Christmas and the Grinch

Luke 2:1-20

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!Now, Please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right.It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.But I think that the most likely reason of allmay have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But,Whatever the reason,His heart or his shoes,he stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos,

Christmas seems to always include a Grinch. There is always someone who just doesn't get caught up in the season. They are doubters and scoffers. The decorations are offensive to their eyes. The music annoys them. They feel busier than they want to be. There are too many people in the stores. Parking is awful. The streets are slippery. And, they are resentful at the social pressure to conform to the season. In response to "Merry Christmas" inwardly they "Bah Humbug".

Of course some of us have good reasons to not be in the Christmas spirit. For some of us this Christmas brings with it an empty chair where a loved one sat. … That's not really Grinchiness though. Grinchiness is really about the belief that Christmas is a sham.

In the Bible we meet Grinches too. No doubt Mary faced many Grinches as her belly grew and she was not yet married. Grinches are not likely to believe stories about angels and a miraculous pregnancy coming from a teenage girl. The Roman officials, who forced Joseph and his pregnant wife to travel over 150km on foot to complete a census, were definitely Grinches. The Grinchy King Herod learned from the visiting Wise Men that a child had been born who would become the king of the Jews. Not wanting to deal with a threat to his throne, the paranoid King Herod attempted to kill the baby Messiah.

We have our own inner Grinches as well. Our inner Grinch tells us the whole Nativity story is just wishful thinking and fairy tales. Our inner Grinch has a hard time believing that this story (or something like it) happened in history. Our inner Grinch doubts God’sexistence, and believing that God somehow became human is just a step too far. Our inner Grinch wonders how we can possibly be expected to believe this stuff.

In some ways Doubt and skepticism are good because they make us investigate and not believe something too quickly. This is a good thing in a culture where we are dealing with a constant stream of advertising.

Religion is often a target for the doubting and skeptical. In the Bible, at the end of Matthew’s biography of Jesus, Jesus meets with the disciples to tell them to go tell the world about him and we read, “when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted” (Matt 28:17). In the letter of Jude we read, “Have mercy on those who doubt” (1:22). The Bible allows room for those who doubt. …

But, we can go too far with this. It can become a general attitude we adopt as a way of appearing intelligent. Dallas Willard, who was a philosopher from the University of Southern California once said, 

“We believe the skeptical person to be more intelligent in our culture. You can be as stupid as a cabbage as long as you doubt” (Hearing God by Dallas Willard, Epilogue).

Doubt can be useful when it helps us restrain belief until we have more information, but it can be a hindrance as a general attitude. Imagine being married to someone who is always doubting your faithfulness. It can be hard to actually live life in a constant state of skepticism and doubt. … The Grinch doesn’t have the secret to living life well.

The Grinch thinks that if all the presents and sparkly decorations were taken away that Christmas would be shown to be a fraud. If the shiny wrapping paper was taken off and the elaborate bow was removed all that would be revealed is an empty box.

In Dr. Seuss' tale, the Grinch tries to steal Christmas, which he thinks is nothing more than presents, food and decorations. He dresses like Santa and sneaks into the Whos houses and steals their presents. He takes away the decorations. He takes away the food for the feast. He even takes away their Christmas trees. "On their walls he left nothing but hooks and some wire. And the one speck of food/ that he left in the house/ was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse." The Grinch expects a wail to arise from Whoville as the Whos wake up and realize the emptiness of their Christmas. He expects that they will feel an emptiness that matches his own inner emptiness.

The Grinch thinks that if all the sparkling lights and decorations were taken away we wouldn't really have anything left to celebrate. ... And that is a challenge to us. If it was all taken away from us, would we have anything left to celebrate? …

When the Grinch had stolen everything he could from the Who's houses he waited outside of town to hear Whoville’s reaction. The Whos are put to the test. Is Christmas all about presents, as the Grinch assumes? ... The Grinch listens in anticipation... and then he hears something, ... 

"But the sound wasn't sad!/ Why, this sound sounded merry!/ It couldn't be so!/ But it WAS merry! Very! ... Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,/ Was singing! Without any presents at all!/ He HADN"T stopped Christmas from coming!/ IT CAME!/ Somehow or other, it came just the same!"

The Grinch believed that the decorations were hollow. ... The wrapping paper and bow, however, were not decorating an empty box. There was something inside. When it was all taken away there was still something to sing about. When all the decorations and food and presents were taken away there was still something to celebrate. The Grinch found the Whos singing. Inside that box that the Grinch thought was empty … was a person.

The previous Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, described what was in that box saying, "This God shows himself to us; he looks out from eternity into time and puts himself into relationship with us”. That is the story of Jesus' birth. …

In some ways he was a very ordinary baby. He dirtied his diapers. He cried. He was fed. He needed protection. He needed the warmth and love of his parents. He was born where there was no crib, so he was laid in a feeding trough for animals. He was not rich. He was not born in a palace. His parents weren't famous. In many ways he was a very normal and very human baby.

In other ways, though, he was also a very extraordinary baby. Accompanying his birth there are stories of angels, and prophecies coming true. No matter who you are and what you believe you cannot deny that this child had a tremendous impact on the world. The very way we measure time points to his birth. We are in the two-thousand-and-seventeenth year of our Lord- A.D.- Ano Dominae (in the Latin). Jesus' teachings and followers have impacted the world and changed it. So, yes, this child is also extraordinary. That is something you have to admit whether you are a follower of his or not.

Jesus was a mixture of the humble and low, and the lofty and sublime. His mother was an ordinary Jewish girl, but she was still a virgin when she became pregnant with him. He was laid in an animal's feeding trough, but had the blood of the ancient King David running through his veins. He was visited by rough shepherds, but his birth was announced by angels. He was both ordinary and extraordinary. And even more paradoxical, in Jesus the human and the divine overlapped in some amazing and mysterious way. To look into the eyes of Jesus is to look into the eyes of God.

There are plenty of stories about human beings reaching towards the divine. They think that if they go up the right mountain they might experience the divine. They think, perhaps if they use the right prayer, or meditation, or drink the right potion, they might be able to experience heavenly reality. If they weave the right spell, or if they are good enough, they might be able to have an experience of heaven.

Christmas, however, isn't about our reaching for God. Christmas is about the exact opposite. Christmas is about God reaching out to us. Christmas is about God coming to us as a baby. And miraculously, and mysteriously, to know this baby is to know God. Christmas is about God writing Himself into the story of humanity. It is about God writing Himself into our story. God did this freely as an act of love. God gave us Himself- that is the ultimate Christmas gift. … That is what is inside the box that the Grinch thought was empty. That is what is worth celebrating even when all the decorations have been taken away. That is what the Whos sing about.

And this amazing gift wasn't just given to kings (though it is for them as well). The angels announce that "a saviour has been born to you." It's not just that Jesus has been born. He has been born "to you" and this is "good news of great joy that will be for all the people". He has been born to you. This gift was given to ordinary shepherds during an ordinary work-night. Jesus is a gift for us ordinary people living our ordinary lives. He is a gift that makes our ordinary lives extra-ordinary. He invites us to become a part of His story which has no beginning and no ending. In His story it is not the Grinches with the most money who are the main actors. It is not the Grinches with the biggest bombs, or nicest cars, or most beautiful faces, or most friends on facebook who play the big parts. The big characters in His story can be played by: a baby in an animal's feeding trough, his poor parents, and rough shepherds. The big characters are ordinary people who were drawn into an extraordinary story. Their lives are infused with eternal meaning. That invitation is his Christmas gift to us.

That is what the Whos were singing about. If all the presents are taken away- If all the decorations are stolen- If our Christmas goodies disappear- we still have a reason to sing. We still have a reason to celebrate. God has come to us.

If we listen closely with the shepherds tonight we might hear the angels' song. As that song penetrates into our hearts and we get wrapped up in Jesus' life and story we will find that, no matter how ordinary we feel, our small hearts grow three sizes, and our lives are infused with meaning and power. As our stories gets wrapped up in his we find ourselves invited into an eternal adventure. AMEN.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas:

The Extended Ending

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,

was singing! Without any presents at all!

He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming!

IT CAME!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.

“Maybe Christmas…. Perhaps … means a little bit more!”

And what happened then…?

Well… in Who-ville they say

That the Grinch’s small heart

Grew three sizes that day!

And the minute his heart didn’t feel quite so tight,

He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light

And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!

And he…

HE HIMSELF…!

The Grinch carved the roast beast!

You may think that is how the story ends

But there is a bit more my curious friends

At the Who feast, as they ate, the Grinch inquired

how his dark heart was so wondrously rewired

and released from its hate and grump and callous uncaring

And filled instead with love and with sharing

And as the Grinch carved the roast beast,

He turned to the Who who headed the feast,

And asked, “sir, what was it what made my heart grow

As I stood with my sled in the cold cold snow?

And the head Who turned to the Grinch with twinkling eyes

“Your heart grew because of someone who came in disguise

“He filled your heart with love like a balloon

“And warmed it like a sun-filled day in late June

“So it wasn’t a ‘what’ at all but a ‘who’?,

asked the Grinch as he began to chew

“It was a who”, the old Who replied

I shall introduce you, I’ll be your guide

But to know anyone, you must know their story

perhaps you’ll catch a glimpse of his glory

There are many places to start, but where I’ll begin

is with a young girl who held God within

“There was a young girl who was often in blue

She helped with the chores, and to pray she withdrew

Once, she was visited by an angel and told of a babe

Who would fill her belly, and the world he would save.

The girl responded confused by the message

Perhaps the angel misheard the date of her marriage

But there was no confusion at all

As a mother, this is how she would answer God’s call

Her betrothed was a descendent of David, a great king

It was he who gave her the promise of marriage, and a ring

He was a gentle, strong man, and a skeptic at first,

But the angel told him it was God’s son she would nurse.

So the two of them stuck through the difficult plight

And journeyed to Bethlehem where he was born in the night.

He was not born in in a hotel for there was no room

The King of Glory arrived in a defenseless costume

He came as a child, vulnerable and weak

He was placed in a manger, a cow at his cheek

The owner of all, he gave it all up

To become one of us and offer his cup

He was not recognized and so was not greeted

Except by a few, the humble, not the conceited

Angels told shepherds of the baby’s arrival

Though, King Herod threatened the child’s survival

Following the wise men, the king would conspire

Hoping to destroy the baby messiah

The wise men arrived, and delivered their treasure

Upon seeing the child they were filled with pleasure

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh, odd gifts for one so small

The little one was still struggling even to crawl

But accurate gifts, for a king who would save

The world from their sins and stand so brave

Against evil and corruption and teach us to love

He would be wise as a serpent and kind as a dove

Away from the evil king, they fled

until they heard that king Herod was dead

The Grinch kept on chewing his delicious roast beast

But was looking puzzled and his forehead was creased

“excuse me, I don’t understand how this child

Is connected to my heart being beguiled

It is a fascinating story you’ve told

But as for the connection, I’m still a bit cold”

The wise Who looked at the Grinch with kind eyes

“Grinchiness plagues this world and it stands unwise

To live with such hate and greed in your heart

What the child offers us is a brand new restart

You see, when he came among us he seemed quite plain

But if we really knew the degree of his domain

We would see that in this child’s face we meet our creator

And in this small child we see that God is no evil dictator

But, rather, kind and willing to bend to meet our eyes

Like a father who is loving and infinitely wise

He came to be with us, and show us his face

In order that we might have a lasting embrace

He entered a world that was broken and fallen

Filled with pain and sorrow and people like Stalin

He came to correct what had gone wrong

Where we were weak, he became strong

Where we were tempted he continued to fight

As a human being he would be our white knight

He would fight for us against every foe

And his victory on us he would bestow

He even fought death, the dark grim reaper

And came out on top, as if in the grave he was merely a sleeper.

And so he looks for cold hearts that have shrunk with hate

And looks for a door, a window, or small gate

So he can enter in and fill them with love

That they might grow large and the hate be disposed of

You see he came to show us who we were meant to be

Lives filled with God’s love, courageous and free

And so, Mr. Grinch, what you felt in your heart,

Was Christ’s presence giving you love to impart

And the Grinch finally got it, His heart and his head

Were knit together with one loving thread

His eyes filled with wonder and his grin grew bigger

His heart grew another size and was renewed with vigor

He finally saw how Christmas still came

How the whos kept on singing, in spite of his game

In his heart he saw the small child in the manger

Love incarnate, risking the danger

To show us God’s care and infinite grace

But above all, to show us his face.