THE FUTURE
J. P. JOHNSON
MISS EMMA P. JOHNSON.
L. A. WISE
OUTLOOK
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MY FELLOW AMERICANS:
Merry Christmas
By B. HERBIN
There's a great deal of talk about the Vietnam War,
where we Americans are concerned. Recently, announce
ments have gone out to march for PEACE there, in order
that our soldiers, sailors, marines and Air-men may come
home ? the brave ones still fighting in light of those
who have given already the SUPREME SACRIFICE. Mor
iatoriams have been held throughout the Nation in this
interest of patriotism and love for our fighting forces.
There, I doubt, are any of us who wish this war to con
tinue; and none loves peace more than I.
Hence, I pray for tranquility and happiness for all
mankind in every corner of the globe ; I, too, wish the war
would cease. However, I am thinking that the wars on our
own soil, in our own land is just as determental to domestic
tranquility for Americans, here at home, as it is for those
Americans who fight on foreign soil.
Recently, The Greensboro Daily News carried an
editorial from one Soldier in Vietnam who stated his dis
appointment in American support for our position in the
Vietnam crisis. He expressed disagreement with the mori
atoriam saying that he, among other Americans, under
stands the purpose of their being there, and that they will
stay there to see "it" through. It is right for us to sing
. . . "The home of the brave." "The land of the free?" ?
Well, when citizens are led to live in fear because they
dare speak out on issues closer to home, then our freedoms
are denied. Not by Vietnamese, not by Germans, not by
any other nation of people : these freedoms are ostracized
by our own people.
Sure it's right and proper for "moderate, patriotic,
responsible citizens to remain no longer silent ; needful is
it to "put THE PRINCE OF PEACE back into CHRIST
MAS," by joining in the sentiments of BROTHERHOOD,
but this can never be done ? not merely by the stoppage
of the war in Vietnam ; not really by the dominance of one
race over another, nor by class against class. CHRIST can
not live in a declining society where the color of HIS skin
becomes a fighting factor, or where selfishness, fear and
sin trample HIS HOLINESS in the dust. The PRINCE OF
PEACE will ride around the outskirts of this City and
"this Nation unless those who cry loudest for His coming,
first let HIM in their heart's and into their lives.
How can we expect THE GRACES OF HIS COM
PANY as long as we fight each other in our Land? I al
most understand the fight in Vietnam, but the war be
tween Americans themselves, I cannot comprehend.
We cannot stop the war in Vietnam; can we stop the
one at home ? It, indeed, would be a wonderful experience
to not only dream of the Christmas we use to know; it
would be a Blessing to have in reality a Christmas of
PEACE AND JOY here at home. I know the boys in Viet
nam would like that too, and have a reason to look Home
ward to the days when they, too, shall return, not to a
battle field as they now live each day, but return to God's
greatest gift to us, and ours to them ? The America of
domestic tranquility ? a never ending Christmas of hap
piness, peace and joy for all.
POETS CORNER
! " "Lord, when Thou seeet that my work is done,
Let me not linger on,
With faffing powers,
Adown the weary hoars,
A world ess worker in a world of work.
Bat, with a word.
Just bid me home,
And I will come
Will I come."
This Wee\'s Sunday School Lesson
BETWEEN
THE TESTAMENTS
Beginning Where You Are
"In those days a decree went
out from Caesar Augustus that
all the world should be enroll
ed." (Luke 2:1)
These words set in historical
context the birth of Jesus. They
and the words that follow in
form the reader of the New
Testament that Jesus was born
in that era of the Roman Em
pire when Caesar Augustus was
the ruler.
Though Malachi appears in
the Old Testament as the "last
book," it was not actually the
last book to be written. Malachi
was written in Jerusalem about
450 B.C. The events described
in the opening verses of the
Book of Matthew regarding, the
birth of Jesus took place (as
nearly all scholars now agree)
about 6 B.C. So nearly 450 years
are skipped between the last
chapter of Malachi and the first
chapter of Matthew.
What happened during those
450 years? To help us under
stand the world into which Jesus
was born, let "s leview Jewish
history from the time the Jews
returned from exile to the time
of Jesus.
About 538 B.C., the exiles
who had been living in Babylon
were permitted by Cyrus to
return to Jerusalem. The Old
Testament books of Ezra and
Nehemiah describe many of the
difficulties the people had in
their attempt to rebuild their
community in Palestine. A
temple was finally completed.
Jerusalem was still under the
authority of the Persians, and
this period is known as the
"Persian period" of Jewish his
tory.
About 333 B.C., the young
Greek general, Alexander (the
Great), conquered the Medi
terraneah ports north of Pales
tine. Jerusalem had first in
tended to resist the invasion,
bat, when the nearby cities fell,
they came to terms with Alex
ander. Here, then, begins the
"Greek period" of Jewish his
tory, which was to last until
the beginning of the "Roman
period" in 88 B.C. (Jesus was
born and served out his min
istry during the Roman period
of domination. Caesar Augustus
was ruler from 27 B.C. to A.D.
14.)
Alexander the Great died
soon alter his conquest of Pal
estine, and his kingdom was di
vided. Later the Jews revolted
against their Greek ruler when
he attempted to hinder their
worship. This period is known
as the Maccabean (MACK-ah
BEE-an) revolt Following this
time, the Jews were practically
tree lor about one hundred
years. The Old Testament Book
of Daniel has as its background
this period of conflict. In time,
the house of which Herod was a
descendant got control of the
land. The house of Herod ruled
during the Roman period men
tioned above.
During this Roman period,
the features of Jewish life that
are familiar to us in the New
Testament arose, In large part
as a response to the deep spirit
ual yearnings of the people. It
was during this period that the
parties of the scribes, Phari
sees, and Sadducees came into
prominence in Jewish religious
life.
The scribes were the Jewish
scholars whose origin goes back
to the time of the return of the
exiles in 538 B.C. By the second
century before Christ, the scribes
had developed a contest with
the Pharisees. The Pharisees
trying to adapt the law to chang
ing situations in life. Their in
tention was to try to make the
will of God plainer to the Jews.
Some Pharisees were hypocrites
and fell under the condemna
tion of Jesus. But scholars tell
us that we should not think that
all Pharisees were like those
Jesus condemned.
Another major group was the
Sadducees. Sadducees saw little
need for change; they opposed
the attempt of the Pharisees to
find new ways of understanding
the old law.
It is also important to remem
ber that all three of these group*
were laymen and that the titles
refer to their religious beliefs.
This period immediately prior
to the birth of Jesus was also a
time of renewed interest in the
law. Morton S. F-nsiin explains:
"Keeping the law stood as man's
paramount obligation. But it
was no hardship for the Jew.
He did it with no ulterior end
in view; he did it because he
loved God and wished to do
God's will. It was God, not
venial and self-seeking men,
who had framed the law. His
motives were entirely pure and
beneficent. Failure to obey God's
revealed will, heedless or de
liberate violation ? these spell
ed disaster."
Searching The Scriptures
The Scripture for this lesson
is Psalms 1; 119:1-16; Luke 1:
57 through 2:3. Selected verses
are printed below.
Psalms 119:1-8
1 Blessed are those whose way
is blameless, who walk in
the law of the LordI
2 Blessed are those who keep
his testimonies, who seek him
with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong, but
walk in his ways! ,
4 Thou hast commanded thy
precepts to' be kept diligent
ly.
5 O that my wayi may be
steadfast in keeping thy
statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to
shame, having my eyps lived
on all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with an up
right heart, when I learn thy
righteous ordinances.
8 I will observe thy statutes!
O forsake me not utterly.
Luke 2:1-3
1 In those days a decree went
out from Caesar Augustus that
all the world should be enroll
ed. 2. This was the first enroll
ment, when Quirinius was gov
ernor of Syria. 3 And all went
to be enrolled, each to his own
city.
M emery Bleetten:
I have laid up thy word in my
heart, that I might not sin
against thee. ? Psalms 119:11
Exploring The QsesMo?
Psalms 1 and 119 both ex
press the deep devotion to the
Law which developed during
the period between the Testa
ments.
Psalms 110 has an unusual
form. Its 176 verses are divided
into twenty-two sections of eight
verses each. Verses 1-8, printed
with this lesson, are the first
section or stanza. The first word
in each of its eight verses be
gins with the first letter of the
Hebrew alphabet. Each verse of
the second stanza (verses 9-16)
begins with the second letter,
and so on through the psalm.
(The Hebrew alphabet has twen
ty-two letters.)
The purpose of the psalmist
was to describe the delight he
felt in the law. Many different
words are used (in both Hebrew
and English) for law: ordinances,
judgments, testimonies, words,
precepts, statutes, command
ments, word, promise, and ways.
Several of these are found in
the first eight verses of the
psalm.
When the Jew of the period
between the Old and New Tes
taments used the Hebrew word
for "law," he did not mean what
an American today would mean
by "law". The Hebrew word
had a broader meaning: it meant
either oral or written teaching
or instruction based on the re
velation from God.
Tht Jew thought the law con
tained all man needed to know
about God's will for him. Obe
dience to the law guaranteed
that one would find the blessed
(happy or satisfied) life. Dis
obedience meant unhappiness,
dissatisfaction, and disaster. The
law was God's greatest gift to
man.
Jewish thought as we find it
in many psalms is concerned
about two possible ways of life.
One way is that of the righteous
person whose delight is in the
law of God. (The Hebrew word
for "delight in" also means "to
take pleasure in," "to want to
do.')
The second way of life was
that of the wicked person who
lived in the shadow of divine
judgment.
What do these verses of
Psalms 119 tell us who live in
this century about where to
our happiness? What is the
source of hope for the Chris
tian? Can it be found in the law,
even though Christians are sup
posed to be living under grace?
Can we accept for our day the
division used by the psalmist
into one group who is blessed
because persons obey God's law
and another group of those who
are punished because they do
not?
Finding Help
With Your Questions
As in all Hm??? of change,
people today look to the leaden
of the time to make some sen am
out of the confusion and to give
direction in life. People an
seeking specific answers. -
Moat Christians would not ar
gue about the necessity for the
believer to keep God's law. But
what is' God's law? Is God's law
the same now as it was in the
Old Testament? For the Chris
tian. Is the law to b? regarded
as (1) the Ten Commandments;
(2) the Sermon on the Mount;
<3) the Gospels; (4) the entire
New Testament; (S) the whole
Bible; or (8) none of these?
In Jesus' day, several groups
of persons were certain they
knew the. will of God. Theee
groups have already beep men
tioned: the scribes, the Phari
anri thfl BtddUCfW. All
three of these groups fell under