Dighy of Newmarket Parish Church will charge a 50- cent confetti fee at weddings "to compensate the verger for clearing up the mess." DANCING! TONIGHT at Burnhart's Pavilion among men without some (of the "glory of the Lord" being yevealed. Sincere Best Wishes For The Merriest You've Ever Known May the sum of all your past Christmas joys be rolled into one big ball of merriment this Yuletide season « «0. 0ne that will ever gather joy during the coming year. ' OHNSTON'S MEN'S WEAR ® This is the merriest, gayest and most joyful Christmas we've had in many a year. And we've got a big Christmas package here for you--just bursting with good wishes and good cheer for the best of everything during this Yuletide season and for all of 1947. And tucked into the corners of this surprise package are "Thank you" mes- sages from us to you--for your appreciated co-operative spirit during the year. There a mantle of snow on every doorway: the holly wreaths are hung with bright ribbon as always. There'll be gay get-togethers of family and friends old and young--to eat bountifully and sing Christmas carols together. . this will be a traditionally Merry Christmas. We _ extend Christmas Greetings to Everyone Every- where! In every way ® Atishing ing You HAPPINESS & . TIRE & BATTERY SERVICE $A Lian (hs oy A tet x PO cess o's Nr