| Show I t Stand fast in liberty And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar sar Augustus that h t all the world I lii t Q Aj And all went to be taxed every one ne into his his' own own city Thus b begins gins the Christmas story according to St. St Luke The whole world orld was in bondage All i the world was to be taxed to fill the I treasury of a despot He did not send his I to collect the taxes He arrogantly ordered the taxpayer to go into his own city to pay True there were no disorders in the world Unrest to be sure but no dis dis- dis- dis orders For FoX Caesar Augustus had perfected perfected perfected per per- the police state Dissidents were put to death or impressed as slave laborers Those who gave up their freedom freedom freedom free free- dom without protest received largess from the public treasury because Caesar Augustus had also legalized plunder He took from some persons what belonged to them and arid gave it to other persons to whom it did not belong And he kept the biggest share for himself Then it was that the angel of the Lord appeared and said unto them Fear Fearnot Fearnot Fearnot not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people For unto you is born this day in inthe inthe inthe the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord And when He was grown to adulthood this man of Galilee said to His exploited country country- i men Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesars Caesar's and unto God the things that are Gods He taught that t salvation f lay fi c to God not in servitude to the state He showed that resistance to the promises persuasions and bestialities of despots requires sometimes the ultimate sacrifice Following Him men ceased giving up their freedom for pottage Many have died that others might walk upright in dignity Down through the centuries other would-be would Caesars have enslaved nations nations nations na na- na- na which forgot the meaning of Christmas Some dictators used their own cent rians to enslave Some employed employed employed em em- subversives with pieces of sil sil- sil- sil ver More often than not ambitious Caesars have had only to promise something for nothing largess from the public treasury It is so this Christmas too False prophets seek to trick free men into slavery to government to make them servants of a system rather than sons of God The Apostle Paul foresaw this eternal assault on free men His words to the stand as the lesson of Christmas for this and every future year of our Lord Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage Lyle H. H Munson |
