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Fourth Sunday after Epiphany GIVING: WHAT

STANDARD?

February 2, 1919. IS THE TRUE DO WE REACH IT?

(Missionary-Benevolence)

II Cor. 9:6, 7.

HINTS FOR LEADERS.

Use the opening service as given in Hymnal with Hymn 157, Psalm 23 and Collect for Grace to Use Our Gifts.

Ask different members to be prepared to state the true standard of giving as noted writers may have defined it. The following quotations will be helpful:

"Benevolence is not in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Benevolence is not merely a feeling, but a principle."-Chalmers.

"We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers."-Seneca.

"Think not you are charitable if the love of Jesus and His brethren be not purely the motive of your gifts."-Haweis.

"It is an old saying that charity begins at home; but there is no reason it should not go abroad."-Cumberland.

"The only gift is a portion of thyself." -Emerson.

Hymn 139.

If there is time have a brief résumé of Lowell's "Vision of Sir Launfal," given quoting. "He gives nothing but worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty," and "Not what we give but what we share, the gift without the giver is bare," and also "Give, give, be always giving, who gives not is not living."

Close by quoting passages from the Bible showing Jesus' standard and by telling the story of "The Widow's Mite." Do we reach Jesus' standard?

If desired, a special offering may be taken at this time.

Hymn 147. Benediction.

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means giving in influence, in time, in money. We are to consider the true standard of giving in money in this topics. Do we reach it?

"Giving is living," the Angel said.

"And must I be giving again and again?" My peevish and pitiless answer ran; "Oh, no," said the Angel, piercing me thru, "Just give till the Master stops giving to you."

The Principles of Giving. An act of worship. (Prov. 3:9, 10; Luke 6:38.) Commanded of God. (Ex. 35:4-9; Matt. 10:8.) Out of gratitude. (II Cor. 8:9; Acts 20:35.) "As he purposeth in his heart." (II Cor. 9:7.)

We Must Be Just Before We Are Generous. Giving, according to Paul, is to be cheerful, systematic and proportionate. The Psalmist asks the question, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits his heart." What is our duty? "Render unto God, the things that are God's." It would seem incredible that God would put into any human soul a distinct sense of duty and obligation, and then give no standard or measure by which it may be known when that duty is performed. God's law of the tenth (Malachi 3:8-12) is more than a Mosaic or Jewish institution. Clay tablets dug from mounds in ancient cities show that it was observed hundreds of years before the Father of the Jewish race was born. We believe that the seventh of our time and the tenth of our income were given to the human race as a minimum duty. Their foundation is in human needs, and are for our benefit. They are a law for the human race, and they are for you and me to face. What shall we do with them? God promises to "Pour out a blessing" upon those who give Him His due.

To give one-tenth is to render unto God that which should be His. We owe everything to God but our sins. You do not "give" to your banker the interest that you owe him, nor "give" to your grocer the amount of his bill. The tithe is just as much a debt. We owe it to God..

Christ Recognized the Tithe. In Matt. 23:23 He undoubtedly tells His hearers that they should observe the great "weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith," and at the same time "Not leave the other (tithing) undone." Christ dealt in principles. He left few commands. And among them, there is no word about setting tithing aside. As a law for the

The Luther League Topics, complete lessons (of which the above are outlines and review) in 32-page pamphlet covering three months can be supplied at rates given on page 22 by LUTHER LEAGUE REVIEW, 318-326 West 39th Street, New York City.

human heart, as a great spiritual duty it has its hold upon us. "As he purposeth in his heart." What is our duty? "Render unto God" our tenth. What is our privilege? To then give unto Him, out of the great nine-tenths that we still have. Then and then only do we really give. reach it? Not many Christians do.

Do we

But the question is now for you and me. You and I are to decide whether we are Christian stewards or not. When we have decided what is His and what is ours, then we may truly give out of our portion.

More Generous Than a Jew should be our aim, for we are Christian givers. We live in the period of grace, then we should likewise be gracious. "We love Him, because He first loved us." God in His gift of Christ has given us more than our due. We are to give because He first gave to us, cheerfully, liberally and ungrudgingly. good standard for us to attain.

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"Too much for me. Too little for God," said the dear little girl. Her mother desired that she should learn the true beauty of giving, and its true standard. So one day she took from her purse a shining silver dime. She told her little daughter how the minerals had come from God's hills and how man had smelted it and placed his stamp upon it. "It is God's, but He has loaned it to us, to use for Him. He only asks that we render back one-tenth of it to Him. Take this dime, dear, and have it changed at the bank into pennies." Helen soon returned with ten bright new pennies. Her mother took them and then placed them one by one in her little daughter's hand. "This one you may take and buy some candy for yourself," she said. "This one will buy a stick of chewing-gum. And this one will purchase a pretty ribbon for your dolly. While this bright cent will get a little pin for your dress." Helen's cheeks grew redder and her eyes larger as her mother told of the many things that the nine bright pennies would give her. "And what will I do with the tenth penny," she cried. "You may take that to church, Helen, and put it in the offering for God," replied the mother. Helen looked at the nine bright pennies in one hand, and thought of the many things that they would buy for her pleasure, and then she looked at the one bright lonesome penny in her other hand. A shadow came into her eyes, and with a trembling little voice she softly said, "Oh, mamma, it's too much for me, and too little for God." Her mother's eyes were bright with unshed tears as she gathered her little daughter in her arms, and whispered in her ear, "Dear Helen, you may give out of your nine pennies to God, if you so wish. That will be true giving. Not

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THE VALUE OF THE CHURCH
BUILDING TO A MISSION

(Missionary-Church Extension)
Deut. 31:11-13.

HINTS FOR LEADERS.

Open with Hymn 213.
Use Psalm 122.

Scripture reading, Deut. 31:11-13.
Hymn 208.

Have a map of the United States and Canada. Get information from the Home Missionary, The Lutheran Mission Worker, The Lutheran Almanac and other sources, and mark the places where Lutheran missionaries are located. Have the leader point out the proportion of our missionaries to the number of Lutherans in various sections of the country, giving such statistics as are available and calling especial attention to the vast fields of opportunity still open to the Lutheran Church.

After a brief explanation by the president of the W. H. & F. M. S. as to the method pursued by the Home Mission Board in caring for mission congregations, have a talk by a member of the League, giving their personal experience in a mission congregation and of how much the procural of a church building meant to it.

Sing Hymn 185.

Close with a well prepared prayer by a member of the League, bearing particularly on the requirements and needs of this branch of the Church's work.

(Topic reviewed by Rev. R. A. White.) LESSON STUDY.

The children of Israel were commanded to assemble at regular times for worship and instruction. A whole tribe was set apart as religious leaders. It was deemed necessary by Infinite Wisdom that a place should be dedicated for this purpose. The tabernacle and its furnishings were arranged under the directions of God Himself. Here all the people were required to come to worship and listen to the Law of God, and learn to fear and obey Him.

The tabernacle was set up in the midst of the camp during the wandering in the wilderness. It was set up in various places in the land of Canaan until it was superseded by the temple in the reign of SoloDuring the Babylonish captivity the synagogue came into existence, and was

mon.

very common in the days of Christ. Its was to supplement the purpose temple services.

During the Christian era God's people have found it necessary to have regular places for their meetings, hence the church building. In this country the Lutheran Church is largely the result of home mission work. Our mission boards have very wisely concluded that every congregation should have a church building of its own. The value of such a building to a mission is incalculably great, because

1. It Gives Permanency to the Work. Congregations without churches, dependent on store rooms, school houses, theaters and dance halls are apt to be shortlived. When our boards establish a congregation they follow up the work by helping the people to get a church. A congregation thus equipped generally grows and becomes a permanent factor of influence in the community. Otherwise it generally dies out.

2. A Good Church Building Makes a Favorable Impression on the Community. While the mission has no church of its own, but meets here and there, wherever it can, people reason that it will not last. When they see an imposing church go up, they conclude that the people are in earnest and there to stay.

3. A Good Church Building Is an Attraction to Outsiders. It is difficult to hold any but the most loyal in any place but a well equipped church. When a mission has a good church building it helps to attract and hold people. It makes them factors in the development of a self-sustaining charge.

4. A Well Arranged Church Is an Aid in Worship. While worship is acceptable anywhere, in some places it is easier than in others to fix our minds on higher things. In a school room, with the arrangement for school purposes, with blackboards, maps and charts, there is a school atmosphere difficult to overcome.

5. A Good Church Building Is a Religious Exponent of the Community. The house of God as it stands in majestic silence has a powerful message. It tells that there is spirituality; that there are those who are thinking of God, and heaven, and immortality; that there is religious enterprise and self denial; that the Christian minister has come and the gospel message has been received, and its influence felt.

Some sailors were once shipwrecked in a place they recognized as a cannibal island. In fear of being captured and devoured by the natives, they kept themselves out of sight. But hunger brought them from their hiding places. One ventured to the top of a hill in advance of his comrades. Suddenly he began to shout and

toss his cap in the air, and motioned to the others to come on. Over in the valley stood a neat little church building. Standing there alone, what a story it told to those unfortunate men! The missionary had come; the natives had been Christianized; there was no danger, but food, shelter and help were in sight.

If even the house dedicated to the service of God speaks with such a tongue of eloquence, how grand the work of building such houses! The money invested in them is well spent.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION.

What story does neatly kept church premises tell? What story does a dilapidated church building tell? What can Luther Leaguers do to help weak congregations to get church buildings? What dividends do investments in church buildings pay?

Septuagesima Sunday. February 16, 1919.
PHILIP MELANCHTHON
(Historical-422d Anniversary)
Acts 5:34, 22:3.

HINTS FOR LEADERS.

Hymns 96, 99.

Psalm 1, read responsively, conducted by the leader.

Gloria Patri.

Hymns 166, 178.

Scripture lesson, read by the leader.
Prayer by the pastor.

Summary of the discussion in the REVIEW and Topics.

Remarks by various members of the League, giving an estimate of Melanchthon's work as an educator, a theologian, a friend and a leader in the Reformation.

Announcements. Silent prayer. Hymns 161, 158.

Lord's Prayer and Benediction.
(Topic reviewed by Rev. R. A. White.)
LESSON STUDY.

Reference is made in the lesson to Gamaliel, who was a great teacher who by his instruction did much to mould the character of the Apostle Paul. Philip Melanchthon, famous in Reformation history, was the Gamaliel of the sixteenth century. He has been very aptly styled the "Teacher of Germany." "He being dead yet speaketh." He is living and speaking in the influences he wrought 400 years ago, and will thus continue for centuries.

Birth and Parentage. East from Carlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Baden is a village named Bretten. Here, February 16, 1497, Philip Melanchthon was born. His parents were George and Barbara Schwartzerd. According to the custom of some students of this time, his name was translated from the German Schwartzerd, which means "black earth," to the Greek Me

lanchthon, which means the same. His parents were pious, industrious and frugal, and brought up their children in the fear of God.

Education. Little Philip, at an early age, attended school in his native town. He learned easily and remembered what he learned. Later he attended a Latin school in Pforzheim. Here, by the advice of the learned Reuchlen, a distant relative, he gave special attention to Greek and Latin. At the end of two years, though only thirteen years old, he was far enough advanced to attend the university at Heidelberg. When only fourteen he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Soon after he applied for the Master's degree and was refused solely on account of his youth.

After two years at Heidelberg he went to the University of Tuebingen and studied there five years. In addition to the classics, he gave attention to many other branches, particularly to theology.

Call to Wittenberg University. On the recommendation of the great scholar, Reuchlin, he accepted a call to the University of Wittenberg, August 25, 1518. Here he began his life work as co-laborer with Luther. He was only twenty-one and had such a youthful appearance that many were disappointed in him, but soon they found him one of the ripest scholars in Germany.

Teacher and Reformer. The Reformation had just started. It was less than a year since Luther had posted his theses. Melanchthon was so well pleased with the forceful, clear, logical and scriptural preaching of Luther that he readily accepted the doctrines of the Reformation. He and Luther, though differing in many respects, worked together admirably. What one lacked the other supplied. The Reformation would hardly have succeeded by the elimination of either. Luther said that he "broke up the rough ground, and Melanchthon sowed the good seed."

The great work of Melanchthon was that of a teacher of theology and lecturer on the Scriptures. His class room was always filled with interested students from all parts of Europe. This gave him a wide range of influence and enabled him to do much to mould the religious thought of his time.

A Great Author. He accomplished much by his writings. His style was clear, logical and pleasing. We can notice here but two of his productions-the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. The first of these has been accepted by all Lutherans as the great Confession of the Church, and the second as the splendid development of Lutheran teaching. When the Imperial Diet met at

Augsburg to bring the Reformers and Romanists to an agreement it was necessary that a statement of their doctrines should be prepared for the occasion. No one could do this so well as Melanchthon. His mild temper combined with great learning fitted him for the task. When the immortal Augsburg Confession was assailed by the Catholics, his masterly Apology (Defense) followed. These two documents will always remain as masterpieces of the Reformation.

Promoter of Education. Melanchthon did much work outside of teaching. He was very much interested in the education of the young. This he evinced by helping the schools to organize on a better basis and by assisting in founding new schools. Luther was a believer in popular education, and Melanchthon has been styled "the School Master of Germany." Out of the Reformation movement, led by these two great men, have come the public school systems of the world, with the idea that every boy and every girl should have at the least an elementary education.

Melanchthon a Layman. Melanchthon was never ordained a minister or priest. It is significant that of the two great Reformers one should be a representative of the clergy and the other of the laity, and that the latter prepared for the Church two of its greatest cónfessions.

In Melanchthon's life

1. What lessons are there for the youth? 2. What encouragement for the laymen? Sexigesima Sunday. February 23, 1919. THE LOVE THAT MEETS ALL DEMANDS AND INCLUDES ALL MEN (Biblical)

Rom. 11:25-32.

HINTS FOR LEADERS.

Use opening services in Hymnal. Psalm 23.

Hymn 156.

So much could be said on this topic that perhaps it would be best to have one of your older members (or your president) prepare the main paper on this subject, and two or three of the younger or newer members prepare shorter papers and then have a general discussion. Hymn 35. Recitation:

THE WONDROUS CROSS.
When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord! that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands. His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
(Continued on page 34.)

FEBRUARY 2.

BY REV. A. T. MICHLER.

Giving: What Is the True Standard? Do We

Reach It?

By Rev. Walter C. Sandt.

Scripture--II Cor. 9:6-7

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General Truth-A Christian possesses fairer grace than the "Grace of Giving.' an essential part of our religion to "give someIt is thing" because we "get so much." has much to do with both Christian character "Giving" and practice.

Point of Contact-How much have you loaned to your country? Ask yourselves more important questions. How much do you lay aside each week from your earnings or savings to lend to the Lord to carry on His warfare? Do you give to "His Red Cross Work" through which he heals and comforts men's souls as well as men's bodies? Did you ever stop and figure out how much a society of twenty-five members could give yearly toward missions if every one gave ten cents a week?

The Lesson Developed-The How of GivingThere are two simple rules how not to give. When Paul says, "not grudgingly," he means. not with sighs and groans, or a long face and a heavy heart. Christians dare not give and then wish they had their gift back again. “Not under compulsion"-we should not be forced. There is no must to this business. The Grace of Giving is not a flower that is grown like a plant in a hothouse-under pressure. This grace is like a lily-of-the-valley that blooms in due time under the gentle influence of the sum

mer's sun.

There are two rules how to give "as one has determined beforehand." That means thoughtfully. Reckon out how much we have to give. What are our resources? How much do we earn? What is the sum-total of our necessary expenses? Strike a balance and give to the Lord. Be a bookkeeper and do not slight the Lord when the weekly balance is drawn up. Our giving at all times should be systematic.

Keep informed concerning the real needs of the Church. This requires the reading of Church papers and reports. It is important

to hear and heed what the pastor tells us about the causes of education, missions and benevolent work. We must measure up our ability with the need and determine to give something.

Another rule is-Cheerfully. In plain words we must get fun out of our giving. We know how kindly we give at Christmas time to our parents, friends and loved ones. It is a joy. This spirit in a Christian's giving is essential in order to please God.

May we add-Prayerfully. Talk things over with God. When we do not know what to do He will tell us. We may give our last penny if He bids us do it, and have no fear that we shall be without funds or food.

Learn to give because He first gave to us, not according to rule but out of love. The Grace of Giving will become a fixed characteristic by which God will know us-so that we cannot help but give whatever is required of us-money, service, love, labors, or our all, even our lives for Jesus' sake.

Suggestions-How much per capita is given in your Church each year toward any one or all causes? How much might be given if each member was faithful? Discuss the envelope system free-will offerings; the practical and

moral values of every-member canvasses and campaigns for Church funds.

FEBRUARY 9.

Church Extension: The Value of a Building to a Mission.

By Rev. Walter C. Sandt.

Scripture-Deut. 31:11-13.

Church

General Truth-A congregation of believers must have a place in which to gather, "men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates": and more than that, a proper place must be provided in which people are to meet God.

Point of Contact-Some missions have begun their work in public halls, or theaters, rented for Sundays-and some have held services in the homes of members. In summer times congregations have been gathered in tents-but none of these afford a proper place for worship. because of the surroundings that distract the minds of the worshippers, or detract from the beauty and helpfulness of the services.

The Lesson Developed-1. A church building is necessary because it upholds the dignity of "the business of the Lord." When a man opens a drug store in a community, or a candy shop, or undertakes any new enterprise, he at once attempts to make his place of business look like a drug store or a candy shop. When we carry on our "Father's Business,' we must do it the honor to properly house it, that men may respect it. 2. A common meeting place is important in furthering the interests of a congregation. When the Ladies' Aid meets at one place, the Luther League at another, and the Catechetical Class at another-small, poorly attended meetings are the result. A church building centralizes all interests, from the Sunday services to the smallest meetings of church council and committees; and is a big factor in establishing a live, active and successful organization.

3. One great problem confronting a mission in its early career is to make known its existence. Nothing is so valuable in giving a Church a place in the life of village, town or city as a building that stands as a silent but strong testimony to the presence of a group of believers in the community banded together to do the work of the Lord.

4. People always wish to work for some thing concrete, that which they can touch and see. The building of a church has banded congregations together in common effort, the zeal and impetus of which has continued active for years even from one generation to another.

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5. A church building becomes a thing of sentiment to most people. It can be loved. is a "church home." Men and women become attached to it. They come to like it better than any they have ever seen or known. It anchors their affections. their zeal, and their faith.

Hints to Leaders-If you are members of a mission, see to it that you create interest in the "House of the Lord" you are planning or building. What can you do to further its completion or adornment? If you have a beautiful church, ask yourselves what you can do to help others enjoy what you enjoy. The Church Extension Society is the channel through which to help needy congregations to secure a building and the equipment so necessary for the success of any mission enterprise.

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