Over the past few weeks we have taken a journey from “Humbug to Hallelujah”. Toward the end of the story Scrooge is faced with the ultimate consequences of his humbug life. The Ghost of Christmas Future arrives and shows Scrooge his destiny. These are the most frightening scenes in the story—and they often give children quite a scare. But there’s a valid reason for their potency: The encounter with this ghost brings all of us face to face with the reality of life and death. As Scrooge witnesses a series of vignettes that portray the future it becomes clear that they are different responses people have to his own death. The climax brings Scrooge to a church graveyard. He desperately seeks HOPE.
As we recall Scrooge looking at his tombstone, it’s good for us to realize that our Christmas experience is not set in stone. We can make choices that can change the ending of our “Christmas Carol.” He asks the Ghost of Christmas Future, “Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of the things that may be only?” The ghost only points at Scrooge’s grave. Scrooge continues, “Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!” Scrooge is asking, “If we change the direction of our lives, can our futures be different?” The hope that his future can be different is beginning to transform Scrooge.
Recent studies show a recent sharp decline in hopefulness. According to a Fall 2001 national poll taken by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research: Only one in five report they often feel hopeful about the future. This is a dramatic change from a comparable national survey in 1990, when seven in ten reported they often felt hopeful about the future.
So how does one find the Hope of Christmas? One of the most powerful energizing words in the English language is the word “hope.” Hope is a power that keeps us going in the toughest times of life. It is the power that energizes us with excitement and anticipation as we look forward to the future. Hope gives us a reason to live. It takes obstacles and transforms them into possibilities. Hope gives us the strength and courage we need to make the most out of life. It has been said that a person can live 40 days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope.
Hope is a power that energizes us with life. Hope opens our hearts to the possibility that our lives can be different and give us the power to look forward to the future. When we open our hearts to Christ we are born into a new life with a heavenly inheritance that is wroth far more than anything the world can give. It is a life of faith rooted in love that brings an eternal dimension of hope to all that we do. It enables us to say “Hallelujah!” in the face of life’s humbugs. It enables us to live our earthly lives with a heavenly perspective such that they are transformed. This is what Scrooge is looking for. The chains of gold that Scrooge has forged in his life have done him no good.
He has done nothing with his wealth. He has not grown in love. He has become a smaller--rather than a greater--person, because he has only lived for himself. He is afraid of what the future will bring. His only hope is that it is not too late to change his life from humbug to hallelujah. Suddenly, the Ghost of Christmas Future appears and confronts Scrooge with the future he has built for himself. We never see the face of the Ghost of Christmas Future, because we never know what the future will look like. But Scrooge is given a gift of mercy.
You may be at a point where you want to go home another way. You want a new start. You may wonder if that is possible--either because of mistakes you have made or because of pain you have suffered. I want to encourage you with this affirmation: You can get a new start on life--starting now! Dr. James Dobson tells a story of an elderly woman who was facing the need for a new start.
Stella Thornhope was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior through a slowly developing cancer. Now, several days before Christmas, she was almost snowed in by a brutal weather system. She felt terribly alone--so much so that she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas.
Late that afternoon the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box. He said, "Mrs. Thornhope?" She nodded.
He said, "Would you sign here?" She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, "What's in the box?"
The young man laughed and opened the flap, and inside was a little puppy, a Golden Labrador Retriever. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, "This is for you, Ma'am. He's six weeks old, completely housebroken." The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity.
"Who sent this?" Mrs. Thornhope asked.
The young man set the animal down and handed her an envelope and said, "It's all explained here in this envelope, Ma'am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift to you." The young man then handed her a book, How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever.
In desperation she again asked, "Who sent me this puppy?"
As the young man turned to leave, he said, "Your husband, Ma'am. Merry Christmas."
She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then.
She wiped away the tears, put the letter down; and then, remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden furry ball and held it to her neck. Looking out the window at the lights that outlined a neighbor's house, she heard from the kitchen radio the strains of “Joy to the World.” Suddenly, Stella felt an amazing sensation of peace. Her heart felt a joy and wonder greater than the grief and loneliness.
"Little fella," she said to the dog, "It's just you and me. But you know what? There's a box down in the basement I'll bet you'd like. It's got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights that are going to impress you. And there's a manger scene down there. Let's go get it."
God has a way of sending a signal of light to remind us life is stronger than death. Light is more powerful than darkness. God is more powerful than Satan. Good will overcome evil.
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light," the prophet said. "On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned" (Matt. 4:16).
The hope of Christmas is that God can change us. We can be different people. By faith in Christ, we can write a new ending, a very happy ending to our “Christmas Carol,” and to our entire lives. We need to express to God that we have often been caught up in selfish pursuits, ignoring the needs of others and living as if God didn’t exist. Let us alter our lives on the altar of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. We need to alter our lives through the power of your Holy Spirit, so that we will pay attention to God’s working, and start life anew. Through the Scriptures and through A Christmas Carol we've seen that good endings can be written to our own “Christmas Carol” by choosing to replace "humbug" with "hallelujah," "rubbish" with "rejoice." Thank you, Father, that's it's not too late to change the outcome of our holiday experience. By the time Christmas arrives in a few days, may our spirits be singing a personal "Hallelujah Chorus."
