Show BETH BETHLEHEM LEffE 31 AND OUR WORLD 0 by suzanne claire dean inside the cave was W whitewashed hite and clean even if the donke donkeys ys were not far away in the manger made of rough stone there was plenty of clean white straw tian the arabs call it before it shepherds coming from the fields stood and hoped their minds ringing with the joyful insight that gods will is peace among men of the one who lay in the manger men frustrated by hate of class or nation were to say inside of two generation ile he is our peace in the queen helena came and built over the cave from stone a church now the oldest in the world king richard brought beams and hammered iron from england by ship to beautify it twenty two years ago divided christians kept an unsightly wall across the lovely old place separating th orthodox part from the latin part but as the armistice drew near the monk consented to take down the ugly partition and before christmas iha whole church became one he is our peace who hath made both one and broken down the middle wall of parti partition lion between us in spite of bombers mines pressure groups and governments claiming mystic halos his followers are still his are still one around the earth and greet one another such was the christmas caid post marked december 1 1939 which arrived from dr and mrs graham C hunter irene and stewart from fullerton california last year in this december 1940 on this thi is aarni torm clouded snow covered worlden world worl din in which we sit looking out of the little cabin windows our thoughts turn to the marvels or of friendship kindness delicate in its thou thoughtfulness and definite in its acts the true spirit of christmas ahe he sun may be shining I 1 ii cali furnia where there is christinas anticipation and we recall that only one other christ christmas in more than fifty years have we failed to spend it in its familiar surroundings but thoughts must be elsewhere today we lift our eyes to a picture indeed a treasure it was clipped from a womans comans magazine we think the pictorial review about the year 1917 the th e background is is a dark skyline without stars the earth is snow covered and broken only by the deeply dug irregular trenches of warfare the near trench showing the helmets of men with bayonets in their hands across a space of snow are other men dressed and equipped as those in the forefront of the picture but as always the best has not yet been told coming down the length of the view is a figure unmistakably that of jesus christ who has from far bak back in the scene 5 to our amazement as far as the figure has passed the trenches the bayonets are laid forward on the surface for men have seen a great sight an interesting observation of the figure is that while it is drawn with the familar halo and attire in the soft white garment which must be impervious to the elements of a war torn world a physical world th figure casts no shadow the only thing which follows it are the bayonets dropped from startled fingers of men whose hearts cannot be in such ghastly business strange sweet symbol of divine compassion and tender love for the artist a german artist judging by j rf name has glimpsed something in addition to drawing with the usual shadow following has suggested the beautiful idea that the illumination of this figure goes before and makes a pathway of light many years has this picture hung before our eyes and in spite of discouragement disappointment loss of faith and the agonies of a suffering world it has served its purpose and has helped to keep belief in a daily divine power from passing ino a form and becoming but lip service ice it in M light that illumines the darkness why because the darkness has not overcome it dr r james moffitt tran slates it the darkness did not master it ir why then this world of warfare and misery and death and disease and agony which words do not describe dr moffitt makes another translation and this is the sentence of that light has entered the world and yet men have preferred darkness to light strange sweet accusation just jast as strange today as nearly two thousand years ago when john the disciple dis cipe penned the words dr hunter has related the bethlehem story with an added touch of conviction and knowledge because twenty two years ago he and mrs hunter were in this very place now after twenty two years even when the middle wall of partition has been broken down we find a world still at warfare because the heart hearty 17 of men are not given to peace there is much each one can do to contribute to bring a world of peace we must know that of only one could it be said he is our peace and recognizing ga that we know the pathway an n ancient litany sang in this coming year I 1 wilt will dwell in the sanctuary sant uary of love I 1 will not offend against the law of love 1 I will remember that I 1 have not to ask love but to give love that I 1 have to give of my very self to the world suzanne claire dean |