Friday, April 26, 2024
One of my all time favorite Christmas stories is Dr. Seuss’s, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” As the story goes:
“Every who down in Whoville like Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not. The Grinch hated Christmas the whole Christmas season. Now please don’t ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn’t screwed on just right. But I think the most likely reason of all, may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.”
As the story goes the Grinch attempts to rob the Whos of their Chrstmas Joy by stealing their decorations, food, and presents all through the town.
What robs you of your joy this Christmas season? Is it fi nances, relationships, poor decisions you’ve made, loss of a loved one. It seems as if the whole world around us is experiencing the Joy of Christmas while you are robbed of it. So where do you turn?
Christmas is the story of Joy! In Luke 2:10, when the angels visited the shepherds to tell them that the Messiah, Jesus, had been born here’s what He said, “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
Did you notice the last phrase? “great joy for ALL people.” This includes you, me, and all those who have been robbed of their joy. CS Lewis states, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” The fact that God sent his one and only son Jesus into the world to die on a cross for our sin so we might be reconciled to God and rise from the dead conquering death for us all is good news that causes great joy for those who trust in Christ. So good in fact that you can experience joy even in the midst of troubling circumstances. Joy is experienced, not in our outward circumstances (for I know plenty of people who have lots of money and things and aren’t happy as well as people who have nothing not even good health and are incredibly happy) but joy comes from God and manifests itself within a person’s heart, mind, and soul.
I love the quote toward the end of the book by Seuss, “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!”
Perhaps you’ll open your heart to Jesus this Christmas season and find the joy of Christmas in understanding the more of Christmas is found in the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
