468
December, 1939
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
making- his trip around the world and getting back again, for he had a big job to do in the land of the black boys and girls. AH morning long he was busy shining his way through teasing rain clouds, but just at noon as he burst thrtfugh the last of them, the big school drum boomed out its message across the grainfields: “COME TO THE MISSION, THIS IS CHRISTMAS DAY.” In their brightest clothes they came —all the black mothers and daddies and aunts and uncles and little brothers and sisters. There wasn’t an empty inch on the long brick seats in the flower-fragrant church. As each carol and recitation was finished, the guests all shouted together, “Wabe ja! Wabe ja!” which in the language of the black boys and girls means, “Thank you! Thank you!” Then every one went to the play ground to see the boys march and all the school children run races. After that, while the big black girls served tea to the mothers and daddies, Aunt Emmy gave out the prizes. How the little black primer class danced and squealed with delight over the yellow chicks! “Little chicks of hens; see the little chicks of hens,” the proud winners called to their playmates, holding aloft the prizes. And of course, when it was all over, every happy child trotted home with his newspaper sack of candied peanuts. Aunt Emmy was almost too tired to eat the good chicken dinner the Senior Missionary had cooked for the two of them that night, but for all the world she would not change places with her missionary friends at the big station miles away. “This is the happiest Christmas I’ve ever spent,” she smiled as she sat down to eat. The Round Red Sun smiled, too, as he slipped away to start that same Christ mas day in the land where Janet lived. Christmas Stars O n e o f A u n t P h o e b e ’ s S a lv a tio n S to ries It was early in December. Betty and Bobby were already planning for Christ mas, making out Christmas.-lists and wrapping up mysterious gifts, but, even so, they were never too busy to meet Aunt Phoebe before the open fireplace evening after evening .to hear her tell stories of God’s wonderful working in the lives of boys and girls. “Tonight I will tell you about my C h r i s t m a s Stars,” announced Aunt Phoebe as she settled comfortably in the large arm chair. “Christmas Stars!” exclaimed Betty. “Who could they be?” “Wait and see,” added Bobby, anxious for Aunt Phoebe to begin. “My Christmas Stars,” continued
A Christmas Acrostic —stands for Christ-Child, God’s well- beloved Son (John 3:16; Matt. 3:17). —for King Herod, a most wicked one (Matt. 2:3, 16). —for Rejoice, and be not afraid (Lk. 2:10; Matt. 2:10). —for the Inn where no room was made (Lk. 2:7). —for the Star which shone out so bright (Matt. 2:2). T ;—for Good Tidings which came on that night (Lk. 2:10). —for the Manger, Christ’s cradle at birth (Lk. 2:12). A -—for the Angels who told of His worth (Lk. 2:10-14). —for Salvation which He brought to earth (Lk. 2:11; Tit. 2:11). —Gordon E. Hooker. Aunt Phoebe, “were a Sunday-school class of ten bright, happy Junior girls, and my story of how they began shin ing for the Lord Jesus began at a Sun day-school party. The girls played games, and then they gathered about the dining-room table to cut and make gold and silver stars for Christmas- dec orations. This was to be their part in preparing the church for Christmas. “Soon Mary’s voice was heard above the others. ‘Miss Phoebe,’ she said, ‘Doesn’t the Bible say something about stars ?’ “ ‘Indeed it does, Mary,’ I answered. And soon the girls were all listening as I quoted various passages of Scrip ture that mention stars. Their work of. cutting stars was quite forgotten as I told them of the wondrous star of Bethlehem—the .star that God provided so long ago, guiding Wise Men from afar to the very place where the Lord Jesus was (cf. Matt. 2:1-11), “ ‘You, too, can be stars, dear girls— Christmas stars,’ I continued, ‘if you will only at this blessed season show some one the way to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. In Daniel 12:3 we read, "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of .the firma ment; and they that turn' many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever.” Not only will you be as stars, but according to this verse, you will be “wise” indeed—real Christmas “wise men,” wise in God’s sight.’ ‘Oh, what a lovely idea!’ exclaimed Joy, the leader of the group. ‘Girls, let’s determine to win at least one soul for the Lord before Christmas. We can use the Scripture verses we’ve been learning for memory work.’ And all the other girls agreed. “Each girl went:home that day with two stars, one silver and one gold. The silver one was to represent the new people brought to Sunday-school, but
the gold one was to represent those led to accept Christ as Saviour. “The days and weeks sped quickly by as time does just before Christmas. Soon the Sunday preceding Christmas arrived. The Junior girls’ room was astir with joy and excitement. T h e girls had their stars, gold and silver, which were pasted upon a border of bright blue paper hung across the front of the room. But this, though beauti ful, was not all. Each girl presented in turn her star—her living ‘Christmas Star’—each ‘Star1 being a girl she had invited to Sunday-school or had led to accept the Lord Jesus as Saviour. ‘You Junior girls are my Christmas Stars,' I said, ‘and the Lord’s own birthday gifts.’ “And now, dear Betty and Bobby, you can understand why I have always called this particular Sunday-school class my class of ‘Christmas Stars,’ ” Aunt Phoebe concluded. And Betty and Bobby both deter mined that they, too, would join the constellation of “Christmas Stars” and guide someone to Bethlehem—and the Christ Child.—M. S. H. Memory Work for December Discussion: (Tell briefly the story of the birth of the Lord Jesus.) Question: Why did the Lord Jesus come into the world? Answer: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and ’that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). “For God so loved the world, that he gave fiis only begotten Son, that who soever beiieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But when the fulness of the time was borne, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adop tion of sons” (Gal. 4:4, 5). “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15). New K. Y. B. C. Members T h e fo llo w in g h a v e re a d th ro u g h th e G o sp el a c c o rd in g to -Jo h n a n d a re no w m e m b e rs o f th e K n o w Y o u r B ib le C lu b : A K U S E , A F R IC A : E . A d jei. J. A. F ie rg - b o r, A sa n e k o te y , A Jb et J. K w a fp , M. k . L a m o te y , N. E W elm o , (O m en y o C ep h as, le a d e r). D E S M O IN ES, IO W A : R u th B ole, E liza-, b e th J o rd a n , B o b b y P a r k e r , L a r r y Refcse, B e v e rly R u ss e 1! G o rd ia R a e S h a fe r (M rs. R a lp h P a r k e r , T e a c h e r). M IL E S , IO W A : M ary M a rie R o b in so n , H e le n R u b v (M rs. A r th u r J o n e s, T e a c h e r). SAN D IE G O , C A L IF .: J a m e s B e rry , G le n d o la a n d G lo ria E d g e , S a ra J a n e S te v en so n (O liv e C ro w e, (I n fo rm a tio n a b o u t h o w to jo in th e K . Y. B. C lu b a p p e a rs o n p a g e . 494.)
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