Sun elrrrrfirpr?ry

By Jack Dionne

tr cr lew dcrys the Christicm wortd celebrctes the grect secson ccrlled Christmcs, cr combined holy dcy crnd holidcry. [t mcrrks the crnniverscrry of the birth oI Jesus Christ, lounder oI the phristici religion The story of this Gclilecm Cgrpenter is found only in the book we call Bible. kolcme history tells nothing oI this Ccrpenter, csrd IIis world-shcking story. We hcve no cruthorit1'lor Him, but the Bible.

The crmcrzing democrccy ol religion is indispulcbly proven by Christicrn crcceptcnce ol the Bible crs the text-book oI Truth. On December 25th, more th.'n seven hundred million non-lewish people cll over this ecrth will tun for guidcmce to their Bible; the first hcll of which is the history of the Jewish rcce, cnd the second hcll the history ol c lewish ccrpenter. This crlone would explcrin why the lew-hcting Hitler spurns Christicmity.

Jesus, crccording to the Greek Doctor Luke, wqs born in a stable, crnd crcrdled in cr mcnger, thus giving to posterity thcrt becrutiful story oI ihe Bethlehem bcrbe. Another thing thcrt Doctor Luke tells us in recitiag thcrt story, is thct it was tcrxes thct brought it cbout. Right now when tcrxes plcry so prominent cr pcrrt in humcrn experience, the direst pcnt thcrt tores plcryed in giving us the story of ChristEtcts, seens decidedly interesting. The crvercge Bible reader probcbly hcrs overlooked thcrt phcse oI the birth ol Jesus.

Luke tells us qbout it in the second chcpter ol his Book in the New Testcrurent. He scys thct Ccesar Augusfus, Bomcrn Emperor ct thct time, issued c decree that cll the world should be tqxed, crnd qrdered every mcrn to proceed to his home city to render himseU for tcrxcrtion loseph crnd his spouse, Mcry, lived in lhe town of Nczcreth in Gclilee, where loseph plied his trcrde crs ccrpenter. Mcrry wcs hecvy with child. But, obeying the order of Ccrescn, Joseph took his wife Mcry cmd mcrde the trip to his home city ol Bethlehem in ludqec, Ior Joseph wasi ol the House ol Dcvid, cnd Bethlehem wcs the hecdgucnters ol thct fconily.

Arriving in Bethlehem, they lound the plcced crowded, no doubt with the retunring tcrx-pcyers, cmd there wcrs no room lor then in the loccl inn" "Aud so it rvcs," scrys Luke, "thcrt while they were there the dcys were cccomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought lorth her lirstbora Son cnrd wrcpped Him in swcddling clothe* cnd lqid Him in c mcnger." So, you see, it wcs tcxes thct cqused thcst Babe whom the world worships, to be bom in c stqble cnd crcdled in cr mcnger, fcrr cwcy lrom his pcrents' home in Nczcrreth.

Itr cr book about lesus by Knhlil Gibrcrn" there is c mcrrvelous cnd inspirctionql word picture of the Ccupenter thcrt belongs in every scrcpbook In c letter supposed to hcrve been written by the wile of Pllcte to c Romcn lcdy, she scys cbout Jesus 'Ife wcrs specrking to His lriends of IO\IE and STBENGTII. I lnow He spolce ol LO\IE, lor there wcrs melody in His voicei and I know He spoke ol STRENGTII beccruse TIIERE WERE ARMIES IN HIS GESTUHES. And He wcE tender, even though my husbcnd could not hcve spoken with such <ruthority. Alter thct dcy His iurcrge visited my privccy when I would not be visited by mcrn or womcll. crnd His eyes secnched my soul, when my own eyes were closed. And His voice governs the stillness of my nights. I cm held lcst lorever more,' cmd there is pecce in my pcin, cnd treedom in my tecrs."