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T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
December 1932
um or K ING ’S BUSINESS . . By M artha S. H ooker
Suddenly there was with the angel many more angels praising God and saying: “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” And when they were gone away, the shepherds said one to the other: “ Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, that the Lord has told us.” So they hurried down the road and through the gate of the city. They may have looked everywhere to see a light, and as they hurried through the streets o f the city, I think one might have said, “You remember the words of the angel — ‘lying in a manger’—there is a light in the inn, coming from the stable.”^ They hurried toward the light, and reaching the entrance o f the stable, looked in, and this is what they saw—the high, dark, shadowy ceiling, the piles of sweet-smelling hay, and perhaps in the shadows, the little don key. They saw, too, Joseph and Mary, the sweet-faced mother. But there, lying in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, with the loving mother looking down upon Him, was the little Babe who had come to be the Saviour of the world—the Lord Jesus. With the shepherds let us, too, look into His face and know and love the great Gift that the Father has sent to each one of us. Let us say as the shepherds must have said in their hearts, that night, “Thanks be un to God for His unspeakable gift.” Let us not only say so, but like the shep herds, let us rejoice and praise God and show Him our thanks by wanting others to know Him, too. For the shepherds went out through the streets of Bethlehem that morning, making known everywhere, to fathers, to mothers, to little children, too, the glad story o f God’s great Gift. Memory Work for December John 3 :16 Luke 2:10, 11 2 Cor. 9 :15 Psa. 116:12, 13 K. Y. B. C. Notes Sixty Gospels according to John have been sent out already this month to boys and girls who have promised to read them so that they may become members o f the Know Your Bible Club. W e pray that each o f these might receive the Lord Jesus— the One who died on the cross to save them from sin—as his or her own Saviour, and so receive God’s gift o f eternal life. K.Y.B.C. pins have been sent to Frank lin Zook, Santa Ana, California, to Clara Cole, Dunham, California; and to Alma L. Blachudar, New Canada, N. S. Those desiring to become members of the K.Y.B. Club, first write for one o f the Gospels according to John. When this has been read through and a statement sent to this effect, signed by parent or Sunday- school teacher, a K.Y.B.C. pin will be sent and one thus becomes a member o f the Know Your Bible Club. Address: Junior Dept, o f K ing ’ s B usi ness , 536 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif.
could rest in the stable. It is nice and clean, and there is sweet-smelling hay.” At these words, I think I might have seen a smile on Mary’s face as if she said, “ I know I could rest there.” So Joseph led the little donkey into a kind of a cave in the hill, and there in the warm, quiet stable, on the sweet-smelling hay, Mary rested. And this was the night that God gave to the world His “Unspeak able Gift.” Out on those hillsides where we saw flocks earlier in the day, you might now have seen them huddled close together while the shepherd friends visited and kept watch over them. Suddenly a bright light shone round them, for the angel o f the Lord stood by them, and the glory o f the Lord shone around about them, and they were afraid. And the angel said unto them, “ Don’t be afraid, for I bring you good news which is for every one. For unto you is born today, in the City o f David, a Sav iour, which is Christ the Lord. And this is the way you will know H im ; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." A Wondrous Star In the wintry heaven shines a wondrous star: In the East the wise men watched it from afar, Asking, “What this lustre so unearthly bright ?” Answ’ring, “ Christ in glory comes to earth tonight!” O’er the dusty highway, o’er the deserts drear, From the East, the wise men watch it shin ing clear, Asking, “ Shall we follow in this starlit way ?” Answ’ring, “ Yes, ’twill lead us to the per fect day.” . In a lowly manger lies an infant weak: Is it He whom wise men come so far to seek? Asking, “Where the Monarch, where Ju daea’s K ing?” Saying, ‘‘Gifts and worship to His throne we bring!” In our hearts, we children see this star once more; Not as wise men saw it, in the days o f yore, Asking, “ May we bring Him childhood’s love today?” Answ’ring, “ Come, dear children: Jesus says we may.” ’ —H eart and V oice .
The Christmas Story B y A nna L. D ennis
It was the day before the very first Christmas. If you had been a little child living in the city o f Bethlehem that day before the very first Christmas, you would probably have spent most o f the day with your mother and brothers and sisters on the flat, sunny roof of your home. One o f the sisters may have been sewing, while another may have been weaving back and forth on a narrow strip o f linen cloth which was a swaddling garment for the baby. Many times you would have seen mother take one end o f a swaddling gar ment, hold it under baby’s little arm, and wrap it round and round down to the lit tle feet, then around and up the little body over the arms, up to the neck, and then tuck the end in neatly. From the flat roof o f your house, you could have looked out over the country and have seen in the distance the tower of the beautiful city of,Jerusalem. Nearer still, you could have seen the hills o f Ju daea, with the shepherds tending their sheep, and then the wall around the little town, with the well by the gate, and many other flat-roofed houses on which other little children were playing, and other mothers were busy with their weaving and sewing. While there, you might have looked off toward the hills and said, “ Mother, tell us a story of the time when David used to live here,” for David did live here as a boy and cared for his sheep as a shepherd lad on these very Judaean hills. This is the reason why Bethlehem is sometimes called “ The City of David.” I know that during the day you would have been sui;e to have said, “Mother, why are so many people coming to the city?” for you would have noticed many people coming into the city that day before the very first Christmas—some walking and some riding on donkeys. Then mother would have said: “ The king has ordered that every one Shall be taxed—and every one who was born in Bethlehem must come back to our city that they may have their names written in the big book, so that the king may get taxes from them.” I f you had stayed on the roof until to ward evening, when the sun had gone down and the first stars were beginning to twinkle, you might have seen coming slow ly down the road, toward the gate of the city, a kind-faced man leading a little don key very carefully lest it should -stumble— for on its back was a very tired lady. They had been traveling for several days and must have been very weary. Yes, we know who they were—Mary and Joseph. If you had watfched, you would have seen them coming through the gate and up the hill to the little inn. You would have seen the donkey stop b ef're the inn, and Joseph ask the innkeeper if they might rest there. But the innkeeper had to shake his head and say, “No, we haven’t any room—unless you
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