“A Christmas Carol”
“The Grinch”
In most of our Christmas movie favorites there is a defining moment. This is where the transformation we have already talked about takes place. It is a moment of realization…an awakening. This is the moment when the movie changes direction and the Scrooge of our story begins the process of making things right. In “A Christmas Carol” it is when Scrooge sees Tiny Tim’s crutch in the corner and his own name on the tombstone in the cemetary. For the Grinch it was when the whos down in who-ville gathered in the vacant square and sang songs despite his overnight heist of their Christmas trappings. The narrator tells us,
“He puzzled and puzzed 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.”
It is only after that kind of moment that change can begin. It is only after this moment that Scrooge begins to set things right with Bob Crachit and others. It is only after this moment that Grinch rides his overstuffed sleigh down the mountain to bring back Christmas to the whos. It is only after that moment of “seeing the Light”…after the wake up call that their behavior changes. Movie Message…change only comes when we have a personal encounter with the true meaning of Christmas.
According to the Scripture, there is such a moment in the life of every believer who comes to faith in Jesus. It is an awakening…a realization…a new beginning that Jesus called being “born again” (John 3:3). We are made new by the power of the Holy Spirit. A defining moment when life changes direction.
But this moment is just the beginning. Most of our Christmas movies end with our Christmas Curmudgeons on a new or re-newed path of “peace on earth and good will toward men”. It is a change of lifestyle, attitude and relationships…it is all encompassing.
Likewise, our encounter with the person of Christmas…Jesus…is one that has a beginning…a defining moment when we realize who He is and how much He loves us. But, it is only the beginning of a change in the way we live…the way we see the world…and the way we relate to the people around us! Hollywood can’t put their finger on it, but even they recognize that there is something about the message of Christmas that goes beyond just giving gifts and singing songs. There is something that can change your life.
“Hey Hollywood! That something is a SOMEONE and His name is Jesus!” Everyone’s thinking it…I’m just saying it.