HBRTF0R1D, W. C, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1952.
PGnjiiiios
Churcli Services
GOD WITH, US " '
lernational Sunday School Leoson
. . For December 21, 1952.'
"jmorySeiection: "And she shall
j forth a son, and thou shaft call
i name Jesus: v for he shall Bare
j people from their sins." --Mat-ivr
It 21.
Lesson Text: Matthew 1: 18-25.
: As' pointed out in the beginning; ofi
this series of studies of Matthew's
' Gospel, we interrupt our consecutive
study to turn back to the first chapter
which recounts, in part, the birth of
the Messiah. iWe are, as y6u recall.
attempting to learn about the Chris
tian life f,rom the gospel written by
Matthew. -
. Matthew's account of the nativity
is not as well . known, or as much
loved, as the nativity Story recorded
in Luke. Though the portion selected
for our lesson lacks many of the de-
. tails of the birth of Christ, it deserves
close study. , V; :-j.-x-
It might be well to point out, in our
consideration of the first chapter of
Matthew's Gospel,' that .the opening
' verses are more than a mere list of
names.-: Through the list, Matthew
was trying to convince his fellow Jews
that Jesus was the Messiah which had
been foretold in-Jewish prophecy, i
. Of this Gospel, Tarbell writes: "The
whole effect of Matthew's Gospel is to
present the picture of the Messiah
King to the Jews and to the world at
large-the Messiah' of promise and
prophecy, the Messiah proclaiming his
Kingdom, instructing men in spiritual
parables and convincing them by hs
mighty works; the Messiah also as the
Man of Sarrows. becoming obedient
unto death, even the death of the
Cross." .: v' ;. ;:?''.
'So, Matthew opened his message
with the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
thereby declaring that he was a des
cendant of Abraham and of David.
This genealogy may: be divided into
" three major parts, each based unon an
epochal period of Jewish history: the
period extending from the patriarch
to the height of the kingdom under
David; from David to the Babylonian
1 captivity; and from - the 'captivity
the birth of Christ, thus tracing the
family line for about 2,000 years.
Following the record of the ances
try of Jesus, Matthew declares, "Now
the birth of Jesus UhnSt was on tnis
wise:" and since' he had traced Jesus'
genealogy from Joseph's point of view,
he related Dhe facts -of Jesus' birth
' from the same standpoint. Luke, on
the other hand, wrote from Mary's
standpoint
Matthew . tells us" that Joseph, es-
poused (or as we would say, engaged)
' to Mary, discovered before their mar
riage that Mary was going to give
birth to a child. While this discovery
must have been a great shock to Jo
seph, it brought out the best in him.
' He loved Mary dearly and was not
willing to make a public spectacle of
her by refusing to marry her. 'weign
ing his decision, the troubled man fell
asleep. lAn angel of the Lord appear
. ed to him in a . dream and revealed
the truth of the situation to him, as
follows: .
God's long-promised Messiah was
about to be born and Mary had been
selected as the maiden to have the
honor of being the mother of the Mes
siah. " Though in human form this
child had been opnceived by the Holy
Spirit rather than a human father so
Joseph need have no fear of taking
Mary to be his wife. Instead of be
ing a woman of questionable charac
ter, Mary was Uhe elect of God, chrf
sen to heltp fulfill the promise on
which the hope of Israel and the world
' was based.- :.': WV
The angel even named the coming
child: - "Thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he. shall save his people
from their sins." Joseph was obedient
- to the will qf God. iAfter the reve
lation was received by him,. Joseph
' 'Mad. as the angel had bidden him, and
took unto him this wife."
' Then, Matthew uses an expression
which he frequently used in his gos
pel: "That it might be fulfilled which
was spoken of the Lord by the pro
phets." (Isaiah, had said, "Therefore
the Lord himself shall give you a
sign: j Behold . a virgin shall con-
- ceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7: 14).
Immanuel God with us! "Jesus," the
name by which we best know the son
of God, is the , Greek form,' but its
meaning is the same as was. applied
by saiah's Hebrew f name "Im
manuel." . '; , . , '
Beyond all the gaiety of Christmas
and beneath all the decorations with
vrliich we connect the day, there is
0)9 central message that Jesus was
l"n to sve.', Christmas i assures us
. -tiit God is with us, loves us and cares
rus. ! :;. ,):..v-A
(These commentaries are based on
ynghted outlines produced by the
'ision of Christian' Education, Nat
1 Council of the Churches of
.X U, S. A., and used by per
'on.) , , .
GO
TO
o:.ie
XLiDAY
Not many events in history have' left their imprint
upon the world for centuries. Man has a way of put
tine behind him the past forgetting hit triumphs,
overcoming bis defeats s he faces new challenges in
a changing world."
Bnt at Christmas we remember an event of two
thousand years ago. Not one of the momentous crises
of military or political history! Just the birth of a
child ... in a stable ... in a sleeping town ... far
Wvfhy should such an event, to long ago, still set ths
world to tinging? ' ... ,
It can only be because that event, unlike any other
' n the world's long history, affected everyone. What
happened in Bethlehem twenty centuries ago has never
stopped changing people's Uvea from that day until
this!
Because that first Christmas has given you deeper
happiness and richer hope come, with all the faithful,
to worship tne born.
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Church But Go
HERTFORD BAPTIST CHURCH
C W. Doling, Pastor
, Sunday School. 9:45 A. M.
Morning Worship, 11:0C o'clock. '
Evening Worship, 8 o'clock.
Mid-week Services, Wednesday at
8 P lata
BETHLEHEM CHURCH OF
CHRIST
Joe Brickhonse, Pastor
First Sunday
11 A. M. and 8 P. M.
BURGESS BAPTIST CHURCH
, Colon Jackson, Jr Pastor
Church services second and fourth
Sundays at 11 A. M.
Sunday School at 10:00 A. M.
Church sendee 7:45 P. M. second
and fourth Sundays.
PERQUIMANS CHARGE
CHURCHES
H. M. Jamieson, Pastor
First Sunday:
New Hope Church, 11:00 A. M.
Oak Grove Church, 7:00 P. M.
Second Sunday
Winfall Church, 11:00 A. M.
Cedar Grove Church, 10 A. M.
Woodland Church, 7:00 P. M.
Third Sunday
Oak Grove Church, 11:00 A. M.
New Hope Church. 7:00 P. M.
Fourth Sunday
Cedar Grove Church, 11:00 A. M.
Woodland Church, 10 A. M.
Winfall Church, 7:00 P. M.
Fifth Sunday
Woodland Church 11:00 A. M.
Prayer Meeting each Wednesda at
Winfall Church, 7:00 P. M.
ANDERSON'S METHODIST
CHURCH
C H. Beahv Pastor
Church School, 10:00 A. M.
Morning Worship, 11:00 A. M., sec
ond and fourth Sundays.
WOODVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH
Harvey L. Coppidge, Pastor
Church Services on second and
fourth Sundays at 11 A. M.
First and Third Sundays at 7:45
P. M.
Sunday School 9:45 A. M.
UP RIVER FRIENDS CHURCH
Elizabeth White, Pastor
Sunday School, 0:45 A. M.
Church Services, 11 A. M.
Christian Endeavor, 6:30 P. M.
BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH
Rev. Bennie Crawford, Pastor
Sunday School, 10 A. M.
Preaching first and third Sundays
at 11 A. M.
Preaching second and fourth Sun
day evening at 7:30.
PINEY WOODS FRIENDS CHURCH
D. Virgin Pike, Pastor
Church School 10 A. M.
' Morning Worship llA. M.
Young People's Meeting 7 P.M.
' ' 0
WHITEVILLE GROVE BAPTIST
CHURCH
Caleb Goodwin. Jr, Pastor
Sunday School, 11 A. M., every Sun
day except third Sunday.
Church Sevices every third Sunday
at 3 P. M.
. 0
HERTFORD METHODIST CHURCH
. A. L. Chaplin, Pastor
Church School, 9:45 A. M.
Morning Worship, 11 :00 o'clock.
Youth Fellowship, 6:45 P. M.
Evening Worship, 7:30 P. M.
Mid-week Fellowship, Wednesday
at 7:30 P.M.
BAGLEY SWAMP PILGRIM
Coy S. Saunders, Pastor
Sunday School, 10:00 A. M.
Morning Worship, 11:00 o'clock.
Young People's Meeting, 6:80 P. M.
Evening Worshin. 7:30 o'clock.
Mid-week . Services, Thursday
7:30 P.M.
at
HOLY TRINITY
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Rev. Charles F. Wulf, Rector.
9:45 A. M., Church School, every
Sunday.
9:00 A. M., Holy Communion, 1st Sun
day.. ;
8:30 A. M., Holy Communion, 2nd, 4th,
6th Sundays.
11:00 A. M., Holy Communion, 8rd
Sunday.
11:00 A. M., Morning Prayer, 2nd,
4th, 5th Sundays.
10:00 A. M., Holy Communion, Fri
days and Saints' Days. '
BEREA CHURCH OF CHRIST
Walker Perry, Pastor
2nd and 4th Sunday at 10:30 A. M.
Morning worship on first and third
Sunday at 11 A. M.
Evening worship first and third
Sundays at 7:30 P. M.
CHAPPELL BILL BAPTIST
CHURCH
. Rev, Ralph Knight Pastor
Sunday School;"! P. M. every first
Sunday. -i, ' -
Church Set siee: 8 P. M. every first
Sunday. -.-,
Sunday ctehool at 11 A. M. every
eeondV third and fourth Sunday.