A Christmas Carol is not your traditional Christmas story. The story begins with "Marley was dead", a rather unconventional way to welcome the holiday season. But, by the end of Ebenezer Scrooge's journey, we find that Scrooge has found new life. And so, as odd as it may seem to start a Christmas story with death, by the end, it all makes perfect sense. At the beginning of the story, on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is just as good as dead his soul is as frigid as the bleak midwinter air. He goes on a difficult and frightful journey and eventually wakes up on Christmas morning a changed man. 

We know what happens at the end of the story, but the stereotype of Scrooge persists. When we call someone a Scrooge it is not someone who is transformed, freed and forgiven. We see him only ensnared in the trap of his sin and selfishness. We may feel that way about ourselves, constantly getting into trouble, making bad decisions and watching out for #1- ourself. Our world has grown into a similar situation where we become isolated and see December 25 as just another day off to rest in the comforts of our home. Charles Dickens wrote this ghost story to remind us why in dark times we need Christmas. We need redemption just as much as Scrooge does- in the form of a Savior.

This Sunday, God’s economy is often not the same as the one we embrace, as evidenced in the life of Scrooge. But if Scrooge can be redeemed, so can we! How can we learn to love and value what God loves and values?

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