Five people strolled into a dimly lit place, as if they stepped into the time zone and were placed back into the 1800’s. Snow covered old buildings, with candle lit lanterns and a fog strolled across the floor and chimney smoke billowed out of one of the buildings. Strolling about the street, are people dressed in warm clothing set for the 17th century. They break out in a song and stroll across the way. A tall elderly gentleman walks around and is greeted by others, which wish him Merry Christmas. Charles Dickens plotted the words in his reply, “BA Humbug” as Mr. Scrooge strolls to his office.
For the last three days, this play has pondered my mind like the three ghosts that visited Mr. Scrooge. “Humbug" might have faded from the English language a hundred years ago, but it was etched into stone when Charles Dickens Novella wrote The Christmas Carol and his main character Ebenezer Scrooge viewed Christmas as "humbug." Humbug could mean "sham," it has also been used to mean "hoax" or "trick."
What Scrooge meant, of course, was that Christmas and its celebrations and traditions, with a particular emphasis on charity toward the poor, are a sham, an insincere and wasteful ritual. It was no use to him and why should he be bothered. There is another part of “Humbug” I would like to focus on.
Jacob Marley’s ghostly visit is not just a wake up call for Scrooge. As we hear his words, we should make sure we haven’t lost out on the things that money can’t buy. We all need money, of course - but it’s possible to pay too high a price for it. It’s as if society has caught a cultural disease called ‘affluenza’. The symptoms include always wanting more, despite what we already have. And then there’s the insatiable desire for ‘success’ without experiencing contentment. Consistently, we choose our career over family. And we seem unwilling to settle for less than the best of everything.
What is your wake up call? Is your family asking you to spend time with them more? When is the last time you took your spouse on a date without the children? When was the last time you played ball or the Wii with your children?
On the stroke of one o’clock, the spirit of Christmas Past arrives. Dickens explores, through Scrooge’s terrifying ordeal, the love of money compared with the value of relationships. Often times we should look to our past to see what haunts us in the present by our actions. Growing up in a rigid military and strict Christian home haunted my realm of life. Parents who were abusive did not set me up for success in my own families. As the New Year approaches, now is the time to reflect back on your past and see what changes you can make for the better. It is never too late to change and make those changes. The past doesn’t make you; it is what you do with the past to make the future brighter.
The Spirit of Christmas Present arrives to take Scrooge on a tour of the people he now knows. Scrooge is clearly shown the effects of his selfish nature; but the spirit helps him understand that even though he is utterly hard-hearted, others have not entirely given up on him. The Spirit of Christmas Present then shows Scrooge the harsh reality of life on the streets, together with the absolute determination of the families who live there to stay out of the prisons and workhouses, whatever the cost. Scrooge has never before seen the need to help anyone other than himself.
The second reality is how do we treat one another? How do we treat our families? Do you have parents who will not talk to you? Do you feed the poor? Scrooge has never before seen the need to help anyone other than himself. He’s always believed that the poor ‘should go to the institutions provided - if they should rather die, let them die and reduce the surplus population’. Do we allow our lifestyles to shield us from the needs of the poor and downtrodden?
The final spirit is the Spirit of Christmas Future, who has no face and does not speak. It merely points the way. The Spirit takes Scrooge to visit the house of a man who has died in his sleep. Two associates out in the street are discussing whether it’s even necessary to hold a funeral service, since no one would bother to come.
’But who is this man?’ asks the miser. The spirit leads him to a grave, whose headstone bears the name ‘Ebenezer Scrooge’. It’s a chilling reminder that no one lives forever; that the journey of life is brief. As the Bible says, ‘our days on earth are as a shadow’ (1 Chronicles 29.15). Many of us will recognize the struggles of Ebenezer Scrooge in our own lives. Many of us have been hurt as we grew up. Many of us pass up the offer of friendship or kindness out of a fear of rejection. Scrooge was a man who lived in a prison of his own making, the doors shut and sealed with a bitterness, which he would not let go.
Jacob Marley’s spirit and weighs it down. Marley tells Scrooge that he alone forged it in life: ‘I made it, link by link and yard by yard.’ His chains were forged with regrets, which he could not release, and hurts he would not forgive. And as he stands before Scrooge, he can see the even greater chains that bind his old colleague: ‘Would you know the weight and length of the coil you bear yourself?’ asks Marley. ‘It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago.
The good news is that we can learn from the past, to change now so that we can create a better future. The good news is that we, like Scrooge, are still alive. It’s not too late: we can choose to change. Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. Whatever our past has been, we can have a better future. Things do not change. We do. Scrooge learns his lesson, and experiences what amounts to a ‘conversion’. He responds by changing his ways and living out the lessons that he learnt on that Christmas Eve. He repents and changes his destiny.
You could mend a quarrel, release a grudge, lessen your demands on others, apologize, forgive someone who has treated you wrongly, find a forgotten friend, and write an overdue thank-you note, point out one thing you appreciate most about someone you live with or work with, dismiss suspicion, tell someone you love them, or give something away. You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late.
In our consumer culture, Jesus isn’t just another pick-and-mix lifestyle guru; in fact, he claimed exclusively to be ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’. If we choose to follow him, then we also have to count the cost - of dedication, commitment, perseverance, selfless love and generosity. But the reward - a dynamic, living relationship with the dynamic, living God - is surely worth it.
It’s time to reconsider our BA Humbug lifestyle. Like a snow ball, it only begins with a flake and a mind willing to imagine what you can design. Paul reminds us that Christ works in us, and he will help with our lifestyle change. It is never too late, and it is never a humbug to change. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may God grant you all these things - not just at Christmas, but also throughout the New Year and all the years to come. Medication alone will not help, but counseling can help as well as Christ can help you change. Dwell on these things as a gift of Christmas. A GIFT – God’s Infinite Forgiving Thoughtfulness.
Merry Christmas to all …….
