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NP_Rgom December 27, 1964 = Lukel:67-2:7 —

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. In all of literature there is no more tender emd heart warming story than the
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Biblical ascount o§ the Christ Child's birth. pan the olenents of a touching drama

are present the weary family looking for a place suitable for the birth of their

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child: [ine crowded city, full of boistrous travelers:\ the lonely stable, dark, quiet,

except for the nocturnal noises of Re trimeis4 the shepherds, rough humble men, coming

to see the new born:\and the dignity and mystery of the Magi, bringing precious gifts

——,

of Gold Francincence and Myhrr. There's something here for everyone. \only an outright

cynic would not find himself moved deeply by this immenslly appealing story.

And moved everyone is!|A few years ago someone started a campaign to put Christ
j i= aS aod

Baby jesus was Acod Cr
back into Christmas| It was a successful venture. i e
lousinass —— | 1
seeutar—type. Meser scenes, a rare treat in my childhood, now adorn every store

onto, | 11m not sure about Christ, but the birth of a child has been put back into
Sa
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Christmas, and the whole world celebrates. pe

Each year, a few weeks before Christmas, someone ss as called to announce to the
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world that the Biblical story of Yesus' birth is not Liar true, Last peer tenes

aabuber—Hreetegren, ieteblent ies“ eset =Rerestfer orien | No doubt you've heard

.——

the logic:| the star, a convergence of two planets, occurred in 6 BC:\there is nothing
_— . ad

———

said about three wisemen in the Bible: lone account tell $ of a trip to Egypt: the other
ae i ener]

C Comes e ‘ icok whey bel auss
omits it, and so.\The lates stn the ("No room in the inn Jotory couldn't be true,

because the near Easterners were overbearingly nose table. get a little weary of this

sort of thing, mainly because | assume that most intelligent Christians don't view the

——— SS =

Bible as a Huntley-Brinkley Report Perhaps the story is jexagegrrated:| perhaps it hee

been altered and amended.\We are concerned with the truth of the accounts:=~but b=

Se ovr Gncern a wot 1p
a2, PEA Ol RO a ON the vehicle the writer chose to express that truth we

are concerned with the histodcity of the record| not with minute detail, some of which

is certainly not accurate to the number and minute, but with the historical reality
Te all oe :

that at a certain time, and at a certain place, God did ingade the realm of human

existence in the birth of jesus of Nazareth,

While we do not hinge out faith on the literary details that adorn the accounts,

we do read and study them carefully, to discover their intent, and to hear, through
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the total witness, God's word fo us. == and =

for me there has always been an eJoquent word contained in the little —

about no room in the Inn. pga Sven though? the Chicago Jesuit feels that if var from

the Christmas Message, | want to suggest that it is a necessary andpoofound anecdote

to that nessoge.|1t is to that anecdote that | now want to diree¢ your aftention,
kepping in mind my Introductory idea that the world has put the birth of a baby back
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into Christmas, that the world pauses to celebrate that birth, but that the fitdentity
of the child is not particularly important, and subsequently, that there is no_goom for

Jesus Christ & the man. j

‘The Gospel according to Luke states simply that Mary gave birth to her first born
bel H

son and laid him in a manger because there was no room.for them in the inn.\Ilt was a

busy time, Behtlehem was choked with travelers on aa | way back to their place of

prigin to be counted inthe census.\Mary and Jospeh encouisres the hazahrd of all late

travelers: C0 vacancy) The inn keeper was not necessari ly a gruff, inhospitable man.

lt was just that the others had arrived first, he had no meore room in his inn. | To

him they were no different from anyone eise:\ne had nojway of knowing that the child

to be born was God incarnate.
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—_ aor ee ae snow ae

saemnee-tre-ianvoopon-oinply-tidittninewnrnerie-wen{ There's a prophetic note about this
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enecdote:| an eternal truth about the way men have always dealt with Jesus Crist.

Menare still ggnoring jesus Christ becaus e they have pe room for nine| the only

difference is that men today have received the baby; [men have celebrated his birth:
the baby has been put back into our year-end fest wale
Penal
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Much is said about the Post Christmas let down elt suppose | experience this as
much as anyone] Al! our deobrations and lavish trimmings seem to lose their joyous
a aaa ae
luster the day after Christmas.\We spend so much time and effort preparéng for the

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day itself, that we find ourselves physically and emotionally exhausted the—day—otter.
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ok. a) PA

—

In a sense today is the most important Sunday of the year, while we are languishing

in the let doy \ we have celebrated the birht of Jesus) Christ— and now we are leét with

the imp | icatodons of that birtnd We have celebrated something that is very_easy to celebra

== a tender and moving birth story: | ber now we are left with the nan | If our celebration
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was authent ics] i+ our Christmas spirit had deeper origin than chestnuts over an open

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fireand children's faces all aglow, we will go on czlebrating\| the joy of Christmas
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day will spill! over into every aoy:\ the angel's pronouncment will fill us with
Sena ae
thanksgiving smeeyvedetaminckexngmaasm throughout the | and the gen Jesus Christ will
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]
continually confront us, seeking room_in_our tives. \ the world that celebrated so

y) enthus@astically falis far short here \ The natigity scenes are packaged and sfored fill

next year. Vie good will that filled the air for a jou) brief weeks is likewise put

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on the spel nd he whose birth is behind it all is convegient ly forgotten for another
v it nogtns/| The door, opened a crack, duréng the holidays, is securely fastened. Frere

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rows fet —

nt Qétha egery, and to-¢ scover
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Oe to thy j
we - Ct i as Lory vena ae ti 5 OoTa— wo tr [Su yp AveTore = -Id,

throughé hepyears.\

The inn keeper refused the Christ child entrance becaustehe had no room: there was
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no_space available.\Epicopalian Bishop, James Pike, in his =e boot (A Time For
Christian candor") concludes that this is still the biggest problem facing the Church

of Jesus Christ today.\He points out that the authentic atheist is extremelyr rare:

even an honest agnostic is hard to come by these days.\But the world is filled with the
ee Se —-__. |

indi fferemty the € ayo se Wo room in their ives: [rnbse, in his words,{\** Whose
aa a — aaa

diffedence is about like that of most people towrd vegetarianism: [its nothing they've

ever been invoived in or particularly thought about")

This is the type of person who would say:( ‘Maybe some people need retigion:| I'm

glad for them to have imp¥.] As for me, | don't need it, and I'm not interested in it.
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My life is full enough with the things | am interested in| work, my chosen form of
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recreation, my circlaot ériends.{ in my life there is no necessity for religious belief."

Now let's not deceive oursé¢ives by thinking that we are dealing with an isolated
|

view of a small group in society.\On the contrary, the majority stale any =

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, hold such a postion or a variation of ite

ani at Mews, 7,
RORY | » in the churen.| nafpponents

of Christianity not atheists, lsctusity very congenial people whp smile benevélently
ages meee e

at the Rhrist @nild, but who couldn't care less about the man Jesus Christ.
And yet everyman has_a_ God, or gods,\Bveeyman ee ts something, and believing
is having a religion, even if the nature of that belief is that there is no God.

Within the structure of the human psyche is the capacity and geed to trust something,
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to believe in something.| A noted theologian has palate wat that Baier. ; Aseliet
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is @pplicable to the trust we have that the storekeeper! will return our change:
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religion starts ona somewhat more cosmic level."}Every man has cerfain basic assumptions
oe eer:

on which he operates and orders his daily Living.\ In a oe of priority, those assump-

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yet

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tions that are basic, first on the list, constitute a man's religion.
Leica Se

Actually, it is very easy, within this context, tol have religion” without Jesus
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enctst| certeinty it is easier without him, than with him. \ +ie-seumnpossinie-is:be
~ Sree ier j —_—_—_————

ket .\ For some people ,

celiaion i> Wesed on simple selfishuess aa
hre"orre" Gerd gewandi0 8p CORR LjmicaleodeihasEnOn « To every situation this person responds

by asking:{ "What's in it for ne?,| hat am 4 going to get out of it?aEverything from

the policies of the federal govenment to the choiee of ietand is judged by the benefit
— a - ’ =

the person himslef wéll receive.
Others put their trust in a political theory or system.\Fascism thrives on absolute

— 1

trust in the state and the leader.\Communism seeks men'|s minds and hear$ss and demands
Rice, : AALAND SaaS ee
subservience of self fo the cause.| i+ i is
. |

ongentued-retigrony-and-not-anothet-potitical_theory,-that.is-the-wt-bimete-opporrent of

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onman-on. | Ror-vern Christianity, and Communism demand the diame things: \commi tment,

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discipleship, sacrifice, absolute trust | Ang aman can give all of this only once

3.

Fianlly \here @& is a very sub le form of

n that inflicts

riers ares lowered,

are absolutely
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honest with ourse i e\ trus ultimately in ourselves,\ y6 like the feeling
of self sufficienc i id We/like to think that there ig hothing am we

cannot attain if ae| that we are th«

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And then there are the Polytheists., those who spread their trust and belief thinly
as

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among a number of deities: |Financtal security, vocation, service club or lodge, and
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in the rush of worshippingat the altars of many see, the person feels torn and fra agmented
ina schizoid way certainty for him there is no as can squeeze the birth of a
n
li ‘Winmeeani es

child into the already overcrowded docket {out one man_can ian_ can beleise ultimately in only
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so much.
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Lack of Space was not the only reason the innkeeper turned Mary and Josepf away.

There was the tWaatter of not knowing who they weree, ane the identity of the child
iain ae

about to be ben | We can hardly criticize him for moe had no way of knowing. @@P

—

Weneennet—tbly on _this..oxciiGie

den cone

I would suggest that the person who celebrates ts b beth of a = but has no s@peee
hife

in his #3 for Jesus Christ, + never heard who

bib To mere probable Shak he Wes just

he was and is, he OI 8. never taken seriously the specific and=mmez claims the
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church makes about + ‘es cluld

It's almost astonishing to discover that many adults think of Jesus Christ in amanner

totally aprt form what the church and Bible teach.\He has been eakexs galled a good and
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righteous man: \he has hie called a great moral teacheer-:\he is known as the friend
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of the peor Sad & and sick: | is life is used by countless person s and douse as an iilustration

|
of a life to yee rarely, outside of thepulpit,| does one hear him called God

| récenc ver ov
incarnate: © scsi. de do we hear him referred to as the giver of new Life: babeinges—ot-the
Wt eg ere wenn

lenges ofad-oboonth\Iv'c always wondered how it is| possible to know what the church
is claimigg ebout Jesus Christ, and watt olainad abagt bineert, and then to_remain
indifferent.| Iv'e always wondered how it is possible to celebrate his bigib, or even

eas

fee} good about it, and then forget him .

For, either the claim that he fis God incarnate is absolut teu true, or else it is a pure
ad

oe

poax,|1* it is true, If Almighty God did take on -_ eel live amo mong men, fhen those who

know it and believe it to be true must a ae ope commitment here and nowhere
arc _

else. {And if it is not true: \i¢ t the Biblcal claims are the result of man's imagnation,

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then the whole thing, Church, Faith, Christmas story, ought to be strenuously opposed

and ultimatel y destroyed as the cruelest and most fantastic lie ever told.
————E_ ee nile SESS 8

There is no middle ground, siomnne-are-tonest \\ there is no room for indifference
—_-eC“c“—-_——— i ‘ium

or apathy, for when we hear the claims made about this 4 i born child we must either
il L eaeieneeemmeelll

|
Having just celbreted his birth, we need to consider these things.

oy ON
that the Christmas ee is “ig of Joy and gladness,

wes vern WeGause assv> Cheat ym WH aH,
step - a long Jourr Journey. A A Lh hg amé into the world, ft

+o “live Sar Od vd Gud Lite fur vs - ~@3 God Tarde

|
Let usdy celebrate his coming, not only in the treet test yecety customs of

accppt him as our Lord, or dismiss him as a fraud.
Pine iii ae EE Ree

e need to see

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rst

Christmas which soon will be gome, but by renewing our firust and faith in nim\by
‘
commiting ourselves to £51 10w him whereever he might le a\by seeing that there is room
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in our BI ing not only for the Baby of of Bathelhem, but alee for the Lord J66es nriats

oat hawk Mia $e Yu ged +
tradtick._, Wis eyes SEN - FOr

“s pers \4 - ara Yel, NS wr Fetus, SMa
Shallow Culebraton. Chur us ey es o& fai tu - te

See vt¥leekd ie Se WOU Or = | Yu qrent luc

of Xa Gis s. “hes A.C. a, Te A