Dr. Seuss wrote a charming little story of a malcontent named the Grinch. This foul, green, slimy, grouchy character had no room in his heart for Christmas. Every year he worked himself into a rage because the Who’s, the little people that lived in Whoville, celebrated Christmas with a passion. They decorated, they celebrated with feasts, they exchanged gifts and sang songs – and this really rankled the Grinch. And so the Grinch devised a plan. He thought to himself that if he could just steal the decorations, the gifts and the feasts – he could steal Christmas. And the Who’s would have nothing to celebrate. And so he executes his evil plan. He cleans out the village so that there is not even enough of the feast left to feed a mouse.
As Christmas Day arrives the Grinch is perched on top of a craggy peak, ready to throw all of the Christmas loot he’s stolen from the Who’s over the edge. He pauses for just a second, hoping to hear a wailing and whimpering from Whoville down below. But instead, the Who’s gather and sing – just like they always had. And when the Grinch hears the Who’s singing, he finally realizes that Christmas is not about the gifts and the feasts and the decorations – but that there is something greater and bigger – something that cannot be squelched or muted by the foulness or sliminess or grouchiness of this world.
There are only eleven days left until Christmas Day. In 353 A. D., Pope Julius I set December 25 as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Now, who would have ever thought that the December 25th celebration would become what it is today? And when Professor Charles Follen lit candles on the first Christmas tree in America in 1832, who would have ever thought that the decorations would become as elaborate as they are today? The year 1832 was a long time ago, and the year 353 is even longer still. But it is much longer still from that dark night in Bethlehem. It was a dark night brightened by a special star. It was a night where angels visited shepherds. It was a night that stable beasts witnessed the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords - Jesus Christ. (Adapted from an illustration on Sermonillustrations.com)
This is what the Grinch missed and all ’Grinches’ miss – that Christmas is about Jesus and his work of salvation. It’s so very easy to loose sight of Christmas’ meaning. There’s a story of a small boy who was writing a letter to God about the Christmas. Like every little boy, he was writing about the presents he so badly wanted to get for Christmas. The boy writes: “I’ve been good for six months now.” And then he pauses and crosses out ‘six months’ and writes ‘three months.’ He pauses again and crosses out ‘three months’ and writes, ‘two weeks.’ He pauses again and finally crosses that out too. Finally the little boy gets up from the table and goes over to the little manger scene that had the figures of Mary and Joseph. He picks up the figure of Mary and goes back to his writing and starts again: “Dear God, if ever you want to see your mother again…!” (Adapted from an illustration on SermonCentral.com, contributed by: Owen Bourgaize)
Missing the point of Christmas causes us to miss out on the joy of Christmas. Do you want to enjoy Christmas? Do you want to have a joy and happiness that transcends the struggles and pains of life on this side of eternity? Beloved, look then and think about the source of joy that God offers to us – the reason why Christmas is. If we look there, if we allow God to warm our hearts with the truth of forgiveness and peace, if we can pause, and look forward to the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child, our joy becomes other-worldly – a joy inspired and fueled by the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
The theme in our Scripture lessons today is a call to rejoice. In our first lesson, the prophet Zephaniah says, “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!” (Zephaniah 3:14) In our second lesson, St. Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) And the prophet Isaiah, writes, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: ‘Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’ ” (Isaiah 12:2-6)
What is the reason that these men of God call on us to celebrate and rejoice? What is the reason that Zephaniah, called by God to warn the people of Judah that foreign invaders were coming to bring judgment for their sinful rebellion, would pause and issue a call to rejoice? Why would Paul, who was in chains - in prison - issue a call to rejoice? Why would Isaiah, who lived during the time of the Assyrian invasion and whom Jewish tradition says was martyred by being sawn in half, write the beautiful words: “… Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” (Isaiah 12:5-6) How could these men call on us to rejoice and praise God in the middle of all their woes?
Let me share with you a thought in the verse that immediately precedes our reading from Isaiah. The prophet writes: “In that day you will say: ‘I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me’ ” (Isaiah 12:1) These men rejoiced because they saw God’s love and forgiveness!
That’s also the reason that we can rejoice: God loves us. This is a strange and awesome Biblical truth because the reality is that God has every reason to be angry with us. We don’t just make little mistakes or engage in little indiscretions. We are sinners. We rebel against God. Our lives come way short of the standard that God’s Law demands. And yet, counter-intuitive though it may sound, God has directed all his wrath and anger at his own beloved Son on the Cross. And because of this, we enjoy a wonderful relationship with God because He is no longer angry towards us. Rather than being our judge, because of Christ, God has become our comfort and our salvation.
As we get closer to Christmas again, we have an opportunity to think about the season and what it means to us. You may have noticed that today we lit the rose-colored candle in the Advent wreath. The color rose has a special meaning in church – it represents joy.
Advent is a quiet, sometimes somber, season of preparation. But on this Sunday, just over halfway into the Advent Season, the theme changes. It becomes one of celebration and rejoicing. This theme is reflected in the readings, prayers and songs of the day.
Today we celebrate – we celebrate because God has intervened. He has interjected Himself into a world that was spinning off its axis because of rebellion and sin. He righted it through the birth, life, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. Today we rejoice that God became one of us to free us and restore us.
The story is told of the renowned conductor Reichel, who was leading a great orchestra and choir in the final rehearsal of Handel’s Messiah. They had come to that point where the soprano soloist was to sing the refrain, “I Know that My Redeemer Liveth.” With the chorus quiet, her elegant voice rang out. It was marked by perfect technique in breathing and enunciation. She sang every note just as it was written. As the final note faded into silence, the entire orchestra expected to see Reichel’s nod of approval. But instead, he stepped down from the podium and made his way to the singer. With a look of sorrow, he said, “My daughter, you do not really know that your Redeemer lives, do you?” “Why, yes,” she blushingly replied. “Then sing it,” cried Reichel. “Tell it to me so that I will know and all who hear you will know… that you know the joy and power of it.” Turning to the orchestra, he motioned to begin again. This time the soloist forgot about musical technicalities and sang the truth as she knew it in her own soul. This time Handel’s Messiah became more than a musical piece. It became a declaration of personal faith and experience. (Adapted from an illustration on SermonCentral.com, contributed by: Rodney Buchanan)
Beloved, God loves you. In Christ, He has forgiven you and made you his child. Let God, bring that joy and peace into your life. Let God bring you his comfort through the Christ Child. Let our Advent preparation allow you to express the joy of your salvation to the world. In the name of Jesus - Amen!
