Dear Friends:

I have been having so much fun working with two different study groups as we ponder the words of Matt Rawle in his book “The Redemption of Scrooge.” I love how he tells the very familiar story of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens book “A Christmas Carol,” and ties it in with the words of Scripture we find in the Nativity story as found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Rawle tells us that if a man like Ebenezer Scrooge can be redeemed, then so can we. The story of Jesus’ birth is a love story of God, willing to go to any length, to save and redeem us. I am amazed from time to time when I meet someone who tells me that they like the nativity story, but it’s just a fairy tale, isn’t it? No, it is a story told about an event that occurred in a real time and a real place. In particular, the Gospel writer Luke tells this story in a setting that is fixed in historical context. Luke begins in his second chapter: “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree…” With these words, Luke tells us that a transformation is happening. Jesus’ birth means that “those days” are passing away, and “this day” will forever connect us to this event of Jesus’ birth!

Remember the words of the angels as they appeared in the heavens to the shepherds? “To you is born THIS DAY in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” God, through the voices of the heavenly hosts wants us to see and understand the profound event that is taking place RIGHT NOW!

In those days, the palace of Herod ruled the world, but on THIS DAY the world is being turned upside down. In those days, the shepherds were insignificant people in society, but on THIS DAY the shepherds received the gift of the kingdom of God. In those days, we would simply read about a miracle, but on THIS DAY we actually expect one. In those days, we tried to make our traditions and material gifts perfect, but on THIS DAY we are able to let go of the anxiety of making things perfect so we might make room for a perfect God. In those days our Christmas list was full of material things for family, friends, and acquaintances, but on THIS DAY our list is about what Jesus’ wants. And what does Jesus want? Jesus wants us to proclaim the good news and share the possibility for release, recovery, freedom and favor. On THIS DAY, we begin to comprehend the meaning of the story of the Giver of Life! (excerpt from The Redemption of Scrooge, pg. 99).

The words of the angel’s chorus, “To you is born THIS DAY in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord,” is a timeless truth. These words make the presence of Jesus with us an ever-present reality. God, through Jesus, is always in the present, is always with us, because this is the time and place where God resides. With a nod to author and pastor Michael Slaughter we say in those days Christmas was seen as our birthday, but on THIS DAY we know that it is the time of Jesus’ birth!

There is a tendency in many of our celebrations of Christmas to live in the past, to remember THOSE DAYS. When we glory in the past, we run the risk of living as if Jesus is not already here! And God is always present with us, even in the most unlikely places. Bethlehem was the least likely place for the Messiah to be born. Jesus was not even born in the family home, He was born in a stable, of all places. The first recipients of the glorious good news of Jesus’ birth were not the high and mighty of the society of that time, it was to lowly shepherds that the message was given. God delivers the good news to the shepherds, not because they were the best equipped to spread the news, or that they were nearby and it was convenient. It was because God was already there, with the most unlikely messengers.

We live in a world today where we must learn not to live in the past, in THOSE DAYS, when it seemed to people that God was not present. The wonderful good news of living on THIS DAY is that God is, indeed, present and active in our time and with that knowledge we are transformed! What if we modeled our Advent and Christmas activities as if we actually believed that Christ is already among us and is offering blessing to His children in the here and now?

For Scrooge, the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Present continued his personal transformation from what he currently was to the way he would become. How about us?

Shalom,
Pastor Tim