Quote from Forum Archives on November 18, 2002, 4:11 pm

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

FROM HUMBUG TO HALLELUJAH! #1/7

TIME FOR CHRISTMAS?
November 17, 2002

Text: Luke 2:1-7

Oh my goodness! Here it is more than a week away from Thanksgiving, and
the preacher is already speaking about Christmas. Why is he trying to
rush it? Is it time for Christmas? Can’t we just enjoy Thanksgiving
first?

Yes, it is true that Thanksgiving is still more than a week away.
Nevertheless, I am using a sermon series called “From Humbug to
Hallelujah,” and need to set the stage before the Advent Sundays begin.
Since next Sunday is our Homecoming celebration, I am beginning a whole
week earlier! So please bear with me; I do not think that you will be
disappointed.

I am certain that almost everyone knows the source of one of the words
used in the series title: “Humbug!” Its popular usage comes to us from
the classic Christmas story, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The
use of the word by the story’s main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, comes
early in the story. In response to his nephew’s surprise visit and
greeting - “A merry Christmas, Uncle! God save you!” - Scrooge replies,
“Bah! Humbug!” And so the word is etched in our minds as one way to
respond to Christmas and charity and lightheartedness as it is echoed
throughout the story. Speaking of Christmas already in the middle of
November? “Humbug!”

Dickens, as we are probably aware, goes on to write of the encounter
between old Scrooge and the ghost of his long dead partner, Jacob Marley.
Marley comes to warn Scrooge that the consequences of his humbug life are
far more serious than he could ever imagine. He informs Scrooge that he
will be haunted by three spirits as Christmas Day is ushered in.

Although moved for a moment, when Marley's ghost disappears, Scrooge
reconsiders the encounter, dismisses the whole thing as “humbug” and goes
to bed. But his sleep is disturbed by the coming of the three spirits who
would forever change his attitude, not only toward Christmas, but toward
life itself.

As we embark on another Christmas season, we may, sadly, find ourselves
struggling with some humbug feelings ourselves. We may find ourselves
dreading the season with its stresses and pressures, its hurts and
frustrations. Holidays seem to magnify everything, both for better and
(perhaps more often) for worse. Sociologists tell us that Christmas is a
time of intensified depression, conflict, and loneliness. The very things
that were originally meant for joy distract us and even discourage us.
“Jingle Bells” drowns out the cry of the baby in the manger. The message
of God's son is lost to parents whose children have grown and moved on,
leaving them far behind. The story of Joseph's support of Mary doesn't
make sense to the women and men whose spouses are gone - whether by death
or desertion. Like a biting winter wind, this "most wonderful time of the
year" is anything but wonderful.

But we long for it to be different. We yearn to join in the laughter and
the singing. We dare to hope that the Christ child who touched so many
hearts can touch our hearts, too. And the good news is that this
Christmas can be different! While we may not be able to create a perfect
Christmas this year, we can make changes that will make this a Christmas
we'll never regret. We can take practical steps to control our schedule,
to pay attention to our key relationships, and to deal with the pressures
of the season in constructive ways.

So how do we prepare for a Christmas we’ll never regret? The starting
point is recognizing the problem. As the discussion continues between
Scrooge and his nephew, Fred, Scrooge sums up his well-known opinion on
Christmas: “‘If I could work my will,’ said Scrooge indignantly, ‘every
idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, would be boiled
with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.
He should!’”

Scrooge had no time for Christmas. There was no room in his heart or life
for the celebration - and no patience with others who celebrate. This
reminds us of one of the most poignant facts of the Christmas story: that
Mary and Joseph found no room in the inn. As we read: “While they were
there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her
firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”

What crowds the Christmas Christ from our lives? A number of forces and
factors can crowd Jesus from our lives. The first and most obvious is
that the Lord is left out through ignorance. By ignorance, I mean
ignorance as to what God is really like and how he works in this world.
Those who ran the inn didn't know who Mary and Joseph were in God’s grand
plan. They were just trying to survive day to day. They did not know the
promised Messiah was about to be born. They were just doing their job.
They didn't think twice about the nature of the child who was coming into
this world. They were just trying to cope with the consequences of
Augustus Caesar's policies. What did any of this have to do with God?

It really is easy to lose sight of God's relevance to everyday life. Many
people today have a sentimental concept of God but see no connection
between him and the circumstances of their daily lives. They treat God as
a theoretical concept, or they put God in a “religious compartment.” As I
said last week, the Christian faith is not portrayed in a very positive
light in most media, making it all the easier for misinformed men and
women to push God away from their lives. It is easy and convenient to
still say to God, “I have no room!”

Somehow the message needs to get out! Jesus came to reveal that God is
not a distant creator who simply set the universe in motion and moved on
to other projects! God is not indifferent to the welfare of his creatures
and creation. If we appreciate a friend's out-of-the-blue phone call, or
a loved one's letter, e-mail or card, how much more should we appreciate
the incredible wonder that the Lord Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
"became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood" (John 1:14,
from Eugene Peterson's The Message). We must once again let God tell us
what he is like, instead of clinging to distorted notions.

The second factor is that the Lord is crowded out by circumstances. The
real tragedy of life is that we do not act in accordance with what we
know. Pleading ignorance is one thing - far worse to plead busyness. But
that is, in fact, where most of us struggle. We look at the Bethlehem
innkeeper with great sympathy as he hustled and bustled about, trying to
cope with the constant demands of the deluge of guests. Even if he knew
this was the Messiah, he could not stop long enough to do anything but
give a polite word.

This is where Scrooge's nephew Fred causes us to stop and re-assess our
busyness. “There are many things from which I might have derived good, by
which I have not profited, I dare say,” returned the nephew. “Christmas
among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmastime,
when it has come round - apart from the veneration due to its sacred name
and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that - as a
good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I
know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one
consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below
them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not
another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, Uncle,
though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe
that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

There is yet a third way the Christ is crowded out of Christmas. I have
come to see that the Lord is shut out by pain. This is certainly a reason
portrayed by Dickens. As we reflect on Scrooge's encounter with Fred, we
are left wondering what could make a man so antagonistic toward
Christmas. What do we make of the one who calls Christmas a “humbug”? Is
this the reaction of an atheist who doesn't believe God sent his Son into
the world? Is this the reaction of a crank who is irritated by life? Or,
is it the reaction of a man who has been deeply hurt?

When I read or see the story, my conclusion is that this is the reaction
of a man who has been deeply wounded and who uses “humbug” for avoidance
and protection. Hurt people hurt people. Dickens relates in A Christmas
Carol several places where Scrooge, especially in childhood and youth,
was dealt some significant blows. As we consider these in upcoming
messages, we will be challenged to consider how we respond to the
emotional issues raised by Christmas.

Ignorance, busyness, and heartache - these three factors can crowd Christ
out of Christmas. However, they can keep us from experiencing a Christmas
we‘ll never regret only if we allow them to. Instead of being victims of
the season, we can find a victory in Christ. To experience a Christmas
we'll never regret, we need to make room for Christ this Christmas. How
do we do that? I suggest four primary ways.

First, choose to learn more about what God came to do in our lives. In
theological terms, Jesus' coming is called the “incarnation.” To be
incarnate is literally to “take on flesh.” Turn to John 1:14. The mystery
of Christmas is that “The Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In other words, God
entered fully into our experience, our world, our pain and suffering, our
hopes and aspirations, and, ultimately, into our sin and judgment before
God. The incarnation teaches us that God has an extraordinary passion for
immersing himself in the ordinary matters of life. There are no
compartments that he will not enter.

Jesus came first to us as a gentle sign. A common couple welcomes their
first child in a stable among animals. No elaborate pomp and circumstance
that would be appropriate for royal birth. Just the familiar human sounds
heard at any birth, and the wail of a new baby who was then laid in a
manger as his first crib. God “came down the backstairs at Bethlehem,”
wrote George Buttrick, “lest he blind us by excess of light.” He came
first to a small town - Bethlehem - as a child who would beckon and
enable, save and restore through the power of love. (Donald J. Shelby,
"Christmas on Tiptoe," Christianity Today, Dec. 17, 1990, p. 32) So the
first step in making room for Christ this Christmas is to read through,
or listen to, one of the gospels during this Advent season. Giving
yourself time to reflect daily on Jesus’ life will take you a long way
toward changing your own outlook on life.

The second step is to take control of our schedules. We can, as Ephesians
5:15 exhorts us, “redeem the time, because the days are evil.” The Lord
is not surprised by the challenges of managing our time and ourselves.
The days have always been evil! We are called to redeem the time, not
only in the sense of not wasting it, but also in the sense of
transforming the time by the power of the risen Lord! We redeem our time
by inviting the living Lord to fill it with his presence, to provide his
power for all we face, and to direct it for his purposes.

One of the practical ways to do this is to make two commitments during
this Advent season. First, commit yourself to attending church every
week. Worship and the messages will help you keep your focus. You will be
living by your compass of priorities instead of the clock of anxiety.
Second, use a devotional or Bible reading guide daily. Daily devotional
Bible reading provides insights and practical ideas for applying God’s
truths in your life. I think you will be amazed at how these two
commitments alone will break the stranglehold of pressure that has choked
the joy out of Christmas.

The third step to making room for Christmas is to choose to draw
inspiration and instruction from A Christmas Carol. Give yourself the
gift of reflecting on this classic story. Read the book, see a stage
version of the story, or watch one of the many video versions of the
Dickens’s classic, and take time to reflect on its message for you.
Admittedly, it does not convey the full Christian message of Christmas,
but it does give a provocative mirror in which to examine ourselves. And
along with the Gospel truth of the Messiah’s birth, it can be a powerful
mirror for self reflection. As Dickens writes in his dedication, “I have
endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea,
which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each
other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their house pleasantly,
and no one wish to lay [prevent] it.”

Finally, one of the most common traditions of this season is the lighting
of candles to light up the dark places. Many Christians follow the
tradition of the Advent Wreath that we will be using in our worship
services. Some will no doubt use an Advent wreath or candles in their own
homes. As we do, we can let the candles be signs of how Christ gives us
the courage to face our pains and disappointments which can sap the joy
of Christmas from us. Choose to let the light of Christ come into those
dark places of life.

Christmas is now just five weeks and three days away. Hopefully, as we
draw near that special day, you will be able to tell how Christmas has
been better for you because of this series. Scrooge was taken through a
journey he did not choose. At times he resisted with all his might. But
at the end he was changed. Prepare for Christmas not so much by shopping
as by rejoicing in the birth of our Savior. This year all of us can
journey from humbug to hallelujah as well, and in the end we can
experience a Christmas we'll never regret.

(adapted from "From Humbug to Hallelujah," Pastor's Manual,
Wheaton:Mainstay Church Resources, 2002, pp. B14-B18)

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

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