Pastor Stephen Grant’s sermon on December 28 in Christmas Bells at St. Mary's: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is taken almost completely from a Christmas Day sermon given by The Reverend David T. Keating. Yes, I know this pastor well, as he is my son. I’m proud of him, and very much appreciate David’s giving the okay for Pastor Grant to use his sermon. – Ray Keating
Pastor Stephen Grant Journal, December 28
I’ve never been inspired by The Muppets to write a sermon. But there’s a first time for everything, and it’s The Muppet Christmas Carol. And besides, it was really Charles Dickens.
So, here it is…
As many of you are aware, I’m a big film buff. And yes, one of the reasons that Christmas is a favorite holiday of mine – you know, beyond the fact that God became man – is the fact that there are so many wonderful movies to watch during this season. It’s an annual tradition in the Grant household to gather together to watch Christmas movies. There are certain staples that always get watched year after year. Movies like The Bishop’s Wife, It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, and A Christmas Carol all reliably end up in the rotation. I admit, though, that if only one version of A Christmas Carol is watched in a particular year, it’s usually The Muppet Christmas Carol. That was the case on Friday night. And I’d like to talk a little bit about Ebenezer Scrooge.
In the book version, Charles Dickens described Ebenezer Scrooge as an “old sinner” and then goes on to say this about the character: “Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.”
When we read this description we can be struck by how people would be rightly terrified. Scrooge is filled with none of the warmth or cheer that we commonly associate with the Christmas season. He is, what we would call - homo incurvatus se - an example of man curved in on himself. Due to sin, he had shut himself off from the outside world. Rather than being concerned for his fellow man, he has nothing but contempt. The Muppets describe his situation, in a song, of course, as being that of “Mr. Outrage. Mr. Sneer. He has no time for friends or fun. His anger makes that clear. Don't ask him for a favor 'cause his nastiness increases. No crust of bread for those in need. No cheeses for us meeses.”
Oftentimes when someone is totally self-absorbed in the way that Scrooge is, something dramatic must happen to shake them out of their ways. A conversion experience along the lines of St. Paul on the road to Damascus is required to move them from apathy about their condition toward concern for their soul. This is what the ghost of Jacob Marley reminds Scrooge of. It is Marley’s hopeless ghost that bemoans, “Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode! Were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me?”
In other words, “Why did I never hear the Christmas message? Why did I, like the Wise Men, not follow the star to the Christ child who shows not only what it means to care for your fellow man, but also to have your heart mended and oriented toward the things of God?”
Throughout the rest of the story, Scrooge experiences a dark night of the soul in which he is forced to once again look away from his own self-obsession and toward his neighbor. He experiences his past, present, and future as if for the first time by actually examining those who have been placed in his life. Whether it is Mr. Fezziwig, his nephew Fred, or his employee, Bob Cratchit, Scrooge is forced to see the people whom God has placed in his life and to rediscover his care and his love for them, often in dramatic ways. Basically, the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future show him the many ways he has been neglecting his vocation of caring for his neighbor.
What then does Scrooge find by going on this adventure? He rediscovers virtues that are deeply Christian in nature. It is Christ Jesus who first is the great friend to the friendless and great physician of body and soul; caring for those in need. Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim highlight these Christological virtues as well. Bob remarks that Tiny Tim wanted people in church to see him so that they might remember their savior who made the blind to see and the lame walk. What I love about this is that Tiny Tim, this innocent one who suffers, wants to be an icon that points us toward the Innocent One who suffers on behalf of the world; and who restores our souls through His suffering. What a fantastic testimony of who Jesus is; even as we see Him through the lens of Tiny Tim.
When Scrooge travels with the ghost of Christmas future and sees a potential reality in which Tiny Tim has died from his illness, it is Bob Cratchit who remarks that life is made of a series of meetings and partings and as Tim has now departed this table first, we will not forget him. I’ve always thought this was hard to hear in what is meant to be a children’s story. Yet, by the end of the story we know that Scrooge changes his ways in order to become more joyful, hopeful, and, in essence, more Christ-like. The fundamental conversion of Ebenezer Scrooge has not just brought new life for himself; it has brought new life for the Cratchit family. Moments like this resonate with us because they reflect deep spiritual truths that lie at the heart of our life of faith.
But Bob Cratchit is also right. Death is part of the reality of the world we live in. We don’t like to think about it around this time of year, but this is part of our condition as those who have experienced the effects of sin. As the years wear on, we can become aware of the fact that there are more empty places around the Christmas dinner table as a result of loved ones who have parted our dinner tables never to return. Yet, this is why the message of Christmas is a hopeful one even in the face of this. It is one we need to hear every day of the year; not just on Christmas. Christ Jesus was not content to leave the parting from the Christmas dinner table as a forever parting. Instead, He won for each and every Christian life eternal so that we would once again meet around the wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which will have no end. The message of Christmas is clear! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us so that we might dwell forever with Him. This has profound ramifications. It means you will experience a new life. You will see that loved one again. And in place of temporal partings, we receive eternal meetings that are promised to us by our savior.
So, what can we say then of old Scrooge and how he relates to each of us? At the beginning of the story, we hear that Marley’s specter is bringing with him Scrooge’s reclamation. Throughout the story, Scrooge encounters his own shortcomings as well as his joys. There are highs and lows, and in those moments Scrooge is forced to examine his conscience, much like we do when we have the law preached to us. By the end of Scrooge’s Christmas Eve, he realizes that he is an old sinner and, in response to that, he craves absolution.
Each of us has within us the capacity to be like Scrooge at the beginning of the story. We can become narcissistic, cruel, and self-obsessed. We can walk through life with our eyes cast down and miss those in need around us. But we have an encounter with Christ that is the center of the Gospel, which serves as the impetus for our turning back outward; toward our fellow man. We are able to see the miracle of Christ’s birth and look up from ourselves toward the Christ-child. Then we too can model the behavior that Christ Jesus first demonstrated. We can care for those who are hurting or in need. We can exhibit the joy and the warmth that is there for our friends and family members. We can pass along the forgiveness of sins and share with others the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. And perhaps when we encounter Scrooges in our own lives, we can be like the shepherds who had heard the good news of the angels, and the Magi who followed the star. We can go to this newborn Christ-child to receive life itself; and, in turn, point the world to this newborn light. It is, after all, Christ Jesus who daily and richly pronounces the words of absolution that old sinners like Ebenezer Scrooge, and you and I, are in deep need of hearing.
In the meantime, may we pray that the joy and the love of Christ Jesus takes root in our hearts this season. May we not be consumed by empty sentiment or holiday fervor. Instead, may we pray that the same love which compelled the Son of God to come into the world be alive in our hearts as well. And may we take courage that, because of Christ Jesus’ all atoning life, death, and resurrection, the departures from our Christmas dinner table will not be forever. Instead, we continue to look forward to happy reunions with the saints of God, both within the walls of our churches and at the end of all things when Christ calls us to be with Him at His eternal feast within the kingdom. Merry Christmas. Amen.
Scrooge lacked gratitude for all that he had, for all that God had given him. But here, he was given a great gift, and all that he should have gratitude for became evident, especially the gifts brought by Christ.
And okay, I admit it, Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat helped me this year more than usual, given the state of my mind when Jen and I were watching this Christmas classic.
