The Indian, years before he was told by the white missionary that
when a man dies he shall live again, believed in the life beyond.
When the chieftain was buried they placed his weapons of stone and
bronze in the grave with his body, in order that he might pursue his
life in the Happy Hunting-grounds. He lived on and was a hunter
still.
Our tombstones were first placed on our graves that the departed
spirit, if he should return, might find his body and learn also that
he had not been forgotten. The egg was used to tell the story in the
earliest ages. In fact, the egg has found a place in the earliest
traditions. A fable tells us the earth was hatched from a monstrous
golden goose egg. Tradition tells us how the egg broke in two, and
one-half became the firmament, and the other, half, the earth. This
is the way the earliest people explained the making of this old
world. To their minds the golden egg seemed to be the prison from
which this world was released. Here exhibit a gilded egg. This is the
strangest story ever told in which the egg played so important a
part, containing the great world which was released as a living chick
from the dead egg.
Here in remote history the egg taught that life sprang from the egg
prison. The practise of giving eggs to friends is a very old one. It
commenced way back with the Persians. It was also a custom among the
Egyptians, Jews, and Hindus. When it was first used among Christians
it symbolized the resurrection, or life from the tomb. It was always
colored red to remind the people of the blood of Christ shed for
sinners.
The red egg stood for the blood of Calvary, and the grave in Joseph's
Garden. This egg contains a germ of life; under proper conditions the
life of the chicken will break the shell and come forth. At this
point hold up the red-colored egg. The people of long ago often
placed eggs on the graves of their friends which told forth the fact
that they believed in immortality. They just _thought_ so. Now we
know so, for Jesus said, "I shall be raised the third day." That is
the reason that on Easter Day the people rejoice because Christ came
up from the grave, and so shall we. This the ancients only thought,
but now we know it as a fact. That makes Easter such a glad day.
We call the place where we bury the dead "cemeteries," which means
"sleeping-places." It is a beautiful thought to think of the little
graves as little cradles where rest the bodies of little children,
but only our bodies sleep there, for the soul has gone to the God who
made it. So the egg at Eastertime is a symbol of immortality, and we
should all be glad we have seen the red egg which stands for the
resurrection of Christ because he has told us the story of heaven and
how to get there. The origin of the old English word "heaven" is a
curious one. It means "to cast up"': so the sky is a place "cast up"
or "heaved up" or "heaven" as we speak of it today.
Martin Luther used to tell his children that heaven was a beautiful
garden full of merry children in little golden coats gathering apples
under the trees and shouting in great glee. Luther was just trying as
best he could to describe heaven as a happy place for little boys and
girls. Jesus lives, says the broken egg, and because he lives we
shall live also, and so we all want to go to heaven at last.
Once upon a time a minister took his son to learn mountain-climbing.
Being a stout lad he grew tired and stopped for a little rest. The
father went on alone, and when he arrived at the top of the mountain,
he found a splendid seat for the boy and marked his name on it, so he
might easily find it when he arrived at the top. Then he called down
to the boy: "James, my son, come up here. There is a seat up here on
the top of the mountain, and your name is written on it."
This gave new strength to the boy, and he rose to his feet once more,
and climbed to the top, and at last found his seat with his name upon
it. His father had gone on before him and prepared a place for him.
So God calls today: "My son, up, up to the top. There is a mansion
prepared for you. Your name is graven on the door. Turn this way and
keep on climbing, and at last you will find heaven, the top of the
universe."
=15
"OFF FOR HAPPY LAND"
OBJECTS: A Piece of Plain Note-paper Containing a
Sentence Written in Invisible Ink=
Do you want a free ticket for Happy Land? If you do, stop and listen,
and I will tell you how to get one. All the world seem to fix their
eyes on the golden country, but the road is so narrow that few there
be that find it. All people are pilgrims seeking that fair land, but
at the end of their trail they meet the wreckage of the failures of
the ages. Harken, and I will tell you how to find the trail that
leads to the Land of Happiness. Once upon a time a lad called upon a
wise man and asked him if he would direct him to this land of joy.
The wise man in reply said to him, "I will not only direct you to the
country of smiles but will give you a free ticket that will take you
there." He handed him a little slip of paper upon which the lad could
see nothing. To him it was a blank. He told the wise man so, but the
wise man replied, "Hold the paper close to a lighted lamp so the heat
thereof may strike the paper with full force, and then will appear
the lines which will answer your question, and this will be your sure
passport to your destination." This the lad did. When the heat struck
the blank paper, there appeared in distinct letters the sentence, "If
you would find the land of happiness become a Christian and then do
some good thing for Jesus every day." This the lad tried with all his
heart to do, and did do it, and the smiles he planted on the face of
the other man, reflected a beautiful light on his own face, and his
heart was bounding in joy. This is the secret trail, walk in it.
But all this depends on the fact that your own heart is right with
God, and that Jesus has come to live with you. Then every good thing
you do is done as unto him, and his "thank you" sets all the
joy-bells ringing. That is the Happy Land, and this is the way to
find it. A woman came to her pastor one day and said she was very
miserable and unhappy, she could not find that contentment of heart
which she declared she heard others say they possessed. He told her
the secret of being happy in the Lord, and said: "There is a poor old
lady living at the foot of the street. Go and see her, and take with
you a basket full of good things; give them to her, and you will take
away with you a heart filled with joy. The door of her house is the
open gate to Happy Land." This was the wise man's secret, "Do some
good today for Jesus."
Jesus went about doing good, and in so doing he was revealing the
open way to the land of heart happiness.
The French people have a story about a wonderful Happy Land called
Colaigne. It is full of men and women always happy. In this land
there are no storms of rain or snow. It is never too cold or too hot.
There is no lightning or whirlwind, no war, no sickness, no death.
White monks and gray nuns live in a fair abbey built of gems and
spices. The ladies are all fair and every month the people all have
new clothes. In this wonderful land there is a bubbling fountain.
Whoever drinks of its waters never grows old, and if those who are
old drink of it they become young and vigorous again, be they ever so
old or ugly. Now I suppose all of the little folks are saying they
would like to live in that land, but I am sure you would find when
you reached there it was not a land of pure happiness. Happiness does
not come from having everything done for you. The wise man was
speaking the real truth when he gave as his secret message that doing
things for others in the name of Jesus was passing through the gates
to the City of Real Happiness.
In preparing for this lesson use a piece of plain writing-paper, with
a match sharpened to a point write in lemon juice "Be a Christian,"
and "Do some good thing for Jesus every day." When it is dry it will
be invisible. When held up to the heat of a lamp it will become
visible so all can read it. In doing this before the class first hold
up the paper before them, showing both sides to be blank. At that
time tell the story of the wise man and blank paper given to the lad,
then hold it before the flame of lamp until the heat has had
sufficient time to bring out the writing. Experiment with this while
preparing the lesson so you can regulate your talking according to
the time it takes to develop the hidden words. There are many other
lessons you can give, using invisible ink, that will teach a strong
lesson. "What Is in the Heart," can be the title of another lesson.
In this case cut out a paper heart, and write the word "Sin" on it.
Call the lamp the Holy Spirit, and show that he brings out just what
is in the heart.
You can also teach the lesson "The Secrets of the Lord Revealed."
Present a piece of paper that seems to be a blank, but it holds a
secret hidden from our human eyes. Call the lamp the Word of God.
Take the paper to the lamp of God's Word. Through that word he
reveals his will to us, so we can read and understand. Lessons will
multiply in your mind, as you think it through, which will be of
great interest to your listeners.
=16