Our Southern artist, Elizabeth O’Neill Verner, says that the finest compliment ever paid her work came not from a keen art critic but from a little Negro girl on the sidewalks of Charleston, South Carolina. The small ragged creature had been watching silently for some time as the artist drew St. Paul’s church. Suddenly, while still looking ever the artist’s shoulder watching the picture come to life, the little urchin called to her companion: “Sadie, Sadie, come hyah and look. De lady done draw dat ch’uch. I ain’ never know befo’ it been a pretty chu’ch!”

The artist’s mission is to help people notice beauty in the ordinary — to assist them to see the unexpected and the heretofore undiscovered glory that always hangs like a halo about life; to stir, somehow, the slumbering soul of the viewer, by means of a picture, so as to awaken him to awareness of the beauty that is always, already here. This is the artist’s task.

So the supreme task of religion is to awaken the soul of man to faith, to introduce him to the reality of God, who is already and always here — that man may begin to enter into the true beauty and glory of life with God — that man may see and know and show forth in his own personality the divine possibilities of life.

And in this dark and dismal time, when we stand on the threshold of a New Year which promises instead of happiness, heartache; and gloom in place of gaiety — religion has before it the stern task of giving glory to this gloom — of opening men’s eyes not only to the beauty in the ordinary, but to see the grandeur and the glory to be grasped in difficulty, danger, despair, and death.

For the new day ahead — the top priority is on courage — and since courage is of the spirit — that’s the business of religion.

The big brass among our military leaders are always complaining of the difficulty of preparing for a war unless they know what kind of a war it will be and where to prepare to fight it. Varying situations of national emergency require different weapons, different training, different material.

But there is one commodity of indispensable value, wherever, whenever, or however our trials that lie ahead may come, be they individual or national, and that irreplaceable commodity of top priority rating is courage. Yes, for the new day out there ahead we must have courage.

We are thinking a lot now about our young people, not only today but through all these days, for army and navy service is breaking into educational plans; young lives are being hazarded, crippled, snuffed out by war’s harsh demands. Last Sunday night at the Main Street railroad station I watched the Silver Star Southbound pull in and out. Through the lighted coach windows I could see the cars were crowded with young men in uniform. What a pity we’ve come to this again in less than a decade. We have to brace ourselves for more of this in 1952.

But somehow, I feel differently now from the way I felt when the last war began to take our boys into service. I feel immensely better this time, though the danger is not lessened, rather increased. For this time I’m convinced that we on the home front, the old folks and the little children, will be in it with our boys — up to our very necks. God grant we may soon have peace, but if the situation grows worse the war will be brought right to our front door steps this time. Remember how it was with Britain in the last war? Remember that unforgettable picture — “Mrs. Minniver” — how the first casualty in that typical British family was not the young soldier son but his beautiful young bride — killed by a low flying enemy plane strafing a lonely road in the English countryside. When we all share and share alike in whatever lies in store for us we feel better about it, don’t we? But in such a time, for such a new day, the need for universal courage is all the more pressing. For our new year and its stern demands there’s a top priority rating on courage and that’s in the realm of the spirit and so religion’s task.

And how does the church — organized religion and individual devotees — accomplish this? By painting the portraits of the heroes of faith: “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime.”

Lord Beaconsfield, in his Venetia, describes the aged teacher of the son and heir of a noble house as leading his small pupil into the picture gallery of the castle. As the old man pointed out one portrait after another he reminded the little boy that not a single one of his ancestors had brought dishonor to the family name. And at each portrait the little lad looked up, squared his shoulders, and set his chin in determination.

The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews in his 11^th chapter does the same thing. He leads his readers, Christians who were being persecuted and growing discouraged by overwhelming opposition, into the picture gallery of the heroes of faith. He directs them to lift up their eyes to gaze upon the portraits of Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Moses, and all those others “who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of aliens.”

All this these heroes of faith accomplished by faith. The halo of courage on their lives is that ringed light, of faith wrought.

This is our need now, when the day is dark and there’s little promise of light in the year ahead, to lift up our hearts and not allow ourselves to become wholly engrossed in the things of this world. We know the real danger lies here. John Bunyan has drawn the character for us in one of his immortal pictures — the man that could look no way but downwards, with a muck-rake in his hand, and, standing over his head, an angelic being with a celestial crown in his hand and proffering him that crown for the muck-rake, “but the man did neither look up nor regard, but raked to himself the straws, the small sticks, and dust of the floor.” How ready we are to fall into the same error, lest we lift up our eyes to the heroes of faith and draw courage from their example.

The inspired guide in the Book of Hebrews finally leads his readers before that canvass which is the supreme resource of courage for the human heart, the ultimate in the gallery of faith, and says to them: “Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

Yes, consider Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; consider what contradiction of sinners He endured against Himself and see how His courage never faltered. You can never know a man’s true worth — you can never evaluate the valor of his heart — until you know what he has been up against.

Consider what Jesus was up against. For one thing He endured the contradiction of His own people. “He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” Israel’s rejection of her long expected Messiah is a tragedy without equal in all the histories of the world’s great peoples. Rejection and repudiation by one’s own people is always the soul’s bitterest draught for any man, but for the patriot heart it comes doubly hard. And what a patriot was Jesus! Hear Him weeping over Zion: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that stonest the prophets and killest them that are sent unto thee, how many times would I have gathered thy children about me as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ye would not.” Yet, to carry out the full counsel of God’s will, Jesus would endure even this contradiction of His own nation.

But more, Jesus endured the contradiction of His own family. If we can have our own family and loved ones behind us, believing in us, then we can go out and fight a buzz saw if necessary. But Jesus’ brothers and sisters thought Him beside Himself, touched in the head by His enthusiasm — irresponsible and fool-hardy in His mission. Prudence didn’t fit into the picture of what He was planning at all. And so they came to take Him home by persuasion if possible — by force if necessary.

Jesus even endured the contradiction of His own church. This must have been the most trying opposition of all for the master. For one who has devoted Himself to the spiritual values to have to go against the sacred traditions of a holy people — to be forced to endure the calumny of church and priestcraft — this is harsh indeed. The Scribes and Pharisees contradicted His healing the sick on the Sabbath. They contradicted His setting aside the law of Moses when they had made of it a wooden thing and destroyed the living spirit of the people’s faith. They even accused Him of being the incarnation of evil and of performing the saving acts of His ministry by an evil power. When sin sets itself up in the sacrosanct and ceremonial robes of religion it has assumed its most horrible form. “Lillies that fester smell worse than weeds.”

But Jesus endured the sinful contradiction of all that arose against Him — the combined opposition of country and king and church. He endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of God.

Christ’s courage in facing the cross, the final and ultimate contradiction of sinners in this world, stands before you and me in all its compelling beauty. Let us consider Him well, for, as long as the world stands, men and women must face their Golgothas. The end is not yet. But for those of us who “looking for Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,” and drawing courage from Him, resist manfully — for us, as for Him, God grants a bright resurrection morning.

We go now into a new year that may flow blood red because of the resistance of some brave souls in the struggle against evil. Let us not pray that we may be spared, but that we shall bravely, steadfastly resist.

In Pilgrim’s Progress, the characters, Hopeful and Christian, were imprisoned in a dungeon at Doubting Castle. They were given no food and taken out of their foul prison cell once a day only to receive a beating. Their captor and persecutor, the giant, Despair, advised the starving and suffering prisoners to commit suicide, and he placed in easy reach the instruments for self-destruction. The poor prisoners were about persuaded to give up their miserable existence and end it all when Christian suddenly remembers that he has in his pocket a key called “Promise” which can open any locked door or gate. In five minutes time the persecuted prisoners, who had been almost persuaded their condition was hopeless, were free men.

Promise, God’s promise — have we such a key to unlock the shut doors and bolted barriers of the year ahead? Listen: “Fear not, for I have overcome the world. For He hath said: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” so we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do to me.” For the new day Christ gives courage.

 

PASTORAL PRAYER

Almighty and most merciful Father, who hast given us grace in times past, and hast mercifully brought us to see the end of another year, grant that we may continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Thy dear Son. We enter this new year that Thou are bringing with hope and awe: we know not what the future has in store for us, grant that we may be, above all else, faithful unto thee. O thou Eternal One, who hast lead us in the past, do Thou lead us on. In Thy loving care we rest all our hopes and fears. May we go forth to meet whatever Thou hast in store for us with glad, courageous hearts, for we know that Thou dost work all things together for good to them who love Thee.

Hear our supplications, O Father. For those in the role of the shadow of death, we ask Thy comfort and Thy assuring hand with its everlasting grasp.

For those who are just emerging from the valley of shadows and the vale of tears, we ask that Thou wilt shine upon their saddened life to bring joy, and peace, and a place of service.

For those whose sins are wrecking their lives and the lives of their loved ones, we ask that Thy saving grace come into their lives so that they may repent and be saved and thus the happiness of the innocent righteous may be preserved.

For the men in the armed forces of our nation — on land and sea, and in the air — we ask Thy merciful care.

For all the leaders of the nations we pray that they be directed by Thy guidance in all their decisions, Thy inspiration in all their leading.

Common people, we plead that we may be faithful in all that is committed to us, and in our daily thoughts, actions and relationships, do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God — through Jesus, our Lord.