SUNDAY READING

Taranaki Daily News, 3 February 1917, Page 6

SUNDAY READING

THE SIGN OF THE CHILD. SERMON PREACHED BY REV. A. If. COLVILE, M.A., at St. Mary's Church, Xew Plymouth. "And this shall be a- sign unto you; ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.' 1 -—'St. Luke ii., 12. People who are making a start, who are just beginning their spiritual education, are naturally eager for a sign, some startling and unique experience that will encourage them to go on, that will put hope and comfort into their hearts and tell them (if I may use a colloquial expression made respectable by a great statesman) that they "have put their ■money 011 the right horse."

So in the early history of the Jews we read of groat and wonderful signs given to their leaders at times of great crisis, in moments of doubt and fear and discouragement; and each sign had n. deep spiritual meaning lying below the wonder of its outward appearance—a. prophecy of days to come. For example, the blazing bush that Moses saw in the wilderness, which burnt but w:is not consumed, was a (prediction of tlv? indestructibility of the people whoso saviour he was to be, 'who were even then in the furnace of Egyptian bondage and who were to pass through many fires before they came out into a wealthy place. The sign given to Gideon—the dew upon the fleece at a time when the ground was parched was a token of the freshness and vigor of the people whom he was to lead—a forlorn hope—against the oppressor. And you remember, some of you, that when the sick King Hczekiah prated that his life might be prolonged, a sign was given him; the shadow went backward 011 the sun-dial, an emblem of the renewing of his youth and usefulness to the nation at a time of great peril. These signs were extraordinary events bound to arrest; the mind and -challenge the attention and stamp a deep mark upon the life. And it is quite true that in all matters relating to the 'Unseen, and particularly at times of great strain and stress, the natural impulse is to long for a sign, a sign from Heaven. In these days, 110 doubt, the longing for a sign is in the hearts of many. If only God would seiid us now some token to reassure us! Thousands of men have passed out into the Unseen leaving thousands of empty aching hearts behind 1 them. If only we could know as certainly as we know of the existence of the person sitting next us that they still live and lovo and are unchanged to us and that we shall meet them again! Why does not God send us romc sign ? And so many people, put off their balance for a time, seek out spiritualists and fortune-tellers, seeking for a sign through theio, trying desperately to establish some communication with their loved ones in the unseen world, I cannot believe that it is the will of Gad that a sign should be wrested iroin Him in this w«v. There is something good in spiritualism without a doubt; it is at any rate a protest against the blank materialism which believes nothing that does not convince the evidence of the senses.' But there is much fraud and chicanery mixed up with spiritualism, and we cannot force God tc| give us a sign by turning out the in a room, or sitting round a table with our lingers touching. There seems something paltry and unworthy about such methods. Nevertheless, Ido believe that God may and does vouchsafe signs of the Unseen and of the continuance of personality to those who haveeyes to see and who earnestly and reverently wait upon Him. Sir Oliver Lodge in his latest book speaks positively of communications ho has had with his son Raymond who was killed at the front some time ago, ami I am sure that there are many people who have never attended a seance in their lives who might tell us the same thing. Tray for such a sign if vou will, but do not try to force one from Clod by unworthy and trivial expedients. Xow we will think this evening not of some wonderful anil extraordinary experience felt by comparatively few people, but of the

SIGN GIVEX TO THE SHEPHERDS

at the birth of Jesus Christ, of its meaning and interportation and of the comfort it brings to the world of to-day. "This shall be a sign unto you; ye slftill find the Babe wrapt in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Nothing striking or extraordinary, you see, about this sign; one of the commonest.' sights of the world, a child wrapped in the usual clothing of a newborn infant, dilTering'only from other children in being worse clad and worse boused, yet that was the sign of the" transformation of all life and of tlie uplifting of the world. It was first- of ail as ign that everyone could understand. If was universally intelligibly. In everv countrv, in every town, in every rank of life childhopd appealed to the interest, to the love,/to the pity of mankind. Children were, and always will be, tlie dearest possession of every nation. Among savage uncultured peoples, in powerful and civilised lands, the child was significant; it stood for the future of the race,, and urged men and women to loo); forward and live and work not for the present only but foi the davs to come. So a child was the fitting'emblem for a religion which wa= to be universal, which was to tiausform all life and lay hold of the hearts of all sorts and conditions of men. When that sign was given to the shepherds, tlie word was spoken to the world which broke down every barrier 01" exclusiveness. Christianity from the fust kr.ew no distinction of rank or raao. The privilege of the Jew, the wisdom of tlie Greek, the power of the Roman was a 5 nothing to a faith whose origin was a little child lying in a manger, whose inspiration was "God so loved the world," and whose love of progress was the command, "Go and make disciples of all nations." So we find the pioneers of Christianity walking through all barriers of nationality, all the harriers of caste aid privilege and intellect, tea el.junr the narbarous people of Malta, with as" much readiness as the cultured Greeks or the powerful Romans. We find St. Paul pleading as earnestly with a. few people by the .river-side as with the philosophers and cynics of Athens. We find Christians among the slaves ot the KomaijJ nobles, and among the soldiers of' Caesar's body-guard. Not even the barbed.wire of prejudice ootid withstand the religion of Christ. t crept into the heart of the old world as a child might creep into the heart ot some hard, dry old cynic making lmn feel voun<* once more, and giving him a new "interest in life. Christianity appealed to those deep needs that were common to/men of all nations, the need of freedom from the lia-unting sense ot sin, the need of forgiveness, the need of sQincthjns grsst to look forvyftitl to,

the, need for what irill_ satisfy not only the mind but the heart, the need for lovo, the need for hope and the need for rest—just ordinary primitive human desires and longings—and thousands of men out of .'very nation upon oai'i.ii, weary, bewildered, stained with sin, torn by the tragedies of life, found the God for Whom they were unconsciously seeking, and the peace for which their hearts wore longing, and recognised the sign of the little Child born 111 the stable at Bethlehem. What of the world in which we are living now? Are not men seeking in their hearts, longing for, almost demanding a sign from Heaven—some token, some assurance that the world is still within the grip of God, and that out, of this horrible tangle in which civilised lite has got itself involved something great will come, some rc-invigoration of man's spiritual novel's, some great renewing of the soul of the world. We cling to the belief that GOD WILL BRIXG GOOD OUT OF THE WAR. Without such faith even the least imaginative among us might fall into despair wjien we think of it. That brilliant journalist, Mr. Philip Gibbs, has written a remarkable book, which, however. I would not advise anyone to read who does not possess sound nerves -arid a robust faith, though for those who are taking the wai lightly and thoughtlessly or apathetically it would be ,111 excellent tonic. In this book he paints "The Soul of the War," hideous, cruel, relentless, from 'which spring man's worst lusts and passions. It certainly is a realistic picture of war as it is; quite rightly the author does not spare our 1 feelings; and-yet we cannot stop deiuV and stare at the thing in dismay. We have got to get through it to something great and wonderful lying behind it, some good thiyg that sluill raise all life to u higher level. Is there a sign of this to-day? We want something more than comfort and consolation; we want to lav hold of life with a closer grip, we wont a new vision of life, so that this terrible world-shaking proems wi!' be unnecessary and imposisble in the future. Here, then, is our sign. Will the world recognise it to-dav--thc sign given to the shepherds long ago, the sign of the Child, the sign of the future, "Ye shall find the Babe"? See now the hope of the world eefitrcd in a little child, that emblem of all that true religion should mean to men. It is a false religion that raises barriers between nations and classes of people;', it is a true religion that breaks them down. We havo. seen how well the pioneers of Christianity understood the. sign of the Child, how thoroughly they sought to carry out the principle of the universality of the Christian faith. We need to understand that sign to-day. We must get- hold of the true Catholic ideal of the Church which exalts religion above nationality. Our own Church must be something more than "the Church of England" if she is to attempt to meet the needs of ilie future, the aspirations and longings of men. A narrow exaggerated nationalism always makes for war, and a narrow ''national" church cannot successfully preach peace to the world. We do not want to abolish nationality, but < >xee do want to Christianise ourk national ideals, to turn this fierce love of our country which the war has re-born within 11s (and I never knew 1 iow much I loved England until the last *hree years), to turn that love into a determination to make our Empire the, world-wide Empire of Christ. We need not. bo, less British to be more freely and more liberally Christian. I believe that as long as the world lasts there will be nations, each with its own marked characteristics and distinctions and ideals, but the great Commonwealth of Humanity which God desires, and of which the Babe of Bethlehem was the sign, will be the reconciliation of them all. We nave been advised to pray for a new school of Christian statesmen, of Christian diplomatists, for it has been rightly said

CHRIST HAS NEVER HAD A REAL PLACE in the councils of Europe. Let us also pray for a new school of Christian patriots, who shall use this strange passion, this burning love of country, to make our Empire the first of the kingdoms of this world to become the Kingdom of Christ. Would not that mean the transformation of life and the enriching of the future of the wprld. And remember the simple, primitive needs of the soul of man are the same to-day as ever they were. Still is he haunted by the sense o-f sin, still he feels the need of forgiveness, of a full spiritual life, of freedom of spirit, oi rest and peace. Still there is for him the Sign of the Child, the coming back to God in the simple child-spirit of penitenpe and faith. I need forgiveness; only in Christ can I find it. I need freedom ui spirit; only in obedience to Ilim can I realise it. I need peace in my own soul; only in union with Ijim can [ attain to it. So our hope is the world which* has grown old and weary under the horror and burden of war, may find Christ again and renew the freshness and vigor of its youth, and feel beating within it once more the heart of a child. Again, the child is the sign of that future for which we are fighting so hard to-day. And if anything is worth the struggle, it is the child. Not merely for their own honor and safety arc men enduring this horror of war, but for the generations to come, that life-may be full of good 'things, full of real inspiration anil enduring happiness for those who are now "the little ones," that there may be hope for the child. We recognise this sign, and we hold on our way relentlessly. We could not get but of it, if only for the sake of the child. But, my friends, do we realise the full significance of the sign of t'he Babe of Bethlehem? For what are we struggling to preserve the children —for this uoild, or for God? If for this world oniy—if we are now fencing them about with our arms, that they may be brought up 011 low ideals, that they may be taught how to make and hoard money (as so many of their fathers and grandfather-, do), how to get the greatest pleasure out of life, how to please themselves—then the war is simply not worth it, for we are iust materialising life and tying iu> the future of the world. What was tlie Sign? The Child of Bethlehem, Who .pleased not' Himself, Who was born that life might be larger and freer and men more spiritual and more God-like. If we accept this sign we must educate our children for God and train them for eternity. What is :.ne most precious possession of our Empire? The children. What, is the gerat hope of the Church? The children.' What is the most important work in this town and parish? The moral and spiritual training of the children. You arc asked to-day to help the work of the Sunday school. Can you conceive any part of church work more important, or any that should c.»".iDcl more closely your interest awl

your sympathy? Why, if all the churchpeople here grew indifferent, if every other form of God's york in this parish were to fail, if the Church itself were to close its doors—the appeal of the Sunday school would stand, and could not fail with those who care at all about the future of their country, "This shall be a sign unto you,'' a sign of the true life of the Church, a sign of hope for the future of this parish-, a sign by which you shall realise the work of the Holy Spirit in the world. "Ye shall find the iC'hild," the child of to-day, with all its [infinite possibilities, the wonder of its ideals, the splendor of its imagination, the fascination of its growth, the sanctity of its soul. And thus "finding the child," you will put away all leaner and grosser ideals and claim its future for God, that in days soon to come the Babe of Bethlehem may he crowned King of the nations, and find His Empire in the hearts of men.