"THE GRINCH AND THE CRECHE"

A Sermon By

Rev. Philip A. C. Clarke

Park Avenue United Hethodist Church lo6 East fhth Street New York, New York 10028 December 11th, 1988

"THE GRINCH AND THE CRECHE"

INTRODUCTION "The Grinch 1rJho Stole Christmas" has now joined Ebeneezer Scrooge as one of the classic "anti-heroes" of Christmas

literature. Let me tell you a bit about him. The Grinch l.ives in a cave on a hill just north of \Vho-ville. The people of 1rJho-ville (who, I gather, are called "Whosiers") celebrated Christmas every year in a joyous festival and the Grinch up on the hill in his cave resented it. He bated Christmas. And ~'no one knew just why,, but it was probably because his heart was too small".

DEVELOPMENT It was particularly all that rejoicing on Christmas Day that really got to him, that he objected to: the sounds

of laughter, the sounds of children playing, and the sounds of music. And so one Christmas Eve he decided to put an end to it. He dressed up as a Santa Claus and climbed down all of the chimneys in the town of 1rJho-ville, gathered all of the trappings of Christmas in a big bag, climbed back up the chimney, sort of Santa "in reverse", stripping the town of all its decorations for Christmas - its Christmas trees, its Christmas dinners, even its yule logs. Then he put all of this on his sled and his poor little dog with antlers tied to its head pulled it up the hill. Just as the sun vms rising on Christmas Day, he's about to dwnp the 11rhole thing off Mount Crumpit when he hears the songs of Christmas rising up from Who-ville and realizes that,

"He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming. It came. Somehow or other, it came just the same ••• 11

The Grinch has become a symbol of those who stand outside the spirit of Christmas, and 1-rho don't understand it, and whose behavior, motivated by mean hearts, is trying to steal it.

AN ARTICLE IN NEWSWEEK Three years ago, in the midst of the annual up-roar about the constitutl.onality of creches in

public places, Heg Greenfield wrote a very perceptive article in Newsweek. She pointed out that in the public debate on First Amendment issues, those vtho upheld the separation of Church and State ~rrere often pictured as Grinches who were try-ing to steal Christmas from Who-ville. She - as a Jew - identified herself as one of those who were against creches in public places, but she did not use the article to argue the principles of separation of Church and State. Instead, she shared a remarkable testimony, which taught me something about the meaning that Christmas has for the whole world. This is what she said,

"The Christian majority think that the minority is trying to deprive them of the right to celebrate the true mean­ing of Christmas. But they are wrong. The non-Christian world envies and covets Christmas, wants to participate in it, is forever seeing just bow close it. can come to this particular experience without threatening the imperatives of its own religion. It's not an instinct bent on restrict­ing Christmas practice, but rather of universalizing its reach".

Then she wrote about her emotions as a Jewish girl growing up in a Christian world, and being enchanted by the carols, the story, the symbols and all of the wonderful customs of Christmas. She i-JaS told by her parents

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that it was all right to have a Christmas tree in a Jewish home, if you didn't put Christian symbols on it. She concluded by saying,

"We were forever edging closer to the celebration, seeing how close we could get without accepting the religious obligations."

Meg Greenfield enabled me to see something. I've been among those who have from time to time complained about what's called the "secularization of Christmas" ••• getting tangled up in all the tinsel, bemoaning the fact that every year, it seems, Christmas decorations are put up earlier and earlier .•• resenting what's called the "crass commercialization of Christmas". I even hold some quiet resentment - as you may - toward those who flock to the Churches to hear the Christmas music, to hear the Hessiah perhaps, or come out on Christmas Eve and steal your accustomed seat. ItTs something when you get turned away from your own Church on Christmas Eve ••• that can cause a bit of resentment. They skip the preliminaries (~·re don't see them during Advent) ••• and they show up for the main event. And some of us secretly resent that. But, if we do, I wonder if 'lfe are trying to keep Christmas to ourselves? And, if so, then who's the Grinch? Who is trying to steal Christmas from whom?

We may be tempted to answer in our defense that we in the Church have the true meaning of Christmas, that we know what it's all about. I remind you that the "first temptation" of the Church was to believe that it possessed secret mysteries that only the initiated conld understand. That was called "Gnosticism" in the Church and it 1vas branded a heresy. It was condemned in the early Church because the Good News of Christianity is that God loved the whole world, and He sent His Son for everybody, not just to the enlightened, but to the benighted; not just to the righteous, but to the sinners. He came for everybody, for the whole wide world.

THE NEW TESTAHENT AND CHRISTHAS That 1 s the way the Ne1r1 Testament sees Christmas - not as something that we do,

not something that vre put on - a religious holiday. But, as something that God does. It's an event in the history of the <.vorld. Therefore, we don't own it. We don't deserve it either, just as the v.rorld 2,000 years ago, didn't deserve the gift of the Messiah. It came in spite of them.

If we see Christmas the way the New Testament saw the birth of Jesus, as a public event, as an announcement of Gld Tidings to all people, then vre will understand why shepherds and wise men, both then and nm--r, that is to say, all kinds ·of people, still come to see and maybe to worship. Then we can see that not even the Grinch who tries to steal it, or the Church that trys to guard it, can keep the Horld from celebrating Christmas .••• hecause, my friend, the word is out!

The word is out that a light has come into the darkness of this world and the darkness does not overcome it. And it was not just an ordinary light, it wasn't the light of human wisdom. It was a divine light. It was a light, the same light, that pushed back the da.rkness of creation. That light has come into the ~.ororld once again, and once again it has pushed back the darkness of this world, and the darkness bas not put it out.

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ADVENT / THIRD SUNDAY t-Je try to dramatize this with the use of candles during Advent. Here we are at the Third Sunday

of Advent, halfway through our pilgrimage to Bethlehem. In some churches, the candle on the third Sunday is different in color from the first t•ro. If the first two candles are purple, then this one is rose-colored, symbolizing that as we get closer to Christmas the mood of Advent begins to shift from repentance for what we have done to re,joicing for what God has done. Some churches - more liturgical than our own - call this Sunday "Gaudete Sunday" -from the Latin word which means "rejoice".

It's as if vre 're reached that point in Advent vJhen He are no beginning to see the light that came into the 1r1orld, like a new dawn breaking. We've turned the corner and we can begin now to see glimpses of it. It's time to rejoice and that 1 s vrhy our test for this Third Sunday in Advent is the prophetic word from Zechariah:

"Rejoice, 0 daughters of Jerusalem, for your God cometh unto you".

And from Paul's Letter to the Philippians:

"Rejoice! ·Again I say, rejoice! For the Lord is at hand!"

Advent ought to enable us to see v.rhat that rejoicing is all about. Advent moves through four v-reeks, from darkness to light, to recapitulate that first Christmas t-J'hen "those vJho sat in darkness saw a great light". God came into our vmrld that first Christmas. vie vrere visited.

THE WORLD WANTS TO BELIEVE And, what I have come to see is that though vre believe it (most of us because 1-..re were taught

to believe it), the rest of the world wants to believe that. It yearns to believe it •.• edges-clos8r~o the manger-ev8ry-year ~see-rf the Messiah has really come, as they, too, can believe. They ;.rant to believe and to take hope and rejoice that peace on earth and good will among all people is a very real possibility in this 1..rorld. That's why they come to Chri0tmas: to see and to take hope. For vre have been visited. The light has come into the dA.rkness of our world and the darkness has not overcome it.

ILLUSTRATION Have you ever visited a place that's famous for some event, or a place vlhere somebody famous has lived? And

your knov;ledge of that person or that event changes the place. It gives it a special quality. Your imagination begins to vJork while you're there ••• as if the place were "haunted". The walls are not just ordinary walls and the furnishings are not just ordinary objects. They become special objecte, al­most holy objects, because of what happened there and because of who lived there. Your imagination goes tow ark and you can put yourself back into a time in the past Hhen he or she was actually there.

Back in the Summer of 1985 on a trip to England I got to visit Chartwell, the country home of Sir Winston Churchill, south of London, 30 miles or more. That was the place he often "escaped'' to during lrJorld 1·Tar II. •• where he loved to paint and do his brick work. As I walked around this beautiful country home I could almost sme 11 h i_s cigar smoke and hear his magnificent voice. I thought

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to myself ••• if I lived in a place like this ••• beautiful grounds and trees and sky and grass to gaze upon, vJell ••• perhaps my writing would improve. Strange •• but I even began to think of myself differently as I walked around his home ••• thinking in terms of the possibilities that were there for my own life that I'd never fully realized.

THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRIST~~S I think that something like that can happen at Christmas, because Christmas

has a 1-vay of reminding us that v.re, too, have been visited, that the Messiah has come, th2t God has walked among us. The light has come into the darkness and the darkness has not been able to put it out!

And lrrhen we hear that news, and I believe that when anybody in this world hears that news, they begin to see this world a bit differently. Their imagination 'begins to stir;·: and they think that maybe things can change in this world ••• that maybe people can live together in peace in this world ••• that maybe there can be goodwill among all people. And maybe I can be different and maybe all those possibiLities and dreams that I 1 ve had for my life can be fulfilled. The vJOr ld is different at Christmas. 'de all think of the possibilities. T;Jhy ••• it's as if the world has been filled with the "light of possibility" and men and women start dreaming about what is possible for this world and for their lives.

PAUL'S WORD That's vJhy Paul says to the Philippians, "Rejoice. Again, I say rejoice, for the Lord is at hand". It's interesting to

note that Paul is commanding them to do that. He comnands them to rejoice and I think the reason is because after Christmas you have a choice in this life.

If you've seen what has happened at Be~hlehem, and who visited, you then have a choice in how you can live in this life - the choice between darkness and Light. Paul puts it in the imperative mood because rejoicing is not a matter of how you feel, a matter of moods. It is ~ matter of faith. It is ~ rna t ter of your hope based .2!! Christmas.

And that hope and that way of living in this world is so irresistible, so powerfully attuned to the deepest yearnings of all people that it comes as "glad tidings" of great joy that is given t,(;>a.ll the peonle, to all the world. Because "The Word" is out. "Emmanuel - God is with us". That means, as Paul put it .to the Philippians, that you can "rejoice". You can make your thanks­givings and your prayers known unto God, "And the peace of God Trrill be r,rith you" even though your world may continue to be edged in partial darkness.

THE POINT OF ALL THOSE CHRISTl'<lAS STORIES Now that 1 s not_ only the point of this Biblical story, I submit

to you tha 1. that's also the point of all the Christmas stories about the "Grinches" and the "Scrooges" of life. They're the symbols of the meanest and the most selfish of human life. But in the e~ - in the end, even they are changed. Changed by the light that has come which the r,rorld cannot put out.

Well ••• we left the Grinch whose heart was too small, ready to toss Christmas off Mount Crumpit when he heard the people of Who-ville singing songs of Christmas, even though they had lost all the trappings. They were rejo~cmg none the less. On Christmas Day they were doing what you're supposed to do on

vnr~s~mas uay - ~ney were reJo~c~ng. ~ga1n, ~ne ur1ncn Lls~enea ~o ~nem. ~n­

deed, they were rejoicing on Christmas Day. He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming. Reading from the story,

"It came. It came, somehow or other, it came just the same. And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow stood puzzUng and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without packages or boxes or bags. And, he puzzled three hours till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't thought of before. Maybe Christmas, he thought, maybe Christmas doesn't come from the store. Haybe Christmas ••• perhaps •• means a little bit more.

And what happened then? vlell, in lrlho-ville, they say that Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And the minute that his heart didn't feel quite so tight, he whizzed with his load through the bright morning light, and he brought back the toys and the food for the feast. And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beef."

REFLECTIONS The Grinch hadn't stopped Christmas from coming. It came. Somehow or other, it came just the same. And vJhen it comes

it can change you. It can leave you rejoicing, leaving you holding fast to that which is good and true and pure and gracious (as Paul put it) in this world of ours. So remember whoever you are ••• remember that the Grinches of the world cannot put out that light that has come.

Remember that our world is different because God is with us. Yes, you have a choice now. Which is to be? Rejoicing in the light or despairing in the darkness.

And like the Grinch, Scrooge also tried to put out the light. And remember he couldn't change it either and it ended up changing him. He ended up rejoicing in the light that came down at Christmas. To me, Dickens described that transformation that took place in his life much more elgantly than Dr. Seuss did in his story. Recall how he put it ••• saying that ol' Scrooge on Christmas Day,

w,,Jent to Church and -vmlked the streets. And watched children hurrying to a.nd fro. Patted children on the head. Questioned beggars. Looked into kitchens of houses. Went up to the windows. And found that everything could yield him pleasure. He never dreamed that any r,mlk, that anything, could ever yield so much happiness".

And so may it be for each of us. That's what Paul means by rejoicing ••• because "The Lord is at hand". I remind you that Christmas is almost here. So, rejoice, dear friend. And again, I say rejoice!

PRAYER Let the joy of this Day touched our hearts, dear God, that vre may depart with peace and love and hope in our hearts because of Your

visit to our place of dwelling centuries ago in Bethlehem. In the spirit of the Christ Child, we pray.

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to myself, • , 1 f I 1 bed In a place like this ... l.,auti.rUi_ gt'ounds arid trees and,_: ;r·.ij~·\~ sky ann grass to gaze upon, well ••• perhaps my writing W?Uld impro~e. S.trange;> ···. ·:·:{t}] but I even began to think of mys~lf di fferentll'~ as I ~talked at·ound his home• ·<· ~:• .. ,,~!~~~f'iil

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THAT '5 t-l!f!\T HAPJ'~N~ _ A T~C!~ !P1Jt~p And it ' s some th tng iike t,h .~ t, th ~· t .· :. :.; ~~:'}j~;r~:f;i.~;:~· .. ]~~~ iwppens n.t Chrt.stmas; heca.use Chi'ts~tnas~;~:;f;!:(/f :r

reminds us that we have been visited, th~t the Hessian has come, that.·:Ood 1 na:s~11 .'l'':··)·;.~ bee~. here in th i.s place. Th~ lir,i,t has C<'itne iHl.O the' cla.rkneas ~h.~;~-~h~·.:~~rk~~.~~~}f' I

~ms not able to overcome it. ·· , .::\·;:"~ .. :~,:;.,:;;-;::<-;1.;.;~; "''

. ' . '·. r; .";.::.~~.'-:>'·~·4· ... ~~;.·l:j·:r":~ ·.-:~\ .. '· And t·rhcn He hear that m:ws, nrv1 t bf'li.Pve Unt ·,rheh anyhoay;·ifi·:l.hi.s\we>rici.·

hc~rs that news, they begin to oe9 this world a bit dlf!ereJitiy~j;~:Tti~ . .Ut;_:J.t'(·' ·: iJ•tagtJtat.i.oH bq;~itS to stir, and they thlhk that mayhe'~tnlngs.:~cam:cfiling~"J.h · · thls wt:>rld ... thR~ iiiaybe pPopl.P c:;.rt l ii.re L0r;ethe-t in p~~.c~:·t~;~t~t~·t~M~)r,!dn:d,hat rta"he there cih be. go0dwill lJP.h..rPetl tne and those peop1~~.:rrofri·· whom,~Vm. 'Hew. . · estranged •. Hnyl,e t can be different ahd maybe Clll tho~~'?"r6ssJBiJ~J;~~~ :find • ri!'('>~J'lS t.h~ t I 1\TP. hnd for M\• life (~1111 re fuJ.nJ lpn. 'I'he·:{Yoridlfl~;atrfetent at Chr trlbn.a8. He aii think 'Jf the pos~ thi.Uties. Whi}~~~:t!.~::~tisJ.f.Ff,h~' "world hf.i.s b~0n ftlled ~lth. ''the light of possibility" ari«i ,in~.~fK~4f{lpm~h~:.§t.art .

· d1~eaniing about ·~hat is pos~:; i.ble fot· Ud.s t-Torld and fer""~ · "·• ifJ;I!v~s)' ·. ' • :.:,L:~~~ • ·:~~~;{~:;~·>~: .}'· '

That's Hhy r'aui s.::.ys ljo the Phi.Ut)piatw; itJtejotc'~l ··~ ~~~'fsajtejoice; for· the Lord is at hand". It's tnterestlngto note'.tti1HAPati1·.ts·commandihg · · ,. ;. ~-them to do that. He c0rr.mands t.hem to rejoice a11d I think. the"reason is because.: · : ;) A.fter Chri~tmas you hav~_ch~~C.~ .. ~11.tt.!!s life~ :i:"'~ 1···;' :": · - · • · ; •·. ·,·; l·~f

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. if yoti 9ve seett.~...thtJ.t h.:).~) happo:·qed nt. Bethlehem, who·vlstted,·:yotf.theri have,. a 6Hotce tn h&.t you-cart live in tht.s Hfe - the choice',bet.weerh:ht~f<:M§§: · .. a.rid _.;. the ilght; Pa.tii' pUts it tn the imperative mood becatisi!~~ej6lal~:;ts~;iiot:~:a<: ·,.· :::. ' matt~r of how :srou teei, a matter of moOds;, It is a marU¥,;::bril4!tbl~;,';:; It ts a' ' . matter of your hope biised on Christmas. . :•· ~··- .. J~~; ).'~;jf~':rJt~.r~~~~·.1:·~:~ =' .. ~r::~;· ,~:,:;~·

That hope and t.hat. wny of living in this world ls;~6.:~l~f~~t!bie, ~.<? . · ... ·.·, !':'-~ p()i.jpf'ftJlly attuned t.o the deepest yearningS Of all pe6pi tiliilt~ it 'eames ·as glad 1

':: ;i .. ; ¢ :• tidings of great jof';t.hht is given to a1i the pf!oplef\~· '.<\ 11?,t.~~(;li6r1tt/r.Beoatiiu(;.~ ·~ ·. :_'. the Word is out• Emnliitiuel- God is with ua.o That m~ilfl~~~-~·s··~aJ.if·.~ittiH/t.cr'th~:.:.: • ·· Ph iitppians; that you. cah "rej 6iceu. You can make yoii~3th'ih1t~g!Viblt§ '?~hd yolir : .. · · : ·. prayers known unto O.b?, ;, Ann the peace of God will M ~t~li~ y~~~.'~·~~~~~;J~o.Ugl1 ~-.· ".;. \ ~ . yobr world may conHntit'! to be edged in darkness. ! y;;;:~~~!:::. ··f.0~",··rt·;,g .: ·,it ,: ·~· ·'· ·· -~

: · .. ~:~~~>:[ .. · ·:/ . ~.~ ~:~ .· l· ·<~:: ,: ; ·~,. ~- , . ; .. . :r 1'$ POINT OF AU cHRiSTMAs STlRIES Now that. 1 s n6t:f'6fiiy· the point of thtii · ~ <· .. : •

. ___ ... ·· · · · -- ·- . Biblical st.ortl~tl.':.~ubm~t. 't8''yo\( tbitt.:,·: ; :· .·. · · that's also the oolnt of ali the Christmas stories abou~·thtl!·:.tltlrfnt:Hif!sli 'and,;,,~~·:· '. the "Scrooges" or Hre. Theyire the symbols or the meaM~fartd th~.ba!Jest ih hbman iife. But irt the end -even they are cha.nged1 · THey 1 ~e ch~nged by, the~ light that has come into the world and t.he world caiu16t~'put:llut. ·:,._~':.:··,·· ... · · · ·.

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~Tell ••• •re iert the Grinch whose heart. was too smti}i''feady't.6; toss · C~rtstmas off ~1otlht Ctuntpl.t when he heard the people 6!' toJho~vHie singing songs of Chrbtmas, even though they had lost the trappings. <They were rejoicing' . On Christmas day they were doing what you're supposed tbclo on.Chr!.st.mae Day-they were rejoicing. · ·

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Again the Grinch listened to them. And indeed, they were rejoicing on Christmas Day. He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming•

"It came. It Qame, somehow or other, it came just the snme;. And the Grinch, v:ith his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It ~me without packages or boxes or bags. And, \-he puzzled three hours till his puzzler _was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't thought of before. Haybe Christmas, he thought, maybe Christmas doesn't come from the storet l1aybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more. _,

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And what happened then? ~lell, in Who-ville; they say that Grinchis small heart grew three sizes that aat• And the minute that his heart didn't feel quite so tlght.L he · whizzed with his load through the bright morning light, : and he· brought back the toys and the food toi('the- teas~~ , And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the 'r~s~-be.~f·~~.}__ ~~-

:: 1iJ;J$~lY1~~~ ~(-~~<~t}i_ ~ r.~: r:.~J..~j;_~. 1 • . .J" .TilE POINT OF THE STORY He hadnit stopped Christ~s·l~:'£:rob1 bomffig•, ft··· ,\-

came. Somehow or otherr;lt[~caffie;!J~S't! ::thei:-samEh ··. · And the point of.this story is that Christntas can .c~lffigli:~·~u~·'J;'It;;~il:f;ieave \ · • you rejoicing, leave you holding fast to ~t which 'is!•good "aiid tfui!i: ahd" · • .' ·

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pure and gracious til this world. The Grinches of the .. wo.fld cannot.•J>iit< Out that light that has come. :--·~:.·:;~.;·;:;··•.,,.r ~ :;~("· · ;:,- ,

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Our world is different because God is with us. You. have a choice tiOWi

Whtch is to be: rejoicing. in the light. or despairing Jn~:~he darkn~sa.· ':'Like the Grinch, Scrooge also tried to put out the light~': H~f'cbiQ.dh 1 t; change~ H.·. but he himself became changed. And remember how he entf$d.·uptr~joielhgj .. n, 1

the ii.ght tha.t came at Christmas. -~~:~--~ ~:; -;~;Jl:'~!t~;~:~··· · · '"<~; )~ \. ·.·~;>_; ·~i ·,~.J. ! ·;..~~ -· ..

To me, Dickens described that transformation thattt.ook?'f,fk'fi~iih his life much more elegantly than Dr. Seuss did. RememberJbow~hek'ptit' it)' sa,}d..ng that ol I Scrooge oh Ch:t-istmas Day, ~'fJ;t;··.:· . ; . ;r i '

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:•iliWnt'' to Church and walked the streets. And\m.tehed c~ildren hurrying to and fro. Patted children on · the head. Questioned beggars. U>oked into kH.chehs of houses. \trent up to the windows. And :f'6uhd "that·

everything could yield him pleasure. He never dreamed that a.ny walk; that anything, could yield s9.much,-harpiness.11 ,.· ..•.

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That's what Paul means by rejoicing. Because, "The Lo~d U.at ~a.nd'i· I·rern1hd yott that Chr1~tmas 18 almost here. So, rejoice, dear trl~nd• And again; I ~ rejoicel

PRAYER

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