“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14) 

Bah!  Humbug!

Of course, you recognize those “grump lines” … and their famous author, Ebenezer Scrooge.  Old Scrooge couldn’t stand the merriment.  For his sour old nature, the bottom line was profit, money, dollar$!

I’ve been called “Scrooge,” too.  Oh, not to my face and not in so many words.  Let me explain.

I, too, enjoy the Christmas “season.”  I’m a grandpa and I delight in the simple expectancy of little children, their joys, their delights.  And I enjoy silent, still nights, ground covered in snow at minus 40 degrees when the silence is extra silent and the snow crunches beneath your feet.

But I tire of the schizophrenic season of Christmas currently celebrated by too many Christians.  On the one hand, we celebrate Jesus, born of a virgin, laid in a feeding trough in a small village in Israel.  We celebrate, along with the angels, the shepherds, and the magi the announcement of a King.  We rejoice with Isaiah at the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace … now tiny and wrapped in swaddling clothes.

But we also tend to preach a kind of peace not intended that first Christmas.  We “believe in” a quiet, snow-filled, silent night with kids in their pajamas and hot cocoa in hand.  We want to believe, if even for one brief night, that all the world is at rest and peace.

Not so.  Friends of mine just buried their twenty-two year old daughter last Sunday.  A dear family within our care will lay to rest their beloved husband, father and grandfather before they celebrate Christmas.  Do the homeless enjoy the “warmth” of Christmas?  How about the millions of orphans around the world?  December 25 brings no change, no warmth, no one to want them.

Do nations stop threatening one another?  Do thieves stop stealing toys from children?  Will Congress … no, I’m not going there.  Have you even heard of the over 600 dead and thousands homeless in the Philippines from a tropical storm a few days ago?

Now, do you see the “Scrooge” nature in me?  I read in the Gospel that Jesus stepped into this world because it was broken, because it needed a Savior, because sin has its powerful grip on humankind, and because the prince of this world is desperately at work.

You see, if the world is that chocolate-filled, snow-covered, happy-happy place we pretend at Christmas, we wouldn’t need a Savior.  But we need him more than ever.  And he offers himself again to us, to this world.

Okay, so what can I / we do?  First, just take a simple attitude check.  Do I have any compassion for the broken that Jesus cares about?  He sees them as lost sheep without a shepherd.  Do I?

Second, is my treasure where my heart is … or is my heart where my treasure is?  Do I invest throughout the year in opportunities to care for those in need … sponsoring a child, giving during times of disaster, helping those in need?

Finally, perhaps I could just take some time by myself or with my family at Christmas to at least acknowledge those who are broken or broken-hearted.  We could pray for them, recognizing Jesus’ attention to them and foster compassion.

So enjoy the fire, cocoa in hand, and (hopefully) the falling snow outside.  Thank God for his wonderful gifts and Gift.  And thank him for his compassion on us all, at Christmas and always.