may recover my strength, before I go hence, and be no (Psalm xxxix, 14-15.) more seen. A moment later, while the Beethoven music continues, a similar group comes in from the back, near the Chancel Rail. They represent the Foreign Mission Field. They are Chinese coolies, poor people of the lowest class, some of them with heavy burdens on their backs. They crouch down together at the Chancel Rail. One or two Mandarins or other upper-class Chinese appear. The coolies in fear get quickly up out of their way, and kow-tow before them. The Mandarins regard the coolies haughtily and then looking about them stand behind them in self-satisfied pride and mild curiosity, a marked picture of contrast between the extreme classes. If preferred, the group may be of any other race or nationality ministered to by the Department of Foreign Missions. The music has ended. There is silence a moment and then the Word of God speaks meditatively: WORD OF GOD Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (St. Matthew XI, 28-30.) Again there is silence. The man in the nearer group lies sleeping sprawled out on the Choir steps; the women sit vacantly doing nothing, looking around, the little ones at their knees. One of the Mandarins, in disgust at the contaminating proximity of the coolies, haughtily with a gesture of his fan commands them to remove themselves. They hurriedly get away a few steps and then crouch down again as before. This is the only interruption. Then in ringing tones the Voice of Divine Mediation breaks forth: VOICE OF DIVINE MEDIATION Hear, sons and daughters of the Eternal God, O'er all the earth, in every land and clime, The blessed incarnation of His Son. The Fatherhood of God cannot prevail, His Father-Love cannot express itself Save through the Son.-And ye are sons of God. In hunger and in rags, in ignorance, In narrowness and selfishness of heart, In blindness and stupidity of soul, The wretchedness of all the world cries out From out its poverty. To you it cries. Oh, you will not deny The Father this fulfillment of His Love? Lift up your hearts! Stretch out your hands to help! Help these your brethren, and therein help Him! For so shall even your weak human hands Serve mightily the Will of God, and through your arms Shall thrill the boundless power of His Love! The organ plays again the latter half of the Beethoven theme. WORD OF GOD Hear, oh ye people, how the Lord proclaimed His Mission to the world, when He began His ministry: And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it is written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (St. Luke iv, 14-19.) The Organ repeats softly the last line of the Beethoven theme. This reading of the Word of God arouses a little attention among the group on the Choir steps. One young woman, when he says "to preach the gospel to the poor," sits up and listens; and when he says "to heal the broken-hearted”, she lays her hand on the knee of another of the women and attracts her attention with a gesture to the Word of God. They try to arouse the man, but he still sleeps heavily on. But one or two of the little children listen with them to what follows.-The Chinese group, both the coolies and the Mandarins, distant and in ignorance, remain heedless, and pay no attention whatsoever beyond a general disdainful curiosity. VOICE OF DIVINE MEDIATION As simple food and drink, mere bread and wine, The Voice of Divine Mediation turns and takes from the Altar the Chalice with the Paten upon it, the symbols of our communion with God, and holds them up in one hand as he holds up the Cross before the Congregation with the other, while the Word of God reads from the account of the institution of the Last Supper. Some of the group of poor people are almost irresistibly drawn toward the Cross and the symbols of the Communion, one or two rising and timidly moving a step or two nearer. Others remain untouched and the man continues asleep. So too the Chinese continue quite indifferent. WORD OF GOD Hear, oh ye people, how the Lord declared His last request of all His true disciples, just before He entered into His Gethsemane and climbed the height of Calvary: And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. And He said, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you be fore I suffer. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: This do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you. Ye are they which continued with Me in My temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me; that ye may eat and drink at My table in my Kingdom. (St. Luke xxx, 14-15, 19-20, 28-30.) The Voice of Divine Mediation advances a step nearer the Congregation bearing the Cross and the Chalice and Paten. The Angels go forward with him and then kneel on either side of him. VOICE OF DIVINE MEDIATION The gift of God,-His Life! APPEAL OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT The food whereby We grow to be in spirit more like Him! The Word of God and the Appeal of the Human Spirit and their attendant Angels kneel, and the Congregation kneel, as led by the Choir they sing the hymn: BREAD OF THE WORLD IN MERCY BROKEN Bread of the world, in mercy broken, Wine of the soul, in mercy shed, By Whom the words of life were spoken, |