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Show oo IAS SMOH OF REVCARVER Christmas carols were sung at tho Christmas ovo service last night in the First Presbyterian church, Mrs. C H. Stevens ronderlng "Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem," and Miss Bartlett "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear." Rev Carver, speaking upon the theme, "Tho First Christmas Lessons," Les-sons," said In part: Bethlehem today Is a city of about 8.000 Inhabitants, and. atrantro to say. but few of thorn are either Moslems or cf non-Chrlstlan faith. It Is now ono of the most flourishing towns of Palestine. The Chrlatlaus have reclaimed re-claimed tha hillB, and orchards and farm lands surround It It is a center of the souvonlr trado and exports much of domestic manufacture In this line. Much of the town Is quite modern. mod-ern. The holy places are under control con-trol of the Greek, I atln and Armenian churches The oldest church building In the world Is hero. It was erected A D. 330 by St Helena over the traditional tra-ditional birthplace of the Christ It was bulldod so as to afford protection from the encmv In time of need, and so has much the nppearanco of a castle. cas-tle. Underneath the Church of tho Nativity nro six grottoes They were originally caves. The largest is 10 feet long, 12 foot wide and 10 root high In a recess, now richly overlaid with marble and mosaic and adorned with costlv ores and altnrs, we are told that tho Christ was born We know that such caves were and are now used as sholter for the animals of travelers. A silver star is placed in the floor with this Inscription "Hero Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary" Ono of the first thoughts about Christmas is the consideration of gifts. Our nrimary trend of observance of tho day centers In gift-giving. Giving, Giv-ing, however. Is not thp deepest of the ChrlPtlan lessons. Our Christmas should derive nil of its significance from Jesus Christ Now the cming of Christ has for Its fundamental purpose pur-pose the satisfaction of the doonesl need of the soul and heart Let no formalities, therefore, obscure the fart that we needed a Savior, a teacher teach-er sent from God The Joy of a truo Christ mas Is the joy that Is holsht-onei holsht-onei bv the dark fact of man's need and helplessness. "The Son of Man came to 6eek and to save that which was lost" The Christmas season is a testimony testi-mony to Uie worth of commonplaces. When the Christmas angels retired, the Christmas glory thnt was heavenly heaven-ly vanished. When tho shepherds entered en-tered tho khan they beheld only the ordinary sights of earth, tho peasant parents, the child, the creatures of the stall and tho common environment No halo of divinity enriched the Christ brow. No crown or Jeweled robe separated sep-arated Mary from human motherhood. It taught that God Is not far away, that the common folks are his people, and that outward appearances are but vain show. All good things and people peo-ple are holy In his sight The dignity of the ordinary homo and work Is enhanced. en-hanced. Every sphere of life is a sanctuary for serving God and every life can bo a divine ministry Augustine Augus-tine has well said, "Tho Son of God beenme tho son of man that the sonB of mon might become the sons of God." The Son of God, "though he was rich, yet for our sakes became ho poor, that we, through his poverty, might becomo rich," Is the way tho apostle finely writes the same truth Tt is a boltl picture the writer of tho gospel gives us when he giveB the chief places to the tiny babe and tho heavenly star The highest in heaven Is linked to tho weakest of earth And yet this Is tho 'one picture of allthe past that peoples will not tire of or reject. It is exactly true to nature that tho high heavenly star should be linked to weakness, for we know now that tho same law and power that guides and holds the stars makes the tiny round dewdrop upon the silken wob of the spider. The same great power Is directed to tho highest and lowliest of all objects The law of gravitation or attraction dops both. it is tnc g'orv oi our won uiu nc excels ex-cels In gentleness as well as greatness. great-ness. Ho doo no greater or gentlor thing than when he plnrcs a t'nv babe with life ciernal and possibility unthinkable un-thinkable In the arms of a parent of love The friar and the babe arc a'lke unfathomed mystery, and so are no so far apart after all Moreover those have ever been the crcat anpea's to thp lives of men Ills Btarry heaven home of eternal light and tho tiny hplplcssjioss of Innocent children calling to stronger, purer, more holy life. When the wise men came thev gave threo gifts to the Christ and you and I must glvp three gifts to him If our lives would show the spirit of Christmas Christ-mas Surely love Is the first gift of all It was love for us that made his coming possible, and without love no gift Is truly worthy We hear that people do not loe to sing to tho Christ ns they once did. Can It be that our hearts havo grown cold towards him9 Let us resolve that our first gift tomorrow to-morrow shall he a loving remembrance for all his me,"l"s To f" i- n t-o. lng with an Immortal life that does not show rcvereno for the best In life Human llfp never had more reverence rev-erence shown to It than when God gave his son for tho saving of the Immortal In life. You ennnot road the Christmas story without realizing how much added dlgnitv is given by the element of persona'Ity. Christ cam in person He spent his strength of bodv, heart and mind No gift to Christ or to humanity that does not talto part of our life with It In expenditure ex-penditure of "hv-lii anl ppt1 never, nev-er, carries with it the true Christmas spirit It is a cold, unsatisfactory way of giving, to give of means and withhold with-hold life The Christ gave himself. Your gifts to nlm must Includo your ownsolf If It be of truest worth Ills tvnrU nPPflR VOU. VOUr UlOUght, toll and love, as well as vour gifts Give yourself anow this Christmas |