12/18/2024
“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world.”
Now, that’s the way Charles Dickens describes Scrooge at the end of his classic novel, A Christmas Carol. Dickens concludes, “And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”
But is that how we think of Scrooge?
To be honest, Dickens spends 180 pages painting an unforgettable picture of how awful Scrooge is, was, and potentially will be and spends only about 6 pages on his redemption. So, I guess it’s only natural that the awful part is what we remember.
So when we see someone who doesn’t like Christmas, who is self-centered, grouchy, stingy, hard, cruel — or in Dickens’ words, “A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!” — what do we call them?
Scrooge!
Same thing for the Grinch as well. And if you think of it, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is basically the same story as A Christmas Carol. By the end of the story, the Grinch realizes that Christmas is a matter of the heart, not of gifts and tinsel, and we’re told, “the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day.”
But do we remember his redemption? No. When we see someone who is . . . well, a Grinch, what do we call them?
Grinch!
But it shouldn’t be that way, because we’re Christians and are all about forgiveness. Or at least we are supposed to be. Every Sunday we pray, “and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive. . .” (Notice the “as we forgive” part). And in Colossians 3:13, Paul writes, “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Notice that word “must”).
What if you were only known by whatever you were at your worst?
I have a group of men I meet with periodically who know this firsthand. Their pasts are pretty rugged. Some of them were guilty of their crimes, but others, if you knew the circumstances, you would say were unfairly imprisoned. One in particular who I’ve gotten to know over the last year was falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned. Despite that, he has to be identified by his “crime” for the rest of his life!
Is he bitter about it? No. This past Thanksgiving, he was excited to get together with his family for the first time in many years and his message to them is taken from the story of Joseph. Joseph’s brothers, who had sold him into slavery, are afraid that he will take revenge on them. Instead, he forgives them, saying, “You meant it to me for evil; God meant it for good.” He recognizes that he wouldn’t be in the good place he is now, nor would he be the quality of person he is now, if he hadn’t gone through his awful experiences.
But he will always be marked by the crime for which he was accused.
It’s not fair, is it? And some of the worst people are “Christians” who are unwilling to give not only him but the rest of these guys a second chance.
It’s as if God’s grace only goes so far and stops.
No. We’re Christians. We were forgiven, and therefore, we forgive. We no longer identify people by who they were but by who they are: children of God.
So here’s a little challenge this year. When you see someone who really and truly embraces the Christmas season — maybe the Clark Griswold in your neighborhood who strains the power grid with his light display but doesn’t have a church home — call him a Scrooge. Call him a Grinch (You might need to duck!).
But then explain you’re talking about the redeemed Scrooge, or the Grinch after his heart has grown 3 sizes. This might be a chance to share a message that people can have redemption, that people can change.
You know Christmas is a week from TODAY! I hope you’re ready for it, and I hope these words of Charles Dickens can be said by all of us:
“And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God bless Us, Every One!’ ”
Blessings!
Pastor Terry