Good morning. Well, with today being Christmas, I want to hit on one last Christmas Character. This Character is possibly one of the biggest, yet most overlooked character. Before we begin, let’s open with a word of prayer.
Everyone down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot…
But the Grinch, 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 his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was 2 sizes too small.
One of the best known Christmas stories of all time is the story written by Dr. Seuss – “How the Grinch stole Christmas.” This popular Christmas story has become a popular Christmas movie as well. I heard from one of the movie reviewers that over 100 million dollars was spent just on the make-up for this movie! It stars Jim Carrey as a green creature that just isn’t having any fun. And since he isn’t having any fun, he wants to make sure that no one else is either. Probably everyone here has either seen the movie or has read the book. I am one of those people that have done both.
Now we all understand that there is no such thing as a green creature called the “Grinch.” But there are people that act like the Grinch at times. They don’t live in a far away land or in caves at the top of high mountains. They may be your neighbor. They may be your mailman. They may be your brother or sister. They may be sitting right next to you this morning.
It would be easy to spot them if they had fur all over their body and had a green tint to their skin. But that isn’t the way with today’s grinches. They are much more subtle. Last Sunday night we discussed things that can steal our Christmas away, but today we are going to look at people who are actually present day grinches.
They wear the same clothes you wear. They have a wife, two kids and a dog. There are probably Christmas presents underneath their tree. So if there is so much similarity between a grinch and you, how do you know one when you meet one? How do you know if you are one?
Well, this children’s book has 3 important lessons that it can teach us this morning.
First it teaches us that some people just hate Christmas. Often the only thing they see is the commercialism of the season. Hatred itself can bear bitter roots. If not dealt with it can prevent people from attaining their true, God-given potential because they become consumed with the hatred, which has taken root.
King Herod was such a consumed person. When Herod heard about the birth of Jesus he became consumed with hatred toward someone he had never even met. All he knew was that this person just born was going to take his kingdom away from him, and the only reaction he had was hatred.
Hatred, if left untended, will affect everything around it. Herod failed to see the true meaning of Christmas and saw it as a threat to his fragile kingdom; his rage caused the meaningless death of all the children that were under the age of two and born in Bethlehem. We can find that account in the second chapter of Matthew.
Now the Grinch hated, just as Herod hated, just as many hate, and that is through not understanding. Herod saw Christ not as salvation, but as competition. Jesus to Herod was a political threat. The Grinch saw Christmas as simply a jolly for the people of Who-ville, and many see Christmas as an empty seasonal festival. Just another way for stores to make money.
They’re hanging their stockings!
He snarled with a sneer.
Tomorrow is Christmas! It’s practically here!
Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,
‘I must find some way to stop Christmas from coming.’
So as we all know, the Grinch decided to steal what he thought Christmas was. For some of us, it is possible for our Christmas to be stolen away from us. We can get so wrapped up in the unwrapping of presents, the cooking of dinners and trying to be nice to Aunt Clair once a year, that we allow the real Christmas to be stolen away from underneath our noses. We look at the event rather than the cause of the event.
And that brings us to our second point. This story can teach us that some people misunderstand Christmas. As you step into a store at this time of year you can clearly see that people have forgotten the reason for the season.
Jesus has been replaced with Santa, shepherds and sheep with reindeer and elves. If you look in the shops for Christmas cards these days you’d think they’d managed to totally remove the Christ from Christmas. Santas, Snowmen, Parties, Raindeer and Robins on little branches. We now hear “Happy Holidays” from cashiers rather than Merry Christmas. Why, because we need to be politically correct. To some Christmas has just become another spending opportunity.
Clearly the season has been misunderstood. Again, Herod is a great example of someone that has totally misunderstood Christmas. Now the Grinch and Herod have had several similarities, but there is a huge difference between Herod and the Grinch.
And that brings us to our final point. The Grinch has a change in heart. Some people’s hearts have never been changed.
By the time little Max was able to reach the top of the mountain with the sleigh it was Christmas morning. The Grinch paused to listen to what was going on down in Whoville. He knew that Cindy Lu and all the others in Whoville would be waking up soon and would be rushing to their who trees to open their who presents. But all that they would find would be a few pieces of torn who wrapping paper, a who hook or two that who ornaments once hung on and maybe a burned out who bulb or two. He expected to hear the sound of crying form Whoville.
All their presents and decorations where gone. That was what Christmas was about wasn’t it? That was their source of joy, or so he thought. But to his surprise, instead of the sound of who crying, he heard the sound of who singing. It was the same who song that he had heard when the who tree stood tall in the village square. It was the same song they sang when they had anticipated a town banquet. Nothing had changed. How could this be?
All of the sudden, the sleigh began to slip over the edge. For some strange reason, the Grinch reached out to grab it. Suddenly, he didn’t want Christmas to be destroyed. He didn’t know why. Within himself, he didn’t have the ability to stop the sleigh from falling. But then something miraculous happened. His heart that had been 2 sizes too small suddenly grew 4 sizes.
The sly ear-to-ear smile that had been on his face was now replaced with a smile that came from something that was on the inside. And then he understood. The joy of Christmas comes not from the presents, the decorations, the food, or anything else on the outside. It comes from something that is on the inside.
Unlike the Grinch, Herod awoke one morning to the sound of weeping. Hundreds of mothers weeping, not because their children’s presents had been stolen, but because their children had been stolen. We find that account in Matthew 2:18.
We know how the story ended for Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. He became a part of Whoville. He didn’t need to pretend anymore. He joined them in their joy, carving the roast beast himself. And all of that happened because his heart was changed. He wasn’t a grinch anymore. He was a Who. That’s where the similarity between the 2 stories ends.
Herod’s story has a different ending. Herod’s heart was never changed. In Matthew 2:19-20 it says, “1”
Verse 19 tells us that Herod died, and history tells us that it was only about a year later. This was his chance, but he missed it. He remained a grinch forever.
But…
He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!
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 with out 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!"
The Grinch shows us that there is still some hope, some faith, and some future. He shows us that some people embrace Christmas. If we can enjoy Christmas because we know the joy of Christ then no Grinch can steal it away from us.
The Grinch in the end discovered through all his misunderstanding, his hatred of Christmas, and his flagrant attempt to steal Christmas away, that there was more to Christmas. Christmas did not necessarily ‘come from a store’, but it comes from our hearts and our adoration of Christ.
I challenge you that today as you celebrate Christmas with family and friends that you don’t get caught up in the materialism and the commercialism of this season.
Rather I encourage you to be wrapped in the best wrapping paper available. I encourage you to wrap yourself up in Christ’s love for you and the true meaning of the Christmas season.
You see, if all our celebration is focused on Christmas day and the celebration of just the day of Christmas, then in less than 24 hours it’ll all be over! But if we focus on the reason for the season, the incarnation of God in human flesh, this Christmas message can last year-round.
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He have His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We need to praise Him and thank God for His gift to us in the form of His son.
Some 30 years after Jesus’ birth, a grown Jesus stood before another Herod in Luke 23. He was the son of the Herod of Jesus’ childhood. He too was so close to the one who could have provided joy and peace for him, but he too turned out to be a Grinch. He had Jesus beaten and mocked and then returned Him to Pilate to have Him crucified. He was partially responsible for fulfilling the plan which his father had originally devised – the destruction of the King of the Jews – which was exactly the title that Pilate had placed over Jesus’ head there on the cross.
But this Herod, like his father received no joy from being in the presence of Jesus because he was not willing to have his heart changed. He too remained a Grinch to the day of his death.
So, as we close this morning I have 2 questions for you. #1 – Are you a grinch? Has your heart ever been changed? The Grinch’s heart was changed by what he heard. Listen to this promise of God. In Ezekiel 36:26-27 it says, “2”
God offers to change your heart. You don’t have the ability to change your own heart. But it is the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for you that can take your sin away and can take your bitterness away. Once your heart gets changed, then things that you never were able to understand, things that you used to sneer at suddenly begin to make sense. What you once tried to destroy or at least avoid at all costs becomes far more appealing to you than your old way of life alone in a cave. Let God change your heart today.
Now Question #2 – Do you know any Grinches? How do you respond to them? Do you stay as far away from them as possible like the residents of Whoville did? Or do you see beyond the green skin and reach out to them in love like Cindy Lu did? You probably know some Grinches at your job, in your neighborhood, or in your family. Reach out to them this Christmas, and let them see the joy of Christ shining through your life. Who knows what impossibly hard heart just might be changed!
We have all shown up this morning in order to try and keep the main thing the main thing. So to help us focus on that as we leave, turn with me to Matthew 1:18-25. This of course is the birth of Jesus recorded in scripture. Here in Matthew 1:18-25 it says, “3”
Let’s Pray |
