E^BmwU WUbottj "N* Sunday lfcAcc/ . INTRODUCTION Come to Jesus. This is the climactic message of Christmas. Jacob promised that to Him shall the gathering of the people be (Genesis 49:10). The shepherds came swiftly from nearby fields, and wise men came more slowly from afar; but both came to worship Him. Come to Jesus. This is the call to all mankind. The simple shepherds were wise enough to accept the revelation of Heavenly angels and to go quickly to Bethlehem. The wisemen, steeped in all the ancient lore of the East, were simple enough to accept the revelation given by the prophet, and they too turned their steps from the royal city of Jerusalem to the little village of Bethlehem. In that lowly village they found the King of the Jews and the King of Heaven. Come to Jesus. No one is too simple to hear the c^|°f the gospel and respond; no one is wise enough to find a better way. When all our present knowledge is added to all the learning of the ancients, the way of salvation remains unknown until found in God’s revelation. LESSON BACKGROUND Matthew gives us a brief account of the birth of Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of his Gospel he gives the geneology of Christ and relates the simple facts about the perplexity and the plans of Joseph about God’s instruc tions, and about Joseph’s obedience as he married Mary and tenderly cared for her. It is Luke who gives us the information that all this took place in Nazareth and explains how it came to pass that Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem at this trying time. Luke also is the one who tells of the crowded inn, the stable, the song of the angels, and the visit of the shepherds. It seems clear that all of this had taken place at least six weeks before the arrival of the wise meir. Upon the appearance of the star announcing the birth of Christ, the wise men had arranged their caravan and started on their long journey. THE LESSON “Now when Jesus was bom in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Saying, Where is he that is bom King of the Jews? for we havfe seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:12). Bethlehem, a town surrounded by low hills, was located about six miles south of Jerusalem. It was uniquely the city of David. Here the son of Jesse had herded sheep upon the hillsides, and here he was anointed as king from the tribe of Judah. Bethlehem means “house of bread.” It was here the true Bread came down from Heaven. By currying the favor of the Roman leaders and through shrewed diplomatic moves, Herod became King of Palestine. He The east-refers to a part of the world, the Orient. From —what part of the East these men came from we do not taow The ..usual ^uess is Persia. The Greek magi, ofenslatod wise men, is thought to refer primarily to a clan or fraternity noted for scholarly studies and wisdom. They Were many days of travel from Jerusalem yet they made the trip..This indicates the importance they attached to the birth of the Son of God. “Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship to™-" Herod the Jcing had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people ‘-together, he demanded of them where Christ should be bom. £nd they said unto him, “In Bethlehem of Judea • for thus it is written by the prophet. And thou Bethlehem, in ttie landof Judah, art not.thejeast among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall cbme a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:2-6). • .' - neroa was greatly suspicious of anyone who challenged his right to rule. The disclosure that another King of the Jews had been bom drove him into a severe attack of trembling and worry. He was not the only one so affected All Jerusalem became troubled as well. The people had learned that when Herod was in a fit of envy and anger, no one was safe. Herod knew the Jews were expecting a conquering leader called Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in Greek, but he was not familiar enough with the writings of the prophets to know where He was to be born. “Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the youhg child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, tha star, which they saw in the east, went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced With exceeding great Joy. And when they were come into this house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasurers, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way/’ (Matthew 2*7-12) Having dismissed the chief priests and scribes, Herod then caned the wise men in for a private conference He now knew where the child was born, but he needed to know how long ago the birth had taken place. So be inquired of them diligently when they first saw the star, apparently thinking that the child had been bom at the very time the star had appeared. Herod could have sent soldiers along with the frtse men under the guise of protecting both them and the infant when they found Him but evidently he thought that such a move would frighten the wise men from their proper course. He decided that deceit would work better than violence at this point So he sent them on their way. piously urging them to send word to him when they found tite child, so toeould came *nd worship Him. Of course, he had no that. His plan to kill the child presented ‘ who had already murdrfed his wife j nt Orangeburg - Dr. A. I. Mose, former dean of the School of Edu cation at South Carolina State Col lege, has established an endowment to be called the Dean A. 1. Mose Scholarship Fund. It will be award ed to students at the college with grade averages not less than 2.8 who ‘ are members of the Arnett Chib. It will go to sophomores, juniors or seniors who have demonstrated good grades in elementary educa tion. Selection will be made by members of the Department of Education and the fund will be administered by the Education Foundation of the college. “The purpose of the scholarship is to provide incentives for academic ally talented studenti in the area of education,” said Dr. Mose. Mose also served the college as chairman - of the Department of Education from 1959-65 prior to being named dean. He was dean from 1959-70 when he was appoint ed Dean of the Faculty. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1980. “Our department is most grateful to Dr. Mose for this donation and perpetual scholarship program,” said Dr. Howard Hill, current chair man of the Department of Educa tion. "Dr. Mose has always been supportive of the students in educa Dr. A. I. Mose .Former SCSC dean tion through personal interest in their progress. To add financial support for our good students is particularly gratifying,” Hill added. Dr Mose's first check was pre sented to Dr. W. W. Waymer, executive director of the college's Education Foundation. Additional donations will be made annually by him, members of his family and other interested persons. Democrats Form Youth Council The North Carolina Democratic Party has taken another step in its efforts to strengthen its base among young voters with the formation of a Democratic Youth Council. This group will coordinate short-term projects, including seminars and conventions, and long-range efforts to strengthen the role of young voters in the Democratic Party. North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Wade Smith said he was proud that the Party had formed a Youth Council, the first of its kind in the nation. “The North Carolina Democratic Party has made reach ing out to young voters one of our top priorities,’’ said Smith. “We’ve worked hard to achieve this goal, by hiring our first full-time Young Voter Coordinator, by holding a Summer Youth Retreat, by as suring young voters a wide role in all Party affairs, and now, by creating a Youth Council to coordinate all our youth efforts.” The North Carolina Democratic Youth Council is made up of the statewjde officers of the North Carolina Yguna Djmpcratics, the North Carolina Federation 0f Col lege Democrats, and the North Carolina Association of Teen Demo crats. Ward Simmons of Charlotte, North Carolina Young Democrats Treasurer, serves on the Democra tic Youth Council and is enthusi astic about its mission. "There’s no reason for young peo ple to register as Republicans,” Christmas Services The Salvation Army income for Christmas services this year is running far behind that of last year. Much of this is due to the short ness of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. The same situation facing the merchants is being faced by The Salvation Army, as their Christmas effort tradition ally begins the Friday after Thanks giving. Major Musgrave, Charlotte City Commander, says, “Unless the in come increases we may have to break with tradition and keep the kettles out after Christmas. In some cities The Salvation Army put the kettles out before Thanksgiving. We did not.” “The increased cost of food, toys, and clothing has upped our budget considerably and we must face this,” Musgrave states. "The cost of feeding and housing street people is another expensive factor.” Anyone who wishes to give may send their gifts to The Salvation Army, P. O. Box 31443, Charlotte, N.C. 28231, or bring food and toys to 320 North Poplar Street. Seat Belt Awareness Using seat belt awareness as their theme for their annual civic consciousness project, the DECA chapter at West Charlotte High school raised $3,000 for a scholar ship fund. The scholarship was established in the memory of a former West Charlotte student, Derrick Von McCullough who was killed in an automobile accident Derrick was not wearing his seat belt. Most of the funds raised for the scholarship came from a Maroon and Gold basketball game the DECA club sponsored This was an intersquad scrimmage of varsity basketball players A $250 scholarship will be award ed at the school's Honors and Awards Program In May. It will go a I to a marketing student who piam to pursue a college degree In a market- ! ing-related field ^ Anyone wishing to make a contri bution to the scholarship fund may send it to "Marilyn Reese, West i Charlotte High School, 2219 Senior I Dr- Charlotte, N C 28218, or call 392-019? for more information j E J said Simmons. "The Democratic Party is much more in tune with young people on issues like educa tion, the environment, economic growth and personal freedoms. The job of the Youth Council is to write and carry out the plan to take the Democrats’ message to more and more young voters.” The Youth Council met on Sa turday, December 7, in Raleigh and began its planning for the coming months. Upcoming events include the College Democrats’ Winter Seminar on February 1; visits by North Carolina’s Democratic con gressmen to college campuses in late February; the Teen, College and Youth Democrats' spring con ventions; and the 1986 Summer Youth Retreat. The Youth Council has also begun planning for youth involvement in the 1986 legislative and congressional races. For more information, please call Harry Kaplan, Young Voter Coordinator, at the North Carolina Democratic Party Headquarters, 919-821-2777. Class! Class! Your attention, please! Oh, well, watching teacher isn’t as interesting as waiting to see what the strange lady with the camera is going to do. Looks like there’s only one die-hard student in this group. The little girl in the lower right gets an "A” for “attention.’’ These not so-rapt four-year-olds attend Fairyland Day Care Center. (Photo by Audrey Lodato) Scholarships Available Full and partial scholarships for children and adults are available at Spirit Square Arts Center, 110 E. 7th Street, for study in dance, print making, fibers, weaving, clay, drawing and painting, photogra phy, music, and theatre. Applications for the winter quarter, which begins January 13, 1986, will be accepted from De cember 3, 1985 through January 3, 1986 No auditions are required; scholarships are awarded based on financial need and merit. The Scholarship Program at Spi rit Square was inaugurated in the summer of 1982 and has since awarded over 150 students scho larships for study in the visual and performing arts. The primary donor for the funding is the Spirit Square Auxiliary which contributes a por tion of the proceeds from its annual fall fashion show to the Scholar ship Fund. For more information, call Spirit Square Arts Center at 372-9664. '* WHO’S WHO yt IN THE KITCHEN? You could be! Call Audrey 376-0496 ^ BARBARA B GARNETTE i PRESIDENT BEDSPREADS, ETC. 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