The Reverend Edward L. R. Elson, D.D. in the Christian Herald New York, New York

In the Christmas Story...there is a message often overlooked—the message to men's fears.

God's message of assurance came to rugged men of the out-of-doors. While tending their sheep on the slopes of Judean hills these men... beheld a mysterious illumination. As they paused, smitten by fear and mystified by the signs, they heard an angel say, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."...There came the joyous assurance that with the advent of Him who is called...The Prince of Peace," man need never again know unassuaged fear.

God's message that night is the answer to men's fear today.... We are plagued by personal fears, economic fears, social fears, and international fears..."Fear not," says the heavenly messenger, "for I bring you good tidings." "Fear not," rings out across the centuries. The Christ of Christmas comes to save us from our fears.

Over and over again our Lord repeated the words of the herald of that night, "Fear not." And when He sent out His disciples He dispatched them, saying, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."... You and I, as followers of the Lord who came that night, are supposed to know how to deal with fear.

Fear, when harbored and cultivated, is atheism for it is the absence of faith. The Christian cure for fear is the practice of faith and love. "Perfect love," says John, "casteth out fear." Why not? For perfect love is the approximation of God-likeness.

The neglected, heaven-born truth of Christmas must be proclaimed again. "Fear not:..I bring you good tidings...which shall be to all people."

From an editorial in The Methodist Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Spirit of Christ, which is the spirit of love, takes hold of men as they listen to the angel's song and meditate on God's wonderful gift to mankind....The Christmas message sends a spirit of kindness over Christendom.

There was no Christmas at the time of Jesus. The Son of God attempted to meet men's greatest need as though every day was a Christmas Day. When He met a man blind from birth, he didn't say, "I'm sorry," and walk on.... He saw a man's present suffering and gave him sight. Christ opened a new world to the blind man. He lifted him from a despised beggar to a self-respecting man, able to earn a living and to care for others.

Peter and John healed the lame man at the gate—a blessing for life....Jesus and His disciples after Him showed the true Christmas spirit, giving largest possible gifts for present need. They endured. They were given to friend and foe, to high or low. All men were sacred to them.

The Very Reverend E. A. Pitt as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Dean of Sydney, the Very Rev. E. A. Pitt, said at St. Andrew's Cathedral...that "peace" is a beautiful word and comes from God Himself. "Peace can be achieved only through righteousness;..." he said.

"Once again we are reminded of the song of the angels that heralded the birth of Jesus Christ—'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will' [The New Testament by the Rev. George R. Noyes, D.D.]

"Men talk of peace and try to produce it, to safeguard it, as though it were dependent on human goodwill alone.

"The message of Christmas is that peace in our lives, our homes, in the world, is dependent on our relationship to God."

Eunice Boiler in a column of the Ottawa County Exponent Oakharbor, Ohio

Did you go to church last Sunday? If you did, it is quite likely that you bowed your head to receive this benediction,..."The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all" [Am. Stand. Ver.].

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ"—what a gracious person He was! Never too tired to help someone who needed help, to talk with people who had problems, to heal the sick and afflicted.

"The love of God." I wish we realized all its implications. For I am sure that God's love... includes concern and tenderness, as our love does, but I think of it more as a force, which, let loose through us, could solve every human problem.

"The communion of the Holy Spirit."...I marvel in my mind how God dwelling within us could bring the force of His love to... "houseclean our hearts and throw [out] all the junk" of selfishness and pettiness that we have accumulated throughout the years, so making room for the force that is His love, and that could change every ugly thing in the world, if only it were to "be with" us and remain in us. Truly we are not far from the kingdom of God. We could be within it if we would.