by Dale Reeves

Story Pastor

 

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge first appeared in Charles Dickens’s novella “A Christmas Carol” in late 1843, and was first published on December 19, 1843, in London, England. Dickens wrote the story in about six weeks, spurred by social concerns for the poor. It became an instant success and quickly sold out its initial print run by Christmas Eve.

 

The story follows the narrative of Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter, miserly old moneylender who values money over people. Scrooge’s deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, appears to him as a tormented chain-clad ghost to warn Scrooge of his impending doom if he doesn’t change his selfish ways. Marley then tells him that overnight he will be visited by three ghosts (Past, Present, and Yet to Come), all because of his hateful, self-centered life. Oh, and did I mention that Scrooge absolutely hates Christmas because of the spirit of giving and the time that people take off rather than working? His favorite phrase around this time of the year is “Bah Humbug!”

 

Since its original appearance in 1843, dozens of plays, movies, musicals, and TV adaptations of Dickens’s story have been released through the years, including Scrooge (1970), Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983), Scrooged (1988), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009), and Spirited (2022).

 

A Redemptive Play

This past Wednesday, my wife and I attended a matinee at La Comedia Dinner Theatre in Springboro with over thirty of our senior adults from Christ’s Church. It is always an enjoyable outing to get to spend time with our amazing seasoned veterans who have known Jesus for many years. I enjoy the camaraderie that takes place on our drive to the theatre, and the buffet is always very tasty. And, then after the meal, we enjoy a two-act play. This year the performance was Scrooge! The Musical, written by British songwriter and composer Leslie Bricusse. The sets, lighting, costumes, and individual performances by the actors, dancers, and singers were all very outstanding.

 

Of course, the best part of the musical after we were given a peek at Scrooge’s bad decisions in the past and the present that would eventually lead to his demise in the future, was the profound transformation we saw in Scrooge’s heart on Christmas morning. His redemption led him to turn from his cold-heartedness to a life characterized by immense generosity, kindness, and compassion. As the musical concluded there was an encore traditional solo of “O Holy Night” to cap off a wonderful event.

As I walked outside in the cold to warm up one of our church buses for our folks, I couldn’t help but think of the biblical encounter that the miserly tax-collecting cheat Zacchaeus had with Jesus in the town of Jericho. (See Luke 19:1-10). The actor who played the part of Scrooge on Wednesday was short like Zacchaeus, and he was very rich like him because of how he had treated his customers. Scrooge encountered four spirits who got his attention, Zacchaeus encountered the living Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus brought transformation into the life of his new friend that turned him into a kind and generous person.

 

I love how Luke concludes this narrative in Scripture, “Jesus responded, ‘Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost’” (Luke 19:9, 10, NLT).

 

Playing Our Roles

Last Sunday at Christ’s Church, our lead pastor Brad Wilson continued teaching in our “Home for the Holidays” Christmas series. He spoke about how Joseph took baby Jesus and his mother Mary to Egypt to escape wicked King Herod’s plot to kill the baby Messiah. Brad said this,

“Sometimes in our lives Christmas doesn’t feel like home, it feels like survival. . . . But even when life feels uncertain or you feel displaced, God’s presence travels with you.”

 

In case you missed Brad’s message last Sunday, you can check it out here.

 

Yes, God promises to always be there, and to walk through the challenges of life with us. That is because Jesus came to seek and save all of us . . . and our ONE MORES. Just as ultimately Ebenezer Scrooge brought hope into the home of Bob Cratchit, after his heart transformation, so we too can bring hope to displaced hearts when we show up as the presence of Christ in their lives.

This Christmas season may God use us as instruments of his redemptive purposes in the lives of those whom he places in our pathway. And may we embody the meaning of Tiny Tim’s closing line in A Christmas Carol,

“God bless us every one!”