25 Thoughts on “A Christmas Carol” – December 4th

Happy Christmas Dear Readers,

“'A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!' cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.
'Bah!' said Scrooge, 'Humbug!'
He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.
'Christmas a humbug, uncle!' said Scrooge's nephew. 'You don't mean that, I am sure?'
'I do,' said Scrooge. 'Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.'”

Fred is an amazing example of grace and forbearance. He is determined to be kind to Scrooge no matter what Scrooge’s attitude. It is Fred’s intent that Scrooge be saved. He draws from Scrooge a statement of his true feelings. Scrooge equates merriment with the possession of wealth. As Fred later points out this is a contradiction as Scrooge is wealthy and not merry at all.

So though Scrooge is trustworthy in matters of business (as we have seen earlier), he is at least deceiving himself in matters of true happiness. So often we equate our own happiness with what we posses, want, or think we need. So much of our self image and worth can become tied up in what we own.

This false self causes us to put the gathering of things ahead of the giving of good will, love, and compassion to others. Do we truly wish for others to go into debt to live up to the pretense of gift giving? Why can our merriment not be based on what our hearts posses in good will to others? What is the possible joy if we invest our energies into mankind instead of into clothing, gadgets, and rich food?

I am not saying that giving gifts to our friends and family is wrong. I am saying that we need to focus on giving much more of ourselves and not on material things. Our joy must come from what Christmas is over what we get or buy for others. We can raise the level of everyone’s spirits by infusing into their lives a genuine wish for them to have the best that Christmas has to offer…the joy that is Christ.

Too often we equate material security with happiness. It is too easy, like Scrooge, to question the satisfaction of others because we lack our own serenity. Perhaps as the season builds we can all go about wishing others a proper “Merry Christmas” in the hopes that God will save those to whom we wish it.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."