570
December 1929
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
The Marvel of the Ages—A Christmastide Meditation B y R ev . A llon P oole {in “The Christian”)
“Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." —Matt. 1 :21. HE name Jesus was a favorite word in Jewish family circles about 4 B.C. It was a form of the Hebrew word Joshua, and had his
est, and the inter-penetrative energy of the life-creating Spirit, were sufficient to account for that event to which the whole civilized world is turning now, and around which the universal Church gathers in adoring wonder, love and praise. The words of the shepherds
toric significance. It was, in the popular mind, a blend of hope and hero worship. Every
: as appropriate now as when they fol lowed the music of the angels’ song; Let us go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass.” T h e O rig in of J esus W as U n ique How unique was the origin
newly born male child might be the leader of a new conquest, the cen ter of a new national movement, the pioneer of a real freedom, and prove to be the Messiah, for whom the nation waited, and whose advent was generally believed to be near (Matt. 2: H j . . 1 The declaration of Isaiah 7: 14 concerning the Virgin Birth of our Lord was then about to be fulfilled. “The Mighty God” was about to take the weakness of infancy. “The Everlasting Father" —ifi Jesus Christ—was about to become a Son, and assume the time-vesture of our mortality. “The Prince o f Peace,” of whose government and peace there was to be no end, was not only to be “born under the law," He was to mark a new advance in the divine unveiling. The greatest marvel of all ages was about to come to pass. The unseen silent God of the uni verse was about to become vis ible and vocal. The Creator was to become subject to His own creative laws, and to lie cra dled in a woman’s arms, for the divine had a l r e a d y conde scended to the human and the human had been exalted to vi tal partnership with the divine. New possibilities of moral and spiritual attainment—with cor responding depths to be fath omed—were to be opened up to the race by the birth of Jesus Christ. He was to be “set for the falling and rising o f many” —not in Israel only
of Jesus! It is impossible to think of those three great first chapters of the New Testament (John 1, Col. 1, and Heb. 1) as other than commentaries on Isa iah’s arrestive p h r a s e ; “The Mighty God.” They help us to a complete understanding of the glory of Christ’s Person and the unsearchable riches of His power, while the blinding vi sions of the Damascus road and the Isle of Patmos disclose that glory which was His be fore the world began—His as the coequal of the Father. All the creative energies of God found expression through Him as their channel, and all His works had Him as the object of their being. The sinless min strelsy of heaven hymned His praise and honored His Per son as He entered on this sub lime disclosure of His grace: “When he bringeth the firstbe- gotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” God is seen and heard in Him. Eternal Deity, at the fullest, is possessed by Him. All the Father’s glories, gleaming in scattered rays in the Old Testament, are gath ered up and re-expressed in His divine human personality. This is how George Herbert quaintly expressed the wonder of the Incarnation
The Universal Joy B y E dgar C ooper M ason
Bethlehem! O Bethlehem! Crowned with heaven’s own diadem! Ay, in thee was born a King, Moving angel choirs to sing! Song of peace, good will on earth, Through our Saviour’s lowly birth, Sung to shepherds, telling them: “Christ is born in Bethlehem.” As the shepherds on the plain Heard the News and glad refrain;— As the Wise Men from afar Thrilled with joy to see His Star;— Still the wise and lowly may Find the same sweet joy today, If, with all the heart of them, They but come to Bethlehem! Of all joys of Christmas time, Voiced in song and ringing chime, Filling every human heart, Lighting every home and mart;— Of the Christmas hopes and joys Of our happy girls and boys;— He’s the Source of all of them, Who was born in Bethlehem. Let His joy fill every heart; Let all gloom and fear depart; Let the world rejoice and sing: “Christ, of all our joys the Spring.” Men, your hearts in praises lift For God’s all-embracing Gift;— Spring from which all blessings flow, As from Judah, long ago.
-during the ages then to come. To the Spirit-taught, Scripture-loving mind, the rec ord of Matthew 1 makes interesting reading—even to the point of fascination. Joseph of Nazareth learns his duty by direct revelation, and hears that Isaiah’s prophecy is on the verge of fulfillment . ; The overshadowing of the High
Hast thou not heard that my Lord Jesus died? Then let me tell thee a strange storie. The God of Power, as He did ride In His majestic robes of glorie,' Resolved to ’light; and so one day He did descend, undressing all the way.
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