Christmas Making'.

INTRODUCTION
To those everywhere who desire to let the love of Christ have its way in them; to those who are ready also to forget themselves and to make happiness for others; to those who want to do something to make the world brighter and sweeter, and a better place to live in—these pages are cheerfully dedicated.

"Life is an education in love." Hugh Black

Learning to love is a long lesson. It takes all of the longest life to learn it. The most inveterate obstacle in mastering the lesson—isSELF, which persists with an energy which nothing but divine grace can overcome! When no longer we seek our own, in any of our relations with others—we have learned to love. Until then we still need to stay in Christ's school.

"Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men on whom His favor rests." Luke 2:14

There were two parts in the song the angels sang the night Jesus was born. The first part, was an outburst of praise to God. "Glory to God in the highest!" God should always be put first. He should be first in our hearts, first in our love, first in our worship, first in our trust. It was fitting that the first note of the angels' song, should be to God. The great blessing of that night, was God's unspeakable gift to men, and to God—the highest honor should be raised. "Glory to God!" Before we begin our rejoicing at the Christmas time—we should bow reverently before God and praise him.

The second part of the angels' song, referred to the meaning of Christmas to this world, to the blessings it would bring to His people, to the change and transformation it would work. "On earth peace, good-will toward men."

We always have a part in making our own blessings. A friend wishes us a happy birthday. The wish is sincere and there is a great heart of love back of it. But nothing will come of it—unless we take it and make it real in our won life. God has most loving thoughts for us. He is always planning good for us. Yet God puts his good things into our hearts—only through our personal acceptance and appropriation of them by faith, and our assimilation of them in our conduct and character by obedience.

Christmas as a day in the calendar comes in its season, whatever our response may be. God sends it, like his sunshine and his rain, on the evil and the good, on the just and the unjust. But Christmas in its divine meaning will become real to us—only as it reenacts itself in our own experience.

Christmas is the gladdest of all the Christian festivals. It brings a great joy to all the earth. It is for all men. There is scarcely a home so lowly, in such neglect and poverty—but the Christmas spirit touches it with some little brightness, and the Christmas lovecarries into it a little breath of warmth, a thought of gentleness and kindness. There is scarcely a life so desolate, so cut off from companionships, so without the blessing of human love—but Christmas finds it with some tenderness, some sense of kinship and fellowship, some word of sympathy and cheer, some token of thought, something to brighten the dreariness, and soften the hardness. The day makes nearly every little child in the land happier. It is observed in nearly every home. Think of the millions of dollars that are spent in preparation, in buying gifts—from the simplest toys among the poor, to the most costly presents among the rich. There is no need to plead for the observance of Christmas. But there would seem to be need for serious thought about the real meaning of the day; and the way to make it—so as to get the most we can from it.

How did the world come to have a Christmas? God gave it to us. It was his gift. The story is told in the Now Testament. There is one great verse which tells how it came: "God so loved the world—that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish—but have everlasting life." Christmas thus began in the heart of God. The world did not ask for it—it was God's own thought. We love—because he first loved us. All the love that warms and brightens this old earth—was kindled from the one heavenly lamp that was lighted the first Christmas night. The Child that was born that first Christmas—was the Son of God. God so loved the world—that he gave his one and only Son.

Think of the beginning—how small it was. It was only a baby, a baby among the poor. Think where the baby was born—in a stable, with the cattle all about. Think where the baby slept its first sleep—in a little box, out of which the cattle ate their fodder. All the circumstances were lowly and humble on the earth side.

The first Christmas did not mean much in the world. Its influence did not reach out far. A little company of lowly shepherds, keeping their watch in the fields, were the only people outside who heard of the wonderful event, and came to look at the new-born Child. The first Christmas touched the shepherds with its wonder, and with its holy sentiment. But with this exception, the great world slept on that night—as if nothing was happening! The world does not know its greatest hours—nor mark its most stupendous events.

Within the lowly cattle-shed, where the Baby lay—there was nothing which at that time seemed unusual. There was no divine splendor, such as we would expect to see in the face of one who was the Son of God. The only light, was the shining of love in the peasant mother's face. When the shepherds came in, all that they saw was a newborn baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger; and a quiet couple, Mary and Joseph, bending over it in tender love. Yet that was the beginning. It was a real Christmas.

There is a picture in the Dresden gallery of the Madonna, which represents the Child in the arms of the mother, surrounded by clouds. A closer view, however, shows that the clouds are myriads of angel faces, all turned toward the Holy Child. The picture is true. There must have been hosts of angels round the manger, every one turning his face with adoring wonder toward the infant Savior. It was a bit of heaven—let down to earth!

Think what the problem of Christmas was. The mission of the Christ-Child was to change the sin and sorrow of earth—into the holiness and the joy of heaven. Earth was very unlike heaven that night. It was a place of selfishness, of cruelty, of strife, of sin, of wrong, of oppression, of sorrow. Millions of men were slaves. There was depravity that reeked to heaven. Governments were tyrannous. Home meant but little. Here and there, a few praying souls thought of God, and a few men and women lived pure and gently lives. But the world was full of sin. Love—of course, there was natural love. Mothers loved their children, friend loved friend. But the great multitudes knew nothing of love, as we now understand the word. Love, Christian love, was born that first Christmas night. Love of God, God's own love, a spark of God's life—came down from heaven to earth when Jesus was born.

What was the problem? It was for this tiny spark of love to work its way out among men, among the nations—until all the life of the earth should be touched by it—changed, purified, sweetened, softened. This is part of what Jesus meant when he spoke of a woman putting a little morsel of leaven in a great mass of dough, that it might work its way through the whole lump. We have the problem stated in the words of angels' song, "On earth peace, and good-will toward men." That is what the coming of Christ to earth in human flesh was to do—to make peace and to put into all men's hearts good-will.

"Peace." This is a great word. As we read the New Testament, we find it used, for one thing, to denote the reconciliation of men to God. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Peace with God—enmity given up, will submitted, sins abandoned, and obedience to God made the law of life. To have this peace, is to be well advanced in the school of Christ. Jesus said that in wearing his yoke and learning of him—we shall find rest in our souls.

Peace means also peace with each other, peace among men. Remembering the late terrible Eastern war, it would seem that universal peace is still far away—an impracticable and impossible dream. Yet that was the problem of Christ's mission announced the first Christmas night, "peace on earth."

There is no doubt that the problem will be worked out in the end. One of the prophetic visions of the Messiah's reign, represents the peoples of the world beating their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks. Then we have this assurance, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." A picture of peace, shows a cannon lying in a meadow, and a lamb nibbling grass at its mouth. The picture is not ideal, for the implement of war still exists, though unused.

The prophet's picture is better—the sword no longer a sword—but made into a plough-share, and emblem of husbandry; and the soldiers' spears hammered into pruning-hooks, which are used in dressing the vines. There are intimations that the day is not far distant, when war shall cease from the face of the earth and when differences between nations shall be settle by the arbitrations of love, and no longer by an appeal to battle.

"Good-will toward men." The best definition of these words is—LOVE. Jesus puts it, "As I have loved you—you should also love one another." To have good-will toward men, is to love all men—not merely those who love us—but those who do not love us. Someone said the best definition of the commandment of love to men he had ever seen, was given by a plain woman, "To love like God—is to love people we don't like!" It means also to love those who do not like us. It means to forgive—not three times, nor seven times—but seventy-seven times. Good-will to men, means not only charity toward all—but sincere interest in all men—the seeking of the highest good of every person.

Someone writes: "Cultivate kindness of heart; think well of your fellow-men; look with charity upon the shortcomings in their lives; do a good turn for them, as opportunity offers; and, finally, don't forget the kind word at the right time. How much such a word of kindness, encouragement, of appreciation means to others sometimes, and how little it costs us to give it!"

If we really have in our hearts good-will to men—we shall not only wish everyone well—but we shall seek every opportunity to dogood to everyone! It will make us good neighbors, kind, obliging, ready always to lend a hand, to do another a good turn. When there is sickness or trouble in the home of a neighbor, we will show our sympathy by rendering any service that may be needed. Of a kindly man it was said, that he lived by the side of the road—that he might be among people and have an opportunity to help them. It is in practical ways that good-will to men shows itself. It does not wait to do large things—but heeds the calls of need as they come, however small they may be.

The problem of Christmas the night Jesus was born—was to set all this good-will to work in the world. A great deal has been done in these long Christian centuries, in the carrying out of this program. In Christian lands there is much that is very beautiful in the way the poor, the old, the blind, the orphan, the sick, and all unfortunate ones are cared for—and in the spirit of kindness and charitywhich prevails in society. All this has been brought about by the diffusion of the love of God among men. What marvelous changes have been wrought, may be seen be comparing Christian countries like England and America, with heathen lands like China and Africa. But the work is not yet finished. The whole world had not yet been transformed into the sweetness, purity, and beauty of heaven! Where most has been done—there still is much to do.

We may bring the subject closer home. What is our personal part in the making of Christmas? After all, that is the most important question for us. We cannot do any other one's part—and no other can do ours. Some people spend so much time looking after theirneighbor's garden, that the weeds grow in their own and choke out the plants and flowers. What about the little patch of God's great world that is given to US to tend? If the problem of the church is to make Christmas is every part of the earth, one small portion belongs to everyone of us.

Each one should seek to make Christmas, first in his own heart and life. Christmas is Christlikeness. The life of heaven came down to earth in Jesus, and began in the lowly place where he was born.

"Love one another. As I have loved you—so you must love one another." John 13:34. Is there any measure of Christ's sweet, gentle, pure, quiet, humble love—in US? It ought to be a very practical matter! Some people understand what Christian love is—but fail in working love out in their disposition, conduct, and character. The kind of love a Christian needs is something that will show itself in deeds. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue—but in deed and in truth!" 1 John 3:18

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