THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 24, 1918.
CHURCHES TO HOLD APPROPRIATE THANKSGIVING -SERVICES
Number of Congregations Will Make Observances at Morning and Evening Services Today Two Big Union Meetings Set for Thursday.
THANKSGIVING services will be
held in Portlaud churches today
and ' Thursday. A number of
churches will make fitting observances
at either the morning: or evening ser
vices today, but the majority will celo
brate the holiday with appropriate ser
vices Thursday morning.
At Lincoln Methodist Church this
morning Bishop Matt S. Hushes, recent
ly returned from three months in the
East, will make an address of a patri
otic nature. Thanksgiving: services
will be enjoyed by a large congrega
tion of downtown folk at Wilbur Meth-cd-st
Church this morning.
L'nion services will be held Thanks
giving day at 10 A. II. at the White
Temple, with the parishes of the First
Methodist, the First Christian and the
Lutheran churches Joining in the ser
vice. The pastors of the respective
churches will participate. Rev. Joshua
Stansiield. pastor of the First Meth
odist Church, will preach the Thanks
giving sermon.
Elrht congregations of the Disciples
of Christ will unite at .the First Chris
tian Church for union services Thurs
day morning at 10:3d and a community
service will be held at Hope Presby
terian Church for the Montavilla dis
trict. Rev. Hiram Gould, of the Monta
villa Methodist Church, delivering the
Thanksgiving address.
The Woodlawn Methodist Church and
the Woodlawn Christian Church will
unite with the congregation at Pied-1
mont Presbyterian Church on Thurs
day morning at 11:30 to bear Fred
Lock ley. recently returned from France.
An event ox unusual interest - in
church circles of the city will be the
visit of Rev. Charles L. White. D. D..
of New York City, general secretary of
the American Baptist Home Mission
Society, and one of the outstanding
Baptists of the North. He will be the
guest of Portland Baptists Sunday and
Monday. December 1 and 2. A mass
meeting of toe Baptists of the city and
surrounding country will be held in
the White Temple Monday evening at
T:5. to be addressed by Dr. White. This
Is the yearly rally of the Baptists of
Portland. In which the various churches
exercise a fine rivalry in promoting the
largest possible attendance of their re
spective churches.
A Nation-wide movement among
Baptists, known s enlistment week,
will be observed by Baptist churches
of Poraland and Oregon December 1 to
S. This campaign proposes the re-enlistment
of every Baptist In some form
of Christian activity. The reconstruc
tion period following the war makes It
especially opportune that the churches
should consecrate themselves anew to
the task at building a Christian civil
ization throughout the world.
morning at 11 o'clock- At 7:30 in the
evcnirfg he will preach on the theme.
"The Haunted Heart."
At Second United Brethren Church,
Twenty-3eventh and Sumner . streets,
the pastor. Rev. Ira Hawley, will use
as his morning theme "Our Duty to
Home Missions." in the evening his
theme will be "Piltting Our House in
Order."
Rev. K. O. Shepherd, pastor of the
Third United Brethren Church. Sixty
seventh street and Thirty-second ave
nue, will use as his theme for the morn
ing service "He Gave Thanks," and In
the evening "Seeking ReFt."
The pastor of Fourth United Breth
ren Church. Rev. C. P. Blanchard. will
preach in the morning on the subject J
'The Other End of the Rope"; In the! -
i
evening the sermon will be on "The
Summary of Prayer and Thanksgiving
Week."
On Thanksgiving day. Thursday, No
vember 28, the four United Brethren
churches of the city will join in a
union Thanksgiving and praise service !
at the First United Brethren Church, I
Fifteenth and East Morrison streets. ,
10:30 A. M. Delegations from the four
churches will be in attendance and Dr.
Byron J. Clark will give the address.
An offering will be taken.
"God as a Destroyer," Topic
of Sunday Sermon.
EmlaC Service Will Be Preceded
by Orgaa Recital.
Major Mills to Speak at the
Congregational Church.
Dramatic
Servant
Given.
Sermon - Reading, The
In the House." te Be
JOR T. A. MILLS will speak at
both services at the First Congre
gational Church. Park and Madison
streets, today and give a dramatic ser
mon reading of Charles Mann Kenne
dy's famous drama, "The Servant In the
House." A consideration of this play is
very appropriate at this time. The
morning topic will be "If or Though."
The public is cordially Invited to these
services.
Bible school meets at noon and Inter
mediate Christian Endeavor at 6:30 In
the church parlors. The ladles', organ
izations in the church are active again
with Red Cross sewing and along mis
sionary lines. The Intermediate Chris
tian Endeavor recently did a great deal
toward helpfng with war work In con
nection with the Christian Endeavor
Union of Multnomah County and the
church In general looks to a great fu
ture of activities which will begin as
soon as a permanent pastor is selected.
i ' . y . . jw .. v - . i :-' . . .-;: . y :.-. ,-. :::'- . .- v -.v.-.-.y.-: .-..w.-.-.v. "X. .,.-.-..-.--. (;: :-::-.-.-. -.-r.v "if-' -fv .. i- :.v.- :--:::--.:-.. i
charge of Professor Streyfeller. Junior
League meets at 2:30 with Miss Dorothy
Clifford and Epworth League meets at
6:30 with Miss Dora Martin.
The Epworth League will serve a
sunrise breakfast and conduct a short
service at 6:30 on the morning of
Thanksgiving day. At 10 o'clock the
President's proclamation will be read
and special services will be held.
Rev. T. M. Mlnard, pastor of the First
Divine Church, will speak this morning
at 11 o'clock in the Apollo Club Hall,
Tilford building. His subject will be
"Thanksgiving and What It Means to
Us." The Bible class meets Tuesday at
2 P. M. and the study class meets
Wednesday at 8 o'clock.
Rev. Mr. Landsborough, of Vernon
Presbyterian Church, will take as his
morning topic "The Coming Thanksgiv
ing." In the evening he will take his
tex from Col. 1:2 7, "Which Is Christ
in you, the hope of glory," and his
topic will be "Inward Beauty." He will
deal with the beauty which is under
the surface of most of us rather than
exterior beauty. A special Thanksgiv
ing service will be held in the church
on the morning of Thanksgiving day at
10 o'clock.
V'ctori Sundat JVt.7&or JPresbijterr3n. ChtcrcTz
Disciples of Christ Unite in
Thanks Service.
"Three Kind of Heretics.' Theme
of First Christian Sermon.
CO.OUfetATlU. ti.Vlllfc.K3 l. fr HO.T OK SERVICE FLAG AT CLOSE OF PEACE SERVICES fOR PICTURE, V IllCii WILL BIS sK.vl' 111 1IU1S l. t'KACE,
AT the First Presbyterian Church,
Twelfth and Alder streets, the
pastor. Rev. John H. Boyd, D. D.. will
preach both morning and evening:. In
the morning at 10:30 the subject will
be "God as a Destroyer." This will
deal with the questions which arise
out of the tremendous changes taking
place every day In the world and show
how God destroys the old in order to
bring about the new.
In the evening at 7:30 Dr.' Boyd will
preach on "Facing the Task of Rebuild
ing." This will deal with the task of
reconstruction in the church with an
Inventory of the spiritual material
available. The evening service will be
preceded by an organ recital by Edgar
E. Coursen with the following pro
gramme: (a) "Rhapsody on Breton Melo
dies, No. 2" Saint-Saena
fb) "Cantabile" Grison
The musical feature of the morning
pervice will be a soprano solo, "My
Refuge" (Coombs), by Miss Astrid RoaL
Thanksgiving Day, at 10:30 A. M., a
great patriotic Thanksgiving service
will be held at the First Presbyterian
Church. Rev. Mr. Boyd will give an
address on "America's Part in the
War." This is the address which made
such an impression when given before
the Rotary Club last Tuesday and, is
being repeated by request. .
Music will be furnished by the Fifcst
Presbyterian Orchestra with the great
organ and by the quintet, -"there j
will be a large number of patriotic!
songs for the audience to celebrate the
victory and the coming of peace. All
are welcome to attend this service.
The Passion of Religion" . is the
tReme that will be discussed by Dr.
Byron J. Clark, the new pastor of the
First United Brethren Church, Fifteenth
and East Morrison streets, Sunday
Holy Eucharist services will be held
at St- Mark's Church this morning at j
7:30 and again at 11 o'clock. Church j
school is at 9:45 A. M. Rev. J. E. H. I
Simpson. rector-emeritus, will preach i
the sermon at the morning services..
Rose City Park Methodist Church
will bold a special Sunday School rally
this morning. At the 11 o'clock serv
ice a Thanksgiving -sermon will be
given and at 7:30 this evening the
regular service will be held. On
Thanksgiving Day the members of
Rose City Church will Join with the
Presbyterian Church in a union service.
The Baptist Ministers' Conference of
Portland and vicinity will hold their
regular meeting at the White Temple,
Monday. November 25, In the small par
lor, at 2:30. The topic of the day will
be "The Minister a Leader in Evangel
ism." by Dr. W. A. Waldo.
Pastor to Answer "Is Religion
Necessary?"
People Should Know If They Lose
Things of Value, Says Rev. Dr.
Morrison.
'Unconditional Surrender to
Be Sermon Topic.
V
Dr. William A. Waldo to Present
Victory Greeting of Military Men.
D"
REV. A. A. MORRISON, rector of
Trinity Episcopal Church, will take
for his subject this morning "Is Reli
gion Necessary?" "In our time there
are many respectable people1 who never
go t6 church," says Dr. Morrison, "pre
sumably most of them see no necessity
for going. If it be true that they are
losing something of real value, they
should know of it. What of the chil
dren who grow up with neither the fear
nor the love of God in their hearts?"
At 8 o'clock, this evening Dr. Morri
son a subject will be "Malicious
Thoughts," one of a series of sermons
on "Psychology of Religions," giving a
modern view of scientific religion. Sun
day school will be resumed at 9:-45.
Rev. S. J. Reid will preach this morn
ing at the Montavilla Baptist Church
on "The Strangest Hiding Place in the
World." His subject at the evening
service will be "The Man Whom Time
Cannot Change."
R. WILLIAM A. WALDO, pastor of
the First Baptist Church (White
Temple), has arranged two delightful
services for today. The morning serv
ice at 11 o'clock will deal with the
problems of the present hour national
and ecclesiastical. The subject of Dr.
Waldo's sermon will be "Unconditional
Surrender." The service will be Inter
spersed with appropriate music, and
the Temple Quartet will render Clare's
"Oh Lord, How Manifold Are Thy
Works," and "Praise the Lord, Oh
Jerusalem," by Maunder.
A great patriotic Thanksgiving serv
ice will be held tonight at 7:30 o'clock
and Dr. Waldo will preach on the sub
ject, "A Nation's Gratitude." Dr. Waldo
will refer to several contributions tnat
have been made to the war and then
to the final victory that has been
gained. Representative men from dif
ferent branches of military life will
bring greetings, which will be pre-
gseniea prior iu Liie ei iiiuii.
xne stringea orcnesira on me iujin
Squadron will be present and render
music for the song service and will
play at intervals during the service.
The Temple Quartet will give the
anthems: "Thy Light Is Come" (Brack
et), and "I Will Magnify Thee" (Mosen
thal). Harold Hurlbut, the church
chorister, will direct the music and
lead the congregation in singing patri
otic songs. The public is invited.
Memorial services will be held this
morning at the First Evangelical
Church for George Snidow, a member of
the church who recently gave his life
on the field of honor. Mr. Snidow's
parents from Oregon City will attend
the service. The church will be ap
propriately decorated and patriotic
music will be rendered.
The Second Spiritualist Church will
hold services in the Alisky building to
day at 3 o'clock and at 8 o'clock.- Spe
cial music will be given-at each service).
.
At the East Side Baptist Church this
morning. Dr. Hinson will preach on the
question "Does JPrayer Change God?"
At night the theme will be "The Truth
About the Second Coming." These
sermons on the return of the Lord are
to be printed weekly, and distributed
at the church.. When the series is
completed the sermons will be bound
in a volume.
Last Sunday the church gave more
than $2000 in a thank-offering, and 10
new members joined the church.
The Sunday School meets at 9:45 and
the Young People's Societies convene
at 6:15.
A prayer and Thanksgiving service
will be held at the new Hamilton
Chapel at 10:45 this morning. Rev. F. J.
Eppling, pastor, will speak on "The
Privilege Which We Americans Enjoy."
.
Rev. C. August Peterson, conference
Sunday school missionary, will preach
at the Norwegian Danish Methodist
Church this morning at 11 o'clock and
at 8 o'clock this evening.
Union Thanksgiving Service
Will Be Held Thursday.
Patriotic Musie Will He Feature of
Occasion.
Lincoln Methodist Church to
Burn Mortgage.
Thanksgiving Service to Be Preached
by Bitthop Hughes, Backs From
the East. "
BISHOP MATT S. HUGHES returned
Wednesday after a three months'
absence In the East attending the Board
of Bishops and the Foreign and Home
Missionary boards. Bishop Hughes will
preach this morning at Lincoln Metho
dist Church. East Fifty-second and Lin
coln streets. Dr. W. W. Youngson will
be in charge of this special Thanks
giving service. The mortgage of the
church will be burned. More than $1250
has been paid off by the church In the
past two years. Special music will be
given under the direction of Mrs. Wick
ersham. Rev. F. A. Ginn is pastor of
Lincoln Church.
Dr. Francis Burgette Short will
preach at Epworth Methodist Church
this evening at 7:30. Dr. W. W. Young
son will have charge of the revival
service. Miss Delia Milligan, city dea
coness, is how a worker in the Epworth
parish.
npHERE will be a union Thanksgiv-
A lng service in the Piedmont Pres
byterian Church, Cleveland avenue and
Jarrett street, at 10:30 Thursday morn
ing, in which the Woodlawn Methodist
and Christian churches will unite with
this church. There will be special
patriotic music rendered by a union
choir under the direction of Miss Uiea
Mae Phelps. The speaker for the oc
casion will be Fred Lockley.
The service will last one hour. On
Sunday morning at 11 Dr. Hutchison,
pastor of the church, will speak on
The Tragedy of opportunity," the third
in the special morning series. At 7:30
the third study In the book of Daniel
will be given on the topic, "The Course
of World Empire." Bible school at
9:45.
.
The first Fall rally of the Interme
diate Christian Endeavorers of Mult
nomah County will be held Friday
evening, November 29, at the First
Christian Church. Among the attrac
tive features of the programme will be
society demonstrations of songs and
yells. A pennant will be awarded to
the society with the highest percent
age of its members present. Short ad
dresses will be made by intermediate
workers, Faye Steinmetz, president of
the County Union; Mrs. Bess Duncan,
former intermediate superintendent;
Effie Torgerson, state superintendent;
Harold Cross, a California worker, and
G. Evert Baker.
There are 14 societies in Multnomah
County and the membership la made up
largely of high school students. Miss
Elma Rehwalt is chairman of the com
mittee in charge of the rally and a
large representation Is expected.
The Thanksgiving spirit will prevail
today In all the services of the Rose
City Park Community Church. Dr. Rob
ert H. Milligan, pastor.
The quartet, under the direction of
Stanley Norvell, is doing, excellent
work. Great interest is being shown in
the Sunday school contest, the begin
ning of -which the superintendent, Mr.
St. Clair, announces for next Sunday.
It is an "On to Berlin" contest between
Army and Navy as represented by the
boys and girls, respectively.
The subject of Dr. Milligan's morning
sermon will be "The World Getting
Better God, Not the Devil, on the
Throne," Last Sunday evening Dr.
Milligan preached the first of a series
of evening sermons on "The War and
Prayer." His subject, "Both Sides
Praying." The subject of the second
sermon of the series will be "What's the
Use?" The hour of beginning the even
ing service has been changed from 8 to
7 :30 o'clock.
"World Readjustment and Recon
struction Our New Task" will be the
subject of the sermon by the Rev. Will
iam E. Brinkman at St. James Lutheran
Church this morning at IX o'clock. The
topic of the evening sermon will be,
"Present-Day Events as Revealed in
Prophecy." Sunday school, 9:50 Ai M
Luther League, 7 P. M.
A memorial service will be held in
connection, with, the service .of worship
Sunday morning in honor of Frederick
Nulton,. enlisted. In. the .United States
Navy, who died in Russia. The first
gold 8tar.wiU.be placed on th.e service
flag of St. James Church in honor of
the first pne.of the 45.y.oung.men of the
congregation to make the supreme sac
rifice of bis lite qr .humanity's cause.
Thanksgiving day services will be
held at the .church. Thursday . morning
at 10:30 o'clock.
Special Reformation services will be
held at St John's Evangelical Lutheran
Church this morning at 10:45 and this
evening at 7:30. Thanksgiving day
services will be held Thursday at 9:43
and at 10:45.
.
At Universal Messianic Church
Thanksgiving services will be held at
8 o'clock this evening. The subject
will be, "Thanksgiving; a Token of
Recognition." Sunday school is at 11
A. M. All services are at 414 East
Everett street. The study class meets
Wednesday evening at 8 o'clock.
Rev. William Stoddard, Sellwood
Methodist Church, will speak this
morning at 11 o'clock on "David's Grat
itude, a Subject for Thanksgiving Day."
His evening topic will be "Jesus at the
Dinner Table." The music will be in
THIS orning at 11 o'clock at the First
Christian Church, Park and Colum
bia, the pastor. Rev. Harold II. Grlffls,
will speak on the subject, "Three
Kinds of Heretics." The pastor's topic
in the evening at 7:45 will be, "The
Primitive and the Perfected Man."
On Tuesday evening at 6:30 the, Bible
school workers will meet for dinner
and conference at the church, to plan
for the church's Christmas celebration.
An interdenominational rally for all
the intermediate Endeavorers of the va
rious congregations of the city will be
held Friday evening at .7:30.
The eight congregations of the Disci
ples of Christ in Portland will unite thia
year in a union Thanksgiving- service
at the First Christian Church on
Thanksgiving day morning at 10:30.
The sermon will be delivered by the
Rev. J. F. Ghormley, of the Rodney
Avenue Christian Church, and a special
programme of music will be rendered
by the First Church quartet.
Dr. Beth Nqjthlngton will speak this
evening at the New Civilization Church.
Tilford building, on "The New Age and
What We "Can Expect of It." Union
services will be held Thanksgiving
morning at 11 o'clock in the realiza
tion League rooms, Woman's Exchange
building.
Rev. A. Scott Bledsoe will hold ser
vices at the First Spiritualist ChurcU.
Sixth and Montgomery streets, at 3
o'clock and at 7:45 this evening. Mrs.
Bledsoe will assist with the services
and Mrs. Powers will sing at the even
ing services.
At the Rodney Avenue. Christian
Church, Rodney avenue and Knott
street, Rev. J. F. Ghormley will speak
at 11 A. M., taking for his theme "Rea
sons -for Thanksgiving."
The Bible school will assemble at 10
A. M. Classes for all ages. At 6:30 P.
M. the Christian Endeavor will hold
its meeting, with the timely topic,
"Count Your Mercies."
At 7:45 a song and praise Bervice led
by C. H. Dougherty will be held, fol
lowing which Dr. Ghormley will speak
on the question, "Has the World Seen
Its Last War?"
A community Thanksgiving service
will be held Thursday at 11 A. M. in the
Central Methodist' Episcopal Church.
Rev. J. W. Beaven will deliver the ad
dress. Special services were held for the 24
members of the honor roll at Central
Methodist Church last, Sunday. Pictures
of the boys were thrown on a screen
and short talks of their life In the
service, their promotions, and other
news, was given by prominent laymen
in the church.
""Rebuilding a World" and "The Earth
Shaken; Why?" will be the sermon sub
jects used by Rev. R. II. Sawyer ut the
East Side Christian Church, Est
Twelfth and Taylor streets. Capacity
audiences have long been the rule at
this church, and last Sunday was no
exception. The work done by this con
gregation durine: the war period has
been a remarkable one. In-addition to
having a creditable part in all war ac
tivities, it has paid cash for the present
church home and has panned and . dec
orated both the interior and exterior.
(Concluded on Pace 7.)
CHRISTIAN RELIGION MIGHTIEST OF ALL, DECLARES PASTOR
Rev. Joshua Stansfield Says Monarch Values Shrink, Wlrile God's Law Becomes More Firmly Entrenched.
"The Coronated Christ." sermon by Rev.
Joshua Siansfieid, pastor of tho First Pres
byterian Church.
IN speaking npon the "Coronated
Christ." and I shall take as a text
three statements, two from the
Book of Revelation and one from the
words of Jesus, and the text will read
like this: "They cast their crowns be
fore him. saying thou art worthy. O,
Lord, to receive glory and honor and
Powr." And on his head were many
crowns. "i am glorified in them."
In speaking to you, by Brother Sir
Jinignts. 1 am saying nothing new if
at the outset I suggest that the Chris
tian religion, which is your religion,
is the most human of all the religions
of the world. There is more of the
distinctly human, and less of the mys
terious, in Christianity than in any
other religion the world has known.
In Christianity all the great doc
trines are to be interpreted in. and by,
and through, the human. They are
never Interpreted in speculation, or
theorizing, or upon oertaln hypotheses.
The great realities and doctrines of
Christian revelation may all be proven,
and are verifiable In human experi
ence. Christian Rellgloa Mighty.
The marvel Is this, that in Chris
tianity God is not alone revealed but
he is revealed In human life. The glory
of the eternal Is seen, not In startling,
staggering majesty, nor In dazzling,
blinding splendors, but in the face of
Jesus Christ. There is not another re
ligion like that In all the world, and
there is not anything approaching it.
Personally. I have a profound respect
for all religions, and In all religions
there is good, but the highest, the
eupremcst of all is the religion in which
God comes so near to man that be is in
man, the God-man.- The highest reve
lation of God that the world has ever
seen or known Is In the "God-man."
and he is our Lord., That is the Lord
we believe in. and love, and cling to,
and trust. Christ coronated Is Christ
made conscious and manifest in human
life.
All valid Interpretatons of doctrine
must necessarily be In the thought
terms and life terms of the age in
which the doctrine Is interpreted.
Therefore, when the doctrine of Christ
and Christianity was Interpreted in the
first century, and the second, and the
thought "terms and the life terms of never make an imperial government.
that age. And in that age, and for cen
turies later, the greatest personality,
the highest, the mightiest, the best.
was a King.
And so very rightly Christ was King.
The highest,- the best, the noblest, the
fullest, the finest, the richest of all
Christ was that. But now Kings have
depreciated somewhat,, monarch values
have shrunk. There is not a King in
all the world today that is on par with
Kings of a century ago.
Christ's Love Far-Iteachlng.
Has Christ changed? Is Christ any
thing other than w hat he always was?
Our estimates of life have changed and
now in the development of human life
and moral consciousness Kings are not
the highest standard of human life and
character, nor are , potentates, or
Princes, or Emperors, Czars or Kaisers,
nor any ot. the whole kith, or kin.
-what is the highest now? A human
life man. In these days of democracy,
under the growing Christian conscious
ness, human life has come up and King
riife 4s discounted.' Kings were always
made either by hlood or conquest or
political or worse forces. Kings were
an office.. Some thought them an or
der, just as In the .church some think
that priest or preacher or presbyter or
deacon or' whatever name you give is
an order of being.
Some think such an order, some an
office. With Kings it was both, but
either-way, or both. Kings are not the
best. The best of human life is not an
officer or an order, it is a human.
Men Are Brought Together.
The best of human life Is not one,
set off and apart and different and
other; the best of human life is in a
fine. full, - fair, noble manhood and
brotherliness. Jesus Christ, wlio was
the Son of God, always called himself
the Son of Man. lie belonged to all
of us. He was as approachable by one
man as he was by any other.. He was
as available to' everybody as he was
to anybody and he was as close kin to
everybody as he was to anybody.
Jesus, the Son of . Man fine, full
splendid human life, touched and filled
with the Spirit of God. The humanest
of the humans, and wherever he has
gone and has been rightly known,
brotherhood has followed. Christ
never separates into classes, he brings
Christ can make a world democracy.
Christ never makes for variety of or
ders, Christ can make a grand human
brotherhood.
diriat Humanest of .41
Jesus Christ was the humanest of all
and he has brought to the world the
most human religion that the world
shall ever know. Now, in saying that
one thing I have said a big thing about
the Christian religion namely, that
human life Is so constituted that it is
akin to the Christ and related to God,
and as human life comes to its possi
bilities and rises to its best it comes
up to Christian consciousness and
Christian character and Christian char
acter is the most superbly human thing
in all the world.
Christian character Is after the order
of Christ; it is sympathetic to suffering
and sorrow and need and want; it is
challenged by wrong and stirred by in
justice, and it rises in wrathful indig
nation ' against any burdens pressed
upon another unjustly, Just as Jesus
did. I
Christian Character Human.
Christian character Is the most hu
man and superb thing in all life. And
Jesus Christ is "crowned" crowned.
n,ot by a monarch's crown, as one might
be. by being put off in some special
order vand cldss Jesus Christ is coro
nated when men and women here, there
and yonder crown him as the lord of
their life.
And If ever there was to be a corona
tion in the other world, or this, where
Jesus Christ should be set off on some
throne of splendor and the greatest of
all dazzling crowns conceivable should
be placed upon his head, some of us
wonld not be "pleased. It would not
look well. Some of us would think it
hardly decent; we cannot stand for
that kind of thing. It would be of
fensive to our moral sense. Yes, but
if we think of a time when the "re
deemed" did you get it? It Is the "re
deemed" that are to place their crowns
upon his head, that is what the text
says. There will never be a great
crown of gold, or diamonds, or pre
cious jewels placed upon his brow. It
would be too tawdry and poor. The
only crown of material character that
he ever wore was a crown of thorns.
and while the thorns pressed into his
third, and on, it was Interpreted in the men Into conscious kinship: Christ could precious brow because of the malignant
passions of men, that crown he so glori
fied and transfigured that it become a
crown of glory.
Humanity Is Redeemed.
And no crown would ever be his ex
cept that which came out of the trans
figuration of the worst things of life.
The crowning glory of a human life is
to take the worst there is and to trans
figure it. Christ took the cross and
the thorns and transfigured them into
a symbol of conquest the greatest, fin
est, and best of all. He transfigured
the crown of thorns until it is infin
itely beyond the best crown of gold the
world ever gazed upon, and that trans
figuration was made by the character
of the Christ.
Our text says, "That the redeemed"
those who have known his life, felt his
saving power commanding love and
loyalty, and allegiance to him. Loving
him who loved them, and blessing him
who lives for them, they, they shall
bring their crowns upon his head. Those
are the crowns that will coronate the
Christ, the crowns of a redeemed hu
manity. The crowns of redeemed lives.
good character, fine folks, from any
where and from everywhere, as they
shall come before him, they crown him
lord of all.
American Flag Greatest.
Never has there been a time when
the coronation of the Christ was so -
wide and general and full as it is in
America, and certain parts of Europe,
today. 'The best, the most consciously
redeemed men who have been redeemed
into a purer, higher, nobler manhood
are coming by the thousands and the
millions, and by their sacrifice and
service are crowning him.
Do you know the finest flag, and the
most general flag there is ill all the
world's battlefields today? It is the
flag on which is the Red Cross. Do
you know what makes "Old Glory"
the Stars and Stripes that grandest of
all earth's flags? It is the sacrifices
and self-giving, and heroic self-denial
for others that makes our flag so
glorious. From the first day they wer
flung- to the breeze those Stars and
Stripes have never moved forward be
fore the finest human forces in our
land, or in other lands, but In the in
terests of humanity and for the sav
ing, the deliverance, the relief, the up
lift of men somewhere.
And what maizes your , flag, and I
mine, the best of all flags that float?
It is not because it is ours, but be
cause from the very first until this
day it has never floated except in front
of forces for the establishment of hu
man betterment and human rights.
Christ's Influence Is Felt.
When Christ came to this earth he
came for human betterment, human re
demption, human uplift, human saving.
He came to redeem humanity to its
highest and best, and wherever there is
a flag, or a people, that comes under
his inspiration and goes forward with
his purpose and his passion to do that
kind of thing, that flag, of all flags,
is the flag that should float entwined
with the banner of the cross of the
Nazarene.
And I say to you, my dear people,
that there never has been in all the
Christian centuries, so many who are
coming to coronate our Christ and to
crown him as Lord, as now. .Not
by making him Emperor, or Czar, or
Kaiser, or. King, but coronating him
by placing on his head many crowns
many crowns, l our Ked Cross workers
at home by the million, in fine service,
persistent, self-denial efforts and for
what? To help and heal and lift and
comfort and save bruised and broken
and hurt humanity.
The finest bit ut coronating that the
world has seen up to this day. And
your men, and your boys who are going
out for the first time in the history of
nations, not to gain territory, or trade,
or commerce, or international stand
ing, but rather, going out to be an up
lifter and defender and deliverer and
savior and establisher of justice and
righteousness for men and for all na
tions, small and great. There were
never so many people in God's world
going out to do that Christ-like thing
as are going out this very year.
Christian Nations to Rule. .
I want to tell you that the cor
onated Christ in these days of the
world's war is more glorious and com.
ing more fully into the consciousness
of individuals and families. and na
tions than ever before in all our his
tory. "On his head were, many crowns."
Every ship carrying the cross, every
hospital, unit carrying the cross and
this whole Nation lifting our flag to
day until it touches and mingles so
beautifully with the flag of the cross
of the redeemer of mankind, is going
forth with the most victorious forces Jection the free spirits of Christ-llb-I
that the world has ever known. The erated men. America andthe nations
' I.- , . ,1 T I . I ' I 1. 1 1 ....11 . L. -
Redeemer of Men, going forth In
manhood lifted to highest purposes,
and doing the very work of the Son
of Man, the Son of God. "On his head
were many crowns."
Oh, people, military strategists have
their place, a most important place;
and men of large genius for, the Gov
ernment and direction of men. and the
co-ordinating of forces have their
place, and I think one of the finest
things in America today is that men of
great brain power, marvelous execu-
who know freedom will never do other
than go forward. After defeat and suc
cess and set-back, and advance, they
will Jinally go forward until they
trample under their heel (the heel of
good men is the march of the eternal
God), they will trample under their
heel that worst of inhumanity, ii
justice and wrong.
American Slavery Broken.
And so to you, my. brethren, who
know what It means by your own al-
tive ability, and wonderful strength are legiance to coronate the Christ, who
giving not their bit, merely, but giving
themselves.
The best brains, the fines inventive
genius, the largest financiers, the
ablest men, not all of them, but many,
and the persons who say that this is
a money-man's war, lie, and are far
from the truth and the fact. This war,
in America at least, is a human war.
and we are all in it. It is a manhood
war to put down by the best touched
bit of humanity the worst frightful-
ness, inhumanity and butchery and
wrong that the world has ever known.
That being the case, as the forces go
out under these two flags mingling,
they go out to crown him the cor
onated Christ.'
Human Freedom la Goal.
- And in a little while, thank God. it
must be so, for Christ never lost a
war. He may have been defeated in an
engagement, the good has often lost a
battle and engagement, but the good
never finally lost a war. Christ never
lost a war. Human freedom, which is
one expression of the finest bit of the
Christ life and character I speak
slowly now human freedom never lost
a war. Never. For when truth' was
beaten to earth, and it was thought
that the powerful had put' shackles
upon aspiring men, there . was no
permanent peace, and in due time the
spirit of man, which, if it fall, shall
rise again, the spirit of man came
forth and : never, never,- has- human
freedom finally lost a war.
And we shall not lose this war. Oh,
the forces of autocracy, which may
be harnessed and handled, and focal
ized more rapidly I had almost said
more efficiently more rapidly than
any other, but with all that, autocracy
and the iron power of the rule of an-
know something of the rich symbolism
of Knights Templar and something of
the thrill which comes in a con
sciousness of your allegiance to the
Lord of life, the son of man; 1 come to
you, and to this Christian congrega
tion, and behind this open book t as
sure you that on his head there are
many crowns, and there will be. By
the sacrifice and heroism of this great
American people there came a half a
century ago to the son of man, the
Lord of life and glory, the crown of
liberated Ethiopia.
It was a great crown on the brow of
the son of man when American, slavery
was broken, and human beings, not
withstanding previous conditions of
servitude, were lifted into native, free
dom and human rights.
It was a great croWn placed upon
the head of the redeeming Son of God,
the son of man, our savior, when
darkest Africa brought her first
trophies of redeemed and changed
humanity. And again when Corea
brought her wonderful trophies of hu
manity, saved from cannibalism and
the grossest barbarism, into a .fine
moral confidence and superb citizen
ship, it was a crown on the head of the
Christ. And so out from every part
of the earth that is what the book
says, and it is right they will come
bringing their crowns. : Not the crown
or a Czar, or a Kaiser, or a King, such
a crown could never have place on the
head of my Lord, the Christ, but the
crown of the redeemed and uplifted
manhood, the crown of liberated and
saved people, they shall crown him
Lord of all. Heaven haste the day when '
every nation, every tongue on. .this,
terrestlal ball shall rise In the con
sciousness of a redeemed manhood and
crown -him Lord of all. "On his head
other can never bring Into lasting sub- were many crowns,
i