CHAPTER XXV
HEAVENLY MAIL FOR THE DISCIPLES
Objects: 12 Prepared Envelopes
HEAVENLY MAIL FOR THE DISCIPLES
THIS is a fine test for the memory which can be used for older children and adults. It will require some study before it can be used effectively.
Secure twelve large envelopes and enclose in each a beautiful scripture and floral card. Say you are about to distribute in the mail twelve letters for the Disciples. You will not call out the names. Now, ask twelve children, or adults, to come forward and say I have here twelve letters for the Disciples. I will not read their names, but will describe them. If you recognize them by the description I give, you are to speak the name and I will give you the letter to be delivered to them. If you cannot find the disciple whose name you pronounced, then you are to keep the letter and its contents as yours. Ask the first one in the row the first question: if he fails to answer, ask him to take his seat. If he answers it let him stand there in his place, but don't ask him again unless all the others have failed. The question about the second letter to the second individual, and so on, for the letters. Holding up the first letter you say "I have here a letter for one of the Disciples (on the envelope you have the description of the Disciple written) who was believed to be the oldest of them all. He once tried to walk on the water, wrote two epistles which bear his name, dined his Lord three times. What was his name? (Peter.)
After this question is disposed of, ask the next question. "I now hold in my hand a letter for the Disciple who first brought another to Jesus" (Andrew.) "I hold in my hand a letter for the Disciple who was called the "Son of Thunder" the first martyr—who was he? (James.) "I have a letter for the Disciple who took Mary away from the crowd on Calvary, to his own home. Wrote five books of the New Testament and was especially dear to Jesus. Who was he? (John.) "I have a letter for the Disciple who brought the second Disciple to Jesus, Can you name him?" (Philip.) "I hold in my hand a letter for the Disciple who was an Israelite indeed and was also called Bartholomew. What was his other name?" (Nathaniel.) "I have a letter for one who was a doubter. What was his name?" (Thomas.) "I have one for the Disciple who was a collector of taxes and wrote one of the Gospels. Can you name him?" (Matthew.) "I hold in my hand a letter for a Disciple who was perhaps the brother of Matthew, and the son of Alphaeus. Can you speak his name?" (James, the son of Alphaeus.) "I have a letter for the Disciple who had three names whose father's name was James. What were his names?" (Judas Thaddeus Lebbaeus.) "I have one for a Disciple who belongs to the zealots. What was his name?" (Simon of Cana.) "I have a letter for the Disciple who committed suicide and betrayed his Lord. Who was he?" (Judas.)
This is a good scripture exercise and can be used in the number of ways. If you so desire you may fasten their envelopes on some background in full view of the audience and ask the questions a week ahead of time, so they might have time to look up the questions and come prepared to answer them. It is a good drill for children which will enable them to learn the names of the Disciples and something about each of them. Study it out well, and then try it out.
CHAPTER XXVI
THERE'S A MESSAGE IN THE CANDLE
Objects used: A Large Candle, standing for the story of Joseph and His Brethren
THERES A MESSAGE IN THE CANDLE
ONE day a candle spoke out from a shelf in a minister's study and said "I see you watching me and with your eyes you seem to say—what shall I say next to the Juniors. Listen to me and I will answer your question." And the Candle said "Well now, Mr. Preacher-man, I will take your place next Sunday and preach for you. I have a message hidden away for your people." Then I though as I watched the candle that a hidden hand, holding a lighted taper thrust itself out from the mystic land, and glowed and throbbed as a little star of light which crowned its upright form. Then said I "Now, Mr. Candle, what will you tell the people?" and it said "Hold me above your head and thus exalt me, or debase me by putting me on the floor, I will still keep on shining. In whatsoever state I am, I shine just the same. Men may honor me by placing me on the King's table before the lords and ladies, or place me in a humble cottage window, to help the pilgrim of the night to see his way onward, I will still shine. I was made to shine. It is God's will that I shine—just shine." Learn, ye people, the lesson. It is a message from the candle. This is true goodness. This is pure Christianity. This is Jesus' way—no matter where—just shine." "That is beautiful, good prophet," said I, as I drew out a golden dart from my own heart. "That arrow of light pierced me." "But," said the candle, "Do you know my true name? Well, I will tell you. My name is Joseph. I was shining long ago when the race was just tumbling over the side of the cradle of infancy. I was there and did what I ask you to do. When I was in Father Jacob's home, or in the field tending sheep, or carrying messages to my brother shepherds, or when I was hated by my home folks, or cast into the pit with creeping things and devouring mouths, or sold into Egypt as a slave, or robed in grandeur as a mighty ruler with Pharaoh, or when I was covered with the poisonous lies, or cast down into prison, or when I stood before Pharaoh, and made clear his dreams, or when I was exalted to Pharaoh's side, and lived in untold glory, or when I met my brethren who sold me into slavery, and with whom I could even up the old score and sore, or when I stood face to face with my dear old father in Egypt land, and found myself and the boys and home folks all united under the royal canopy of Pharaoh's care, I just kept on shining all the time. Up or down, in or out, over or under—just shining all the time. Go thou and do likewise." Then I saw the mystic hand come out from dreamland, and remove the white robed priest, and I heard him exclaim as he was removed out of sight—"Here endeth the sermon of the white candle." When at last my thought spoke out, I said, "God was with the white minister and his message was like an echo of the sermon on the mount." To visualize the lesson, place a plain candle on the table, and be seated a little distance from it. Secure a good reader, who will not be in sight, to speak the part the candle says, and you in turn make the answer. Make it a dialogue with the object.
CHAPTER XXVII
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Objects used: A Tall Candle and a Stub of a Candle
THE LONG AND SHORT O' LIFE
THIS is a lesson which illustrates how important it is to give God our whole life. Samuel did this. He did not wait until his life was almost burned out, and then give to God the stump which was left, but gave God the whole life, from early childhood to ripe old age.
Secure one full length candle, and also one almost burned out. If both are lit at the same time, the short one quickly burns away while the tall one burns for a long time. "The tall candle stands for youth, and where youth is given over to God, it sheds light for many happy days. We should all offer our whole life to God and not wait till it is almost gone and then offer a few short feeble days to Him. Don't wait until life is almost burned out and only a little stub left like this to offer God." As you say these words, hold up the little stump of candle. "Here is a candle almost burnt out. It will not give light much longer." In the old fashioned days when candle light was used it would be cast aside as good for nothing, and yet the little stump can do a little good for Jesus. Come to Him before it is burnt out altogether. Come now, tomorrow darkness may come and the little candle be entirely consumed.
One evening some years ago, when I was preaching in my Philadelphia church, a sermon called "A Sermon of a Hundred Candles" I lifted up a little stub of a candle almost burned out, and said "This resembles the sinner almost burned out, only a few minutes more and it will be gone. Turn to God quickly before time will snuff out your flickering taper." In that audience that night sat a man well known in river circles. He was known as Capt. Evans, a man that knew the Delaware River like a book. Many efforts had been made to bring him to Jesus, but everything up to this point had failed. He said "That little stub of a candle got me." And it brought him to Jesus, and for the rest of his days was a shining light for the Master. Oh, ye little stubs. Turn to Jesus and shine. You cannot go back to the happy days of youth to begin over again but begin to shine now for Jesus. Hearken, ye youth, boys and girls, of the order of the long candle. Come now to Jesus and shine from the days of your youth until God bids you come up higher and shine for Him in the White City of God.
To elaborate this lesson let a number of boys and girls come to the platform, each bringing an unlit candle which they light from the tall candle on the table called "The Light of the World." And then let them place them back on the table until they are all lit. Don't let them hold them in their hands in a lighted condition as there is danger in this. Ask them to stand around the table while the lights are burning and sing "Jesus bids us shine."
CHAPTER XXVIII
PULLING OUT THE NAIL HOLES
Objects: A Small Size Post or Board. Hammer and Nails
PULLING OUT THE NAIL HOLES
HERE is a story so old that it is new. That is, it is new to this generation. It is about a post that may be a pulpit or a lesson desk, and from it they may hear a loud message proclaimed. This is the story.— Many years ago when Grandpa was young, just like you, his mother told him a story about a boy that did wrong things, told falsehoods, and used bad words. His mother, in order to cause him to see how ugly sin was, and what a bad scar it left in the heart, drove a nail into a post for every evil word he spoke. By and by there were a large number of nails in the post and it looked very ugly and he felt just a little ashamed of his deeds being shown up this way. So he went to his mother and said he was very sorry, and promised he would try not to say bad words any more if she would pull all the nails out. This she agreed to do on the following terms: For every good word or deed, he would say or do, she would pull out one nail. After trying real hard he saw the nails come out one by one, at last they were all out, but he noticed the holes left by the nails, and wanted his mother to pull them out also, which, of course she could not do. This taught the boy a lesson, that even good deeds could not erase the scars evil deeds left behind them. His father said, however, if he continued to be good, he would fill all the holes up with a paint filler, and recoat the post with fresh paint, and it would like quite like new, and right again. After his father had given the post a number of coats of fresh paint, the scars all disappeared, and the little boy never forgot the lesson when he looked at the bright, fresh post.
Now, secure a fair sized post or board. Have it nicely planed and painted, if possible, polished, so it will present a finished appearance. Take now a hammer and nail and drive one in, at short distances, at every evil deed mentioned. He told a lie—drive in a nail. He said a swear word—drive in a nail. He stole a book—drive in a nail, and so continue this operation until there are fifteen or twenty nails driven in. "How shall I get rid of my sins?" Let us see. For every good word said, pull out a nail and continue in this fashion until the nails are extracted. But good works will not blot out our evil deeds, for you notice that the nail holes are there. We cannot pull the nail holes out, the scar of sin is left, The only way the scar can be blotted out is by the planing off of the board, or filling up the nail holes, or better still, get a new piece of board. So God must give us a new heart, and this He will do if we pray "Create in me a new heart, O God."
CHAPTER XXIX
"THE BURIED BIBLE"
Objects: A Large Bible; a Daily Newspaper; a Sunday Newspaper; a Cash Book; Entertainment Program; a Theatrical Window Poster; a Book of Fashions; a Book of Personal Engagements; a Popular Work of Fiction; School Books; a Phonograph Catalogue
THE BURIED BIBLE
IN the Old Testament days we read of the Scriptures or "The Law" being hidden away under the rubbish of the neglected temple. There is great danger in these days that we might lose our Bible in this way also. We so easily and frequently put it aside, neglect it, and then forget it and often forget where we put it. The cares of this world and its sinful pleasures are the dust which so often covers our Bible, and which covers it over to such an extent that we find it is not even in our thoughts.
In many of our homes, the Bible is out of sight. The children do not find it open and ever before their eyes. It is a buried book. There should be a Bible in every room, always kept open, which will speak in a silent tongue of power "Search me, and in so doing you will find eternal life." To illustrate the fact that in most homes this is not done, and that the Bible has been covered with the rubbish of life, secure a good sized Bible, and before the children assemble, cover it all over so it is entirely out of sight with, first, a Sunday newspaper, next, a cash book used in business, next an entertainment program, then a theatrical window poster folded up, then a fashion plate picture, after this a book containing your engagements for every night, and late night affairs; also a popular work of fiction, a pile of school books; a well worn catalogue of Victor records, and at last a daily newspaper. When the audience is assembled, explain you will talk to them about the neglected book of God or the buried Bible. Let us all look and see what we use to cover up our Bible, and thus put it out of sight. This pile of stuff on the table covers up the dear word of God, and prevents us from reading it as we should. The Bible is the world's greatest medicine chest, and it is lost. The world is in dreadful pain and we cannot find the medicine. Let us see together what has covered it up, and search together under the rubbish until we find it.
First lift off the daily newspaper. This is always read first by most people, and when we have finished reading it, there is no time to read the Bible, and we are not in a good mental state to grasp its meaning, so we neglect to read our Bible. We should go to the Holy Book first, if only to find one verse for the day, for in so doing, we begin the day with God. But the daily newspaper has hid it out of sight. Next take up the Victor talking machine catalogue, which should be much worn by frequent use, and in so doing explain that one-half the time listening to God speak through His word, as we give to the popular song and music of the day, our Bibles would be in as prominent a place as the talking machine. Popular music is good in its place but when it takes the Bible's place, it is all wrong and out of its place. Don't hide the Bible back of the talking machine, or you will lose it some day.
Next, take off the School books. "No time to read the Bible, | have so many lessons to study." This is often the cry we hear from boys who attend school. Sometimes the school books are enemies to the word of God and destroy all taste for the Bible. Often when the boys and girls have finished their book learning, they have not only no time for the Bible but no use for it at all. They cast it into the rubbish and say "The world has outgrown the Bible." So under the books of the school, they have buried it and called it dead and that is the reason they buried it. Bright boys and girls should know the Bible is the king of all books of learning, and the highest crowning wisdom of all is to know God, that alone is the perfect education. Don't therefore, hide your Bible under your school books. Now pick from the rubbish heap—the novel. "I am so interested in reading fiction I have no time to read the Bible." This is just what the boys and girls often say. They will sit up all night if possible to see how the story "turns out." Of course there is no time to read the Bible if this is the way we spend our reading time and so the Bible once more is pushed aside by the novel. Reading is a splendid means of mental culture, and it makes a full man, but the best reading of all is the Bible. Mix a chapter of the good Book in with your other reading, and you have a superb mixture. The Bible contains the world's best literature, and it is more than good literature. Its words are life and concentrated power. They are bits of radium. They glow with inside light, they never lose their lustre. Their light is as penetrating as the X-ray. They shine into the other life. Don't hide the light of the mighty word with the novel or secular reading of the present day.
Now take from the pile of stuff your book of engagements. Open it, and discover you have an engagement for every night in the week. They are social functions. You must go; you will lose your standing among the "high class" if you don't. Put down among your engagements this one. I have an engagement of thirty minutes with my Bible. This is imperative. Keep that engagement with your Bible as you would keep all other engagements and you will never lose your Bible under a heap of dates.
At this time take from the heap of rubbish the book of fashion plates. "Must attend to this book—every month brings me something new. If I hold my own with 'my set' I must follow the fashion plates to appear just right." This is burning incense to the Goddess of Vanity, and this Goddess is not satisfied with a fragment of time, but it demands full time and it generally gets it. Fashion plates and the scriptures are impossible mates. They never mix well because they are not of one blood. So the plate stays and the Bible goes under it. It is right that we should give attention to our dress and address, and the way to do this is to seek the Bible way of beauty of dress and character adornment. To look beautiful we must commence to be beautiful inside, and at last it will shine forth and transfigure the outside. Follow the teaching of the Bible and be pure in heart: put on the robe of Christ's righteousness, and then you will be in heavenly style and unmatched by anything the wide world can dream of for personal adornment. Follow the Bible, the world's divine fashion plate.
Next remove the theatrical poster. In this day the popular amusements have gripped the young people with a mad hand. No time for the Bible. Much time for the show. "What shall I do to amuse myself" is the cardinal question of this age and every moment possible is given over to the answer. People grow white in the face in their excessive seeking to find the latest thrill, and they stay white until he cold hand of death gets them. Pleasures pure are pleasures right. At the right hand of God there are pleasures forever more. If they are right for heaven, they are right for the world, but pleasures worshipped are always bad for they are tipped with sin and bar the gates of heaven from the pleasures at the "right hand of God." There is deep sweet pleasure in the reading of God's word. Sing with Psalm 103. Whisper Psalm 23 when the night cometh. Read John 14 when the darkness is at hand, and nothing in the wide, wide world can be compared to the heart pleasure this gives. It puts the soul in touch with a little bit of heaven. Don't cover up God's great pleasure garden—the Bible— with a ton of worthless worn out, dried and faded earthly flowers.
Now take off the cash book. The Bible has often been hidden by the business ledger,—so often business crowds the Bible out. Hard work, mental strain, and the fierce fight of the present day business man gives but short time for the reading of the Bible, and more often no time at all. Head and nerves are worn out at the end of the day, and the soul also is worn out with business cares, so the cash box, the ledger and typewriter have covered up the Bible and it is out of sight and buried under business activities. It must be remembered in this day of fever heat and mad rush that a business man must give his utmost to his trade if he wishes to put it over, but it should also be remembered that in the soul's great ledger if "A man gains the whole world" it is reckoned as loss in the Book of God. We can serve God and read His Book and yet be successful. Mr. John Wanamaker, the best known citizen, and foremost Christian of the business world of America, blended the Bible with his great commercial enterprises by always putting up a Bible verse over his office desk and mixing up its truth with the trade of the day. He honored God's word and God honored his trade. He never lost his Bible under his cash register.
Now remove the bundle of Sunday newspapers. It is because these are read on Sunday that no time is found to read God's book on God's day. The newspaper is on the Sunday morning breakfast table inviting us to spend Sunday with it. No time to read the Bible. The Sunday Newspapers often contain as many words as the entire New Testament. We will read the papers first, after that we have no time or mind for the Book. Very often if all the words we read were counted they would be more than the words of the four gospels and yet we have no time to read even a chapter of God's good book. We mean we have no mind to read it. We have buried it under the sensational and often nauseous Sunday newspaper. After we lift up the last paper from the Bible, we exclaim "God's Book—long lost—now found." Lift the Bible up and say "I will place it next to my heart and cover it with my love, so shall the Bible not be covered with sin. 'Thy word have I hid in my heart.' May it always thus be covered and evermore in the battle and strife of life my Bible shall always be first."
A great merchant in the city of Philadelphia, submerged with business cares and thoughtless about God, said to his little boy one day he had no time to read the Bible, he was so bothered with bonds and stocks. His little boy could not understand these big words, and continued to ask him to read his Bible and be good. One morning the father came down stairs with a quick step and hurried to his paper to look over the morning news when the little boy just recovering from a severe spell of sickness, crept up into his lap and said "Bible first, Daddy." The father looked into his little pale face and his heart was touched, his eyes filled with tears, and he said "It shall be as you say, dear little fellow. God has given you back to me, and I will go back to my Bible" and he did, and he said it made a great man of him and a greater merchant also. Let this be your motto "Bible first" and it will never be buried under the rubbish of the things of this life again. "The Bible first, Daddy," is the voice of God.
CHAPTER XXX
THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE
Objects used; A Small Candle; in a Common Candlestick; A Representation of a Window. This is a Story Object Sermon
THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE
CHRISTMAS fires and lights are as old as the story of the birth of Jesus. The earliest form of lighting was the wood fire in the cave. Around this light the ancients sat and told the stories of old. Around the fire on the field of the shepherds, sat the ancient guardians of the sheep, as they read from the holy parchment, of the "coming ONE" and as they sat watching the dying embers of some such fire, were startled by flash of heavenly light and heard the angels' song of the new-born King. That was the first Christmas light. Ever since that day, whenever the glad Christmas day approaches, lights, beautiful and cheerful seem to shine out the glad light of the first Christmas day and so from window on hill top or valley, from tree and toy room of countless homes, the Christmas candle plays its happy part in the drama of Merry Christmas. To illustrate this Christmas candle story, construct a large background like the inside view of a window, and place a tall candle in front of it. If the window cannot be erected draw one on a blackboard or sketch one on a piece of muslin. If there is a small window in the alcove of the pulpit platform in good sight of the people, use that. Then tell the following story: A little crippled child, in one of the back alleys of a great city, wondered what she could do to brighten Christmas day for some one else. She was too poor to give even "the widow's mite" yet she had a kindly heart for other children poorer than herself. Her mother, with tears dropping from her eyes, said "God had not made it possible for us to do anything for the rest of the world except just to be glad and they would both try to do that in the name of the little Lord Jesus, who was once as poor as they." She remembered that in her own native land, far over the sea, the children of her childhood always put a lighted candle in the window (here light the candle in front of the window) which sent out a cheerful light over the snow on Christmas. They could do that, at least, and with a glad heart they lit the candle and prayed "God bless the light." From the outside the little glittering light looked like the star of Bethlehem. The darkness hid the ugly surroundings of the dilapidated home and it looked supremely beautiful on the "Night of Nights." A laboring man, hastening by to the corner saloon, with his wages in his pocket, thinking only of himself and a night of sin, saw the light in the window. Said he, "It is Christmas eve" and all about him he saw, hastening to and fro, men and women bearing Christmas gifts to the loved ones. It had been many a year since he had made his little ones happy by Christmas gifts. He had forgotten Christmas was so near until he saw the little candle in the window. The light held him—a prisoner—It called him back—back to his childhood days and the happy Christmas time he had spent in his own home. His father and mother had taught him in the early days to love God and keep His Commandments. He wiped away a tear—turned about face as he looked again at the Christmas candle, and went home. They had a Merry Christmas in that home that glad day, and the poor little girl's Christmas candle blessed of God, brought the wayward son back to God, home, and Christmas. Just across the narrow alley, a window of a room, in which an old man, worn out with years, trying to sleep, heard the snow beating against the window pane, arose and looked out at the falling snow. As he did so, he saw the light in the window across the way. That reminded him it was again Christmas eve. Not for long years had he even given it a serious or religious thought. He had lived for self alone because he was alone. His children had forsaken him; wife had died long years ago, but somehow this light had "got him" also. Memories of other years came back and rang the Christmas bells of long ago. In his thoughts he was back to his childhood day. How happy those memories made him feel. "Christmas back again" said he as he looked again at this lone light in the window across the way. "I'll put one in my window" and he relit the candle he had extinguished as he slipped into bed. Another window with a candle in it was shining out until, when midnight came, the dark alley was aglow with lighted windows. The old man said as he closed his eyes in slumber, "Tomorrow I will make the day merry for the little mother and child across the way" and he kept his promise.
A lady of high degree and great wealth, passed by in her car loaded with Christmas gifts, saw the little girl's Christmas candle in the window. She stopped at the house, hurried upstairs, there she saw the poor little girl trying to keep Christmas with one candle. The good lady's heart was touched by the child's simple faith and beautiful little deed, left for her toys and little comforts, that the dear mother and little girl accepted with tears of joy. When Christmas day came, the sleepers in the alley were awakened by the carol singers chanting "While shepherds watched their flocks by night." Our little girl who put her Christmas candle in the window was the happiest little girl in the great city that day. Yes, and not that day only, but the good lady, attracted by the candle, became a constant friend, and in all the coming days helped her to win out in life's battle. So it was Christmas day every day in that humble home, and the lone Christmas candle in the window had been a candle blessed by God.
THE END
Benediction Taps
To be sung at the close of evening meeting
Day has gone
Night has come
Day has gone
Night has come
God is near
God is near
All is well