The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 22, 1935, Page 4

° Daily Alaska Empire Significance of Christmas b »’ e - di BY THE REV. ERLING K. OLAFSON o JOBERT W. BENDER - - Editor aad Msbager A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE Rariirostiéd Taikgras. Otrén) 2 hed cvery avening except Sunday by the There are two verses of scripture that seem xe] “PRINTING COMPANY at Second and Main By JOHN W. TROY especially appropriate when we wish to express the X e (Governor of Alaska) meaning and significance of Christmas. Hebrews 1:1, ‘»a n the Post Office in Juneau as Second Class “God who at sundry times and in divers manners g 3 In the midst of our welfare work we are again called upon to celebrate spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, o SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Christmas Day in commemoration of Him who contributed more to the welfare HAlH I O S T e mf & Deliversd iby, ‘Rriiee n stinion dnd 0BupIse fop $1.28 of the world than anyone else in time's hitory. For more than 1900 years people san 'l’°h" i"“‘t; No ma;o hath ““'“HGO‘;I ;: :"3' E By mail, postige paic e following rates have been celebrating the birthday anniversary of the Son of Man, who gave His ; time;, the only hegotten Son . . . . He hal e- -1 One vear, in advance : months, in advance, life to humanity. clared Him. b $6.00; one month, in adyance, $1.25 2 s The world had made amazing progress in some Bt e e el R In all Christian coundries, among all Christian peoples the occasion is known & | of the arts and sciences before the coming of Christ, o in the delivery of their pape Fi as Christma; The injunction is that we forget our present trials and tribulations but it was still woefully ignorant of God. Men built - i NewN Qi 0 Misinole DA at Christmas and devote our energies and such means as we might be able, to { vast temples which are still the admiration of the hed MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS. make others happy, in making a merry Christmas for the children and those who world; and then eshrined within them gods of stone. "; % 8 Pross fs exclusively entitied to the have not the wherewithal to relieve even for a brief period the despair that ff The idols of the heathen, often grotesque in form d i , ot thin Sapet sid alee whe usually accompanies want and need. N | show the limits of knowledge without divine revela- i Wosl ey IR Fortunately, people are better prepared this Christmas than they have been "'":_;'od S e A e JLATION GUARANTEED TO BE LARGER during the last few years to forget pressing troubles and make merry and to aid S . bt e ca:‘ efl;”‘:;”::b'er“;’é: : others in being joyful. Children have been taught to look upon Christmas as an Snventid ke & aadiliay” He' 1 Ap s s v 5% = occasion when they are rewarded for good de.eds and gootl _b.ehavwr. N vesis HiAIT Wl .He Ao Sl P My suggestions is that every one according to his ability make merry and N Y A T S SiiFouigh e co;mg o’;; a help others to make merry on this important occasion. His' o5lb. Begobten o ( P )//\.&o %h $ Let us show our appreciation by contributing as much of our time and The Bible does not belittle the use of our reason- The Enti means as possible to making people forget pressing troubles and be happy. Let ing powers, but it warns against the attitude of|| e Lntire us try to get the Spirit of the lowly Man of Nazareth: create an atmosphere that arrogance which refuses the message from God. W’ ¢ will continue until the coming of another Christmas. In doing this we serve the g% I’rhe mind performs marvelous tasks, but salvation R o teachings of Him who died in the cause of humanity. Let us demonstrate that it 'is not the result of intellectual effort. It is the i | mpnre X 2 P . gift of God in Christ. When the church bells ring| is a greater blessings to give than to receive. One who helps to create happiness o TN intal Jdav. RoalvE il “ae Ciie NIsAME i ; : : for others is making himself better and happier. Let us, above all, reward the Sower o, Glod. -~ THen Chriktnes. will’ Hsser’ ek Hs Organization Joins Toqether children, and contribute to their happiness. charm. The joys of childhood will ripen into deeper | in sthjng You and Yours To the people of Alaska, A Merry and Happy Christmas and a Glad appreciation of the gifts of God The years will 4 THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, SUNDAY, DEC. 22, 1935. Cause for Observance Christmas of the birth of Christ; heralding and lmngmg‘- good cheer to millions rolls around in the year 1935 to find America with only good will toward men. In Europe, Africa, South America and the Orient it is ushered in with the sinister rumbles of con- flict; relegating the teachings of the Prince of Peace to the background while the grasping nature of mankind portrays itself in ugly picture. But in our own country, built on suffering and moral stamina, we find ourselves rising from the| ruins of material difficulties, guided by those who have never lost sight of a Divine Providence. Loyal and faithful to ourselves, our country and our God we can, even now, though the world at times appears in chaos, keep steadily climbing to a better and more secure world, and by example, perhaps, spread our message of good cheer to other lands. The man we have chosen as our leader has acted wisely and well in guarding against foreign entangle- | ments by pressing quickly into effect the neutrality act and thus definitely placing America strongly on| the side of peace, not only for our own people but| suggestive for other countries. While having no direct bearing, it clearly has had effect in the deliberations of the League of Nations as that body strives toward a cessation of the North Africa war and a peaceful solution. At home, too, our domestic problems are being ironed out without untoward strife but with material | stability*which breeds and nourishes moral stamina. | We have travelled a long ways on the humanitarian road to better conditions for the whole people since the Christmas of even a year ago, and there is full and just cause for far-flung celebration on this natal day of Him, Whose shining star guided Lhe‘ Pilgrim forefathers to the rock-strewn New England | coast and passed on to their descendants the will| of supplication to the Supreme power. | So long as we keep that spirit of good will toward men and strive as we have striven through the centuries toward a higher moral, spiritual and material goal each Christmas will find us with more and more cause for observance, and our light as a nation of peace will shine out even as has His| light shone out into the darkness of the ages. marking the anniver earth peace on Christmas—Community Asset BY MAYOR I GOLDSTEIN During the glad Christmas season the hearts and minds of mankind are charged with love and kind- ness to a greater degree than at any other time of the year. People seem to lose their shell of harsh- ness and selfishness and bitterness and to reveal the New Year. herds of the hills, through the quiet watches of the night and because of their very duties, became | a thoughtful people. They meditated upon the mes- | sage, “Unto you is born a Savior,” not a great teacher only, not a wonder worker merely, but a Savior! Let us, like the shepherds, tarry awhile | and meditate upon the truth and the significance of the Advent. See That There Is Room in Your Inn: Do not be so busy crowding in Christmas activities that you will be guilty of the folly of crowding out Christ. Make sure that there is room for Christ in your heart-inn. Take Up the Song of the Angels: That song is first of all one of praise, “Glory to God in the highest”; and it is also a song of peace, “On earth peace among men.” It bids us sing that “a Savior is born,” to the end that there might be peace on earth, among men and among nations. Make a Love Gift to the King: We read that | the kings of the East offered unto Christ gifts; and | we too may make love gifts to the King,—through the love and devotion of our heart and of our daily life; by faithfulness to His Church; and in prac- tical Christlike ministries towards others, for the Master himself has said - “Inasmuch as ye do it | unto one of these my brethren, ye do it unto me. Our Christmas Message Is This: Study the signs \ like the wise men; tarry awhile like the shepherds; ! see that there is room for Christ in your heart- inn; take up the song of the angels, and make a love gift to the King. Or, in other words, seek the truth regarding the Advent; meditate upon it; embrace it with all your heart; rejoice in it and share it with others the world around. Christmas Meaning BY THE REV. O. L. KENDALL (Methodist Church) Christmas—What does it mean? To me it means that time when all the world declares a war on selfishness. Mother, who is always fighting selfish- ness, doubles her energies to make the family happy. Father forgets his business engagements for a time to get some little things for family and friends. Even the children visit the ten-cent store and forget themselves for the sake of others. The poor and helpless are not forgotten. To finish the season Old General Santa comes from the north with his reindeer and his pack and selfishness | is completely routed. The whole world realizes what is meant by the saying, “It is more blessed to give than to re- ceive” The heart of the Great Master of men must rejoice when he sees the attempt of men to make true the message of the angels who sang at best parts of their natures. We all catch now to some extent the spirit of Christmas, which typifies | the glorious conception of “peace on earth, good | will toward men.” | In our community affairs during the coming year, | cannot the people of Juneau strive earnestly to | retain the essence of this Christmas spirit as a| practical part of their daily working creed? Good | will toward our fellow men is sound doctrine at any | time and at all times, and if practiced sincerely will surely make ours a better community. Gastineau Channel has suffered this year from industrial strife and dissension, and the losses have been tremendous—financially, physically and morally But let us put these distressing memories behind us. | Let us take to our hearts the lessons that experience | has taught us, or should teach us. Let us fight for what we think is right, for the good of the greatest | number, but let us carry on fairly and honestly and within the law. And, above all, let us never forget| that we are all members of one community, all neighbors who must live every day with each other,| and that most of us are pretty good fellows after| all. May the people of Jun and up and down shoulder in the Channel stand shoulder to every-day affairs and in every crisis | that may develop, approaching every question in a spirit of friend fair play—the Christmas spirit of “peace on earth and good will toward men.” Merry “Christn a Happy New Year all the way through 1936! The Advent of Jesus BY THE REV. JOHN A. GLASSE (Northern Light Presbyterian Church) In presenting this message regarding “The Ad- vent of Jesus,” I wish to do so in the form of five au and our friends across| His birth, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” If the Christmas spirit could last throughout the year, our social problems would fade into insignificance. The Christmas Festival BY DEAN C. E. RICE (Trinity Cathedral) The Christmas festival with its message of good cheer has a two-fold meaning. To many its chief | attractiveness is the “spirit of Christmas,” which | encourages kindly greetings and courtesies such as,‘ are not practiced at other seasons of the year. The | family gatherings; the children's parties and the Santa Claus legends have a large place in the observance of this great festival. But this is not the only, or the chief meaning of “Christmas.” At this season the Christian church throughout the world celebrates the birthday of her Founder, when “God was manifest in the flesh.” The Savior of the world was born of a human mother and came to take His place among the things of time. In the cradle at Bethlehem we behold the exceeding | great love of God in thus condescending to our limitations, in the human life of poverty and priva- | tions. “Gud so loved the world that He gave His | Only-begotten Son.” He could give nothing higher! | | His gift to the world was His own life in our midst. | | It is not merely birthday of a great [ It is the entrance into our human world of One Who is at once its architect and judge. “O, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down,” was the cry of the prophet Isaiah. And he voices the longing of man through all ages—the longing :Ior a clear revelation of the Deity; for closer communion with Him. He did come down, but not with the pomp and ceremony of a great King, but the man. Christmas suggestions: Study the Signs Like the Wise Men: These wise men had evidently made certain studies, and greeted the Advent with understandin So also shall we, if we study the signs, if we seek the truth regard- ing the Advent. Tarry Awhile Like the Shepherds These shep- in the lowly way of all His children—in the help- | lessness of Infancy! How it ennobles and glori- | fies all our human experiences—God Himself shares | them with us! Just one thing better than being a youngster at | Christmas, our boy says, and that's being twins | I | the darkness of death. | the angels sung? | We see there the fulfillment of God's promise to' Peace on Earth BY ADJUTANT GEORGE TA | (Salvation Army) i “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord.” Johnm 20. 18. | bring more mature understanding of the meaning ! More Blessed to Give ; | of the day, and of Gods gift to mankind. { BY HAROLD L. WOOD | Seventh Day Adventist Church) | For a Christian, versed in his religious back- | ground, the approach to Christmas is one hallowed (Pastor, On this Christmas Day we come to the hour| of restored joy, which is even richer and deeper' because fuller than the joy of i ‘Savior‘s birth. Christmas tells of the first coming ' of Christ to earth, with biessings for a lost world. But Jesus was lost to his disciples when he‘sent down into Mary's message is of a Savior come again from the darkness, and come beyond death in Immortal life. Only part of the joy came from the Birth. Here we have the full joy, telling of accomplished redemption and glor- ious victory over- death and the grave. Hope was lost on the Friday of Christ's death; now the stars are shining again, never again to be eclipsed. So this really is the full Christmas message. It tells not merely of a Savior born, but also of a Savior that has lived, cbeyed, suffered, died and risen again, and is able, therefor, to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him. The shepherds and the Magi found but a little babe | when they came to see the new-born King. We see a Savior with the print of the nails in his hands and feet, who has wrought a full and glorious redemption for the world. Jesus appeared to Mary after he had come again from death; yet death had not extinguished one beam of his brightness. The resurrection was a type and prophecy of the future resurrection of all who believe in him and sleep in Him. It shows us, therefor, that death does not mean destruction, is not the end of life. It is but an incident, an ex- perience, and life goes on afterward without loss or marring. We ought to try to learn this blessed truth. Life is not worth living which is bounded by earth’s little horizon and does not reach out' into immortality. Indeed, we do not really begin to live until we are living for immortality. | | Christmas Visions : RY THE REV. DAVID WAGGONER (First Presbyterian Church) | “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see.” Luke 2:15. Surely had we been on the hills of Judea on that first- Christmas Eve, we too would have said, even as the shepherds, “Let us go even unto Bethelhem, and see.” With quiet steps we draw nigh to the plnce‘ of which the angels told. What do we behold? | A baby in a manger crib; a young mother bend- ing near; a barn, and cattle stabled there. Mere things of human life. Is that all? Is it of these| Beyond these lowly facts in that humble scene at Bethlehem, we see the fulfillment of the great| promises of God, foretold by the prophets of old. the man and.the woman in the garden; the Iul-‘l fillment of God's promise to Abraham; the ful-| fillment of God's promise to David. God pmmisedl unto David that of his seed He would set a Prince upon his throne, a Prince who would reign forever. And now that promised Prince had e to Bethle- hem. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” No word | of God ever fails; no promise is ever broken. A great mystery lies there before us in the| manger. God in the flesh. This little helpless babe is very God. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being inter- preted is, “God with us” Thus was God revealed to us that we might know and ‘understand Him. That little babe was laid in his mother’s arms that we might know the meaning of motherhood, of home, and the value of a little child. As we look, again we seem to hear the angels sing: “Peace on earth, good will to men.” Surely God loves man. God loves this sinful human race. Yes, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is the greatest of Christmas thoughts. —_— Mussolini, we suppose, would like to find a nice little piece of Ethiopia in his stocking, and Haile Selassie a few new bright airplanes to do a little reciprocating. “At Christmas play, and make good cheer, for Christmas comes bul once a year,' muses Thomas Tusser years ago, but we can apply it just a§ well in 1935. Tenakee Tim says his only request to Santa { “Them that honor us, T will honor.” with the richness of centuries. The first Christm celebration of the birth of Christ is recorded in 284-305 A.D., when Diocletian, “holding court at Nicomedia, learned that a multitude of Christians| had assembled in the city- for that purpose and| set fire to the building, whereby all the worshipers perished in the flames. It would be useless to contend that the Christian celebration did not draw heavily upon the pagan festivals of the Romans. None of the early Chris- tians, for instance, believed that Christ was born in the winter, since they mwere very sure shepherds were not watching their flocks in the open at that time of year. But the 25th of December was chosen because all pagan nations regarded the winter solstice as the turning point of the year, the begin- ning of renewed life and activity of the powers of nature. The church has sought to combat the deep-rooted heathen feeling of Christmas by adding its grandly- devised liturgy and its dramatic interpretations of the birth of Christ. Hence have sprung up the manger-songs, the multitudes of Christmas carois, the Christmas drama and cantatas, the custom of decorating church with holly and evergreen. Enriched; and carrying with it the symbols and usages of many generations and nations, each add- ing its bit of color and history, the Christian festival comes to us today as a symbol of the Christ spirit that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” He who gave Himself for humanity inspires the bringing of gifts, not only to friends and relatives, | but to all welfare and charitable work carried on in love for Him who gave the greatest gift. | Honor Christ at Christmas BY THE REV. CHAS. C. PERSONEUS (Pentecostal Mission} Again the Christmas season has come with its busy days and glad preparations for a happy time.' Good wishes are sent far and wide to friends and relatives. Gifts are bought and prepared for loved ones. There is a feeling of good-will and cheer in! the Christmas air, and many hearts are made happy | by the spirit of kindness and love at Christmas, time. # { But how much thought do we give to the Lord | Jesus who brought us the joys of Christmas? If| God had not “so loved the world that He gave His, only begotten Son,” we would have no Christmas.| But, do we honor Him as we should? Many people profess to believe in God as the Supreme Being,! but they ignore His greatest love-gift to man, Jesus, His only begotten Son, i We should honor the Lord Jesus at Christmas, and not a myth called Santa Claus. In the Gospel of St. John we read: “All men should honor the| Son, even as they honor the Father. He that! honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him.” God says in His Word: | Let us honor | the Lord Jesus Christ this Christmas. | A Christian Nation BY BISHOP J. R. CRIMONT (Bishop of Alaska) To all citizens within the Territory of Alaska, I extend best wishes for a Merry Christmas, and the hope that the New Year about to dawn will con- tain unparalleled happiness and prosperity to all in the great domain of Alaska. ! Next Wednesday we celebrate Christmas Day, observed throughout the Christian world. It com- memorates the birth of Christ, who has been called “The Prince of Peace.” It is my earnest prayer that the rulers and governing bodies of all nations, now on the brink of the precipice of war, will adhere to the principles of Christ, whose mis- sion was to bring peace on earth to men of good will, not only among nations, but among states, counties and municipalities, down to the smallest social unit, the family. Because nations have departed from the teach- ings and admonitions of Christ, actual and pros- pective war has been the unfortunate and dreaded calamity which has befallen them. Our beloved America has always implored Divine Guidance in, her difficulties, and it has been nobly exemplified from Washington to the present Chief Magistrate of the nation, who before assuming office, be—y seeched God to so guide and direct him that we| should continue as our forefathers planned and| prayed we would be a Christian nation, placing | Claus is speedy action on the Rex Beach mining development plan so he can join another stampede. implicit trust in Him from whom all blesslngsl flow. Happy Yuletide Greetings Merry Chrisimas It will be a merry Christ- mas in the homes of ex- ecutives and employees of The Empire organiza- tion because of the gen- erosity and loyalty of our hundreds of customers. Merry Chrisimas It will be a merry Christ- . mas in your home, we trust, because we have had a part in supplying you the news of the world day by day. Merry Christmas It will be a merry Christ- mas in the homes of many who are in need, because of your generosity in sub- scribing to the many local relief charities. Merry Chrisimas It will be a merry Christ- mas in the many homes of Juneau, Douglas and Gastineau Channel be- cause in those homes are men and women who are active in clubs and or- ganizations that are ad- vancing the interests of their communities. Hap- piness is largely depend- ent upon straight thinking citizens of this type. Merry Christmas It will be a merry Christ- mas in every home where there exists a spirit of un- selfishness and eagerness to make others happy. Merry Christmas It will be a merry Christ- mas and each day of 1936 can be merry if there is a sincere desire in your heart to support your home merchants; if you are confident that this is the finest community in the world; if you devote part of each day to the upbuilding of those who are discouraged and to the restoration of confid- ence among skeptics. 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