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uis sia* >6L '91 l!jdV late; they saw Him die; they "beheld his Our hymns express for us this note of glory, the glory as of the only begotten wonder. of the Father, full of grace and truth." "I will sing the wondrous story GUEST EDITORIAL And the climax of this vision was Christ Of the Christ who died for me." risen, claiming their adoration and wor- ship. "Amazing love! How can it be "We Have Seen That Thou, my Lord, shouldst die for me." THE NOTE OF WONDER the Lord" There breathes through these words Too often we receive our Christian the sense of the miraculous. It is the faith as a matter of course. We forget /. F. Gregory same in that lovely incident John relates how great things the Lord hath done for in the epilogue to his Gospel. The dis- us. We worship a risen Lord. Let us ITH THESE momentous words "We ciples go back to their fishing, back to wonder at His redeeming love. And let W have seen the Lord," the disciples the old life. But the old life cannot con- us witness a good confession before men. greeted Thomas, breaking to him the tain them now. Morning breaks, and news of their Master's resurrection. they spy a Figure on the distant shore. A "Till faith be sight, our witness done, One would give a good deal to have Each doubt at rest, hushed every strife; voice can be heard. Surely it is familiar! And all Thy church on earth be one, heard that famous conversation. Suddenly John whispers to Peter, "It is In growing fullness of Thy life." There are treasures of speech, im- the Lord!" pressive even in their literary record, —The Free Methodist which we would dearly like to recapture His voice trembles with excitement, in the very accents of their utterance. his eyes shine, his hand grips the arm of How wonderful it would be to hear, for his friend. For a moment the two men Worn-Out Pant-Knees example, the pathos in Esau's cry to are "lost in wonder, love and praise." Gypsy Smith says that when he was Isaac, "Bless me, even me also, O my Then comes action. Peter plunges into converted he immediately desired the Father!" Or the tender tones in which the water, and swims to land, that he conversion of his uncle. Among gypsies Joseph made himself known to his breth- might meet his Lord. To be with Jesus it is not proper for children to address ren, after he had succored them in Egypt. now is very heaven. their elders on the subject of duty; so the Or the stern note in the voice of Nathan "Oh, think, to step ashore, and that shore boy just prayed, and waited. One day when he reproved the sin of David with heaven. his uncle noticed a hole in his trousers, the words, "Thou art the man!" Or the To clasp a Hand outreached, and that Hand God's!" and said, "Rodney, how is it that you rapture in Mary's tone when she ex- have worn the knees of your pants so claimed, "Rabboni!" Or the emotion Through all the post-resurrection nar- much faster than the rest of them?" quivering in these words of the disciples, rative there is revealed this spirit of won- "We have seen the Lord!" der, amazement, awe. Truly those men "Uncle, I have worn them out praying and women who had known Jesus dur- for you, that God would save you." But our longing must remain unsatis- Then the tears came. The uncle put fied. The best we can do is to try to put ing the days of His flesh were living in a new world. The things of time and his arm around the boy, drew him to ourselves in the place of these men, liv- his side, and soon bent his knees to the ing through the tremendous excitement sense were for a season subdued to spir- itual reality. The eternal power and same Saviour. of the first Eastertide, and with imagina- —Selected tion explore a little of the wealth of Godhead, hitherto wrapped in mystery, meaning beating strongly, insistently, had become visible and tangible. through these words. "Where is the fire which once descended EVANGELICAL VISITOR THE NOTE OF WORSHIP On the apostles? Thou didst then Volume LXXV Number 8 Although the term "Lord" had been Keep open house, richly attended, Official Organ of the Brethren in Christ often on their lips in addressing Jesus Feasting all comers by twelve chosen Church, published bi-weekly by Evangel Press, men. Nappanee, Indiana, to whom subscriptions prior to the crucifixion, we are sure that Such glorious gifts Thou didst bestow, should be sent. the word had for them now a new sig- Purpose: To publish the Gospel of God's That the earth did like a heaven appear; grace—a complete salvation through the nificance. Jesus had become their Lord The stars were coming down to know atonement of Jesus Christ the Son of God, in an altogether greater sense. He was If they might mend their wages, and made effectual by faith in Him; the walk in serve here." holiness by the power of the indwelling Holy the Lord not only of life, but also of Spirit; and the pre-millennial second coming of our Lord. death; Lord both of the cross and of the THE NOTE OF WITNESS Editor: J. N. Hostetter, Clarence Center, N. T., grave. "Having spoiled principalities The disciples were telling Thomas of to whom all material for publication should be and powers, he made a shew of them sent. something they had experienced. It was Editorial Council: J. N. Hostetter, Editor. openly, triumphing over them." no second-hand information which they Ray Zercher, Office Editor, H. A. Ginder, C. W. Boyer, H. G. Brubaker, Roy Sider, Isaiah All the titles given by the early church passed on to their comrade, but a convic- Harley. to Jesus gather round that word, "Lord." tion of Christ's presence and power born Page Contributors: World Missions: Mary Kreider, Campbeiitown, Pa.; Missions in Ameri- He is the Lord of all; Lord both of the out of their own communion with Him. ca; J. Wilmer Heisey, Bloomfleld, N. M.; living and of the dead; the Lord of glory; When Jesus lived on earth one said, Preachers: E. J. Swalm, Duntroon, Ont.; Home: LeRoy Walters, 925 Homberg Ave., Baltimore, the blessed and only Potentate, the King "Is not this the carpenter?" But another Md.; "Today's Yesterday": C. O. Wittlinger, of kings and Lord of lords. This became said, "My Lord and my God!" It is not Grantham, Pa. Brethren in Christ Publication Board, Inc.: their characteristic mode of address, the a question between history on the one H. G. Brubaker, C. X. Hostetter, Jr., Isaiah highest confession of His person. side and interpretation on the other, but Harley, Joseph R. Aiken, J. Wilmer Heisey, "We have seen the Lord!" And when between blindness and spiritual sight. Samuel F. Minter, Paul Hostetler. Subscriptions: S3.00 per year. New Subscrip- they saw Him, they worshiped Him. Can we truthfully say, "We have seen tions: $2.50 per year; Gift Subscriptions: ?2.50 Peter tells us later that they were "eye- the Lord?" Is He the central Figure in per year; Sample Copies free. Mailing label indicates expiration date. In- witnesses of his majesty." They had seen our worship? Are the eyes of our under- clude both old and new address with requests His face when He came up out of the standing enlightened? Have we had the for change of address. Entered as second-class mail at Nappanee, water at His baptism; they heard Him vision of the risen Lord in all His power Indiana. say to the crippled man, "Thy sins are and majesty and love? Then, too, we forgiven thee"; they saw Him before Pi- shall be witnesses. MEMBER -ICAL PRESS ASSOCIATION (2) Evangelical Visitor By Vance Havner ^Jke Secret l/l/e J^k are AD OUR LORD risen in this age of ours, counsel is the counsel of this age, and A motley crowd saw Him die. His H and an American religious promoter it springs from unbelief: "For neither enemies watched that tortured body managed His post-resurrection appear- did His brethren believe in Him." writhe on the tree. But they never saw ances, the world would have witnessed Our Lord's reply stands for all time: Him when He returned resurrected. the greatest publicity extravanganza of "My time is not yet come: but your time When Paul called the roll of the favored all time. is alway ready. The world cannot hate witnesses (I Cor. 15) there wasn't an unbeliever on it. Think of what a modern public rela- you; but me it hateth, because I testify The season we call Easter is — like tions man might have done. He could of it, that the works thereof are evil." He Christmas — so entangled in paganism have had the risen Saviour appear again did go up to Jerusalem later, "but as it and so vulgarized by commercialism before Caiaphas and Herod and were in secret." that it is almost a hopeless task to sepa- Pilate. He could have had Him preach This cuts sharply against the grain to- rate the precious from the vile. Preach- in Jerusalem. And imagine if you can, day. We are so geared to ballyhoo that ments from secular writers turned re- had our Lord risen in this era, what the way our Lord handled His publicity ligious over Easter would be amusing if would happen if He appeared on tele- is incomprehensible.