Bah! Humbug! (Redemption of Scrooge Part I)

Sermon Title: Bah! Humbug!

Good News Statement: Jesus Ensures Us Hope for a Better Tomorrow

Preached: Sunday, November 27, 2022 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NKJV): Matthew 24:36-44 Today’s scripture reading comes from the words of Matthew who writes in the twenty-fourth chapter, verses thirty-six thru forty-four, in his Gospel about the unpredictable coming of Jesus Christ.

 

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

Introduction:

“What reason have you to be merry?” scoffed Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic Christmas tale, by Charles Dickens, “Bah Humbug!”

Bah! Humbug! These words and the person who spoke them are so iconoclastic—so radical—so famous and well-known. I’ll bet that every one of you can tell me who said them. Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ famous and beloved story “A Christmas Carol” spoke these words. Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is the second most popular Christmas story in the English language, second only to the original Christmas story in the Gospels.

Everyone “knows” the story but how many of you have actually read Charles Dickens’ original “A Christmas Carol”? Most people today only know the story from watching movies and plays and there are a lot of different versions and poetic variations of the story out there, which is why I would suggest that you actually read the original “A Christmas Carol” this Advent Season so that you can form your own opinion about what Dickens’ is describing. It’s not a cute Christmas story like the movie “A Christmas Story” where little Ralphie almost shoots his eye out with his new official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot BB gun with a compass in the stock.

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is a complex, dense, rich, powerful story about a lost soul, about a soul who seemed hopeless but was filled with hope. Not only is Scrooge lost and hopeless, but he is a prime example of how powerful God’s redemptive love can be. God’s redemptive love can bring hope to the most hardened of hearts, can rescue the sinner, save the weak, find the lost, and give strength to the powerless. God’s redemptive love is what give us hope to turn our “Bah! Humbugs” into “Hallelujahs.” And it is this hope that we find ourselves exploring today through the words of Matthew, who tells us “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, not the Son, but only the Father….Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:36 and 44).

The time has come to prepare your heart for the coming of Jesus Christ, the long expected Son of God the Father, and the one who ensures us unconditional love and salvation. We must begin preparing for the coming of Christ by living into the hope that Jesus shines in our life today. Jesus ensures us hope for a better tomorrow.

 

Opening Prayer:

Let us pray… Dear Jesus Christ, we begin this Advent Season by seeking your hope, your redemptive love and grace. May your hope give us the confidence to trust you more, to love you more, and to be more like you every day. Help us to have hope even when life seems challenging and overwhelming. May my words fall to the ground as your words settle in the hearts of all those before me. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

Body:

I have always found the title to be interesting, “A Christmas Carol.” To me, a “carol” is a song , a hymn, like “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Away in a Manger,” or “Silent Night, Holy Night.” In fact, “carols” are technically “festive songs that may or may not be religious and may or may not be sung during worship: they have a positive, festive, and popular character” (Differencebetween.net). One doesn’t tend to think of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” as “positive” or “festive” but it certainly is “popular”? Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” may not be a song but it is, in fact, arranged like a “carol” or a hymn. For example, it is divided into five “staves” or “stanzas” like a carol. As a matter of fact, early on, Scrooge shoos away a lone caroler who is outside singing, “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen.” This popular hymn details how Christ’s birth was announced first to the shepherds, who were men with little means; but by the end of the hymn, the author calls all to be joined together in brotherhood and love… something that Scrooge comes to embrace by the end of the story.

Like songs, stories can also help us to remember important information. This is one of the reasons why Jesus spent so much time teaching through stories called “parables.” The parable of “The Prodigal Son” reminds us of God’s grace, for example. The parable of “The Good Samaritan” teaches us about being compassionate. The parables of “The Lost Sheep,” “The Lost Coin,” and “The Pearl of Great Worth” describe the lengths that God will go to find a lost soul and how Heaven celebrates when they are found. Although Dickens’ “carol” is much longer than a parable and isn’t set to music, he uses the power of story to remind us that there is no soul that is too gruff, too cold, or too cantankerous for God’s redeeming power—not even a gruff, cold, cantankerous soul like Ebenezer Scrooge.

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge shines through our scripture reading. Scrooge is longing for something upon which he doesn’t realize that he needs. Scrooge wants to know the facts, the simple reality, the ebbed and flow of the universe. But what he really needs to know is the divine love of Jesus Christ who offers him hope for new beginnings: hope to leave the past and to live in the present while longing for a merry and restful life in Christ. Scrooge has hope, but he needs, like so many of us may need a time or two, is the rude awakening that Jesus will come like a thief in the night to change our life. We may not like this change at first, we may find ourselves saying “Bah! Humbug!” (or possibly other words): but this change is what will strengthen our hope and build our trust in Jesus Christ, what is needed when we find ourselves in the stable on Christmas morning.

Our scripture reading began, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mathew 24:36). There is discomfort in not knowing something. With this discomfort comes tension and a feeling of uneasiness. The idea that the Son is ignorant of the day and hour was difficult for a number of early Christians. Because Jesus wouldn’t tell them when he would return, many followers began to question him and lose hope in him. When things don’t go right in our life, we lose hope, we give up, we walk away. We become content with the present instead of allowing God to change us for the future. We scream “Bah! Humbug!” But remember, if you want your “Bah Humbug’s” to turn into Hallelujahs, you must not lose sight of the primary thrust of this verse that the Father alone knows the day and time of the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus will return to save us. Jesus will return to guide us. Jesus will return to bring us hope. Jesus will return to grant us redemption. But we must not give up. The good news is that, if we are living in faith, we have no need to know the day and time. We will be ready! Scrooge wasn’t ready when Jacob Marley arrived, but he was certainly ready after the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come entered his life. We must have hope knowing that Jesus will return to save us and cloak us in eternal love. We have hope in what is to come on Christmas morning.

Our text continues: “For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39). Similar to Scrooge who didn’t know what was going on, the floodwaters of Noah came quickly and without warning to everyone except Noah and his family. Once the rain started, there was no opportunity to prepare for what was to follow. Only Noah and his family were prepared for the flood, so only Noah and his family were saved. Are you prepared?

It isn’t that Noah’s neighbors had no warning. It must have taken Noah a long time to build the ark. They could see him at work, and must have questioned him about it. He surely called them to repentance so that they, too, might be saved. However, they surely regarded Noah as a religious fanatic, someone who was crazy and out of their mind. Noah would have been hard pressed to say anything that would have jolted them out of their rut. The situation was very much like that of people today. There are people sounding the warning, but few take them seriously. God is giving us a warning today: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). God is telling us that Jesus is coming whether we are ready or not. Scrooge had no idea what was coming his way, but what was coming was a flood of hope and redemption.

But as the story progressed, Scrooge’s unpreparedness began to evolve into hope. He began to trust the three ghosts, the things he was seeing, and the people he was hearing. He began to have hope that his life could change for the better. We may not know exactly what tomorrow will bring, but we must have hope and faith in what is to come: “The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Today, we hope that Jesus will come to save us. Today, we set aside the “Bah! Humbugs” and prepare our hearts for the hope lying in the manger on Christmas morning.

The text concludes: “But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:43-44). We are never told that Scrooge was fully prepared to encounter the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. Before leaving the office and remorsefully telling Bob Cratchit that he could have Christmas Day off, Scrooge never says, “Guess what Bob, my life is going to be changed tonight by the appearance of Marley’s spirit and three ghosts. See you on the 26^th.”

Instead, Scrooge’s life was changed and filled with hope because three ghosts came like thieves in the night: without warning, without any hints, and without prepackaged gifts. In a way, Scrooges hopeful transformation came without “ribbons, tags, packages, boxes, or bags” to quote another famous Christmas character. Scrooge was not prepared. However, Scrooge, like many of us, was given warning that something might change. Just prior to leaving the counting house, Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, pays him a visit. His nephew is full of joy and merriment during the Christmas Season, and he cannot understand why Scrooge is so, well, like Scrooge. He declares, “[Christmas is] a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

Throughout life, God has used people, places, and even random objects to give you a warning of what is to come. But more often than not, we simply keep walking, ignoring others in our life, and forgetting that Jesus is always seeking ways to change us, to give us more hope in times of uncertainty. We let the “Bah Humbugs” control our life rather than leaning into the redemptive hope of each “hallelujah.” We simply see things as just a warning, instead of viewing them as something that can come like a thief in the night and change us. What sort of warnings has God placed in your life? Are you prepared for Jesus to come like a thief in the night and change your life? Or will you fight back and be like Scrooge, saying “Bah! Humbug!” rather than “Amen.”

 

Conclusion:

“Ebenezer” Scrooge. Unusual first name, one that you don’t hear too often these days, I mean, when’s the last time that you met someone named “Ebenezer” The name “Ebenezer” is a very important name in the Bible. Do any of you know what an “ebenezer” is? The word “ebenezer” comes from 1st Samuel 7. The Philistines had stolen the Ark of the covenant. The Israelites were in complete shock and disarray. It was then, the Bible tells us, that the people repented and turned their hearts back to the LORD. They sacrificed and recommitted themselves to the LORD  and they were victorious over the Philistines. To commemorate their victory, the Prophet Samuel set up a stone as a monument and called it an “ebenezer,” saying: “… for the LORD has helped us.” The Hebrew word “ebenezer” means “stone of help.”

An “ebenezer” is a reminder. An “ebenezer” stands as a monument to God’s faithfulness, hope, and help.  It marks a “milestone.” It serves as a visual and physical symbol of a moment in time when everything changed. When you see an “ebenezer,” it reminds you of a time when God was faithful and delivered you out of your troubles, when hope returned to your way of life, and when you find yourself preparing  for what Jesus has in store for you.  At the same time it reminds you that the God who delivered you then is with you now and the same monument gives you hope that the same God who delivered you in the past, who will come in the night like a thief—with no announcement—is the same God who is with you now and the same God who will be with you no matter what happens in the future.

We all have hope. Hope that our prayers will be answered. Hope that our Christmas packages will arrive on time. Hope that hearts will be changed. And hope that we too will experience transformation. But sometimes that hope is covered up by the “Bah! Humbug!” moments of life—those moments when things don’t go right, don’t go to plan, challenge us, and make us aggravated and frustrated, and cause discomfort and tension—and we forget that Jesus is coming to redeem us. We, at times, are Scrooge: we need that abrupt, all of sudden, change in our life to make us stop and realize that we do have hope—that we can turn our “Bah! Humbugs!” into “Hallelujahs.” That we can once again see the charitable and kindness of the everyday. But we must not focus on when Jesus will return but instead realize that he is already present in our lives today. The hour has come to experience hope in your life. And this hope begins today as we prepare our hearts for the arrival of “The mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”

Do you have hope today? Could you use a little bit more hope in your life? To quote Scrooge, “What reason do you have to be merry” this Advent Season? Hope is more than a word. It is trusting in the Lord that things will get better, that transformation will bring redemption to your heart. Don’t focus on when Jesus is coming. Instead, have hope that he is coming to save you—to remove the “Bah Humbugs” of life. Amen.

 

Benediction:

Hope. It’s more than a word: it’s trusting in God, it’s make a promise with Jesus, and it’s redemption through the Holy Spirit. If Scrooge can find hope in new beginnings, so can you this Advent Season. May God bless you and replace any “Bah! Humbugs” in your life with hope and love.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go transforming lives as you live well and wisely in God’s world. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.